In the fall of 2010, Ret travelled to Hawaii to research a story for CORAL Magazine on the past present and future of the marine aquarium trade in that state. This is the story of that trip.
Yes. I know. I'm on the island of Maui and yet I'm sitting at a Starbucks. Alas. My interview subjects chose the venue.
Today I arrived on Big Island, where I will (with the exception of tomorrow's trip to Maui) spend the remainder of the week. This is the heart of the marine aquarium fishery in Hawaii, and I have been told that upwards of 75% of the collection happens here. While Big Island may be about volume, it is not know for diversity. Yellow tangs are the bread and butter of the fishery here, whereas on O'ahu, it's all about diversity of species. Big Island is not as "touristy" as O'ahu, and I've already gotten that sense just driving from the airport to the place where I am staying and doing a little shopping en route. Speaking of shopping, I'll be having grass-fed, Hawaaian grown beef tonight after my Maui rum and tonic. It's nice to have a full-size kitchen in which to experiment with Hawaiian cuisine (be on the lookout for those articles down the road a bit!).
While Big Island is indeed big, it's population is 148,67 spread over an area of 4,028 square miles, while O'ahu (which is the most populated island has a population of 876,156 spread over 597 square miles. Big Island is also home to the island's highest point (Mauna Kea reaches 13,796 feet).
Most of the marine aquarium fishing happens along this western coast of Big Island, and Kailua-Kona, the largest town on the coast, is at the epicenter of the debate over the marine aquarium fishery. This was at one time the retreat for Hawaiian royalty, and today it is the most tourist-oriented part of Big Island (remember what I wrote previously about the tourism argument against the marine aquarium trade?). The debate here over the marine aquarium trade has been going at various intensities for nearly as long as collection has occured here, and, unlike O'ahu, I have been told that there is a great deal of animosity between dive tourism and marine aquarium collection here.
Alrighty...off to make dinner and get to bed, as I have to be at the airport around 5 a.m. for my quick hop to Maui.
Today I am flying to Big Island, which is also called Hawaii. The Big Island is the big island southeast of O'ahu (see map in an earlier post). I will fly past Maui en route, but then I will fly back to Maui tomorrow morning early for a day of interviews. I'm up early this morning because I want to get a look underwater here at Waikiki. Everyone has told me that it is pretty much destroyed as a reef as a result of all the tourism and development. That would not surprise me, and it's something I would like to see first hand, as I contemplate the number one argument against the marine aquarium trade in Hawaii--tourism. It goes something like this: marine aquarium collection takes fishes off the reef, and less fishes on the reef will inspire fewer tourists to come to Hawaii to see the reef. As one guy put it at the bar last night, "If we harvest all the fish, tourism will die, and tourism is all that keeps Hawaii afloat." Interestingly enough, the guy told me his brother is a tuna (ahi) fisherman in Hawaii. "Yea, but people don't come to see tuna--it's a pretty ugly fish." It's worth noting that the tuna fishery is far more regulated than the marine aquarium fishery, with exact catch numbers readily available. "We're about at our limit for ahi this year," the guy tells me, "so you can see that it's substantial." I think he means sustainable, but he is on his fourth beer since I sat down next to him. Nobody has been able to give me a firm, verifiable number on marine aquarium catch, and that makes it infinitely more challenging to argue that the fishery is sustainable in the face of wildly varying numbers coming from pro-trade, anti-trade and state sources. Sustainability in the marine aquarium trade is largely anecdotal; although there are data, there is a lot of debate about the data. I'll hold off on saying anything about said data until after I speak to Bill Walsh from DAR. Off to snorkel...
I know I've said this every night, but I am truly exhausted tonight. It was a great day, and the first time I have taken advantage of a few moments of un-work-related activities (don't tell my editor!). The morning began just before six a.m. when I boarded a 20-foot center console boat for a morning of diving on a local reef with decent coral cover and plenty of Hawaiian fishes. Then it was time to head back to Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve. While I was truly deterred by the thought of snorkeling at this uber-popular (read uber-crowded) site (on a weekend no less), I felt that getting in the water at what is heralded as "one of the most spectacular natural resources in Hawaii" was important for the story. This is a place that is an important cultural site, a former sustainable fishery for ancient Hawaiians, an overfished and overloved destination close to Honolulu, and, finally, perhaps the finest success story in terms of marine resource restoration on O'ahu.
The City and County of Honolulu began restoration of Hanauma (it really should be called just Hanauma a local told me, as teh word itself means "curved bay") work in earnest in 1990, and today visitors are greeted with an excellent Marine Education Center serving as the gateway to the State's first Marine Life Conservation District (MLCD). Given the popularity of the site, my expectations were low (especially after a morning of off-the-beaten-track diving), but I was pleasantly surprised. Finning out into the Bay, I quickly escaped the crowds and was treated to a truly first rate up close and personal encounter with more species of fishes than I had expected!
