Marine resources within Kaupulehu ahupuaa and Uluweuweu Bay are home to richly diverse ecosystems. However, some residents fear the area’s marine life is at risk because of increased pressure caused by coastal access and overfishing.
A group of ahupuaa descendants, resource managers, scientists and other stakeholders want to designate the Kaupulehu Fisheries Management Area as a marine reserve for 10 years to help restore and protect the area.
The Kaupulehu Marine Life Advisory Committee, or KMLAC, is proposing to create a marine reserve, where no taking of any reef-related marine organisms, whether alive or dead, is allowed. Extraction of reef structures would also be prohibited.
The only exceptions to the rule would be fishing by trolling, the catching of bottomfish by hook and line and the catching of permitted species, all of which must be done in depths of 120 feet or more. Taking non-native invasive fish and algae would also be allowed, upon approval of the state Division of Aquatic Resources and KMLAC.
Proponents said prohibiting the proposed activities is crucial to replenishing marine life to its former abundance and restoring productive fishing grounds for “sustainable subsistence use and soundly managed take.” It must be done before existing fish stocks reach a level that they cannot naturally recover and for maintaining a healthy habitat, KMLAC members said during Wednesday’s informational meeting in Waimea.
Under marine reserve status, KMLAC will work with the public and DAR to establish a comprehensive fisheries management plan based on traditional values and practices, as well as using the best scientific data available. That plan will be used after the area reopens after 10 years. Scientific and community monitoring, education and outreach programs, cooperative enforcement through the Makai Watch program will also occur.
Nine months ago, KMLAC brought its proposal to West Hawaii Fisheries Council, an advisory group that formulates and recommends management actions to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
WHFC revised it and approved the draft marine reserve rule, now being discussed at informational meetings.
Collected comments will be considered when WHFC decides the rule’s fate, possibly by summer’s end. If approved by WHFC, the rule will be submitted to the state and public hearings will follow, said WHFC member Tina Owens.
Fishing grounds, cared for by generations of Hawaiian families, were renowned for amaama, uu, moi, akule, manini, opelu, opihi and octopus. Limu was gathered in the spring and sea salt on the northern side was prized for preserving food.
Following a 1998 survey, indicating declines in coral coverage, fish abundance and diversity, KMLAC successfully petitioned for establishing the Kaupulehu Fish Replenishment Area, one of nine West Hawaii sites where aquarium collecting is prohibited.
While the FRA protected some fish species like yellow tang, it didn’t help fish often caught by fishermen. Concerns exist about boat fishermen using illegal nets to surround entire fish schools, as well as commercial shore fishermen filling coolers with fish and opihi for sale elsewhere.
More than 100 people attended Wednesday’s meeting at Kanu o ka Aina New Century Charter School in Waimea. Opposition was heard at various booths.
Palikapu Dedman, of Pele Defense Fund, disapproves the proposal because it “infringes on Native Hawaiian rights, particularly pertaining to access for spiritual, traditional, customary, gathering and subsistence.” He said the area belongs to the state and “all the people here should have been included in the very beginning, not just the people in the ahupuaa.”
Like many attendees, Honokaa resident Wes Murakane was concerned about shoreline access for cultural, recreational, commercial and subsistence uses. He said the area is already restricted because of resorts in the area and questioned the closure, particularly who it benefits. Instead of a moratorium, he suggested DLNR’s enforcement officers get the proper tools, funding and support to do their job better, as well as for a seasonal closure to be considered.
However, a few attendees called the proposal a “step in the right direction” and “a good idea.”
“For every fish you see today, I used to see seven in the same place,” said Waimea resident Francis Ruddle. “It’s time people become educated and learn that you can’t keep taking fish out of the ocean without consequence. If we don’t start doing something now, your kids and their kids will have nothing.”
Kawaihae resident Kawika Auld said “someone has to be proactive or else the problems will continue to get bigger.”
He said rebuilding the fish stocks in the area makes sense and encouraged people to be “open-minded” about the proposal, “which is in a small section of the island.”
