With the recent creation on Kauai of the state’s first subsistence fishing area, community members on Molokai are working to establish one on the island’s north coast.
The Moomomi Community-Based Subsistence Fishing Area would encompass the near-shore waters along some 25 miles of coastline from Ilio Point on Molokai’s northwestern tip to Pelekunu Bay on the eastern side of Kalaupapa Peninsula.
Under the proposal, the ocean waters up to a mile offshore would be subject to rules that will likely include a combination of bag limits, slot (size) limits, seasonal restrictions and area restrictions.
The goal of these protected areas is to harness the knowledge of local and traditional fishermen to preserve customary fishing practices and protect local fish populations.
In October the state Board of Land and Natural Resources approved administrative rules for the Haena subsistence fishing area on the north shore of Kauai, the first of its kind.
Meanwhile, more than 15 other Hawaii communities have requested information about establishing a similar designation, state officials said.
Taking the lead on Molokai is Hui Malama o Moomomi, a group that has been looking after the near-shore waters of the Moomomi Beach area for 20 years.
Kelson "Mac" Poepoe, leader of Hui Malama o Moomomi, said the group is a couple of workshops away from submitting to the state a set of proposed rules for administrative rule-making, a lengthy process that would lead to Land Board consideration for approval.
The community-based subsistence fishing area concept dates from 1993, when Gov. John Waihee established a task force to document the importance of subsistence practices to Molokai residents, examine the threats to those practices and recommend solutions. One of the findings was that the Hoolehua Hawaiian homestead community relies heavily on the Moomomi fishery for subsistence.
Then in 1994 the state Legislature passed Act 271, authorizing a subsistence fishing area on the northwestern coastline of Molokai. The Department of Land and Natural Resources adopted administrative rules for a pilot project that lasted from 1995 to 1997.
Hui Malama o Moomomi was born in that era, and while the original state-implemented subsistence fishing area didn’t last, the citizens group continued on, watching over the area and managing it through example.
Poepoe, a fisherman whose family has been fishing in the area for generations, said state officials today appear to be much more willing to collaborate with the community.
"The idea is to discourage people from Oahu and other islands from taking as much as they want," he said. However, he added, any restrictions will apply to outsiders and locals alike.
"It’s not about us," Poepoe said. "It’s about the community. It’s about our resources."
DLNR information specialist Deborah Ward said community-based oversight is widely recognized as more effective than "one-size-fits-all" management because "it reflects place-based knowledge, needs and issues as well as the unique local-level processes and behaviors of natural systems."
What’s more, regulations negotiated at the community level result in better buy-in, greater compliance and commitment to public outreach regarding rules, Ward said.
"This is particularly important given DLNR’s limited resources and increasing dialogue between the state and communities also helpful to building better relationships based on understanding and trust," she said.
As part of the process, the Kohala Center on Hawaii island has received a grant from the Health Impact Project to study the potential health impacts of the subsistence fishing area and its proposed rules, including their potential effect on diet, income, food security and community cohesion for Native Hawaiians on Molokai.
Betsy Cole, chief operating officer of the Kohala Center, said the study’s results should provide information useful to similar proposals under consideration in other regions of the state.
The study is expected to be completed by October. The Health Impact Project is a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts, which promotes the use of health impact assessments across the U.S.
