REPORT TITLE: 
Aquatic Resources; Rulemaking


DESCRIPTION:
Allows the Department of Land and Natural Resources to adopt
administrative rules relating to aquatic resource regulations
that specify bag limits, sales restrictions, seasons, and
regulation on fishing gear; Act repealed June 30, 2002.  (CD1)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        1091
THE SENATE                              S.B. NO.           S.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                H.D. 2
STATE OF HAWAII                                            C.D. 1
                                                             
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________


                     A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO AQUATIC RESOURCES.



BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1      SECTION 1.  Section 188-44, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 2 amended to read as follows:
 
 3      "�188-44  [Mullet, catching prohibited, when; exceptions.]
 
 4 Licenses for mullet.  (a)  [It is unlawful for any person to
 
 5 wilfully fish for, or attempt to take by any means whatsoever,
 
 6 from any of the waters within the jurisdiction of the State, or
 
 7 to sell, offer for sale, or have in possession any mullet, known
 
 8 as amaama, or anaeholo during the months of December, January, or
 
 9 February; provided that] The department may issue a license to
 
10 any owner or operator of a fish pond [may] to lawfully catch the
 
11 young mullet known as pua during the closed season, for the
 
12 purpose of stocking the owner's or operator's pond[;], and
 
13 [provided further that any owner or operator of a fish pond or
 
14 any commercial marine dealer may] lawfully sell pond raised
 
15 mullet during the closed season [after first procuring a license
 
16 to do so].
 
17      (b)  [Any commercial marine dealer having more than one
 
18 market or establishment shall take out a separate license for
 
19 each market or establishment from which mullet are sold.]  The
 

 
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 1 department may adopt rules pursuant to chapter 91 necessary for
 
 2 the purpose of this section and to set reasonable fees [for
 
 3 selling pond raised mullet during the closed season.
 
 4      (c)  All licenses shall expire one year from the date of
 
 5 issuance]."
 
 6      SECTION 2.  Section 188-45, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 7 amended to read as follows:
 
 8      "�188-45  [Nehu and iao, taking prohibited; exceptions.  It
 
 9 is unlawful for any person to fish for, catch, or take in or from
 
10 any of the waters within the jurisdiction of the State any nehu
 
11 or iao; provided that any person may lawfully catch nehu for the
 
12 person's family consumption or bait purposes with a net not
 
13 longer than fifty feet; and provided further that the department
 
14 of land and natural resources] Licenses for nehu, iao, and other
 
15 baitfish.  The department may issue to commercial marine
 
16 licensees, as defined in chapter 187A, licenses to take nehu,
 
17 iao, or any other species [for which an open season may be
 
18 declared by the department] for use as bait only[; provided that
 
19 nehu may be taken by any licensed commercial marine licensee only
 
20 if employed on a live-bait tuna boat and only if the licensee's
 
21 principal means of livelihood is derived from tuna fishing and
 
22 the sale of tuna, and the nehu is not sold to others].  The
 
23 department may adopt rules pursuant to chapter 91 for the
 

 
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 1 purposes of this section.  The licenses may be issued by the
 
 2 department upon terms and conditions the department may deem
 
 3 necessary to conserve the supply of the fish within state waters.
 
 4 The license may be summarily revoked for a violation of any term
 
 5 or condition [thereof,] of the license, and any or all licenses
 
 6 may be revoked summarily whenever, in the judgment of the
 
 7 department, the action is necessary for the conservation of the
 
 8 fish.
 
 9      [Any person whose license has been revoked for violation of
 
10 the terms and conditions of the person's license shall not be
 
11 eligible for another license until the expiration of one year
 
12 from the date of revocation.]"
 
13      SECTION 3.  Section 188-57, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
14 amended to read as follows:
 
15      "�188-57  [Certain crustaceans protected.] Licenses for
 
16 certain crustaceans.  (a)  [It is unlawful for any person to
 
17 take, kill, sell, or offer for sale, or have in possession any
 
18 Kona crabs taken from the waters within the jurisdiction of the
 
19 State during the months of May, June, July, and August, or spiny
 
20 lobster (ula), or slipper lobster (ula-papapa), taken from the
 
21 waters within the jurisdiction of the State during the months of
 
22 May, June, July, and August.  The possession of any Kona crabs,
 
23 by any person during the months of May, June, July, and August,
 

 
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 1 and the possession of any spiny lobster, or slipper lobster by
 
 2 any person during the months of May, June, July, and August shall
 
 3 be prima facie evidence that the person is guilty of a violation
 
 4 of this section; provided that any] Any commercial marine dealer
 
 5 may sell, or any hotel, restaurant, or other public eating house
 
 6 may serve, during the closed season, Kona crabs or lobsters
 
 7 lawfully caught during the open season by first procuring a
 
 8 license to do so.
 
