Overview of Hāʻena CBSFA 5-year meeting

On August 27, 2022, after two years of delay due to COVID-19, the 5-Year review of the Hāʻena Community-Based Subsistence Fishing Area (CBSFA) took place by the loʻi kalo in Hāʻena. In attendance were members of the Hui Makaʻāinana o Makana, Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR), Division of Conservation and Resource Enforcement (DOCARE) Makai Watch Program, University of Hawaiʻi researchers, Nā Maka Onaona, and other invested fishers and community members. Short presentations were delivered by each organization to discuss successes, challenges, and suggested paths forward for the CBSFA. Afterwards, people were encouraged to comment on what they viewed as strengths and weaknesses in the past five years, and opportunities for growth moving ahead for the next five years.  

Key take-aways from the meeting were:

  • Establishing the CBSFA is not the end goal, it is just the beginning! Collaboration between non-profits, government divisions, and the community is crucial to keep the CBSFA running. It takes many people and organizations to work together to gather information on how the CBSFA management strategy is working.
  • Concerns were raised about the challenges of enforcement due to minimal presence of officers in the area. New recruits to the DOCARE academy will hopefully alleviate some of these stressors.
  • Boating rules for the area still need to be established and more involvement from DLNR would be appreciated moving forward. Illegal moorings and high numbers of visitors snorkeling on the edge of Makua Reef are a growing concern.
  • The community would like to explore how to change ʻopihi management rules given new research that was conducted collaboratively by the community and partners. The findings of this research suggest a different management strategy may be more beneficial. The Hui is going to work with DAR to navigate the process and pave the way for other CBSFA’s to enact an adaptive management approach.

A document is being compiled that includes research, outreach, lessons learned, and overall contributions to the Hāʻena CBSFA that were presented at the 5-Year Review. When that document is completed, there will be a presentation this summer, 2023, in Lihue to discuss the findings. Additionally, a link to the document will be provided on the DAR website.