DLNR Chumming the Waters
‘Holomua: Marine 30X30’
The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), working through its Department of Aquatic Resources (DAR), is holidng several virtual scoping meetings for Hawai‘i island fishermen to go over the draft plan called “Holomua: Marine 30X30.” This ambitious plan proposes to actively manage 30-percent of Hawai‘i’s near-shore waters by 2030. The plan has far-reaching consequences for fishers and all ocean users. These scoping meetings are DLNR’s first step in an attempt to pass a new state fishing regulations package. They also played a video, which you can view at: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/marine30x30/herbivoremanagement/participate-in-the-process/. You can also provide public comments at that website.
In 2016, Hawai‘i Gov. David Ige, without fishing community input, announced the Sustainable Hawai‘i Initiative at the Honolulu IUCN World Conservation Congress. In this initiative, Gov. Ige first outlined the 30-percent management by 2030 goal. DLNR Chair Suzanne Case, former head of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Hawai‘i, championed and used state money to fund the IUCN Congress. In the “Holomua: Marine 30X30” draft, Chair Case reinforced Gov. Ige: “The goal is to effectively manage Hawai‘i’s nearshore waters, with at least 30 percent established as Marine Management Areas (MMA).”
Kona’s Phil Fernandez of the Hawaii Fishermen’s Alliance for Conservation and Tradition (HFACT), who helped conduct one of the first virtual meetings attended by a handful of Hilo