 9      (b)  [Each licensee shall submit a report to the department
 
10 within five days after the end of each of the months on blanks
 
11 furnished by the department.] The department may adopt rules
 
12 pursuant to chapter 91 necessary for the purpose of this chapter
 
13 and to set fees for selling or serving Kona crab and lobster
 
14 during the closed season.
 
15      [(c)  All licenses shall expire one year from the date of
 
16 issuance.]"
 
17      SECTION 4.  Section 188-68, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
18 amended to read as follows:
 
19      "188-68 [Stony] Permits for coral[;] and rock with marine
 
20 life attached[; taking and selling prohibited].  [(a)  The
 
21 intentional taking, breaking, or damaging with crowbar, chisel,
 
22 or any other implement of any rock or coral to which marine life
 
23 is visibly attached or affixed, or live stony coral of the
 

 
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 1 taxonomic order, Madreporaria, including the Fungidae or
 
 2 Pocilloporidae families, is prohibited except with a permit
 
 3 authorized under section 187A-6 or chapter 183C or by the
 
 4 department] The department may issue permits, as authorized by
 
 5 this section, section 187A-6, chapter 183C, or under rules
 
 6 adopted pursuant to chapter 91 necessary for collecting live
 
 7 stony corals or marine life visibly attached to rocks placed in
 
 8 the water for a commercial purpose.
 
 9      [(b)  No person shall sell or offer for sale as souvenirs
 
10 any stony coral of the taxonomic order, Madreporaria, of the
 
11 species Montipora verrucosa, Fungia scutaria, Pocillopora
 
12 damicornis, Pocillopora meandrina, Pocillopora eydouxi, Porites
 
13 compressa, Porites lobata, and Tubastraea coccinea, provided that
 
14 stony coral souvenirs shall not include coral rubble pieces or
 
15 fragments imported for the manufacture and sale of coral jewelry
 
16 or obtained through dredging operations in Hawaii for
 
17 agricultural or other industrial uses.]"
 
18      SECTION 5.  Section 188-25, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
19 repealed.
 
20      ["�188-25  Fishing with firearms, spears.(a)  No person
 
21 shall pursue, take, or kill any turtle, crustacean, mollusk,
 
22 aquatic mammal, or fish, except tuna and billfish that have been
 
23 caught and gaffed and sharks, in the State with firearms as
 

 
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 1 defined in section 134-1.
 
 2      (b)  No person shall pursue, take, or kill any crustacean
 
 3 (except introduced freshwater prawns), turtle, or aquatic mammal
 
 4 in the State with a spear.
 
 5      (c)  Any crustacean, mollusk, aquatic mammal, or fish taken
 
 6 or killed or offered for sale in violation of this section shall
 
 7 be confiscated and offered as evidence.
 
 8      (d)  No person shall take any fish by the use of spears, or
 
 9 possess any speared fish which is smaller than the minimum size
 
10 for the fish as specified in section 188-40 and any person
 
11 violating this provision for the first time shall receive a
 
12 citation.  Any subsequent violation shall be punished as provided
 
13 for in section 188-70; provided that the first subsequent
 
14 violation shall be considered a first violation for the purpose
 
15 of section 188-70."]
 
16      SECTION 6.  Section 188-28.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
17 repealed.
 
18      ["�188-28.5  Bullpen trap; description; prohibitions.(a)
 
19 For the purpose of this chapter, a "bullpen trap" has a pen and
 
20 guide or guides of a length or lengths of net or material
 
21 designed to guide aquatic life into the pen situated to prevent
 
22 the escape of some or all of the aquatic life entering the pen,
 
23 whether or not the guide or guides are connected to the pen.
 

 
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 1      (b)  It is unlawful for any person to capture or attempt to
 
 2 capture aquatic life with a bullpen trap which exceeds two
 
 3 thousand feet in total length.  The total length of a bullpen
 
 4 trap shall include the length of the guide or guides and pen.
 
 5      (c)  It is unlawful for any person engaged in bullpen trap
 
 6 fishing to leave the trap in the same place for a period of more
 
 7 than sixteen hours.
 
 8      (d)  It is unlawful for any person to capture or attempt to
 
 9 capture aquatic life with a bullpen trap within one thousand
 
10 yards from the shoreline, except as provided in subsection (e).
 
