Big Island Aquarium Fishing Ban Passes House, Heads to Senate

The Hawaiʻi House of Representatives passed an amended version of House Bill 2101, sending to the Senate a measure that would ban the commercial harvest of native reef wildlife for the aquarium trade in Hawaiʻi County waters.

Originally written as a statewide prohibition, HB2101 was narrowed by amendment to apply only to counties with populations between 200,000 and 300,000 residents, a bracket that fits only Hawaiʻi County. The bill defines commercial aquarium fishing as "the taking of aquatic life for profit, gain, or as a means of livelihood for sale into the aquarium trade to be held in a state of captivity as a pet or for ornamental display." Captive-breeding, aquaculture, and captures for scientific, educational, management, or propagation purposes would remain unaffected.

The bill's findings frame the practice in explicitly cultural terms. "The legislature finds that the capture and sale of Hawaiʻi's native reef wildlife for ornamental display and commercial profit are unsustainable and contrary to Hawaiian values, including mālama ʻāina, aloha ʻāina, kuleana for the surrounding environment, and pono fishing practices, such as taking only what is needed for family or community subsistence," the bill reads.

HB2101 moves alongside a companion Senate measure, Senate Bill 2078, which would criminalize aquarium poaching with fines of up to $1,000 per fish, plus an additional $500 or the fish's retail value, whichever is higher, if the fish was injured or killed during capture.

The push at the Legislature follows groundwork laid locally. In January, the Hawaiʻi County Council's Committee on Government Operations and External Affairs voted 9-0 to forward Resolution 422-25 to the full council, which then passed it. Council Chair Holeka Inaba and Kaʻū Council member Michelle Galimba introduced the resolution, which urges the state Legislature "to prohibit the harvesting of aquatic life from state marine waters for commercial aquarium purposes." Though the resolution carries no force of law, it put the council formally on record. A sign at Makahiki Point in Miloliʻi, South Kona, already marks one end of an existing four-mile stretch where aquarium fish collecting is forbidden along the Big Island coast.

Testifying before the council, U'ilani Naipo called commercial aquarium collection "incompatible with reef recovery, food security and climate resilience." She argued that "the continued exploitation benefits only a handful of aquarium collectors," adding that it "does not feed our villages" and "does not repopulate or repair our reefs from the destructive harvesting practices."

Both HB2101 and SB2078 drew substantial support from environmental groups, cultural practitioners, the Hawaiʻi County Council, and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, according to legislative testimony. Opposition came from those with financial stakes in the aquarium trade, who argued the industry supports local livelihoods.

Among the most pointed objections came from Koch, an industry representative, who challenged the Legislature's rationale after collectors completed a years-long environmental review process. "Does the HEPA process mean nothing to the Legislature that writes the HEPA laws? We were told to do it, and we did, so why are we here for a ban bill today?" Koch said. "Is this how the system is supposed to work? Seems unethical and inhumane. This fishery provides great livelihoods for many local families throughout Hawaiʻi. The science is clear, the management is solid — don't ban us after we've been put through hell."

That HEPA process has a long history on the Big Island. Commercial aquarium fishing was banned in West Hawaiʻi in 2017 and across the rest of the state in 2021 after lawsuits between the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and environmental groups required collectors to complete an environmental review before permits could be reissued. The Hawaiʻi Supreme Court later ruled the resulting environmental impact statement adequate, allowing the Board of Land and Natural Resources to begin issuing permits again. Seven collectors in West Hawaiʻi have since completed the HEPA process hoping to return to the industry, only to face the prospect of a legislative ban closing that door entirely.

With House passage secured, the Senate's consideration of HB2101 will be the next critical test for the measure.