1/24/25 – FISHERIES MANAGEMENT AREA PROTECTS LONG TERM SUSTAINABILITY IN MAUNALUA BAY

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JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR

DAWN CHANG CHAIRPERSON

FISHERIES MANAGEMENT AREA PROTECTS LONG TERM SUSTAINABILITY IN MAUNALUA BAY

HONOLULU - Critical marine life in Maunalua Bay will be protected by the creation of a new Fisheries Management Area (FMA) approved today by the state Board of Land and Natural Resources. Based on community input and surveys of the area, the plan will minimize impacts to traditional fishing practices while preserving the long-term sustainability of the bay.

"Maunalua Bay has some of the lowest fish biomass and density within the state, and so the community proposed rules to help the fish population become more abundant," said Kim Fuller, Oʻahu district biologist for the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR). "A lot of fishers also wanted to make sure that they had input on these regulations, to make sure that they were going to benefit the fish population. We want to have a good balance of still benefiting fishing as well."

A massive survey of nearly 300 sites within Maunalua Bay has been underway for months, as DAR biologists collected baseline data of fish numbers, percent coverage of algae and coral, and invertebrates that inhabit the bottom of the ocean. "We want to know if the rules that are enacted are effective," said Fuller.

The new rules for the FMA include:

• Restriction on the take and/or possession of ʻalakuma (7-11 crab), horned helmet, Triton's trumpet, ula (spiny lobster) and ula pāpapa (slipper lobster)
• Restriction on nighttime dive spearfishing, beginning 30 minutes after sunset and ending 30 minutes before sunrise

The protected species were identified based on reports from members of the Maunalua Bay community. Their declining numbers raised alarm, prompting calls for a sustainable solution. "There was a recognition by the stakeholders that fishing is an important activity in Maunalua Bay, but the health of the resource required action," said Doug Harper, executive director of Mālama Maunalua, which partnered with DAR and numerous stakeholders in developing the new FMA. "The rules, therefore, are a compromise on minimizing the impact to fishing, while still implementing a simple to follow regulation that will benefit the resource."

"It's a great project because we got input from the community, and it allows us to integrate our monitoring data to see those changes over time and help adaptively manage the ecosystem," said DAR Aquatic Biologist Jake Reichard. "We can help protect and perpetuate the resources for future generations."

The area covered by the FMA runs from the Diamond Head buoy near the lighthouse to the southern tip of Kawaihoa Point (Spitting Caves), to the shoreline. Boats that are transiting through the bay are allowed to have dive spearfishing gear or restricted species on board as long as they are in active transit.

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RESOURCES

(All images/video courtesy: DLNR)

HD Video - Maunalua Bay FMA Surveys (web feature): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/jivjc0m1hwynpo8ybe7gl/Maunalua-Bay-FMA-site-survey-web-feature.mov?rlkey=giub47xbi8nhzaxlxicphsrkq&st=ci5claro&dl=0

HD Video - Maunalua Bay FMA media clips (December 18, 2024): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/b25iw5loxz446ghut1lkt/Maunalua-FMA-site-survey-broll-December-18-2024.mov?rlkey=ipeg6e1323lek6slkr5z08rxj&st=sgfo2oty&dl=0

HD Video - Maunalua Bay FMA SOTs (December 18, 2024): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/0i1m2lh3kffhjj06pwf0q/Maunalua-Bay-FMA-SOTs.mov?rlkey=8a0pp0w1e9hn9nvl56ul860iq&st=49fk7bhf&dl=0

Photographs - Maunalua Bay FMA (December 18, 2024): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/zkxds2dfdcf77o23l2v9l/AMTz1ql3QK2ZEGiaOUNjknA?rlkey=jbyw7y3of1762x6i4uwrdouit&st=ywkx1r5a&dl=0

Media contact:

Patti Jette

Communications Specialist

Hawai'i Dept. of Land and Natural Resources

Phone: 808-587-0396

Email: [email protected]