Updated at 12:40 p.m., Friday, April 27, 2007
Bottomfishing closed season begins next week
Advertiser Staff
The Board of Land and Natural Resources today approved a five-month closed season for bottomfishing in all state waters, effective May through September.State waters, with the exception of the current bottomfish restricted fishing areas, will reopen to fishing on Oct. 1.
"This temporary closure is in response to a declared state of overfishing of seven bottomfish species in the main Hawaiian Islands. It is part of an ongoing effort to better protect Hawai'i's prized bottomfish stocks of onaga, ehu, 'opakapaka, kalekale, hapu'upu'u, gindai and lehi," Peter Young, Department of Land and Natural Resources chairman said in a news release.
"DLNR believes that this interim summer closure, in addition to modified state bottomfish restricted areas, and in coordination with NOAA Fisheries efforts to curb overfishing, will result in sustainable stocks in the future. I'm hopeful that everyone recognizes that this is a process to help protect the long-term health and supply of Hawai'i's fishery," Young said.
The regional administrator for NOAA Fisheries in May, 2005 notified the State of Hawai'i and the Western Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Council that overfishing of the bottomfish species complex was occurring in the main Hawaiian Islands.
Under the provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the State and the Council were required to develop a mutually acceptable plan by May 2006 for ending such overfishing. An initial analysis indicates that a 15 percent mortality reduction above current levels would be necessary to end overfishing in the main Hawaiian Islands bottomfishery.