Following my snorkel at Hanauma Bay, I mainlined it to the North Shore by way of the Windward Coast. Okay...taking the 83 to the North Shore is not really "mainlining" it, but it is a stunning drive (probably my favorite O'ahu scenery was between Kualoa and Makahoa). Arriving on the North Shore, I was treated to double to triple overhead sets--the first big swell of the winter! Of course I rented a board, but that's anoter story altogether, and like I said I'm beat. I drove back to Honolulu in time to have drinks and nachos at Lulu's with friends Sam and Sage.
Off to bed.for tomorrow the adventure continues on Big Island!
Another long but excellent day on O'ahu. I'm beat, so this will be short. I had a great morning with Drew Wheeler discussing Mālama Pūpūkea-Waimea, plastic trash in the ocean and both the dive industry and the marine aquarium trade. We met in the Pupukea-Waimea Marine Life Conservation District (MLCD), a state-designated MLCD where marine recreation, conservation, and fishery replenishment are the objectives. Coral reef resources are almost fully protected in the MLCD, although it is not a no-take MLCD (it does include no-take zones however). I am told there are 11 MLCDs in Hawaii, with three on Oahu (Pupukea, Hanauma Bay, and Waikiki). I am also told that this means that less than one percent of Hawaii's coastline is designated as a MLCD.
Drew, and the other volunteers I met, are good people who have formed a community watch program "based on the Mauka Makai Watch program developed by Community Links Hawai'i and other non-profit organizations in partnership with DLNR for coastal communities." The goal of the program is to aid with management of the MLCD through community involvement. This is quite interesting to me, as it could be seen as yet another effort at self-regulation in the absence of state intervention and sufficient resources. With the marine aquarium trade, of course, there is little regulation to begin with, but the community of fishers, as I've already reported, claim they self-regulate quite effectively. "Even in the event we did pass a law," one Department of Aquatic Resources (DAR) staff member told me off-the-record, "we simply don't have the money or resources to enforce it." Enter a program like Makai Watch.
The volunteers with Mālama Pūpūkea-Waimea are clear to point out that "Makai Watch is not a substitute for the government roles in educating the public about marine resources and in enforcing resource regulations." But in the absence of adequate enforcement resources, Makai Watch is an interesting model. I was impressed. Unfortunately, Drew tells me he has observed marine aquarium collection that at best was unethical (unsustainably exploiting a loophole in the MLCD designation) and at worst illegal. I've run down some leads to learn more about the alleged incident, but I'm hitting dead ends.
Unfortunately the first big winter swell of the winter was building, so there was no chance to dive Shark's Cove, as I had hoped to do.
A comedy of errors (flat tire, lack of spare, etc.) made me late for my next app ointment with Kevin Rezendes of Aloha Corals. Kevin founded Aloha Corals in 2008, and he is currently one of only two collectors targeting zoanthids in Hawaii (it is illegal to collect or import stony corals). Aloha Corals was the first, and is still the largest, Zoanthid and Palythoa collection operation and farm in the state of Hawaii. Kevin also reps for EcoTech Marine AND has a day job (in plastics, which helps feed his marine aquarium hobby-think lots of PVC.
Again, I'll save the meat of our discussion for the article, but I was impressed with Kevin's vision and his sensibilities as a marine aquarist with a definite interest in aquaculture. Admittedly he is a "new guy" and a not a local (he hails from Boston), but, having recently started his own business, he was very helpful in assisting me with better understanding the process of permitting and collection in Hawaii. He also suggested two snorkel sites, one of which I was able to hit between leaving his house and sunset.
Back to Waikiki for eats and now it's off to bed, as tomorrow I have two offers to head out diving, but both are leaving early. I hope I get to head out with Jerry, whom I met the other nigh at Wayne's Ocean World, but I have yet to confirm with him. If that doesn't work, I have another offer, but that means I have to be at the harbor at 6 a.m.
The drive north was a pleasant experience, cruising through pineapple fields along the Kunia Road (recommended to me as a more scenic alternative to the H-2). Those of you familiar with my interests know that I do enjoy me some good World War II history, especially if it is about the war in the Pacific. As such, it was not lost on me that Kolekole Pass, a nearly 1,800-foot pass in the Waianae Range, was the route which the Japanese planes took en route to Pearl Harbor on 7 December. I heard they filmed here for Tora! Tora! Tora!--a movie I have watched about a kazillion times--but I do not have independent confirmation of that. I made the short hike to see Kolekole herself. She is the guardian of the pass, according to legend. There are stories this was also a place where human sacrifice took place.
