Over the last year, Hawaii’s ornamental fishers have been caught in a legal pinball machine. First under attack by mainland activists for catching and selling yellow tang and other fish, fishers were saved from going out of business by Gov. David Ige’s scientifically-based veto of Senate Bill 1240. Months later, rulings by the Hawaii Supreme Court and a lower court put the entire future of aquarium fishing at risk until Hawaii Environmental Policy Act (HEPA) procedures are applied to aquarium fishing.

Just last week, the state Senate Land and Water Committee heard Senate Bill 2003. This is a straight-up ban of a practice that independent and Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) studies have found is environmentally sustainable. Regretfully, lawmakers appear ready to move forward with this scientifically unsound bill, with a probable vote scheduled for this Friday. Fishers whose livelihoods and safety are at risk under SB 2003 are rightly concerned about its passage.

Hawaii’s full-time and hobbyist fishers are dedicated to practicing their trade in a way that continues to benefit localities, the state, and even the world today and tomorrow. Even now, fishers are working with DLNR on an environmental review of ornamental fishing to further prove their industry’s sustainability.

It is with this future in mind that the author’s organizations are proud to announce the first intra-industry Memorandum of Agreement dedicated to fishing issues in Hawaii. The Hawaii Fishermen’s Alliance for Conservation and Tradition (HFACT) and the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) will combine resources so as to assist lawmakers and regulators in making the most environmentally sound and economic beneficial decisions regarding Hawaii’s fisheries.

HFACT strives for science-based methods of fishery management for future generations of fishers, as well as responsible use of Hawaii’s marine life. PIJAC is the national legislative, advocacy, and educational voice of the responsible pet trade — including many members in Hawaii — and is a litigant representing fishers in ongoing court cases. Both organizations are participating in negotiations with DLNR on the environmental review.

The groundbreaking nature of this Memorandum of Agreement is simple: HFACT’s long history of protecting both the future of fishing and Hawaii’s beautiful waters is a critical addition to PIJAC’s national and international expertise in legislative and environmental issues. Both groups represent Hawaii’s fishers in different ways; this partnership is a tremendous addition to everyone’s efforts to ensure the right balance of fishing and environmental protection.

Right now, fishing in Hawaii is at risk — even though it is environmentally sound. Yellow tang, which are 84 percent of caught aquarium fish and 93 percent of the world’s fish in aquariums, have a current Hawaii population that exceeds 3.6 million fish. Their numbers and those of other fish have gone up since 1999, thanks in large part to the sustainable practices of ornamental fishers and divers.

Millions of people each day are awed by the beauty of Hawaii’s aquarium fish, fish caught by locals who frequently have little or no other employment opportunities. Bills like SB 2003 and SB 1240 put not just these fishers’ jobs at risk, but also the lives of divers who without licensed partners must choose between being without work or diving unsafely.

Hawaii’s current fishery management practices are the envy of the world. HFACT and PIJAC are dedicated to ensuring this continues for the next generation, and we urge lawmakers and mainland activists to join us.

Phil Fernandez is president of the Hawaii Fishermen’s Alliance for Conservative and Tradition, Inc. (HFACT), a statewide organization that advocates for fisheries in Hawaii; Robert Likins is vice president of government relations for the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC), and is a litigant in cases involving Hawaii fishers.