White-spotted Puffer, Arothron hispidus, nuzzles the photographer’s camera on a reef off the Big Island of Hawaii. Image: Brocken Ingaglory/GNU.

2013 Promises to be a potentially dccisive year in the history of Hawaii’s marine ornamental fisheries

By Ret Talbot

A landslide of 13 legislative measures that could significantly impact the aquarium fishery in Hawaiian waters was introduced in the state legislature in the week between opening day on January 16th and the cutoff deadline for new bills on January 24th. At least three of the measures-two senate bills and one house bill-seek to close the fishery in state waters, while several others not explicitly seeking to end the commercial aquarium fishery would most likely do just that if passed. MORE