Posted on: Monday, July 26, 2004

HAWAI'I'S ENVIRONMENT
Fishing ban sought for northwest islands

By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Columnist

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources has marched out a proposed set of new regulations for management of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, which it hopes will simplify management of the region.

The proposed rules for a new state Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine Refuge are not, in fact, that simple — nothing about the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands is — but they do convey a message that coincides somewhat with those of other agencies that have responsibilities there.

And that message is: no fishing.

In the convoluted scheme of control among the islands and reefs, the federal government, through the Fish and Wildlife Service, owns the land areas on all the islands except Kure Atoll through two national wildlife refuges. The Fish and Wildlife Service claims the right to prohibit any entry to waters within 120 feet deep, and within 240 feet at French Frigate Shoals and at Necker, which is also known as Mokumanamana.

The state owns Kure Atoll and operates it as a state wildlife refuge. Around all the islands except Midway, the state also claims waters from the high-water line on islands out to three miles from shore. The new rules would ban any kind of fishing around those islands, but with special conditions at Nihoa and Necker.

The federal Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve bans fishing from the limits of state and Fish and Wildlife Service boundaries out to a depth of 150 feet. The federal National Marine Fisheries Service controls commercial bottom fishing but allows trolling out to 600 feet.

The safe assumption if the state rules are adopted is that there is no bottom fishing in waters shallower than 600 feet and no fishing of any kind inside 150 feet in depth, and at Necker inside 240 feet. You need a permit from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Fish and Wildlife Service to approach any island.

At Nihoa, the state would allow fishing in its three-mile waters as long as the water is more than 60 feet deep, and that occurs very close to the shore at Nihoa.

Details of the state rules are available at DLNR offices or the Web site www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/dar. Send comments to Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources, 1151 Punchbowl St., Room 330, Honolulu, HI 96813.

If you have a question or concern about Hawai'i's environment, contact Jan TenBruggencate at P.O. Box 524, Lihu'e, HI 96766, jant@honoluluadvertiser.com or call (808) 245-3074.