OUR FIRST EXPERIENCE TALKING WITH A FISH COLLECTOR

It was a another warm afternoon in Kona. We like to go to the Keauhou Harbor ocassionally to look for sharks and other beautiful creatures swimming in the clear water around the pier. A small boat was unloading and I noticed a large (maybe 250 gallon) plastic tank filled with water in the rear of the boat. As we walked closer we noticed the tank was full of reef fish. Taking a closer look we couldn't help but interact with the boats owner. He wasn't very nice at first, as many fish collectors tend to be in our experience. I believe it is because they don't feel good about what they are doing and don't want to be noticed as they know many in the community don't support their collecting.

I talked nicely with him and he opened up some. This is what he said.

That the fish in his tank were worth over $3000 and that he was sending them to Europe for the aquarium trade. He showed us some of the fish, holding them out of the water leaving them gasping for air. I cried "put them down" as I did not need to see the cruelty. He threw a tiny yellow tang back because it wasn't perfect, I think it had a parasite. He held up a chevron tang, one we have never seen as they are found in deep water. He said that most of these fish would die shortly but that is how it was.

Then he invited me to go with him and watch what he does. I was excited and was immediately accepted his offer. Then he changed his mind.

$3000 for a days work. Not bad. Now I know why they keep collecting in the face of so much public opposition. The money is great and so is the greed, the cruelty and the destruction of Hawaii's marine environment.

OUR FIRST EXPERIENCE SEEING A FISH COLLECTOR UP CLOSE

 It was a beautiful vogless morning, and we could see the island of Maui in the distance. As I glanced out at the bay I noticed a boat anchored there. This was unusual as the sun had just risen and the boat was already there. I didn't think much about it until we went snorkeling a little later.

Here's the ugly scene we saw:

The boat's anchor draped around and around a large coral head, ripping it into pieces. 

Pieces of equipment including an underwater scooter and metal air tanks scattered around the bottom, right on the coral crushing it.

A large gill net, possibly  fifty feet long, attached to the coral, and draped across the bottom of the bay.

Divers, each with 4 or more metal prods about 5 feet long, walking on and poking into the coral breaking it, prodding the fish towards the net. Near the net we saw multiple plastic containers tied to the coral, holding tanks for the soon to be captured fish.

Terrorised fish trying in vain to flee to safety but with nowhere to go except into the nets.

I was fascinated as I'd never actually seen this practice before. We didn't have our camera so we have no pictures. I went to shore to call the authorities to report the broken coral.

Fish collecting is legal in Hawaii, but damaging coral with any implement is "unlawful". DLNR (Department of Land and Natural Resources) said the only thing they could fine the boat for was "illegal mooring" and referred the case over to Aquatics who was on the water that day.  Aquatics was not going to check out the boat as they were 30 minutes away in Kealakekua Bay.

Nothing was done, and possibly hundreds of fish are missing from the reef and many many years of coral growth were destroyed. Many, if not most  fish collected from Hawaii's coral reefs die within one year. Yellow tangs can live 40 years on a reef in the wild, in a tank they live 5-7 years.

Nothing was done, and we had just seen a rare Bandit Angelfish in that bay a week before. I've lived in Hawaii for 22 years and it took that long to find a Bandit Angelfish, who is now gone from the reef forever. (Bandit Angelfish sell on the internet for $800 or more. This one will never be able to replenish itself.)

TROPICAL FISH DUMP PROMPTS OUTRAGE

More than 600 fish found dumped at harbor

by Carolyn Lucas,  West Hawaii Today

Friday, January 29, 2010 8:54 AM HST

Several Hawaii residents, environmentalists and commercial tropical fish collectors are outraged over the dumping of 610 fish, discovered this past weekend in a trash bin at Honokohau Small Boat Harbor.

Of the 610 fish, 551 were yellow tang -- a species that represents more than 80 percent of the aquarium catch in West Hawaii waters. The remaining 59 fish comprised six other species, including butterflyfish and surgeonfish. All the dumped fish had no outward signs of illness or injury, said Bill Walsh, state aquatic biologist. Nearly half of the yellow tang were recruits, very small individuals newly settled on the reef. Recruits usually start settling in summer months and by December are larger in size, which leads the Division of Aquatic Resources to believe these yellow tangs were not collected recently. (to read the entire article, click the link)

 http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/articles/2010/01/29/local/local01.txt

CORAL PROTECTION FLYER FROM FIJI (exact copy from snorkel charter)

Did you know that corals are very delicate animals and that they can die from simple activities like touching their skeletal house? PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH OR STAND ON CORALS.

Be a passive observer: while snorkeling lie calmly on the surface and if you have to stand first be sure that the area beneath you is clear and then slowly turn around on your back to get into a standing position. Remember that your fins are an extension of your feet, so please be more cautious. If you are diving, keep your distance from the reef. There is no need to hold the marine life that you see such as the blue sea star – they can get stressed from such activity.

This magnified picture shows the coral animals called polyps (the ones with the tentacles) at the tip of the coral – look closely how fragile they are. So please ensure that corals live when you leave the island.

BREAKING CORAL DESTROYS THE HOMES OF FISHES