Aquarium collectors capture hundreds of thousands of fish and invertebrates from HawaiÊ»i’s reefs every year. Alarmingly, the HawaiÊ»i’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…
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.
Complaint of DLNR, State of Hawai‘i. Despite courts directives to halt commercial aquarium collection until the environmental review process has been completed, DLNR has allowed such collection to continue unlawfully under commercial marine licenses (CMLs) and has issued or renewed CMLs to commercial aquarium collectors.
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.
State illegally permitted capture of 250,000 fish in a year
Make Every Day Earth Day.
In honor of Earth Day and the fight for the wild spaces we love, the air we breathe, the water we drink — any gift you make for the month of April will be matched $2:$1!