U.S. Rep. Ed Case is pushing for legislation that would restrict international imports of protected ornamental reef fish and coral collected through destructive practices.

The Hawaii Democrat introduced the legislation, known as the Saving Natural Ecosystems and Marine Organisms Act to the House on Nov. 17, after which it was referred to the House committees on Natural Resources, Ways and Means, and Foreign Affairs.

Case said the U.S. is the largest importer of ornamental reef fish — fish kept in aquariums or for aesthetic purposes — and that the high demand for the fish and coral results in destructive collection practices that undermine the health of coral reefs.

“Our oceans are indispensable to life on our planet, not only to our global environment but to the billions that are directly or indirectly reliant on its resources,” Case said in the House. “While it is possible to collect (ornamental reef fish and coral species) at sustainable levels which do not harm the coral reef or broader marine ecosystem, high demand leads too often to unsustainable and destructive collection practices.”

Much of the collection of these creatures, Case said, occurs in countries that do not have strong regulation against destructive practices.

“Our country has both responsibility for creating the demand that leads to such practices, and the opportunity to channel that demand to sustainable collection,” Case said.

The Saving NEMO Act was presented a few weeks before the state Land Board met this month to discuss a petition for rule-making on the prohibition of fishing for commercial aquarium purposes.

The petition — submitted by various organizations including Kalanihale, KUPA Friends of Hookena Beach Park, Moana Ohana, Koolaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club and For The Fishes — asked the Land Board to ban the practice for multiple reasons, including climate change and cultural values.

“To my knowledge, there hasn’t been enough cultural input,” Charles Young of KUPA Friends of Hookena Beach Park said in his Dec. 8 testimony. He said the “analysis needs to include the communities from which these fish are being taken.”

Rene Umberger of For The Fishes testified, “We urge your support of our petition, prioritizing what Hawaii’s people and reefs need over what mainland pet stores and aquarium hobbyists want. We strongly, respectfully disagree with (the Division of Aquatic Resources’) claim that aquarium collecting hasn’t caused widespread population collapse.”

In their opposing testimony, the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Aquatic Resources recommended that the Land Board reject the initial petition because of an existing process in place in which DAR evaluates aquarium fishing permits.

The Land Board did not issue a total ban at the meeting, with Land Board Chair Dawn Chang saying there was a “legal question” of that ability.

“What we are going to instruct is to ask (the Division of Aquatic Resources) to take the petitioner’s request for consideration, and proceed with rule- making consistent with the statutory provisions,” Chang said at the Dec. 8 meeting.

Case’s Saving NEMO Act remains alive in the House. The committee hearings where the bill will be heard have not yet been scheduled.