Hawaii’s Board of Land and Natural Resources Designates Community-Based Subsistence Fishing Area

HONOLULU⸺ On June 9, the State Board of Land and Natural Resources adopted Hawai’i Administrative Rules to designate the Miloli’i Community Based Subsistence Fishing Area on Hawai’i Island. The board is looking to ensure abundant stocks of priority species and high-quality fishing for residents and tourists visiting Miloli’i. In addition, the designation is meant to emphasize traditional fishing practices for Native Hawaiian subsistence, culture, or religion along the southwest coast of Hawai’i. “The Miloliʻi CBSFA is an excellent example of the interweaving of traditional and modern scientific knowledge and improving DLNR’s and the community’s capacity to co-manage the State’s public trust resources,” said Division of Aquatic Resources Administrator Brian Neilson in a testimony before the land board.

The CBSFA rules include:

• Size and/or bag limits for pāku‘iku‘I, kole, uhu, opihi, and ula
• Seasonal restrictions for kole, ‘ōpelu, ‘ū ‘ū, and uhu
• No take of terminal males (blue) of the larger uhu species
• No take of female ‘a‘ama with eggs
• No take of ‘opihi kō‘ele
• No commercial aquarium fishing
• Specific gear and species restrictions within several sub-areas within the broader CBSFA boundary

Billed as “The Last Fishing Village in Hawai‘I,” the coastal areas surrounding Miloli‘i are one of the last pockets in the state where traditional Hawaiian fishing practices have been preserved and are still practiced today. The official designation is still waiting on Gov. David Ige’s signature.