Spearfishing for various gamefish is a popular pastime in many places, including Hawaii. People argue for and against it for a variety of reasons; now, dive operators in Hawaii are asking lawmakers to put a stop to spearfishing in some areas where rare, beautiful fish are falling prey to scuba divers armed with spearguns.
Managing Spear Fishing and Replenishing Fish Species
Lawmakers in Hawaii may soon implement a “White List” that designates forty species that may be removed from reef environments for the protection of other reef fish. If enacted, the new legislation will affect an area where recreational divers enjoy encountering rare species at several different dive sites. The law would ban spear fishing within a portion of the West Hawaii Regional Fish Management Area, which covers an area spanning 147 miles between South and Upolu Points. New size limits and bag limits for Kole, Achilles Tang, and Yellow Tang will also be established.
Many species targeted by spearfishing enthusiasts are better left alive on the reef. According to Bill Walsh, a DAR Aquatic Biologist, “The rule will reduce the threat of population decline of rare species.” In addition, he expressed concern over the impact less fish would have on the area’s dive industry, saying that “Dive operators make a big deal about some of these species because they are unusual, rare, and just so beautiful. They will take patrons over and look in a cave to see it; if the fish has been snagged, it’s a blow to the operation.”
Besides protecting certain fish, the new legislation would establish a 1,500-foot long stretch of South Kona’s Kaohe Bay. This area would serve as a fish replenishment area, and any fish collecting within its boundaries would be more tightly regulated than in surrounding areas. For example, no scuba spearfishing will be allowed there, regardless of target species. Taking any shark or ray species would be prohibited, and new restrictions to nighttime aquarium fish collecting would be implemented. New net and fish labeling requirements would also be put in place, and anyone working to collect fish for aquariums there would be required to display a West Hawaii Aquarium Permit.
The new legislation will also enact a ban on recreational fish feeding, further protecting at-risk fish species from being targeted by aquarists, who often engage in fish feeding in order to make selecting and capturing prized aquarium species easier for themselves.
Spear fishing, including nighttime spear fishing, is allowed in many areas around Hawaii; if you enjoy fishing this way, be sure you are aware of all regulations in the area you plan to spend time in. Hawaii’s fish and game officials are setting stricter bag limits to prevent divers from taking excess fish, and many species are now being targeted for total protection, including stingrays, eagle rays, a variety of sharks, and several species of shellfish. Subsistence hunting and fishing is a time-honored tradition in Hawaii, and the seas surrounding the islands are bountiful. Knowing what to fish for, when to fish for it, and where it is legal to fish not only helps keep divers out of trouble, it also helps prevent at-risk species from becoming even more vulnerable.