Posted on: Monday, February 7, 2005

By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Science Writer

It seems to make common sense: If you stop aquarium collectors from taking fish from an area, then the fish will come back, and they'll reproduce and replenish not only that area but neighboring zones.

Five years after the 147-mile-long West Hawai'i Regional Fisheries Management Area was established, the results for the most part seem to support common sense, according to a report prepared for the Legislature.

Nine protected zones were established along the Kona coast in 1999. Research shows that of the 10 most heavily collected species, seven increased in numbers in the protected areas. The population of yellow tangs, the most heavily collected aquarium fish, was up 49 percent overall and showed increases in numbers in seven of the nine refuges. The refuge areas are big; they represent a third of the coastal waters of the region.

At the same time, aquarium collectors, despite being kept out of those zones, brought in more yellow tangs than ever before.

However, the increases aren't consistent in every species. A few species, including the Achilles tang and clown tang, did not show significant increases.

The report says there is comparatively little poaching by aquarium collectors within the fish replenishment areas. That may be the result of a great deal of community involvement in the process.

Area residents tried numerous times to establish a management system that would allow aquarium collection while also protecting fishing and tourist viewing of reef fish. The discussions and sometimes open battles led to the passage in 1998 of Act 206, which called for the development of the management area, with a requirement that at least 30 percent be set aside as collection-free zones.

The West Hawai'i Fisheries Council, formed as a result of the law, had broad representation. It developed the protected areas. The West Hawai'i Aquarium Project, a coalition of marine researchers, has been studying the results and produced the report to the Legislature.

One reason the system of protected areas works is that the community has been so actively involved in the decision making. Another is the clout of the law that helped enforce it, the report said.

That it doesn't work for every species suggests other techniques may be required to protect certain types of fish that don't respond quickly to the creation of reserves. The report suggests "species-specific harvesting limitations" in all areas for those fish.

If you have a question or concern about the Hawaiian environment, drop a note to Jan TenBruggencate at P.O. Box 524, Lihu'e, HI 96766, e-mail jant@honoluluadvertiser.com or call (808) 245-3074.