Finally on the North Shore, I saw the sights quickly before pulling off for a snack and blog update. Now it's off to Pupukea Beach Park to meet Drew Wheeler. Pupukea, I am told, means "white shell." I was put in touch with Drew by Tal Sweet, a friend and respected marine aquarist. Drew is a dive master, underwater videographer and the staff and compliance coordinator for Mālama Pūpūkea-Waimea, a group dedicated to replenishing and sustaining the natural and cultural resources of the Pupukea and Waimea Ahupua'a for present and future generations through active community stewardship, education, and partnerships. I am meeting Drew at one of Mālama Pūpūkea-Waimea's outreach events at Pūpūkea to learn a little more about the management of the Marine Life Conservation District (MLCD) made up of Waimea Bay, Kalua-Māua and Pūpūkea.
What a long day but full of one of my favorite topics--the intersection of marine science and the marine aquarium hobby! After my time at the He'eia Fishpond, I continued south to the Oceanic Institute (unfortunately Jack Randall and I never connected). The Oceanic Institute, affiliated with Hawaii Pacific University (HPU), is a 50-year old non-profit dedicated to aquatic sustainability. It is located in Waimanalo (called 'Nalo by one resident I met), which is home to one of O'ahu's finest beaches. You can walk the beach here for over five miles and pretty much see it as the ancient Hawaiians did. An offshore reef keeps the surf small in the Bay, and the backdrop of the Koolau Range makes for a movie set Pacific Island paradise.except this is the real deal!
I'm going to the Oceanic Institute to check in with Dr. Chad Callan, another marine scientist with a marine aquarium background (am I beginning to sense a theme here?). Chad is working with the Oceanic Institute's yellow tang breeding program, and, given that the yellow tang (Zebrasoma flavescens) is emblematic of the marine aquarium trade in Hawaii, he seemed like a good guy with whom to speak. I was lucky enough to also have the opportunity to speak with Dr. Charles Laidley, director of the Institute's finfish department (and an affiliate HPU professor). When it comes to a sustainable marine aquarium trade in Hawaii, both Charles and Chad look to aquaculture. "Our job is to develop more environmentally sustainable technologies for rearing [coral reef fishes] in captivity," says Charles, who, through his work at the Oceanic Institute, is working on aquaculture research and development for multiple marine finfish species. Pygmy angelfishes (Centropyge sp.) and yellow tangs top the list of marine aquarium species on which he and his team are working (food fish species include longfin amberjack (Seriola rivoliana), bluefin trevally (Caranx melampygus), Pacific threadfin (Polydactylus sexfilis), and red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus)).
I'll save the details of the interview for the article, but I'll share now that it was impressive to see this operation, especially the flame angels and the yellow tangs with which they are working. Brood stock includes 24 pairs of flame angels and 100 yellow tangs. Seeing huge holding facilities of countless 1-day old yellow tangs in the hatchery is not something I will forget soon. Unfortunately, they are still a long way from getting either species to the level of commercial breeding. The crux with the yellow tangs is to find the right live food on which to wean them. While that hurdle may have been recently cleared, producing enough of that food (live copepods whose fertility seems to decrease as population abundance increases) is a new challenge in what has been a 10-year odyssey. There has been more success with the flame angels, with several dozen fish making it through the captive breeding process, but profitable, commercial captive breeding is still a ways off, I was told.
In addition to several hours at the Oceanic Institute, I did get to enjoy, albeit in the rain, some of Southeast O'ahu, which, I have been told, is the most stunning coastal scenery on the island. I must admit that, as a surfer, I have a hard time thinking how any coast of O'ahu could compare with the famed North Shore, but I'll leave that comparison until tomorrow when I am headed north to meet Drew Wheeler (aka Scuba Drew).
On my trip along the coast back to Waikiki tonight, I stopped at the lighthouse at Makapu'u Point (ever since my time living in Scotland and writing about R.L. Stevenson, I have been a sucker for lighthouses), Hanauma Bay, the Halona blowhole (apparently some Burt Lancaster '50s film was shot here, or so I was told), and the slightly bizarre (freakish?) Hawaii Kai.
Alright, off to grab some eats and then get to bed, as I am headed north early tomorrow.
Just back from time well spent (albeit frequently interrupted by the tree-top skimming antics of the Blue Angels who are practicing for this weekend's air show) on Coconut Island. I really wasn't sure what to expect from this trip to the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB), except that I wanted to begin to get a science-based perspective on Hawaii's fisheries (and see the place where shots for Gilligan's Island were fimled). I was lucky to spend a few hours with Karen Brittain. Karen, who may be best known to marine aquarists as the biologist at the Waikiki Aquarium who unlocked the key to successfully breeding the Hawaiian masked angelfish (Genicanthus personatus), is now working to develop hatchery rearing methods for the pink snapper (known locally as "Opakapaka"). "Although this is a food fish," she tells me, "the eggs and larvae are very similar to pelagic spawning marine ornamentals, and I hope that through the development of rearing methods for the opakapaka the door will open to pelagic spawning marine ornamentals as well." Karen is a brilliant biologist, avid hobbyists and someone who provided me with invaluable background. I am looking forward to staying in touch with her, especially given the plans she has for some exciting home aquaculture projects! This is a woman who is at the apex of the science-hobby connection.
