Sharing subsistence practices with the next generation. - Photo: Hui Mālama o Mo‘omomi

The Board of Land and Natural Resources on April 13 unanimously approved holding public hearings on proposed fishing rules for Mo‘omomi on the northwest coast of Moloka‘i.

Hui Mālama o Mo‘omomi’s proposed community-based subsistence fishery area (CBFSA) rules would establish new bag limits, size limits, seasonal closures and gear restrictions for certain types of marine life; would prohibit night diving, SCUBA spearfishing and most commercial fishing; and would establish special regulations for water activities in Kawa‘aloa Bay.

Office of Hawaiian Affairs Chairwoman Colette Machado, who represents Moloka‘i and Lāna‘i, praised the decision and thanked Hui Mālama o Mo‘omomi, the Ho‘olehua Homestead Association, lawai‘a pono and others who spent the past two decades preparing the proposal for formal rulemaking. “These rules have been informed by 25 years of documented observation and generations of intimate familiarity with the coastline of Mo‘omomi, and seek to formally guide pono harvesting practices for all who fish in the waters of Northwest Moloka‘i, including those who may not have such a deep connection to and reliance upon its resources,” she said in a statement.

The proposed rules are available online at dlnr.hawaii.gov/dar/rules-and-public-notices/ or in person at the Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) offices at 1151 Punchbowl St., Room 330, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.