Wai‘anae Ecological Characterization

Coastal and Marine Resource Use Issues

Compared to the south and east shores of O‘ahu, the Wai‘anae coast is much less developed, with fewer hotels, condominiums, and other large buildings. While the population density within the urban area is relatively high, towns are small. The largest town along the Wai‘anae coast is Wai‘anae, which, according to the 2000 census, has fewer than 11,000 residents. The primary highway servicing this district, Farrington Highway, abruptly ends at a sand trail at the northern end of the moku, making the area poorly accessible to both tourists and local people. Because of these factors and a strong commitment to community involvement in development planning, coastal and marine resource use issues are less immediate than elsewhere on the island. The coastal resource use issues along the Wai‘anae coast include fishing activities and tourism/ocean recreation. Coastal management coupled with active community participation provides a process for identifying and addressing resource use conflicts and other problems. For more information about management of coastal resources in Wai‘anae, please see the Ka Po‘e: Land Management section.

Fishing-related Issues

The ocean off Wai‘anae contains the premier fishing grounds on the islands. Fishing has been a way of life for generations of Hawaiians, and programs to teach children to fish responsibly occur throughout the islands. Still, most old-time fishermen and divers remember days of much higher abundance of fish. They say there are too many people chasing too few fish, and the problem is getting worse. Marine fishing licenses, no-fishing areas, and a ban on indiscriminate and destructive gear have all been proposed by the state. However, each time these recommendations were made, they were met with heavy criticism. This is typical of changes in policy, and the state continues to work on a number of these problems.

Marine Fishing Licenses. The state and federal government have held public hearings on the implementation of a recreational marine fishing license program on a number of occasions in the past three decades. The most recent was held in June of 2004 and was specific to federal waters (beyond three miles). This would impact many Wai‘anae fishermen who use the Fish Aggregation Devices anchored off the coast. Hawai‘i is the only state that does not require a state recreational fishing license. Most residents are opposed to either a federal or state license, as they feel this could limit their traditional rights.

Marine Protected Areas. The National Marine Protected Area (MPA) task force set a goal of designating 20 percent of U.S. ocean waters as MPAs by 2010. The State has organized an MPA working group to determine the appropriate steps needed to designate more areas protected from fishing in pursuit of this goal. Currently, there are three Marine Life Conservation Districts (MLCD) on O‘ahu: Hanauma Bay, Pupukea, and Wai‘kīkī. A total of 0.3 percent of Hawaiian waters are designated no fishing areas. Currently, no MLCDs are planned for the Wai‘anae coast.

Lay Gillnets. Approximately 60 fishers each year in Hawai‘i report using gillnets to harvest reef fish and snappers. Lay nets or moemoe nets are stationary gillnets used in inshore waters. The net, made of monofilament nylon, is set in one location and left unattended. Fish become entangled as they run into it. The most common length used for fishing is 1,400 feet, although nets as long as 2,800 feet are used. Commercial fishermen across the state landed approximately 130,000 pounds of fish in 2002 using lay nets, providing the majority of tilapia (Oreochromis spp.), mullet (‘anae; Mugil cephalus), bonefish (‘ō‘io; Albula vulpes) and flagtail (āhole; Kuhlia sandvicensis) to local markets. They also provide a large percentage of the goatfish (weke; Mulloidichthys samoensis), blue-lined snapper (taape; Lutjanus kasmira), and surgeonfish (palani, Acanthurus dussumieri; and manini, A. triostegus).

Data from the Division of Aquatic Resources show trends of decreasing participation and decreasing number of trips in this fishery, but an increase in total pounds landed (State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources [DLNR] 2001). This is possibly attributed to larger, hydraulically retrieved nets used since 1997. This development, along with reports of high bycatch of undersized species, damaged reef, and abandoned nets prompted the formation of the gill net task force in 1998. Supporters of a gillnet ban cited these issues as well as intentionally discarded cheap nets, negative impact on the snorkel/dive industry, potential cause of turtle strandings, and a general decimation on the reef. In addition, the use of illegal nets leads the list of fishing violations in Hawai‘i. After a series of public meetings, the state has proposed a ban on certain types of nets in certain areas. Current regulations require fishers to check nets every two hours for a maximum of four hours in the water. At this time, inshore lay gillnets are banned in all states in the United States except Hawai‘i.

Private Fish Aggregation Devices. The U.S. Coast Guard is cautioning fishermen who deploy private fish aggregating devices (PFADs) in waters off Hawai‘i about the potential hazard to navigation and protected marine species posed by these devices. When considering the deployment of PFADs, owners must consider the following questions:

• What is the location of the PFAD? Before deploying a PFAD within three miles of land, the owner must apply for permits from the Army Corps of Engineers, the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), and the Hawai‘i Coastal Zone Management office. If deploying a PFAD beyond three miles of land, the owner must contact the U.S. Coast Guard for advice and obtain a statement of consistency from the Hawai‘i Coastal Zone Management office.
• Is the PFAD a potential hazard or aid to navigation? The owner must contact the U.S. Coast Guard to determine the answer to this question. Failure to do so can result in removal at the owner's expense.
• Do the PFAD and associated gear have the potential to entangle protected marine species? The owner must consult with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) Pacific Islands Regional Office (PIRO) Protected Resources Division to ensure that the design of their PFAD is safe for protected species.

