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| The Kaʻū Coast is one of the favorite places for aquarium collectors to catch longnose butterfly fish. Photo from Honolulu Aquarium |
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| Achilles tang are often collected for the aquarium trade. Photo from Waikiki Aquarium |
Willie Kaupiko, Ka‘imi Kaupiko, Mike Nakachi, For the Fishes, the Center for Biological Diversity, and Kai Palaoa, represented by Earthjustice, filed suit in 2021 to enforce Hawai‘i’s environmental review laws after a Board tie vote resulted in default approval of the aquarium pet trade’s second impact statement for West Hawai‘i. The Board had previously rejected the trade’s first attempt at an impact statement by a unanimous vote in 2020. The Supreme Court’s ruling today upholds the trade’s second impact statement.
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| Moorish idols, very popular in the aquarium trade. Photo by Zanclus Cornutus |
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| An aquarium collector takes fish from a reef in Hawai`i. Photo by Brooke Everett |
“We are very concerned that today’s ruling will open the floodgates to destructive levels of commercial aquarium harvesting in Hawai‘i’s waters,” said Rene Umberger, Executive Director of For the Fishes. “Removing fish from our reefs, which face a host of other dangers from pollution to climate change, threatens the delicate ecology that depends on these aquatic species. It’s disappointing that the court is upholding an insufficient environmental impact statement that fails to disclose and mitigate against known environmental consequences of this industry.”
For decades, commercial aquarium fish collectors targeted West Hawai‘i’s vibrant waters for small reef fish, packaging the live fish in plastic bags for export to aquarium fish wholesalers and retailers across the continental United States. The court’s approval of the industry’s second impact statement effectively allows the Board to resume issuing permits for commercial collection in West Hawai‘i.
“The court’s decision paves the way for the Board to make management decisions based on incomplete and faulty information, which undermines the purpose of Hawai‘i’s environmental review laws and the Board’s public trust obligations,” said Earthjustice attorney Mahesh Cleveland. “We are disappointed by the decision but stand ready to make our case to the Board that the industry’s plans for reopening collection in West Hawai‘i are deeply flawed, and that permits must be denied.”
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Kole tang are prized traditional Hawaiian food. The fish suffers widespread aquarium collection in the state. Photo by Victoria Martocci |
“Ending this collection ban leaves Hawai‘i’s delicate reef fish completely exposed to the dangerous whims of a pet industry that couldn’t care less about their wellbeing,” said Maxx Phillips, Hawai‘i director and attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “This decision jeopardizes the fragile balance of our reef ecosystems. We’ll keep fighting these permits and working to make sure that Hawai‘i’s marine wildlife is protected for future generations.”
McKenzie Dacoito came up with 6 Kills and 6 Aces. Jezerie Rose Nurial-Dacalio pounded 5 Kills and made 1 Block. Zia Rae Wroblewski earned 4 Kills and 1Ace. Leahi Kaupu scored 3 Kills and 4 Aces. Jazmyn Navarro posted 3 kills and 3 aces. Kiara Ortega-Oliveira totaled 2 aces. CaLiyah Silva-Kamei earned an ace.
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THE USGS VOLCANO UPDATE FOR THURSDAY:
Summit Observations: Approximately 20 earthquakes were detected beneath Kaluapele (Kīlauea’s summit caldera) over the past 24 hours at depths of 1–3 km (0.6–1.9 mi) below the ground surface, most with magnitudes of less than M2.0. Rates of deformation at the summit remained relatively low, with deflationary tilt at summit tiltmeters over the past day. An overall gradual inflationary trend continues to be seen on GPS instruments around the summit region. The most recent measurement of the summit’s SO2 emission rate was approximately 75 tonnes per day on August 20, 2024.
Top illustration shows number of earthquakes per day during the past week via the blue bars. The red line is the cumulative moment (energy) release. The bottom illustration shows depth of earthquakes during the past week in the area shown on the map above. Depth is reported relative to sea level, which is equal to a depth of zero on the above plot. On both figures, circle-size represents magnitude, and color indicates depth. USGS graphs
Rift Zone Observations: Over the past 24 hours, there have been approximately 44 earthquakes beneath Kīlauea’s UERZ region, extending from Puhimau Crater southeast to Maunaulu. Most earthquakes have been smaller than M2.0. Events have remained at depths of 1–3 km (0.6–1.8 miles) beneath the surface. Currently, deformation remains stable over the past 24 hours.Activity in the middle East Rift Zone (MERZ) remains low. There were no significant changes in the POC tiltmeter over the past day. GPS instruments continue to record inflation in the region.
Measurements from continuous gas monitoring stations downwind of Puʻuʻōʻō in the middle East Rift Zone—the site of 1983–2018 eruptive activity—remain below detection limits for SO2, indicating that SO2 emissions from this area are negligible.
At this time, there is no evidence of elevated seismicity or ground deformation beneath the lower East Rift Zone, and Southwest Rift Zone activity remains low. Current activity is restricted to the summit and upper East Rift Zone region. Analysis: UERZ unrest since 8/20/24 may represent another pulse of magma being supplied to the UERZ, following the intrusive event that occurred near Pauahi Crater over July 22–25, 2024. Currently, the MERZ has not shown signs of increased unrest; however, magma has recently re-established a path to Kīlauea’s MERZ. Unrest could potentially extend to the MERZ with continued magma supply.
