Help Stop the Hawaiian Fishing Ban!!

Guess who wants to ban collection of their marine aquarium fish again!? This is going to be a yearly deal folks and I don't know how well these petitions hold up in the legislator, but for the time it takes to hop over to this link and fill it out its well worth our time.
click on this link- Online petition - Stop the Hawaiian Fishing Ban
Please take the time to fill it out. It can't hurt anything but not filling it out could really hurt or hobby.
Matt H.

Let's not see this banner read-
THIS SITE IS WORTHLESS WITHOUT FISH!
Please take the time to fill out the petition. Thanks

I signed that one a long time ago... I just hope the government over there can look at the scientific facts instead of voting based on the emotions of select environmentalists and the desires of the snorkeling business owners (SnorkleBob)... I am all for adding to the regulation of the fisheries as I would hate to see the reefs dwindle of suffer, but an aoutright ban is not needed. The facts prove that.

The environmentalists use shocking photos and attempt to generalize that these photos are representative of the aquarium trade and how fish are handled. They have even went on to say that 90% of the Yellow Tangs exported from Hawaii die within the first year of captivity. I beg to differ as my yellow is at least 7 - 8 years old and thriving.

Thanks cdness for your interest in this topic. Just an update pumbooris was signer #992. How long ago did you sign it? And we're still under a 1000 signatures! WE NEED TO GET THIS THING SIGNED IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY! Tell me there has to be a lot more people out there for aquariums than against them. Please don't be lazy and take this topic for granted. Once we lose this battle it will take a long time to win it back. And personally I have enough time out of the week spent with my fish tanks that I don't need countless hours spent writing politicians letters to consider opening back up the trade of aquarium fish from Hawaiian (and whatever other state/country is ready to follow suit) waters. So, let's not let it get that far!

I see "1036 Signatures" on the site...

I signed with my real name "Curtis Ness" and put in my email address as well. Unfortunately the signatures are not viewable by the public so it said to contact the author... If it is not there, then someone else from my IP has signed it and I'll have to sign it when I get home. Let me know if you see my name.

cdness wrote:I see "1036 Signatures" on the site...

I signed with my real name "Curtis Ness" and put in my email address as well. Unfortunately the signatures are not viewable by the public so it said to contact the author... If it is not there, then someone else from my IP has signed it and I'll have to sign it when I get home. Let me know if you see my name.

Don't worry, that's not what I was getting at, I can't see the signatures either, we just have to assume they are there. I was just wondering how long ago you signed it to know kind of at least how old the petition is? And where did you find the current amount of signatures? No, for me and you it's over as far as the signing goes. I'm just trying to reach out to those who haven't signed it.

When I signed it said 1042 signatures.

I signed it in November I think. It was linked from Reef2Reef when it was first released and I caught it there.

Done! #1110

signed up

Sorry. I don't think its a bad idea to be honest. Its proven in some areas of mexico that when fishing/fish taking/ etc were banned for 3-5 years, the reefs exploded back to life. So I agree with the ban. We SHOULD be trying to figure out how to culture them in tanks for our pleasure.


~~Will not sign it~~

((PS-those of us at the frag swap should know alll about that now )

Swanwillow?? You're confusing me. Were you the one I saw sleeping in the back row of Matt's speech? Sorry I had to say that but think about it! If we can't get the fish we can't do the research on how to breed them! The Government doesn't fund this research because guess why? Most of these aquarium fish are not considered food fish. So its going to take aquarist like Matt Pedersen, Matthew Wittenrich, and maybe even you to do this research and figure out how to breed them in captivity for "our pleasure". Hawaii's very own Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), like MN's DNR. has praised the Hawaiian’s aquarium fisheries for their outstanding efforts on sustainable collections and say's the problem lays elsewhere. Recreational fishing, which doesn’t even require a fishing license over there, takes 400X more of these fish annually than our aquarium trade. Please take the time to read some of the links that Matt P. has put up on LSMAC's site. I would sure love to get the facts for you on this topic and get you to sign that petition! Either way friends, right?
Thanks for your consideration
-Matt Haglund

Nevermind finding the links on LSMAC . I'll bring them over and share for anyone interesed. These were brought to my atention by Matt Pedersen. Matt has dedicated countless hours to this topic.
http://coralmagazine-us.com/content/senate-bills-call-complete-ban-sale-hawaiian-aquatic-life
http://coralmagazine-us.com/content/new-bill-protect-manage-marine-trade-hawaii-gains-support
http://reefbuilders.com/2012/01/27/hawaii-ban-watch-2012-7-bills-concern/
http://www.masna.org/Blog/tabid/430/EntryId/36/Concerns-Linger-as-Kaua-i-Anti-Aquarium-Measures-Reach-Hawai-i-s-Legislature.aspx

Another one from Matt P. this morning
http://coralmagazine-us.com/content/request-sign-petition-support-hawaiian-fishermen
This a letter to Coral readers from who I think is a Hawaiian resident, Kim Koch, aking for help and to sign the petition.

One thing though...

Most of the Hawiaiian fish are also found throughout the Pacific. Yes, they come in nicer than the pacific fish. But we should get used to not having the fish... Someday we won't have ANY.

