The waters off Ka\u02bb\u016bp\u016blehu are slated to reopen to fishing after a ten-year rest that, according to Hui Kahuwai executive director Rebecca Most, has resulted in twice as much fish biomass in the area compared to \u201cany other area in Kona.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But first, new fishing rules need to be in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On February 27, the state Board of Land and Natural Resources approved a recommendation by the Department of Land and Natural Resources\u2019 Division of Aquatic Resources to hold public hearings on proposed rules to designate the Ka\u02bb\u016bp\u016blehu Fisheries Management Area to \u201ccreate, restore, perpetuate, maintain, share, and protect culturally and ecologically important resources and ensure a socially and ecologically sustainable subsistence fishery at Ka\u2018\u016bp\u016blehu and K\u016bki\u2018o that aligns with traditional resource management practices,\u201d according to a staff report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The proposal includes amendments to Hawai`i Administrative Rules \u201cto repeal rules for the Ka\u02bb\u016bp\u016blehu Marine Reserve (KMR), to re-establish the Ka\u02bb\u016bp\u016blehu Fish Replenishment Area (KFRA), and to make other housekeeping amendments. The proposal as a whole aims to foster a co-management relationship between the department and Hui Kahuwai, the community stewards of the nearshore marine resources of Ka\u02bb\u016bp\u016blehu and K\u016bki\u02bbo, as reflected in the Ka\u02bb\u016bp\u016blehu fisheries management plan and any co-management agreement or other memorandum of agreement or understanding entered into between the [DLNR] and the community stewards of the Ka\u02bb\u016bp\u016blehu FMA in furtherance of the purposes outlined in the chapter,\u201d it adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the early 2000s, \u201cscientific studies beginning in the early 1990s documented more than a 50 percent decline in coral cover and up to a 75 percent decline in highly prized food fish in the region, reinforcing the observations of k\u016bpuna and other longtime residents,\u201d according to testimony by Kalani Quiocho, Hawai`i island marine program director for The Nature Conservancy of Hawai`i and Palmyra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In July 2016, DAR\u2019s report stated, the Land Board amended the KFRA, creating the KMR for a period of 10 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCommonly referred to as \u2018Try Wait,\u02bb the 10-year rest period for nearshore harvest of marine life along the 3.6 miles of coastline of the original KFRA (from K\u012bkaua Point to Kalaeman\u014d), from the high-water mark out to 20 fathoms (120 feet), was established to give the marine life time to replenish from decades of observed decline. The KMR also outlined the process for the end of the rest period when fishing will resume, noting the closure \u2018shall be effective until June 30, 2026, or until the effective date of rules implementing a comprehensive fisheries management plan as developed by the department in consultation with the Ka\u02bb\u016bp\u016blehu community and other interested parties, whichever occurs later,\u201d DAR\u2019s report states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to new research by Kaikea Nakachi and Rebecca Most of Hui Kahuwai; Chris Teague and Ashley Wills of DAR; Kalani Quiocho, \u02bbAlohi Nakachi and Eric Conklin of TNC; and Mary Donovan of Hawai`i Monitoring and Reporting Collaborative and UH M\u0101noa, during the rest period, resource fish biomass increased both inside and adjacent to the protected areas for shallow bench, shallow coral, and complex-high coral habitats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cResource fish biomass inside the Ka\u02bb\u016bp\u016blehu Marine Reserve is 118 percent higher than reefs across other areas of the North Kona moku, and 42 percent higher than reefs adjacent to the reserve of similar habitats,\u201d a summary of their work states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DAR\u2019s recommendation to hold public hearings on the proposed rules received overwhelmingly supportive written and oral testimony from individuals and organizations including Kamehameha Schools, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Sierra Club of Hawai`i, the He`eia National Estuarine Research Reserve, Hawai`i Wildlife Fund, Moana `Ohana, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTen years of resting was worth the wait,\u201d said Hannah Springer, president of Hui Kahuwai, which lead the development of the proposed fisheries management plan for the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most noted that poaching in the area had died down after the rest period first began, but spiked in 2025. \u201cWord is getting out there\u2019s more fish,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Quiocho\u2019s testimony, \u201cThe Ka\u02bb\u016bp\u016blehu FMP establishes a balanced, adaptive framework that includes comprehensive bag limits, gear restrictions, size protections, \u02bbopihi rotational management, and sensitive-area protections such as the Kai Malu cultural and nursery zone. These approaches work together to safeguard abundance while honoring subsistence traditions and respecting fishing practices that are appropriate for the place. Additionally, the plan invests in ongoing monitoring, community education, and adaptive management, ensuring that the fishery at Ka\u02bb\u016bp\u016blehu can remain healthy for future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some fishermen, however, have expressed their opposition to some of the plan\u2019s bag limit and fishing gear restrictions. And as a result, in making his motion to approve DAR\u2019s recommendation, Hawai`i island board member Riley Smith amended it to require DAR and Hui Kahuwai to collaborate with other users and to authorize DAR to amend the proposed rules accordingly before they go out to public hearings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Teresa Dawson<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The waters off Kaʻūpūlehu are slated to reopen to fishing after a ten-year rest that, according to Hui Kahuwai executive director Rebecca Most, has resulted in twice as much fish biomass in the area compared to “any other area in … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17036,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,8,548,17],"tags":[3],"class_list":["post-17035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-board-talk","category-fisheries","category-march-2026","category-marine","tag-teresa-dawson"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17035"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17035\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17070,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17035\/revisions\/17070"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}