Hawaii court ruling closes loophole for aquarium fishing - The Pioneer

Hawaii court ruling closes loophole for aquarium fishing - The Pioneer

Hawaii court ruling closes loophole for aquarium fishing - The Pioneer

Posted: 03 Dec 2020 05:52 AM PST

Updated

KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii (AP) — The state of Hawaii plans to comply with a court order to close a loophole allowing commercial aquarium fishing despite a previous ruling for the practice to be halted.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources said Monday it will stop issuing commercial marine licenses for aquarium fishing until the completion of an environmental review ordered by the Hawaii Supreme Court, West Hawaii Today reported.

Environmental groups and a individual plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in January alleging the land and natural resources department allowed commercial aquarium collection to continue despite the high court's order — issuing or renewing at least 72 commercial marine licenses to commercial aquarium collectors.

Environmental Court Judge Jeffrey Crabtree ruled Friday that the department violated the Hawaii Environmental Policy Act by failing to complete the required environmental review process.

The court understands the ruling "will cause economic hardship to aquarium fishers, their families, employees, and vendors. That is truly unfortunate, especially during the hardships already occurring from the pandemic," Crabtree wrote.

A group of 41 current license holders reporting aquarium fish catches will retain their licenses, state officials said in a statement. The one-year licenses remain valid because the court declined to issue an injunction stopping the practice.

The state Supreme Court halted aquarium fishing in September 2017 by ruling that fish collection without environmental review violates the Hawaii Environmental Policy Act.

The activity is opposed by some Native Hawaiians and marine conservation groups. Many reef advocates have urged more state scrutiny for decades.

"We are relieved that the court shut this illegal loophole so our reefs can finally rest while the agency examines the industry's harmful effects," plaintiff and Big Island resident Kaimi Kaupiko said.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

This fish is worth $300,000 - New York Post

This fish is worth $300,000 - New York Post This fish is worth $300,000 - New York Post Posted: 05 Jun 2016 12:00 AM PDT With exacting precision, the surgeon inserted the scalpel above the eyeball and cut out a snotty deposit of fatty tissue. The routine eye-lift was nearly complete when suddenly the patient awoke, suffocating, and began to flop about on the table. The audience gasped. Knowing time was of the essence, the surgeon scooped up the patient in his arms, raced across the stage, and dropped her into a tank of water. She revived. Because she was a fish. Yes, fish eye-lifts exist. As do fin jobs and tail tucks. The operating theater was a mall in Jakarta, Indonesia, where a pet expo was under way. As for the patient, she survived, her formerly droopy eyes now bright and perky. A good thing, too, as this was no ordinary goldfish but rather an Asian arowana, the world's most expensive aquarium denizen, rumored to sell for as mu...
Read more

Catching Dory: selling aquarium fish supports coastal livelihoods in Indonesia | npj Ocean Sustainability - Nature.com

Image
Abstract The global marine aquarium trade has created new local markets across the planet, including in Indonesia, now the second-largest exporting country of marine aquarium fish in the world. Participating in the global aquarium trade has been touted as a potentially sustainable addition to fisher livelihoods, but scant data exist showing the numbers of fish coming off the reef and how those fish contribute to income. To determine how participants in the trade incorporate aquarium species in their livelihoods, we examine source-level aquarium fish collecting and trading data in the Banggai Archipelago, a region in Central Sulawesi that has become a significant source for popular aquarium, also known as ornamental, fish species. Using a sustainable livelihoods lens, we examine this data to understand how participants in the aquarium trade both contribute to as well as benefit from the trade and consider how their participation relates to emerging Blue Justice principles. From one year...
Read more

NilocG Launches New Website for the Only All-in-One Thrive Fertilization Solution for Planted Aquariums - PRNewswire

Image
NilocG Launches New Website for the Only All-in-One Thrive Fertilization Solution for Planted Aquariums - PRNewswire NilocG Launches New Website for the Only All-in-One Thrive Fertilization Solution for Planted Aquariums - PRNewswire Posted: 11 Mar 2021 02:00 AM PST ALBANY, Ore. , March 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NilocG launches a new website for planted tank enthusiasts to gather and make THRIVE, a plant fertilizer that assures planted tank aquascapes flourish while eliminating the need for multiple products more readily available online. The company also takes it a step further in the industry, making its flagship product easy to dose, super-concentrated, and an all-in-one solution based on an effective EL dosing method with all essential micro and macronutrients. Continue Reading Thrive fertilizer: North America's most trusted aquarium plant fertilizer Colin Grice , CEO, a self-described planted tank lover, re...
Read more