I also met with Rob Toonin at HIMB. Rob is, like Karen, a scientists with a marine aquarium hobby background. He is most focused on larval ecology and connectivity of marine invertebrates. "I prefer to work close to home," says Rob, "and now that I am less than 50 minutes from a living coral reef, I will tend to focus on the coral reef organisms native to Hawaii. I am particularly interested in getting involved in the molecular ecology of corals and trying to study the magnitude and patterns of gene flow among the Hawaiian Islands." Rob was a particularly interesting person with whom to speak as he, like Karen, has a very real interest in aquarium science and the culture of marine ornamental species at a variety of levels. "I believe that it is both an important and rewarding pursuit to introduce primary research into the aquarium industry and vice-versa. Therefore, I write for a number of different hobby magazines on a regular basis, and I try to have at least one aquarium science research project underway in my lab at any given time." Intersection of science and hobby? Check.
I am now waiting for a call back from Jack Randall, as he has agreed to speak with me at his house this afternoon. This is, quite honestly, a highpoint of the trip, as "Dr. Jack" is nothing short of legendary in marine aquarium circles.
In the interim, I have decided to spend some time at He'eia State Park to better understand some of the roots of aquaculture and approaches to fisheries management in Hawaii prior to European contact. The He'eia Fishpond (pictured here) is situated on the shoreline of Kaneohe Bay and is, I have been told, the second largest remaining fishpond (nearly 90 acres in size) on the Windward Coast. It was probably built more than 600 years ago when fishponds served a vital function as a food source throughout the Pacific Islands. A fishpond such as this one was an important part of an ahupua'a--the traditional cultural boundary extending from the mountain crest to the reef (see illustration below from www.HawaiiHistory.org).
The fishpond is a sort of manmade estuary with freshwater entering from streams and saltwater entering through a porous wall separating the fishpond from the bay. It was even pointed out to me that the ancient Hawaiians really got it right but maximizing the benefit from agricultural effluent (e.g., runoff from taro fields). The design of the fishpond allowed larval fishes to enter the pond, but restricted them from leaving. Because mortality was lower in the protected fishpond, more larval fishes survived to food size and, in turn, provided a sustainable source of food for residents of the ahupua'a. Perhaps now you can understand why I am interested in learning more about the ancient fishponds, as it seems clear that the Hawaiians prior to European contact managed sustainable fisheries even in spite of their relatively large populations.
One thing I did not expect was to see so many mangroves here. Mangroves are an invasive species in Hawaii. In addition to the mangroves, several species of invasive macroalgae are now present in the fishpond. As I discussed with Dennis, Jerry and Glen last night--and with Karen and Rob today--invasive species are a huge issue in Hawaii. I assume I will be hearing a lot more about this from Jack, as I know he has been quite involved with the roi. Anyway, I'm going to spend some time exploring rather than writing..then off to see Dr. Jack and then south to the Oceanic Intitute.
Driving from the South Shore of O'ahu to the Windward Coast across (and through) the Ko'olau Range was a welcome respite from Honolulu traffic that I swear rivals Los Angeles. Seriously! Thick towers of cloud-draped trees replete with the dark, broad leaves of philodendrons and the spearing precision of bamboo groves punctuated by the shrill of exotic-sounding bird calls was just what I needed this morning. Having said that, I am now at a mall...lol. Free wifi outside a yet-to-open borders while I wait for the University of Hawaii shuttle van to take me to the launch for the short trip to Coconut Island (Moku o Lo'e Island). While waiting, I got a call from Bob, who is the president of the fisher association on Big Island, which was very big excitement for me, as he has expressed a willingness to get a few of "the guys" together for me when I am in Kona next week. As explained previously, securing interviews with fishers on the Big Island has proved as challenging as collecting a pair of bandit angelfish (Holacanthus arcuatus) (which, I've been told, isn't really that challenging if you know where to look). Bob's call put a smile on my face...okay, gotta go grab that shuttle.
Okay. I'm exhausted, but I just had an excellent meeting with Matt and Wayne and three collectors out at Wayne's Ocean World. The three collectors--Dennis (who I met yesterday), Glenn and Jerry--have a wide swath of experience in the marine aquarium trade, and sitting down around a table with the three of them was time VERY well spent. Unfortunately, the Christmas Island shipment was cancelled, but that will probably be best in terms of my stamina.