And I was definitely awake during the speeches. Heck, I was taking notes!

Swanwillow wrote:But we should get used to not having the fish... Someday we won't have ANY.

Yes, if things don't change, in the future we may not have many species of fish, coral, birds, mamals, etc as habitat is destroyed though deforestation, agricultural run off, industrial waste, trash dumping, need I go on... Collection for the aquarium trade has a much smaller effect on the habitat than all of these much larger issues to correct first... Yes regulation will be good to support sustainability and I hope one day we will have captive bred Yellow Tangs. Unfortunately with a total ban this may never happen...

Just my $.02...

A total ban won't hinder us getting much. Off the top of my head, I honestly can't think of a single species we wouldn't get that we cannot also get from another pacific island. Sure, it makes people in Hawaii more money selling them to us than fishing for them, but I also believe they include ALL fishing in the ban. Big + for the environment there all around.

No, its just the aquarium industry being baned in these bills!
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=2042
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=2002
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=2408
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1780

So, let me jump ship and join your side for a while Swanwillow! Convince me why its better to leave the fish of Hawaii in the sea. And instead take them (the exact same species of fish) from other areas of the Pacific Ocean? This alone makes no sense but convince me even more why we should get them from areas who's fisheries are looking at Hawaii's fisheries as a industry leader in their methods of sustainable collection or way worse, areas who's fisheries that are looking the other way. And let's even give them the benefit of the doubt, and say lack of funds, is why they go out in boats without live wells or roofs for shade, bag the fish and leave them baking in the hot equatorial sun as they dive down for more. Then they bring them to shore and do they put them in their holding facility? Well, if you consider their holding facility laying them out on a gravel road to bake in the sun some more until they can make some shady deal to get rid of them to somebody stateside. Who in turn got them cheap and offers your LFS a deal of a lifetime. Who in turn sells them to you! NOT EVEN CLOSE TO KIDDING!! This does happen and one of the reasons some fish from the pacific come in worse shape than others. Most all come out of the ocean healthy and strong, it's what happens from there. Is this where you would like me to get my fish from for a while? I DON'T THINK SO! Please take the time to read and study some of the info and links on this topic so I don't have to read "A total ban won't hinder us getting much" again.
Thanks-
Matt Haglund

Ha! That's not my side, that's being partially on my side, but arguing it opposite.

Why should they ban it? Honestly, I think what they SHOULD do is vastly different than what they're doing.

What they SHOULD do is a full ban for a PERIOD of time. 5 years or so. Then open it up to LICENSED people who are able to then collect/fish certain amounts of things (like Florida does, I do believe) After 5 years the reefs will be back to sustainable and healthy amounts (relatively speaking. Hawaii has a lot of issues with pollution, even if they won't admit it) compared to what they are now. What they SHOULD do is ban fishing and open up eco-tourism.

Yes, fish from the pacific come in horribly. I won't even start that. But the other thing is, what is someone from Minnesota signing an online petition going to do for the government over there? They'll laugh at us. WE don't elect them. People in Hawaii do. I'm also more realistic and do not believe that Tangs will ever be captive bred, unless its in an ocean. But even then with their big nets, it will be nearly impossible for us to keep the babies inside.

I'd like to know what percentage of fish actually come from Hawaii, compared to the Pacific/Japan/SE US areas. That would be an interesting read for me at least. Sure, you buy your fish from there-but other bigger places don't. I'm honestly willing to be it comes down to 15% from Hawaii, 10% from Florida, 5% Japan, and the other 70% from the pacific islands/Australia.

Ha! That's not my side, that's being partially on my side, but arguing it opposite.

No, I was on your side. A good Scientist never tries to prove their theory right; they try to prove it wrong.

What they SHOULD do is a full ban for a PERIOD of time. 5 years or so. Then open it up to LICENSED people who are able to then collect/fish certain amounts of things (like Florida does, I do believe) After 5 years the reefs will be back to sustainable ...

Well, if that’s how you feel then you should sign it and wait for a bill a little more what you would like to see. There is nothing in there saying it will be opened back up in 5 years or so.

what is someone from Minnesota signing an online petition going to do for the government over there? They'll laugh at us. WE don't elect them. People in Hawaii do.

Most of the people standing behind activist like snorkel Bob and Rene Umberger are from the mainland and the politicians are listening to them!

I'm also more realistic and do not believe that Tangs will ever be captive bred

Don't cut us as a human race short! Matt Pedersen breed and reared the Oxymonacanthus longirostris in a little apartment in Chicago funded out of his own pocket when the rest of the world thought the fish couldn't even be kept alive in captivity! Maybe we never will be able to breed them in captivity naturally, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try and there are other fish that are only found in Hawaii that breeders may be close to breaking thru to getting them captive bread.

The reason I say we won't beable to isn't because 'if theres a will, theres a way'. They need such giant areas, and schools. They seed their eggs above the reef, and let them drift off as plankton. If there's a way to allow them to do that in a hobbiests tank, well, then I'll be wrong.

And if you recall, they are misquoting Bob Fenner up the a$$ >.< Should be attacking and correcting them instead of a single person that doesn't want to sign!