How Earthjustice stopped Hawai‘i’s deadly aquarium pet trade.

Court closes loophole that allowed industry to illegally extract over half a million marine animals from Hawai‘i reefs in the last two years.

Court closes loophole that allowed industry to illegally extract over half a million marine animals from Hawai‘i reefs since 2017

After a 2017 Hawai‘i Supreme Court decision requiring environmental review of aquarium collection, state agency created loopholes for industry

Impact statement for O‘ahu falls short of state law requirements, Board says

The Hawai‘i Land Board's failure to reject impact statement violated state law

After a 2017 Hawai`i Supreme Court decision requiring environmental review to issue aquarium collection permits, state agency decided permits weren’t necessary anymore

Ban on collecting west Hawai‘i reef fish for aquarium trade effectively extended

Milestone decision protects West Hawai‘i reefs, rebukes industry

Latest attempt by state to sidestep the court and allow continued collection shut down

New impact statement to be accepted on legal technicality

Aquarium collectors capture hundreds of thousands of fish and invertebrates from Hawaiʻi’s reefs every year. Alarmingly, the Hawaiʻi’s Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) has stated that this should be considered a minimum estimate because it does not verify the accuracy of submitted catch reports. The collected animals are primarily herbivorous, reef-dwellers that serve…

State illegally permitted capture of 250,000 fish in a year

State must study environmental impacts before permitting unlimited extraction of reef fish

Coalition Sues Hawai‘i Land Board to Halt Reopening of Aquarium Pet Trade

Department of Land and Natural Resources violated the law by allowing the aquarium trade to continue extracting hundreds of thousands of marine animals from Hawaiʻi’s reefs without first reviewing the environmental and cultural impacts.

Earthjustice, For the Fishes, Willie and Ka‘imi Kaupiko, Mike Nakachi, and Center for Biological Diversity raise the Hawaiʻi State Department of Land and Natural Resources’ ongoing unlawful practice of allowing commercial aquarium collection to continue without compliance with the environmental review requirements under the Hawai‘i Environmental Policy Act, Haw. Rev. Stat. (HRS) ch. 343.

court’s judgment is vacated insofar as it granted summary judgment to DLNR and denied Petitioners’ summary judgment motion with respect to commercial aquarium collection permits. The remaining portions of the judgments of the ICA and the circuit court are otherwise affirmed, and this case is remanded to the circuit court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.