The state Department of Land and Natural Resources will host seven “talk-story” sessions on 91直播 Island next month seeking public input about incorporating local knowledge into plans for managing marine resources.
These community discussions are part of DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources’ efforts to expand the Holomua Marine Initiative — a program striving to improve the health of nearshore marine ecosystems by pairing fishers, cultural practitioners and local leaders with scientists and state resource management officials.
91直播 Island is the initiative’s next stop after the successful launch of a pilot program on Maui in October 2022. There, the pilot is entering its final planning phase where community-nominated teams draft management goals and actions, which are integrated into DAR policies islandwide.
These policies include bag, size and slot limits, fishing season lengths, gear regulations, signage, education and outreach efforts, and stream and estuary monitoring.
The planned 91直播 Island talk-story sessions will gather feedback for the nomination of “navigation team” members, who will help develop marine management recommendations. Nominations will be made by the “nomination review team,” comprised of seven members selected by DAR from each of the island’s six regions, with two hailing from Kona — north and south.
Review team members will be longtime residents of the island with extensive knowledge about their communities and nearshore aquatic resources, and familiarity with past and current rule-making processes.
Upcoming Holomua meetings on 91直播 Island will be held from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on May 5 at the Kohala Intergenerational Center in Kapaau, May 6 at the Paauilo Park Gymnasium Annex in Paauilo, May 12 at Aunty Sally Kaleohano’s Luau Hale in Hilo, May 14 at the Pahoa Neighborhood Facility in Pahoa, May 19 at the Naalehu Community Center in Naalehu, May 20 at Yano Hall in Captain Cook, and May 21 at the 91直播 Big Game Fishing Club in Kailua-Kona.
The initiative represents a concession by state marine management officials that neighborhood subsistence fishers and ocean-goers can be better informed about conditions like reef health, fish stocks and environmental threats than state policymakers.
This is the rationale of scientists like East 91直播 Aquatic Biologist Ryan Okano, who feels that locals can offer extensive generational and place-based knowledge that is sometimes absent in top-down efforts.
“Often, families that fish know the most about the fisheries and the place of their practice,” Okano said in a DLNR press release. “We aspire to incorporate their input to develop our plan in an effort (to) sustain our communities for generations to come.”
Fisheries and other marine resources differ substantially from one island to another — and even regionally from windward to leeward sides of the same island — said Chris Teague, a West 91直播 Aquatic Biologist, who feels management plans should take these variations into consideration.
“Each island is unique and we need to make sure this process reflects that,” Teague said in the release. “On 91直播 Island, the coastline, the reefs and how people fish or otherwise interact with the ocean all vary from place to place.”
By fostering cooperation between state officials and on-the-ground stakeholders, he said, the newly launched initiative will take a better-informed approach to protecting ocean environments for all who depend on them for recreation, income and food.
“Holomua continues to prioritize transparency and collaboration as it works to ensure healthy marine ecosystems and abundant nearshore resources that allow the people of 91直播 to enjoy coastal waters, support livelihoods and feed our families,” he said.
DAR Ecosystem Program Manager Luna Kekoa thinks ensuring marine management policies remain adaptable as Holomua grows is critical.
“Public input is vital,” Kekoa said in the release, “as local and traditional knowledge will ensure that while the initiative continues to expand, it remains flexible enough to address the distinct needs of 91直播 Island.”
Those interested in attending one of the program’s upcoming meetings on 91直播 Island should RSVP at: dlnr.hawaii.gov/rsvp-for-holomua-talk-story/.