11      (e)  Notwithstanding subsection (d), it is lawful to capture
 
12 or to attempt to capture aquatic life with a bullpen trap in the
 
13 area seaward from five hundred yards from the shoreline of the
 
14 island of Molokai west of Kaunakakai wharf and in the area
 
15 seaward from two hundred yards from the shoreline of the island
 
16 of Molokai east of Kaunakakai wharf; provided that the department
 
17 may designate other areas of similar characteristics in which the
 
18 use of bullpen traps within one thousand yards from the shoreline
 
19 may be allowed under this subsection."]
 
20      SECTION 7.  Section 188-29, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
21 repealed.
 
22      ["�188-29  Nets and traps.(a)  It is unlawful for any
 
23 person to use nets made of or using netting, or bullpen traps
 

 
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 1 with a stretched mesh of less than two inches, except that:
 
 2      (1)  Pond owners or operators who hold a license issued
 
 3           under section 188-44 may use nets of smaller mesh to
 
 4           take young mullet or pua for stocking their fish ponds;
 
 5      (2)  Commercial marine licensees who hold a license issued
 
 6           under section 188-45 may use nets of smaller mesh to
 
 7           take nehu, iao, marquesan sardine, or any other species
 
 8           for which an open season may be declared by the
 
 9           department of land and natural resources for use as
 
10           bait;
 
11      (3)  All persons may use nets of smaller mesh to take shrimp
 
12           or opae, opelu, makiawa, or mikiawa;
 
13      (4)  Aquarium fish collectors with a valid aquarium fish
 
14           permit issued by the department pursuant to section
 
15           188-31 may use nets of smaller mesh, but not throw
 
16           nets, to fish for aquarium fish in conformance with the
 
17           conditions of the permit, provided that noncommercial
 
18           aquarium fish collectors shall be limited to a combined
 
19           total of five fish or aquatic life specimens per person
 
20           per day;
 
21      (5)  All persons may use a net with mesh of not less than
 
22           one and one-half inches to take akule; provided that no
 
23           akule measuring less than eight and one-half inches in
 

 
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 1           total length from the tip of the snout to the tip of
 
 2           the tail shall be taken with a net during the months of
 
 3           July, August, September, and October;
 
 4      (6)  All persons engaged in surround net fishing with scuba,
 
 5           may use nets with mesh of not less than one and one-
 
 6           half inches only to bag and transport the fish captured
 
 7           with legal gear to the shore or the boat;
 
 8      (7)  All persons engaged in stationary monofilament gill net
 
 9           fishing may use monofilament gill netting with a
 
10           stretched mesh of not less than two inches until
 
11           December 31, 1996; thereafter it shall be unlawful for
 
12           any person to use stationary monofilament gill nets
 
13           made of or using monofilament gill netting with a
 
14           stretched mesh of less than two and three-fourths
 
15           inches; and
 
16      (8)  All persons may use hand nets or scoop nets of smaller
 
17           mesh to take fish or other marine life for
 
18           noncommercial purposes only; provided that the net,
 
19           including any handle and other attachment thereto,
 
20           shall not exceed three feet in any dimension.
 
21      (b)  It is unlawful for any person to use any type of trap
 
22 which is not portable or which is more than ten feet in length or
 
23 six feet in height or width.  Except for traps of smaller mesh to
 

 
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 1 take shrimp or opae, and for the entrance cone, it shall also be
 
 2 unlawful to use traps:
 
 3      (1)  With netting having a stretched mesh of less than two
 
 4           inches; or
 
 5      (2)  Made with plastic, wire, coated wire, or any other
 
 6           stiff material with a rigid mesh of less than two
 
 7           inches long by one inch wide.
 
 8      (c)  The department of land and natural resources may,
 
 9 pursuant to chapter 91, adopt rules relating to requirements for
 
10 escape openings or devices on any type of nets or traps.  The
 
11 rules shall include provisions describing the type, measurements,
 
12 and locations of escape openings or devices on traps under this
 
13 subsection and become effective three years after
 
14 establishment."]
 
15      SECTION 8.  Section 188-29.1, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
16 repealed.
 
17      ["[�188-29.1]  Prohibition on disposal of fishing gear.  It
 
18 is unlawful to discard or otherwise dispose of any fishing net,
 
19 trap, or gear with netting, or parts thereof, in the waters of
 
20 the State."]
 
