STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3784

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2101

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 2101, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COMMERCIAL AQUARIUM COLLECTION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Prohibit the:

(A) Harvesting of aquatic life for commercial aquarium purposes, regardless of the method of collection, in counties with a population greater than five hundred thousand; and

(B) Consideration of rules for the issuance of permits for the harvesting of aquatic life for commercial aquarium purposes; and

(2) Repeal these prohibitions upon promulgation of certain rules by the Department of Land and Natural Resources for counties with a population greater than five hundred thousand.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs; two members of the Hawaiʻi County Council; Kupuna for the Moʻopuna; Kihei Community Association; Kohala Divers; Big Island Reef Keepers Hui; Sustainable Kohala ʻOhana; Aloha Animal Advocates; Ohana Unity Party; Earthjustice; HULI PAC; Pōhaku Pelemaka; Marine Genetics LLC; Clean the Pacific; Marine Advocates Collaborating for Sustainable Aquatic Life through Action and Discipline; Puako Community Association; FreediveSafe! Hawaii; Napili Bay and Beach Foundation; Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo; Kauhako Ohana Association; Animal Rights Hawaiʻi; Aliʻi Pauahi Hawaiian Civic Club; Keliʻipio-Kuamoʻo Foundation, Inc.; Big Island Aviation, LLC; South Kohala Reef Alliance; Build Team 50 LLC; Makahanaloa Fishing Association; The Nature Conservancy Hawaiʻi and Palmyra; Kiaʻi Kanaloa; Hawaii Marine Education and Research Center; Miloliʻi Community-Based Subsistence Fishing Area; Hawaiʻi Ocean Legislative Task Force; Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana; Green Party of Hawaiʻi; WAI: Wastewater Alternatives and Innovations; Advanced Operation Solutions LLC; Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce; Maui Humane Society; Biota Group; For the Fishes; Moana Ohana; Kalanihale; Center for Biological Diversity; Kai Palaoa; Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi; Hawaiʻi Reef and Ocean Coalition; Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi; Hawaiian Humane Society; Friends of Hanauma Bay; Conservation Council for Hawaiʻi; Fair Wind Cruises and Kona Sunrise Charters; Surfrider Foundation, Hawaiʻi Region; Keiko Conservation; Legacy Reef Foundation; Haereticus Environmental Laboratory; Ocean Defenders Alliance Hawaii; Oceanic Preservation Society; Kai Kuleana on behalf of ʻIke Lawaiʻa, Hui Aloha Kīholo, Ruddle ʻOhana, KUPA Friends of Hoʻokena Beach Park, Hoʻola, Ka ʻOhana Kipapa, Hui ʻOhana o Hōnaunau, Hui Kahuwai, Lee ʻOhana of Kohanaiki, Kauhakō Ohana Association, Nā ʻŌiwi o Puʻuanahulu, Puakō For Reefs, and Hoʻāla Kealakekua Nui, Inc.; and numerous individuals.

Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Native Hawaiian Gathering Rights Association, and numerous individuals.

Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Hawaii Organization for Progress and Equity, Ka Ohana O Na Pua, and seven individuals.

Your Committees find that the capture and sale of the State's native reef wildlife for ornamental display and commercial profit directly undermines reef ecosystem functions and is inconsistent with foundational Hawaiian values of mālama ʻāina, aloha ʻāina, and kuleana. Your Committees further find that decades of extraction have reduced reef fish populations and degraded the reef ecosystem health that local communities rely on. Your Committees further find that healthy reef systems protect the State's shorelines from erosion and storm surge, support subsistence fishing and traditional practices, and sustain a tourism industry that depends on vibrant, living reefs. This measure would help contribute to the protection of reef health, water quality, long-term coastal resilience, and cultural practices for future generations.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Judiciary that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2101, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and recommend that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Judiciary,

________________________________ KARL RHOADS, Chair

________________________________ JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair