Fishing stocks in all parts of Hawai'i are under pressure, and rules have been tightened elsewhere, but the new rules for West Hawai'i may be a sign of times to come for the rest of the state. For now the new rules cover the entire west coast of the Big island, from Upolu Point, North Kohala to Ka Lae, Kau. In what seems to be a concession to tourism, it appears that the spearfishing ban will not apply to snorkelers.
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Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed new rules Saturday that would ban scuba spearfishing in waters of West Hawaii.
The West Hawaii Regional Fishery Management Area Rules were developed over 10 years of discussion and hearings by the West Hawaii Fisheries Council. The council is a community advisory group formed in the late 1990s to manage conflicts over fishing.
The restrictions would prohibit spearfishing in waters off West Hawaii by people diving with the aid of scuba gear.
They would also limit the collection of aquarium fish to a list of 40 species and redraw the boundaries of a fishery management area off Puako using updated information on the reef.
New West Hawaii fishing rules ban scuba spearfishing - Hawaii News - Honolulu Star-Advertiser
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