Oahu Aquarium Fishing Rule Takes Effect

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There are new fishing rules for Oahu, Hawaii aimed at protecting aquarium fish.

According to the Department of Land and Natural Resources, there are new daily commercial bag and size limits that apply to aquarium fish such as yellow tang and Moorish idol. There’s also a ban on taking certain butterfly fish.

The new rules are for waters within three nautical miles of Oahu.

There are also new rules about the types of nets that can be used to catch the aquarium fish in an effort to help prevent the fish from getting injured.

The DLNR made the new rules in response to a request by a group of aquarium fish collectors.

“So the regulations are there to provide guidance to not only the novice collectors but also to people currently at the fishery so that they don’t overcrowd their vessels and don’t use more gear than they need to,” said Alton Miyasaka of DLNR’s Division of Aquatic Resources.

Aquarium fishing made headlines last summer after a fish collector was arrested following an incident off the Big Island in which he tore away the scuba breathing device from an anti-aquarium fish activist who was filming him.