So why was I so excited to speak with three fishers (actually Matt is a fisher too, so that makes four)? When I write about the MPA process that is going on in California at present, I often write about how important the fishers are to ecosystem health. This may seem counterintuitive to some since they are "exploiting" the resource, but, especially now amidst budget crises, it is the fishers who know the resource best because they are there, on the water, day in and day out. The state certainly does not have the resources to put this much manpower on the resource. The fishers are therefore the ones who see the subtle changes, and they are perhaps the best ally embattled marine ecosystems have at the moment. It therefore follows (at least in my mind) that I would seek out fishers in Hawaii when writing about the sustainability of the fishery here. I don't think I'm going out on a limb when I hazard that these guys have spent more time in the water than any legislator or state employee. While time in the water is certainly not the only metric in which I am interested, more than 40 years of experience collecting for the trade does give someone street cred in my book.
Bottom line--it was a great meeting in which I better learned the way the trade works in Hawaii and what the major touchstone moments have been from a divers perspective (e.g., hurricanes, legislation, the coming and going of species). While it is clear from my time spent sifting through reams of 23 September 2010 - Waikiki, O'ahu, Hawaii - 16:50 hrs gmt -10
Just back from a good interview with Richard Xie of Hawaiian Sealife and trying to get my bearings before heading back out to Wayne's Ocean World for an evening with Wayne, Matt and three collectors. Richard, who is not your typical "fish guy" (he has a B.A. degree in International Business and Marketing from Zhongshan University in Guangdong Province in China and an M.B.A. from Hawaii Pacific University (HPU)), is an interesting individual who is working hard to promote aquaculture.
According to the Hawaii Global Links Newsletter, in a 2009 article titled "A Different Kind of Fish Farmer", Richard got his start in business with BYS Toys Company, a joint-venture company that manufactures and distributes American "transformer" toys. He then migrated to Guangzhou Light Industrial Products Import and Export Group where he evaluated potential product lines and coordinated national marketing campaigns. In 1992, he enrolled in HPU's M.B.A. program degree and, upon graduation, took a job with K.C. Company (martial arts equipment), where his territory included North America. Eager to get into business for himself, Richard, according to the article, started looking for a Hawaii product to export. "He considered flowers, and then papaya, and then settled on aquaculture or, more precisely, aquarium fish."
Richard started Hawaiian Sealife, and he decided to incorporate a strong educational and conservation angle. As the article explains, "Xie was aware that many peopleÑ-particularly in [Hawaii]Ñ-had negative feelings about fish gatherers 'robbing' the reefs of their beautiful occupants so, over the past two years, he has received funding from the Coral Reef Initiatives for the South Pacific (CRISP), which is part of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), a large, non-profit organization that provides technical advice, training and research services to 22 Pacific Island nations. He is testing new PCC (post-larvae capture and culture) technology, and educating the public about the importance of preserving valuable (and shrinking) marine ornamental resources." Pretty ideal stuff when it comes to researching the sustainability of the marine aquarium trade in Hawaii, no?
I'll once again leave the details of our discussion to the article, but for now I'll simply say that he is one of the larger wholesalers on O'ahu and an important transhipper for animals coming from other Pacific islands (especially Christmas Island). He has his hands in many pots from education to aquarium travel adventures, and he believes the trade in Hawaii would benefit from some more regulation including collector certification (he likens it to PADI certification), more aquaculture, bag limits, and, of course, more education. In terms of the latter, he tells me his breeder's club is really gaining some traction. Be sure to swing by Hawaiian Sealife on your next trip to Hawaii, where, amongst other things, you will see an exhibit (pictured above) showing how aquarium collection is done in Hawaii. Oh yea, Richard was also named ÒSmall Business Exporter of the YearÓ by the U.S. Small Business Administration, who called him a "pioneer in the aquaculture industry," and he has ties with the Oceanic Institute, which I will be visiting tomorrow.
I'm planning to go back later tonight to see a Christmas Island shipment get unpacked.
Okay...gotta run!
I had a good (and lengthy) interview with Senator Josh Green this morning at the State Capital in Honolulu. Josh is, I found, a likeable guy. Of course there are lots of politicians whom I am sure are "likeable" and with whom I would disagree categorically, but I didn't get that from Josh. Perhaps our common passion for emergency medicine or our East Coast antecedents (he is a graduate of Swarthmore College and Penn State University, where he received his medical degree in 1997) laid the groundwork for an amicable discussion, but the bottom line is that I liked this guy...
...despite the fact that he has proposed legislation with which I strongly disagree based on my experience. To be clear, Josh is the author of a bill that would ban the marine aquarium trade statewide in Hawaii.
