Bill would limit damage done by aquarium hunters
Remember when you went snorkeling you’d see a rainbow of fish swarming all around the reef and other areas. But now each time you go, there are fewer and fewer. Where did they all go?
Millions of them left Hawaii for the Mainland, Asia and Europe, scooped up by aquarium fish collectors to be sold all over the world to go into home fish tanks.Finally, someone is doing something to stop this pillage of Hawaii’s oceans by foreign interests. A bill now before the state Senate, SB 3225, would limit the number of these ornamental fish taken by unscrupulous collectors.
These fish are not only important to Hawaii’s tourist industry, but to the well-being of the dying coral reefs. These little guys feed on algae, and in their absence the algae overpowers the coral. In addition, some collectors physically destroy the coral reef in their efforts to corral a large number of fish quickly.
Once the fish are extinguished, the collectors just move on to another location. It’s all about the money.
The Senate’s Water and Land Committee is expected to hear this bill during the first full week of February. The committee is chaired by Sen. Clayton Hee. Please contact him at senhee@capitol.hawaii.gov to say you support SB 3225 while there are still some fish and reefs to save.
Mike Moran
Kihei
