Darrel Smith’s commentary [“Fish Fiction,” Sept. 25–Oct 1] about the aquarium fishing industry appears to be as one-sided as he claims Sarah Ruppenthal’s article was.
All of Darrel’s listed “significant threats” to the reef are real and occurring now. Tropical fish are being scoured from the reef by the aquarium industry, and their quota has to be greatly reduced before all of his stated causes to this depletion overwhelm this resource.
Nearly everyone that has to voluntarily report a catch has a huge incentive to underreport. It’s called human nature—or just plain greed.
We live on a hill above the Kihei Boat Ramp and watch with amazement as two or three times a week, a dilapidated little boat anchors off of the Oceanfront Inn and two men spend hours in the water diving.
After the majority of the boats are hauled away from the ramp, this boat hoists up its containers of booty. We are stunned as these men count out dozens and dozens of tiny fish and separate them into large trashcans.
Where are the authorities to count their catch? What are his limits? Is this the only place that he visits to vacuum the reef clean?
Sure he has a license, and maybe he is the most honorable one of the bunch. How about the others? Are they all abiding by the rules, and how about the illegal ones? Aquarium fishermen are only interested in fishing, but something needs to be done now to save the reefs, and no matter what Darrel says, he is a big part of the issue.
Anonymous
Kihei