Josh was the State Representative for Kona (the Big Island, where I will be headed on Monday) from 2004 to 2008, and, since 2008, he has been the State Senator for West Hawaii (his term ends in 2012). He has also served--and continues to serve, when his schedule allows--as a physician in the Kona Emergency Room, as the hospital blue scrubs he is wearing when I meet him in his office attests. After becoming a doc, Josh traveled to South Africa, working in missionary hospitals as a volunteer treating a rural population overwhelmed by AIDS and malaria. After his residency, he accepted a position in the National Health Corps to practice medicine in under-served areas of Hawaii--hence Kona. Elected to the Hawaii State House of Representatives in 2004, he served two terms, where he spearheaded the effort to provide affordable, accessible quality healthcare for all the people of Hawaii (as someone who has struggled to get any healthcare based on a pre-existing, I can relate). In 2008, Josh was elected to the Hawaii State Senate, where he now serves as the vice-chairman of the health committee and provides a leadership role statewide as Hawaii's voice for healthcare.
Marine aquarium trade? Not a healthcare issue last I checked. So why is Josh Green the latest in a string of Hawaiian politicians to propose a ban of the marine aquarium trade? Again, I'll leave the direct quotations to the article, but the skinny is that Josh told me he was sick of listening to the "nastiness" at the county level, where pro-trade and anti-trade forces have been at each other's throats. Might elevating the dialog to the state level provide some rational dialog? For many of us who observe the political process from afar, this may seem a long shot, but Josh is a senator, and so I get it.
Again, I'll save the finer points for the article, but suffice it to say that I was surprised when Josh told me he was "surprisingly neutral" on the topic of marine aquarium collection in Hawaii. As Josh explained it to me, and I'm paraphrasing here, he is "a science guy" and he will listen to the science. If his bill were to pass (which is, I should add, a BIG if), the marine aquarium trade would be banned in 2016. While the bill would be signed into law in January of 2011, Josh told me he has authored the bill in such a way that the ban would not take effect until 2016 (although no new permits would be issued in the interim). This would give the marine aquarium trade a chance to present the science to show why such a ban is unnecessary. While I appreciate that those involved in the trade don't feel as if the burden of proof should be upon them, I am, overall, heartened to hear that Senator Green is most interested in looking at the science. This returns, of course, to the question I posed initially: Is the marine aquarium trade in Hawaii sustainable? I hope the science can answer that question...
...off to meet Richard Xie of Hawaiian Sealife.
Quite the first day in Hawaii! My meet and greet at Starbucks with Matt Ross, Randy Fernley of Coral Fish Hawaii, Wayne Sugiyama of Wayne's Ocean World, and Dennis Yamaguchi with more than forty years of experience collecting marine fishes in Hawaii was more than I could have hoped for. These four guys know the industry, know O'ahu and are simply good people. It was an honor to meet them, and I appreciate them taking so much time to speak with me. We were off-the-record and simply a bunch of guys discussing the trade, but I walked away feeling confident I'd heard about a marine aquarium trade in Hawaii that is sustainable and one of which the hobby can be proud. I'm exhausted, so I'm going to hit the sack, but I'm sure I'll hear the opposing argument when I meet with Senator Josh Green tomorrow. He is the one proposing the most recent in a string of bills banning the marine aquarium trade in Hawaii.
After the meeting at Starbucks, Randy was nice enough to invite me over to see his operation, which is well worth the visit if you find yourself on O'ahu.
I have a few minutes free before heading out for an off-the-record interview with a collector. I thought it might be useful to give a little orientation to O'ahu for those of you who are unfamiliar with ali'i of the Hawaiian Islands (ali'i I have been told, means chief). I am staying in Waikiki, which is on the southeast side of Honolulu on O'ahu's south coast (just west of Diamond Head). Waikiki means spouting water according to the person who helped me with my rental car, and this area used to be fertile agricultural lands just a bit more than a century ago. This was the site of Kamehameha I's royal court, which was established in the late 18th century when the Hawaiian Islands were united under sovereign rule. Tourism didn't get it start here until the early 20th century, but once the floodgates were opened, there was no turning back. Once the site of extensive wetlands, the landscape was re-engineered in the 1920s so that tourists would not have to put up with so many mosquitoes. The resulting Ala Wai canal is still a major feature in Waikiki, and as I crossed it on my way into Waikiki, I got to wondering just how much has been done in these islands in the name of tourism. Obviously I am also connecting that thought to the idea that tourism is, in the testimonies against the marine aquarium trade in Hawaii, the number one banner unfurled in support of a ban on the collection of marine aquarium fishes. Interesting...
