State seeks input on lay net ban
By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer
A series of public meetings to discuss a ban on stationary lay nets in inshore waters will be held this month.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources will hold public meetings to discuss a proposal to ban lay nets. Meeting times are 6 to 9 p.m., except for the Wai'anae meeting, which begins at 6:30 p.m. • Monday: Wai'anae Public Library • Jan. 20: Wilcox Elementary School cafeteria, Lihu'e • Jan. 22: Kealakehe High School, Kailua, Kona • Jan. 23: Waiakea High School, Hilo • Jan. 26: Mitchell Pauole Center, Kaunakakai • Jan. 27: Lana'i Public Library • Jan. 29: Maui Waena Elementary School, Kahului • Jan. 30: Benjamin Parker School, Kane'ohe Source: State Dept. of Land and Natural Resources
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources is holding the meetings to develop guidelines for a ban. Rules could include exemptions for specific areas and for cultural and traditional use.
Meetings begin Sunday
"We want to hear from the fishers and the community at large to get the widest possible range of viewpoints on the issues," said DLNR chairman Peter Young.
A lay net, which also is known as a moemoe net, is passive fishing gear because the net is set and left more or less unattended, according to the department. The fish are caught as they run into it and become entangled.
A concern with lay nets is the entangling and killing of protected species such as sea turtles or monk seals.
A pa'ipa'i net is essentially the same net used for lay net but actively fished. The fishermen set the net, usually in an arc, and then drive fish into the net by splashing the water. Then they pick up the net to retrieve the fish. That net is not left unattended.
The discussion will not include whether pa'ipa'i nets should be managed the same way as moemoe nets.
In 1997, the use of gillnet appeared along the Wai'anae coast. This monofilament net was set on the bottom in depths 200 feet or more and longer than a mile. Concerns about the use of this gillnet prompted the formation of a Gillnet Task Force.
At first, the discussion focused on deep-set gillnets, but later was broadened to include inshore gillnets, which are lay nets. Current regulations on lay nets set a maximum soak time of four hours, with a requirement to inspect the net every two hours.
Recently, there has been increased interest in implementing a statewide ban on lay nets.
The ban pertains to commercial, recreational and subsistence lay net uses and would not apply to throw nets, cast nets, fence/bag nets, aquarium nets, lobster nets, 'opelu or akule nets, lobster traps or fish traps.
Background and details of the proposal options are at the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources Web site at www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/dar/laynet_mgmt.htm.
Reach James Gonser at 535-2431 or at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com.
Correction: A previous version of this story listed the wrong day for the Wai'anae meeting.