Ocean Recreation/Tourism Issue

Tourism has seen a dramatic development since statehood in 1959. An important component of this has been ocean tourism, which includes such activities as diving, snorkeling, fishing, surfing and paddling. Ocean tourism has been growing at a faster rate than tourism as a whole, which results in issues that require creative solutions. Hawai‘i depends on its tourists for a healthy economy and the tourists expect a healthy environment on their vacation.

Dolphin Tours and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Some of the most popular tourist activities on O‘ahu are the dolphin tours that originate from the Wai‘anae Small Boat Harbor. These boats bring tourists to observe dolphins in their daytime resting area, and in some cases to swim with them. The Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits people from harassing these animals in any way. Some groups, including NOAA Fisheries, are concerned that these tours may be disturbing the dolphins as they rest and have considered banning or limiting this type of activity nationally under the "Protect Dolphins Campaign" (National Marine Fisheries Service 2004b). A number of dolphin tour operators are also concerned for the dolphins, due to an uncontrolled expansion of the industry. They believe the industry should adopt a universal code of conduct to address the issue before the "Protect Dolphins Campaign" regulates them out of business.

Jetskiing. Jetskiing activities have elicited strong opposition around Hawai‘i and many people would like to ban them altogether as hazardous and irritating to other ocean users. As such, many locations around Hawai‘i currently have jetski-free zones. Jetskiing is currently not a widely popular activity along the Wai‘anae coast, but zoning could occur to accommodate surfers, scuba divers, and inshore fishers if activity does increase.

Degradation of Habitat. Loss of nearshore resources and native wildlife due to increasing development, commercial operations, and government regulations leads to lost recreational opportunities for residents and tourists. Some of the commercial properties along the Wai‘anae coast are not tied into the county sewer system. In times of heavy rain, some surfers have complained that the water quality has degraded due to overloaded septic systems. Surveys at Mākaha beach have shown that these waters have had higher levels of nutrients, phytoplankton and turbidity than the surrounding area. Surfers have also complained over the smell and believe untreated wastewater is leaching into the nearshore waters.

This issue emphasizes the potential issues that can result from land-based development. In 1977, with input from Wai‘anae residents, the State Office of Planning developed a Sustainable Communities Plan that emphasizes maintaining and enhancing the region's ability to sustain its unique character, current population, growing families, rural lifestyle, and economic livelihood. Although it has been amended several times, the basic objectives and policies set forth in the 1977 plan remain intact. This type of long term planning and vision is key in mitigating the degradation of habitat that leads to a diminished quality of life.

Coastal Management Process

Coastal resource management is a process of identifying coastal and marine resource use issues and addressing these issues through the development and adoption of effective management measures. Identifying resource use issues and problems is only a first step toward finding and implementing management solutions. To develop a full understanding of the problems that need to be addressed, information and data are needed on existing conditions and current use of the resource, knowledge on how the issue developed, and a grasp of potential impacts from both the issue and any proposed action.

Sources of information and data on a resource use issue may include interviews with stakeholder groups, studies, plans, interviews, data sets, and ongoing and planned projects. Government agencies, community and nonprofit groups, private sector, and individual citizens are all potential stakeholders that may need to be included to identify, analyze, and address resource use issues. Information and data gaps must be identified and evaluated to determine the significance of these gaps. An inventory and assessment relevant to ongoing projects or programs should be conducted to build on lessons learned. The more the underlying environmental, institutional, or socio-cultural factors associated with each issue are understood, the more effective the development of measures to solve problems and improve management of the coastal and marine resources will be.

References Cited

State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). 2001. Commercial Marine Landings Summary Trend Report. Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR). http://www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/dar/pubs/cmlstr2001.pdf

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). 2004b. Viewing Protected Marine Species in the Wild: Protect Dolphins Campaign. NOAA NMFS, Office of Protected Resources. http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/prot_res/MMWatch/protectdolphcamp.html

Related References

State of Hawaii Office of Planning. 2002. Hawaii Coastal Zone Management Program. http://www.hawaii.gov/dbedt/czm/

State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). 2001. Commercial Marine Landings Summary Trend Report. Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR). http://www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/dar/pubs/cmlstr2001.pdf

U.S. Census Bureau. 2000. Census Bureau Home Page. http://www.census.gov/

U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Department of the Interior. 2004. Marine Protected Areas of the United States. http://mpa.gov

Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Agency. 2004. Newsletter: Summer 2004. http://www.wpcouncil.org/outreach/newsletters/summer2004.pdf

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