Hawaii Fishery Ban: Legislative Overreach Impacts Fish Hobbyists - Pet Age
Hawaii Fishery Ban: Legislative Overreach Impacts Fish Hobbyists - Pet Age |
| Hawaii Fishery Ban: Legislative Overreach Impacts Fish Hobbyists - Pet Age Posted: 09 Mar 2021 02:43 PM PST  Regulation and oversight can be a double-edged sword in any industry, particularly within the pet trade. While clear standards and guidelines have drastically increased the quality of production, the treatment of staff members and employees, and the health and well-being of animals in our care, legislative overreach creates significant obstacles to open trade and can often threaten potential areas of growth and even whole segments of our industry. Nowhere have we seen legislative overreach more drastically than what is currently occurring in Hawaii. After a years-long litigious battle, all marine commercial aquarium fishery in Hawaii has been banned, effectively rescinding already-issued commercial marine licenses and outlawing any usage of such a license for commercial aquarium collection. In order to achieve a commercial marine license in Hawaii, a would-be applicant must submit to a rigorous environmental review process, under Chapter 343 of Hawaii's Revised Statues. Note, however, that this ban does not adversely affect other usages of a commercial marine license, such as non-aquarium fishing. Under this ruling, it remains perfectly legal for an individual to catch a Hawaiian fish with a spear, a net, or a rod and reel – with the intent to eat – while it now becomes illegal to keep that same fish alive as a pet. Effectively, the pet industry has been singled out as a target, while other industries face no such oversight or restriction. This, despite these fisheries being among the best-run, most environmentally friendly fisheries throughout the world. Even the most stringent of daily catch limits were rejected, in a clear example of legislative overreach. This ruling, unfortunate as it is, is the terminus of a long-running legal battle with various nonprofit groups, stemming back for decades. In 2017, Hawaii's highest court ordered that commercial aquarium collections must be subject to review under the Hawaii Environmental Policy Act, adding significant restrictions to the methodology, amount, and regions available for aquarium fishery. In May 2020, a group of Hawaiian fishers – acting as part of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) – appealed to Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources for a number of new fishery licenses, but were defeated unanimously, 7-0. Taking this setback in stride, we must simultaneously move ahead with the daily work of our industry, while still working towards finding an appropriate balance between maintaining our environment and providing new animals for a customer base showing increased interest and demand for aquarium fish. With the loss of these Hawaiian fisheries, demand for Hawaii-native aquarium fish has already seen a significant increase. Fishes like the yellow tang or the Potter's angelfish have become increasingly scarce, with captive-breeders unable to keep up with demand. Because of this, wholesale prices on these and similar fish have doubled or even tripled, placing increased pressure on retailers who simply cannot keep up with demand in a financially solvent manner. If tropical fish are part of your regular stock, expect both significant delays and higher prices on fish native to Hawaii. However, you may want to consider other alternatives. Leverage your relationships with captive-breeders or wholesalers who work with captive-breeders, to ensure that your store has the stock it needs. And, of course, be patient. While our industry works on finding suitable alternatives to wild-caught Hawaiian fish, consider promoting other species that might be more available, cheaper for your customers, or for which you might be able to couple supplies as a package deal. However, as an industry, we must continue to work together against the sort of overreach seen in Hawaii. This begins at the local level, by paying attention to potential ordinances and laws that might restrict sale, transport, or breeding of various animals. While some of these legislations provide common-sense solutions and guidelines for our industry, others severely inhibit our ability to provide pets to would-be customers and must be vigorously opposed. This advice counts doubly at the state and federal levels; be sure to contact your state and federal representatives to ensure that they see the importance of the pet industry to your community and can take a reasonable, measured approach to any potential legislation that might restrict or even eliminate an entire sector of our industry. As an industry, we must not only keep a vigilant eye on legislation like that in Hawaii, but take up an active role in deterring our lawmaking officials from enacting harmful laws and policies. Your voice, your expertise, and your vote are the most potent tools in this ongoing conflict. Make your voice heard, hold your legislative officials accountable, and bring your subject-matter knowledge to bear, to ensure that the pet industry remains strong for years to come. For more information on PIJAC's efforts at the local, state, and federal levels, visit the PIJAC website and click on the Government Affairs tab. |
