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Conservation group wants end to sports fishing by federal workers
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Posted on Dec 15 2006
[B]HONOLULU[/B]—Officials of the Bush Administration are in Hawai’i to talk to the State of Hawai’i on management of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument (NWHI), “the largest single area dedicated to conservation in U.S. history and the largest protected marine area in the world.” U.S. Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez today are signing a joint MOA with Governor Linda Lingle on future management of this reserve.
Keiko Bonk, Executive Director of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Network said, “We want to commend the Lingle and Bush Administrations for their bold actions and vision in protecting the NWHI. However, we remain concerned that the Commerce Department has failed to close a loophole that opens up an entirely new category of fishing called sustenance fishing.
When President Bush designated the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands as the world’s largest marine reserve, he recognized the long-term conservation, cultural, scientific and educational benefits to Hawai’i would dwarf any potential loss of economic activity. The public in Hawai’i also understood this and applauded the President’s decision…
“‘Sustenance fishing’ and ‘subsistence fishing’ might sound very similar but they are not. ‘Subsistence fishing’ protects the rights of Native Hawaiians to fish when they are visiting these islands for cultural and religious purposes. Only small numbers of Hawaiians participate in such visits just as they have done for centuries. Under the monument proclamation, these activities can continue as before. ‘Sustenance fishing’ on the other hand, allows anyone else visiting the Monument permission to recreationally fish for food. The primary beneficiaries of this provision are scientists and employees of federal and state agencies traveling to the NWHI as part of their job,” Bonk continued.
“We support continued Native Hawaiian subsistence fishing,” says Bonk, “just as conservationists generally support the right of Hawaiian’s to continue cultural and religious practices in the NWHI. However we believe that sustenance fishing other visitors is entirely inappropriate in this monument.” One goal of creating the NW Hawaiian Island Marine National Monument was to create a no-take reserve, a goal that is frustrated by continued sustenance fishing.”
Further information on this issue and information on the NWHI Network can be found at http://www.nwhinetwork.net. [B][I](PR)[/I][/B]
