Hawai'i Fisheries Initiative - The Hawaii Institute for Public Affairs

can give formal testimony. If necessary, the
rule is revised and submitted to BLNR for
final approval. It is reviewed again by the
AG, and after signing by the governor and
filing with the lieutenant governor, it has
the effect of law.
DLNR’s administrative rules relating to
marine fishing are found under HAR Title
13, Subtitle 4: Fisheries. 479 A system of
Marine Protected Areas – which include
Marine Life Conservation Districts, Fishery
Management Areas, Fishery Replenishment
Areas, Natural Area Reserves, and
Bottomfish Restricted Areas – limit fishing
efforts in Hawaiian waters for protection/
conservation of marine life and habitat and
replenishment of fisheries. An excellent
map showing the various restricted areas
is found at www.Hawaii.gov/dlnr/dar/
images/MPAmaplg.jpg.
u Marine Life Conservation Districts (Chapters
28-38) – The most restrictive category of
land-use zone, MLCDs are no-take zones
(no harvesting). Other restrictions also
apply. For example, in some MLCDs it
is prohibited to fish, possess or destroy
coral, possess fishing gear, or introduce
any substances into the water to attract
marine life. 480
u Marine Fisheries Management Areas
(Chapters 47-60.5) – Covering a broad
range of territory and subject matter, these
rules spell out habitat and catch provisions
for areas such as Kahului Harbor on
Maui 481 and the state marine refuge in the
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. 482
u Fisheries Resource Management (Chapters
49, 73-75, and 95) includes state deployment
of Fish Aggregating Devices 483 (FADs are
buoys that attract schools of tuna and other
pelagic fish, such as mahimahi, and billfish,
helping fishers to locate and catch these
species); licensing and permit provisions;
fees for fishing; and fishing gear 484
u Protected Marine Fisheries Resources
(Chapters 83-95) – Rules governing harvest
of shellfish, Samoan crab, clams, spiny
lobster, nehu (Hawaiian anchovy), corals,
opihi (limpets), limu (seaweed), and
bottomfish; and rules for taking and selling
of certain other marine resources such as
aquarium fish 485
u Fishing License Requirements – Currently,
recreational fishers in Hawai‘i are not
required to be licensed. However,
individuals or vessels engaged in taking,
selling, or offering for sale any marine
life for commercial purposes (including
charter fishing services) 486 must obtain a
Commercial Marine License from DAR.
Commercial fishers are required to
submit a monthly catch report. 487 License
fees and other funds deposited into a
Commercial Fisheries Special Fund within
the state treasury are used for fisheriesrelated
programs such as developing
acceptable harvest levels, conservation and
management, and enforcement. 488
96