A proposed ban on the commercial, recreational and subsistence use of gill nets in most shoreline areas of Kaua’i and other counties is being explored by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources.
The ban is being proposed in response to a severe decline in the nearshore fish population, and if approved, it will help with the recovery of fish species and enhance recreational fishing in Hawai’i in the future, DLNR officials said.
The proposed ban must be approved by the Board of Land and Natural Resources before it takes affect.
But Allan Nagao, Hanama’ulu resident and one of a handful of commercial gill net and purse net fishermen on Kaua’i, said the state agency is “over-reacting” with its proposal. If approved, the ban would bring financial hardship to those in his industry, he added.
“There must be other ways to conserve the resource without banning the use of the nets,” Nagao, a fisherman for 30 years on Kaua’i, said in an interview with The Garden Island.
But recreational pole fishermen, frustrated by large catches by the gill net fishermen for many years, want the ban to become law to increase their catches.
DLNR officials have scheduled a meeting at the Wilcox School cafeteria between 6 and 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20 to discuss the proposed ban, including exemptions for areas on Kaua’i where the nets could be used.
Areas where gill nets have been used that are related to cultural and traditional practices also could be exempted, DLNR officials said. Similar meetings will be held statewide beginning next week.
“We want to hear from the fishers and the community at large to get the widest possible range of viewpoints on this issue,” DLNR Chairman Peter Young said in a news release.
Nagao said he and a handful of gill net and purse net fishermen on Kaua’i provide residents with a valuable public service through their catches.
“We provide fish for sale to people who work two to three jobs. They can’t go fishing,” he said. “If we weren’t there, where would the general public get the fish (at affordable prices).”
Nagao said large catches at competitive prices mean he can sell akule, for instance, for $2 a pound or so, compared with $3.50 a pound for the same fish at island supermarkets.
“The more fish I catch, the price of fish will be lower. This helps the senior citizens, who stock up (with fish bought from him and others in his industry),” Nagao said.
But the imposition of the ban would be a victory for thousands of recreational pole fishermen on Kaua’i, according to one Kaua’i freshman who asked not be identified.
The pole fishermen have had a long feud with commercial lay net fishermen, the fisherman said.
Lay net fisherman have placed nets in Port Allen Harbor in the past, collecting thousands of fish at a time, including fish in off season like moi. Their catches reduce the number of fish that could be caught by fishermen on shoreline, hence their resentment of the lay net fishermen, the fisherman said.
Nagao said he has no quarrels with recreational pole freshmen, but noted that those who support the ban are focused only on their needs. He said some are as wasteful as they claim the gill net and purse net fishermen to be.
During the aweoweo run earlier this year, many recreational fishermen caught an abundance of the fish, and most likely threw away what they could not eat, Nagao contended.
Recreational pole fishermen also undercut the livelihood of commercial gill net and purse net fishermen by selling extra fish they catch to residents, Nagao said.
Those in his industry face challenges every day that could cut into their profits and way of life, Nagao said.
“We spot a school of fish and get ready to get them, and here comes a tour boat, kayaker, Jet skis, and the fish are gone,” Nagao said. The ban would only bring financial hardship for him and others in his industry, he added.
Pole fishermen have gotten upset when they have found out how extensive the industry’s operation can be, said the Kaua’i fisherman.
In one case, a commercial fishermen reportedly set a gill net that spanned 10 miles of coastline off O’ahu, opening the way for overfishing of the area and hurting other fishermen wanting to use the area, the Kaua’i fisherman said.
Gill nets that are sold at fishing shops on Kaua’i usually measure 125 feet long and can reach a depth of seven feet. The nets are usually fitted with weights, ropes and floaters.
To catch more fish, the gill net fishermen attach other nets to make them larger and deeper, the Kaua’i freshman said.
What rankles the pole fishermen is that the large nets catch not only large volumes of fish, but catch fish indiscriminately, including moi, which are out of season, the Kaua’i fishermen said.
Gill net fishing is “non-selective,” said a DLNR official, and their use, along with runoff from shoreline commercial developments are believed to have contributed to the decline of nearshore fish populations.
Some of the shoreline fish are akule, moi, mullet, papio, ulua and oio.
DLNR officials, to the chagrin of local pole fishermen, have not acted on a proposal in the past to ban gill net fishing from Ninini Point and the breakwater at Nawiliwili Harbor, a popular fishing spot, the Kaua’i fisherman also said.
“It seems the state is clamping down on the recreational (pole) fishermen, but not on the commercial lay net fishermen,” the fisherman said. “The state has tried to be fair, but the commercial lay net fishermen have more effect (on fishing laws in Hawai’i).”
A state DLNR official, who asked not to be identified, said the use of gill nets and diving equipment are prohibited in fish management areas in the state overseen by the agency.
Currently, gill net fishermen also are required by DLNR to remove their nets every four hours and to monitor the nets every two hours.
Some of the key features of the lay net proposal include:
The ban does not apply to throw nets; cast nets; opelu or akule nets; aquarium fishery fence nets; lobster nets; lobster traps or fish traps.
Lay net use must be part of active fishing with continuous attendance and monitoring.