Anyway, back to my orientation. While people first came to the Hawaiian Islands (probably from the Marquesas) as early as AD 500, O'ahu was most likely not heavily settled for another 500 years when the Tahitians arrived and settled each island. These people brought animals (e.g., pigs) and crops (e.g., taro) that would help their settlement endeavor. By the middle of the 15th century, it is estimated the population of the Hawaiian Islands exceeded 250,000. The population employed a class system with matriarchal royality (called ali'i), chiefs who ruled over ahupua'a (more on this term later, as it is a critical concept to understanding the history of resource management in Hawaii), commoners (maka'ainana), and outcasts and slaves (kaua). Captain Cook was the first known European to "discover" Hawaii on 18 January 1778. Cook originally named the islands the Sandwich Islands for the Earl of Sandwich (Cook's patron), and he died there a year later in battle in Kealakekua. Cook's ships, Resolution and Discovery, anchored in Waimea Bay on the North Shore of O'ahu in search of provisions, and it is believed his crew were the first white men to set foot on O'ahu. In 1795, internal struggles amongst Hawaiian chiefs led to a party landing in war canoes at Waikiki. They brought with them a few western rifles, which gave them a complete advantage. The invading force was led by a chief named Kamehameha the Great, who was the chief of the Big Island Hawaii. Kamehameha sacrificed the O'ahu chief, and O'ahu became the centralized seat of power for all the Hawaiian Islands. By the early 19th century, Honolulu was a small but bustling port with many ships calling. It was during this time that sandalwood was nearly driven extinction, as it was a popular commodity. Waimea, on the North Shore, was the sandalwood capital in the 1830s. By the 1840s, Hawaii had become the whaling capital of the Pacific, but the port-of-choice shifted from Honolulu to Lahaina on Maui as a result of increasingly puritanical laws brought to Honolulu by American missionaries.
The 19th century was a period of major change for Hawaii, with outside influence encouraging a move away from subsistence farming and fishing toward profitable businesses such as the whaling and sugar industries. With a growing plantation system and a declining native population, plantation owners began to import cheap labor from China and Japan. Near the middle of the 19th century, power shifted back to O'ahu when Hawaii's first christian king moved the capital from Maui to Honolulu. Shortly thereafter, the Great Mahele Act was passed in which land was turned into a commodity (this was considered a "land reform" act). This paved the way for foreigners to come in and buy up most of the land that the native people's had not purchased or filed paperwork on. The result? Landless Hawaiians in their own land. Most native Hawaiians subsequently lost the right to vote, and the monarchy eventually collapsed.
Annexation occured in 1898 (Hawaii was strategically important during the Spanish-American War), and Hawaii became an American territory. The military followed, and O'ahu became dominated by U.S. military interests. The first statehood bill had been introduced in Washington in 1919, but it was not until 1959 that Hawaii became a U.S. state.
As for prehistory, Wai'anae volcano created the island of O'ahu close to four million years ago. Two and one-half million years ago Ko'olau volcano erupted and began much of the windward portion of O'ahu. The eastern flank of Ko'olau eventually disappeared into the ocean with the Ko'olau mountains left as its cenotaph. In terms of geography, O'ahu can be divided into the South Shore (where Honolulu is located) and the, moving in a clockwise direction, the Leeward (Wai'anae) Coast, the North Shore, and the Windward Coast. I will be spending my first day or so in Honolulu and the area just north of the city. Friday I will be on the Windward Coast all day. Saturday I will be on the North Shore and then down on the Leeward Coast, and Sunday I'm leaving open. Monday, I fly to the Big Island. This eneded up being longer than I had anticipated, and I fear I am now late...more to come...
Today I arrived in Hawaii for a 10-day trip researching the Hawaiian marine aquarium trade for a feature in CORAL Magazine. Top on the list of questions I must answer is the following: Is collection for the marine aquarium trade in Hawaii sustainable? The fact I'm even asking this question is going to define how many of the people I seek to interview will perceive me. While I have a track record of supporting sustainable wild collection for the marine aquarium trade, my writing for the trade is admittedly a small part of my overall interests as a writer. Having said that, most of the stories I choose to cover for the marine aquarium trade fit very well into my larger interests in science, conservation of aquatic resources, and sustainable fisheries. In short, I hope this article on the marine aquarium trade in Hawaii will be seen as a microcosm of larger issues in which we all have a stake whether we have a saltwater aquarium or not.
As I mentioned previously, this is my first trip to the 50th state, and I find it somewhat ironic that I'm spending my first hours at a Starbucks (Melville allusion aside). Alas. At least they have free wifi, and, far more importantly, I will soon be meeting Matt Ross and several people involved with the marine aquarium trade here on O'ahu. Matt picked the venue, and if being at Starbucks means I can begin to build a relationship with some of the industry insiders in Hawaii, I'll take a venti!