21      SECTION 9.  Section 188-30, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
22 repealed.
 
23      ["�188-30  Fine meshed throw nets; possession; sale.(a)
 

 
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 1 It is unlawful for any person who is in the water or on or about
 
 2 the shore where fish can be taken to have in the person's
 
 3 possession a throw net with a mesh of less than one and one-half
 
 4 inches stretched measure.  After December 31, 1994, it shall be
 
 5 unlawful for any person who is in the water or on or about the
 
 6 shore where fish can be taken to have in the person's possession
 
 7 a throw net with a mesh of less than two inches stretched
 
 8 measure.
 
 9      (b)  After July 1, 1988, it shall be unlawful for any person
 
10 to sell or to offer for sale any throw net with a mesh of less
 
11 than two inches stretched measure."]
 
12      SECTION 10.  Section 188-30.2, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
13 repealed.
 
14      ["�188-30.2  Fishing with gill nets; prohibited.  (a)  It is
 
15 unlawful for any person engaged in gill net fishing to:
 
16      (1)  Leave the person's net unattended without visually
 
17           inspecting the net every two hours and releasing or
 
18           removing any undersized, illegal, or unwanted catch; or
 
19      (2)  Leave the net in the water for a period of more than
 
20           four hours in any twenty-four hour period.
 
21      (b)  For purposes of this section, "gill net" means a
 
22 curtainlike net suspended in the water with mesh openings large
 
23 enough to permit only the heads of the fish to pass through,
 

 
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 1 ensnaring them around the gills when they attempt to escape."]
 
 2      SECTION 11.  Section 188-30.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 3 repealed.
 
 4      ["[�188-30.5]  Fishing with drift gill net; prohibited.  It
 
 5 is unlawful for any person to possess or use any drift gill net
 
 6 in the waters of the State."]
 
 7      SECTION 12.  Section 188-40, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 8 repealed.
 
 9      ["�188-40  Minimum sizes of fish.  It shall be unlawful for
 
10 any person to possess with the intent to sell, or offer for sale,
 
11 any:
 
12      (1)  Aholehole or manini less than five inches in length;
 
13      (2)  Mullet, moi, weke, moana, or kumu less than seven
 
14           inches in length;
 
15      (3)  Awa, oio, kala, or opelu kala less than nine inches in
 
16           length; provided that this section shall not apply to
 
17           the kala, Naso lituratus;
 
18      (4)  Opakapaka, onaga, uku, ulua or papio, uhu, or octopus
 
19           less than one pound in weight;
 
20      (5)  Kuahonu crab or Kona crab less than four inches in
 
21           length or in width across or along its back;
 
22      (6)  Clams less than one and one-half inches measured the
 
23           long way across or along the shell; or
 

 
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 1      (7)  Ahi less than three pounds in weight."]
 
 2      SECTION 13.  Section 188-41, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 3 repealed.
 
 4      ["�188-41  Dried nehu and iao.  It shall be unlawful for any
 
 5 person at any time to sell, offer for sale, or trade, any dried
 
 6 or cured nehu or iao taken from the waters within the
 
 7 jurisdiction of the State."]
 
 8      SECTION 14.  Section 188-46, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 9 repealed.
 
10      ["�188-46  Opelu fishing regulated.  It is unlawful for any
 
11 person at any time, to fish for or take, or be engaged in fishing
 
12 or taking opelu with fish or animal bait within the waters off
 
13 the coast of South Kona, island of Hawaii, between the Kiilae-
 
14 Keokea boundary and the Kapua-Kaulanamauna boundary, except with
 
15 hook and line."]
 
16      SECTION 15.  Section 188-58, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
17 repealed.
 
18      ["�188-58  Crustaceans with eggs.  It is unlawful for any
 
19 person to catch or take from any bays, harbors, or other waters
 
20 of the State, or to expose or offer for sale, or to hold in
 
21 possession with the intent of exposing or offering for sale, or
 
22 to kill, any crustacean known as spiny lobster or ula, slipper
 
23 lobster or ula-papapa, kuahonu crab, Samoan crab, or Kona crab
 

 
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 1 while with egg.  If any of the crustaceans be caught, they must
 
 2 immediately be returned to the waters from which they were taken.
 
 3 The possession of any spiny lobster or ula, slipper lobster or
 
 4 ula-papapa, kuahonu crab, Samoan crab, or Kona crab, showing
 
 5 indications of the eggs having been scraped or removed therefrom,
 
 6 shall be prima facie evidence of the violation of this section."]
 
 7      SECTION 16.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed.
 
 8 New statutory material is underscored.
 
 9      SECTION 17.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval
 
10 and shall be repealed on June 30, 2002; provided that all
 
11 sections of the Hawaii Revised Statutes that are amended or
 
12 repealed by this Act shall be reenacted in the form in which they
 
13 read on the day before the effective date of this Act.