KAILUA-KONA — A group will be out near Queen Kaahumanu Highway on Saturday morning, likely holding signs that show their displeasure with a precedent-setting ban on fishing at Kaupulehu Bay.
Fishermen who say they were disappointed and shocked by the Board of Land and Natural Resource’s decision last week to approve the “Try Wait” initiative will gather near the entrance to the bay to protest the creation of the reserve in hopes that Gov. David Ige will think twice about signing off on it.
“No fishing means no food for people. It’s that simple,” said Makani Christensen, executive director of the Hunting, Farming and Fishing Association and organizer of the rally.
After years of community input, the Land Board decided to “rest” the reef along 3.6 miles of shoreline near the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai for 10 years so stocks can recover while a long-range management plan is crafted based on traditional Hawaiian subsistence practices.
Roughly two thirds out of nearly 500 pieces of oral and written testimony approved the kapu, while a third opposed it.
Some fishermen worry the ban will never be lifted, and more waters will be put off limits.
“I got a lot of calls from people who were just in shock that it happened,” Christensen said. “Responsible oceanusers are losing fishing grounds.”
While aquarium fishing is banned along a third of the West Hawaii coastline, this is the island’s first — and the state’s second — marine reserve that prohibits the taking of fish off the reef. Fishing is allowed in waters deeper than 120 feet and the reserve extends out to 600 feet of depth.
Chris Yuen, the Big Island’s representative on the Land Board, said the kapu is a temporary situation, but that he can understand people being concerned about where the closures will end.
“The kind of reserve or conservation district that restricts most fishing will be limited to a fraction of the coast,” he said.
Yuen said he thinks the science shows the benefit of the reserves.
“The closure allows restoration of fish, but the goal is to lead to a management plan that will be less restrictive,” he said.