| Posted: 22 Feb 2021 12:00 AM PST  The "Global Ornamental Fish Market, By Type (Tropical Fresh Water, Temperate Fresh Water, Marine Ornamentals), By Application (Residential, Commercial), By Point of Sale (Dedicated Stores, Multi-Specialty Stores, Others), By Region, Competition, Forecast & Opportunities, 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Global Ornamental Fish Market was valued USD 6,800 Million in 2019 and is forecast to reach USD 11,336.47 Million by 2025, growing at a CAGR of over 10% through 2025. Anticipated growth in the market can be attributed to changing lifestyle and growing preference of millennials in keeping aquariums as home decor items. With increasing disposable income, consumers are willing to spend on colorful attractive fishes to be kept in their home aquarium. Further, various scientific studies reveal that the use of ornamental fishes in household aquariums provides psychological advantages to the house members and hence the market is witnessing an increasing demand for ornamental fishes. Aquariums are also said to help in reducing stress and provide calm effect on the members of the house. The inclination towards luxury lifestyle is also aiding the growth of ornamental fish market. The consumers are preferring buying colorful species of these ornamental fishes as their pet. Also, increasing prohibitions on keeping pets such as dogs and cats in high rise apartments is expected to fuel the demand for ornamental fishes in the coming years. The introduction and breeding of exotic species and growing interest in fish keeping are also some other driving factors for ornamental fishes' market growth. The Global Ornamental Fish Market is segmented based on type, application, point of sale and region. Based on type, the market is segmented into tropical fresh water, temperate fresh water and marine ornamentals. The tropical freshwater fish species dominated the global market in 2019 with share of 58.27% and the segment is expected to undergo the highest growth during the forecast period as they are easy to take care of and come in various attractive colors. Also, new beginner aquarium owners prefer to keep tropical freshwater fishes owing to its convenience. Based on application, the Global Ornamental Fish Market is segmented into residential and commercial. The residential segment currently dominates the global market as large number of urban populations prefer to keep pets in their home. However, the commercial segment is expected to undergo the highest growth by 2025 owing to the increasing adoption aquariums as attractive decoration item at hotels, restaurants and shopping malls and complexes. Companies Mentioned
Objective of the Study:
Key Topics Covered: 1. Product Overview 2. Research Methodology 3. Impact of COVID-19 on Global Ornamental Fish Market 4. Executive Summary 5. Global Ornamental Fish Market Outlook 5.1. Market Size & Forecast 5.1.1. By Value 5.2. Market Share & Forecast 5.2.1. By Type (Tropical Fresh Water, Temperate Fresh Water, Marine Ornamentals) 5.2.2. By Application (Residential, Commercial) 5.2.3. By Point of Sale (Dedicated Stores, Multi-Specialty stores, Online, Others) 5.2.4. By Region (Asia-Pacific, North America, Europe, South America, MEA) 5.2.5. By Company (2019) 5.3. Market Attractiveness Index 6. Asia-Pacific Ornamental Fish Market Outlook 6.1. Market Size & Forecast 6.2. Market Share & Forecast 6.3. Pricing Analysis 6.4. Asia-Pacific: Country Analysis 7. Europe Ornamental Fish Market Outlook 8. North America Ornamental Fish Market Outlook 9. South America Ornamental Fish Market Outlook 10. Middle East and Africa Ornamental Fish Market Outlook 11. Market Dynamics 11.1. Drivers 11.2. Challenges 12. Market Trends & Developments 13. Competitive Landscape 14. Strategic Recommendations 15. About Us & Disclaimer For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/fm32j7 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210222005433/en/ Contacts ResearchAndMarkets.com |
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