Scientists and several Native Hawaiian leaders have called lay gill nets the worst offenders in the depletion of Hawaii’s reef fish. These nets, sometimes strung together for over a thousand feet and left overnight, catch too many fish at once, including undersize fish before they have a chance to grow to full reproductive maturity. The result is fewer fish to catch, fewer herbivores to eat the algae that can smother reefs if not kept in check, and less prey for such highly prized predator fish as ulua and ‘omilu.
The March 2007 restrictions resulted from a multi-year effort by the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and by several grantees of the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, including the Center for a Sustainable Future, The Nature Conservancy, and SeaWeb. These organizations measured and built public awareness of the dangers of lay gill nets, conducted workshops with fisheries managers and scientists from other states, funded scientific research on the impact of such nets, brought more voices of native Hawaiian fishermen and community leaders into the public dialogues about lay gill netting, and introduced Hawaii to the positive experience from other Pacific Islands and from other coastal U.S. states who have long ago banned such nets.
Restrictions on the use of these nets have widespread public support, with 76% of Hawaii residents, 72% of fishers and 63% of native Hawaiians in favor (according to a Fair Catch poll conducted by an independent market research firm in summer 2006). William Aila, a native Hawaiian fisher who serves as Waianae Boat Harbormaster, said in an interview with Fair Catch Hawaii, “Most if not all kupuna, with their years of experience, teach us that fishing is a privilege that comes with the responsibility to care for the ocean. DLNR’s lay gill net regulations are a positive attempt to act on the side of caution. Fishermen who use gill nets or any other equipment in ways that needlessly kill turtles, sea birds, monk seals, and damage coral reefs do not understand kuleana and do not honor their ancestors, nor their children and grandchildren.”
Gill nets are now banned entirely around the island of Maui and in three nearshore areas of Oahu. Elsewhere in the state, the use of these nets is restricted to daytime hours, with net length no more than 125 feet. All lay gill nets must be registered and marked. Traditional throw netting is not restricted, as it is a sustainable and important cultural practice.
These restrictions will only help our fish recover to healthy levels if compliance is high and enforcement is effective. This was tragically demonstrated on May 27, 2007 when an illegal net entangled and drowned an adult male seal near Makua Beach on Oahu. Eight months ago, a similar drowning occurred when a monk seal pup was entangled in an abandoned lay gill net near Waimanalo.