I know Matt (pictured here) electronically (he helped me with a story I was working on several years back). I'll leave his full bio for later, but suffice it to say he is a marine science guy-turned marine ornamental collector (this is a term typically used for people who collect marine animals for the saltwater aquarium trade). Matt has proven both a skeptic and an ally--skeptical of my motives for coming to Hawaii but allied in the overall vision of communicating an accurate portrayal of an industry from which he earns a living in the face of so much alleged hyperbole from the other side.
While I don't want to linger for long over the pre-trip politics, suffice it to say I have never worked harder to set-up interviews with credible sources than I did (and continue to do) for this trip. While the anti-trade folks have bent over backwards to fit me into their schedules during my trip (that includes state senators and representatives), the people in the trade--collectors, exporters, retailers, etc.--have been more than difficult to pin down. While I initially received a warm response after presenting my credentials (I am, after all, a contributing editor at a leading pro-trade publication), the reception cooled when I allowed as how I would be interviewing people on both sides of the issue. In large part, this has to do with the political landscape here in Hawaii--there is, for example, a bill currently in the legislative process to ban the trade in Hawaii. As one person put it in an email declining my request for an interview: "It's nothing personal. We've just been fighting too hard, and we've been burned too many times." Another pro-trade, potential interviewee chronicles a track record of getting misquoted and maligned by the press before politely refusing me an interview.
There are also those who just plain don't trust me and who attempt to use my access to them as a bartering chip to try to get me NOT to speak with those who have written legislation to ban the trade, as well as those (like Rober Wintner) who have taken to soapboxes and defined the marine aquarium hobby as an "immoral" and "dark hobby." Those who know me know I have long advocated for more unbiased, objective reporting in the marine aquarium press, and I am no stranger to those in the trade who default to secrecy and clam up when contacted by anyone claiming to be objective. If the marine aquarium trade is to survive as a positive force, I think we need more transparency in the publications dedicated to the hobby. Sure, it's great to have the "eye candy" articles and the "how to" pieces, but the marine aquarium press, I believe, also needs to deliver substance, especially now. While keeping a saltwater tank may be called a "hobby," we are talking about living animals that, by and large, inhabit one of the most high-profile embattled ecosystems of the 21st century--coral reefs. I believe that everyone with a reef aquarium in their house can and should be on the front line of reef conservation, and boy do we need people in that trench right now. I also have seen first hand how this trade can provide both socio-economic development to developing island nations (see my articles on Papua New Guinea's SEASMART Program, for example) and real economic incentive for reef conservation. In short, we need to take our so-called hobby seriously and approach it with thoughtful, probing questions. I hope my articles provide a basis for at least a few aquarists to use their purchasing power to support a sustainable marine aquarium trade that can do immense good. Okay...stepping off my soapbox...
...and just in time...here comes Matt and four people willing to talk to a reporter who just got off a plane from the mainland.
Tomorrow I am off for Hawaii for a 10-day trip that will take me to O'ahu, Maui and the Big Island. As some of you know, Hawaii is the only state I have not visited, so this trip is a real treat for me. Having said that, I have set up one of the most intense interview schedules of any trip I have done in quite some time, so there will be no umbrella drinks on the beach for this haole.
The objective of the trip is to research an article for CORAL Magazine on the past, present and future of the marine aquarium trade in Hawaii. Quite remarkably, I don't think a comprehensive article has ever been done on Hawaii, which is, of course, the most important state in the nation when it comes to collection for the marine aquarium trade. As such, this article will be interesting to a marine aquarium audience, but I suspect some of the fisheries issues will be interesting to a wider audience as well.
While the story is interesting in and of itself, the article is particularly timely given all the talk about Hawaii amongst aquarists secondary to Robert Wintner's (aka Snorkel Bob) editorial on the Sea Shepherd website (yes, the Whale Wars folks). The editorial, which essentially called for the end of the marine aquarium trade, was circulated widely amongst the marine aquarium media prior to the Marine Aquarium Conference of North America (MACNA) at the beginning of this month in Orlando. I was at MACNA presenting on my trip to Papua New Guinea and on my forthcoming book Coral (Reaktion Books, London), and I was surprised by how rapidly the Hawaiian marine aquarium trade moved to center stage in many discussions I had with average, everyday aquarists and expert, seasoned speakers. Unfortunately, most of the talk was based on little more than rumor, anecdote and innuendo...which of course is the perfect justification for a comprehensive article.
Over the coming days, as I travel throughout Hawaii and meet with fishers, exporters, legislators, resource managers, anti-trade people, cultural practitioners, and anyone else with an opinion on the topic. I will try to present my readers an objective view of the marine aquarium fishery in Hawaii in the hopes that the information I present may be a better basis for continued dialog about this contentious fishery. If you have thoughts or comments, please feel free to email me at ret@rettalbot.com.
Alright.I still have a 135-gallon reef tank to put the finishing touches on before my o'dark-thirty departure.
