Learn about Holomua: Marine 30×30 Initiative at information session Oct. 4 in Līhuʻe

The Hawaiʻi Fishermen’s Alliance for Conservation and Tradition will hold an information session on Oct. 4 in Līhuʻe to discuss possible impacts of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Holomua: Marine 30×30 Initiative.

The Holomua: Marine 30×30 Initiative originated at the World Conservation Congress held in Honolulu in 2016, when Hawaiʻi Gov. David Ige’s announced a commitment to target “30% of Hawaiʻi’s nearshore waters to be effectively managed by 2030.” 

The information session for Kauaʻi will be held at the Wilcox Elementary School Cafeteria from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. It is the first talk story in a roadshow of informational sessions to be held on the main Hawaiian Islands.

Hawaiʻi Fishermen’s Alliance for Conservation and Tradition has been monitoring the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ efforts to turn the governor’s commitment into a working program. The department has chosen Maui Island as the first island to begin the process of identifying specific areas and determining rules to implement on  Maui. The Department has not identified which island will follow Maui. 

Phil Fernandez, President of the fishermen’s alliance, and a fisher on the Big Island, said in a press release that fishers are unprepared for what is about to happen to them: “Most fishers just want to fish, and they do not keep up with possible changes in rules that might impact them.”

The initiative is expected to be the biggest change to fishing rules in decades.

Fernandez said that the state’s Division of Aquatic Resources “will be making an unprecedented effort to engage fishers into the planning process.”

Tuesday’s meeting in Līhue will help fishers prepare for the meeting with the state and also help fishers learn how to engage in the process.