Residents and visitors alike will soon see signage at harbors and boating facilities around the state, notifying the public of the important role of manō (sharks) to native Hawaiian culture, and ocean health and resiliency. The signs also remind the public of a law enacted on January 1 of this year, H.R.S. 188-40.8, that extends protections to the more than 40 species of sharks that frequent Hawai‘i waters.
The signs were made possible through a partnership between the state, For the Fishes, a local nonprofit dedicated to protecting reef wildlife, and Moana ‘Ohana, cultural practitioners of the manō. The state Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) overseees