So I have been doing some research on the laws here about coral and live rock and I have been on the Internet the past two weeks trying to find info and I came across this post on a forum that might be some usefull info to people in Hawaii with aquariums
There's been some flack but general concern on my (and other's) attempts at reefkeeping in Hawaii. If you care to know, here's the word from the horse's mouth:
Dear John,
It apears you have already done a great deal of investigation into this area already. And you touched on several grey areas where the law is not really clear. In general I recommend people error on the side of safety when dealing with a grey area.
Live rock is defined as any rock with vissible life attached (that includes rocks with macro algae). The best way to avoid any problems is to not touch any rocks that are within the water, because everything in the water has living material growing on it.
In terms of the stony corals, it is illegal to take, break, etc. all stony corals. Not just the ones listed. The listed ones are illegal to sell or offer for sail. So you can not take or break any stony coral and you can not sell the ones listed in the law. soft corals and/or zooanthids and anemones are ok to collect, as long as you dont do any damage to the rocks that they are most likely attached to. Some times collectors can pick up large pads of zooanthids that have washed up on the north shore after heavy
surf. That would be the best way to obtain those organisms.
Sand is allowed at one gallon per person per day. If you need more than that, take your friends and/or family with you and have each person collect one gallon. The safest way to deal with sand is to collect it high and dry on the beach, but if you want live sand you could probably collect the wet stuff at the water line. I strongly advise against collecting sand from within the water, however, because this could be viewed as live rock (possibly??). so again to be on the safe side, take the sand from the beach, don't go diving in the water to get it.
In addition, if you intend to use illegal sized nets to collect any
aquarium fish you will be required to obtain an aquarium permit from our office. This permit is free and will only take about 10 minutes to obtain. It is good for one year from the date of issue. You are not required to get this permit if you do not use any small mesh nets that are larger than 3' in any direction. In other words small hand nets are ok (as long as they are smaller than 3' feet including the length of the handle). But again to avoid any potential missunderstandings with our enforcement officers, I recommend you get an aquarium permit anyway. If you want to
get one, our office is on the same street as the hospital. Thanks for you questions and feel free to stop by and or call if you have
any further questions and/or concerns.
Russell Sparks, Education Specialist
Division of Aquatic Resources, Maui Office
Department of Land and Natural Resources
---
There's been some flack but general concern on my (and other's) attempts at reefkeeping in Hawaii. If you care to know, here's the word from the horse's mouth:
Dear John,
It apears you have already done a great deal of investigation into this area already. And you touched on several grey areas where the law is not really clear. In general I recommend people error on the side of safety when dealing with a grey area.
Live rock is defined as any rock with vissible life attached (that includes rocks with macro algae). The best way to avoid any problems is to not touch any rocks that are within the water, because everything in the water has living material growing on it.
In terms of the stony corals, it is illegal to take, break, etc. all stony corals. Not just the ones listed. The listed ones are illegal to sell or offer for sail. So you can not take or break any stony coral and you can not sell the ones listed in the law. soft corals and/or zooanthids and anemones are ok to collect, as long as you dont do any damage to the rocks that they are most likely attached to. Some times collectors can pick up large pads of zooanthids that have washed up on the north shore after heavy
surf. That would be the best way to obtain those organisms.
Sand is allowed at one gallon per person per day. If you need more than that, take your friends and/or family with you and have each person collect one gallon. The safest way to deal with sand is to collect it high and dry on the beach, but if you want live sand you could probably collect the wet stuff at the water line. I strongly advise against collecting sand from within the water, however, because this could be viewed as live rock (possibly??). so again to be on the safe side, take the sand from the beach, don't go diving in the water to get it.
In addition, if you intend to use illegal sized nets to collect any
aquarium fish you will be required to obtain an aquarium permit from our office. This permit is free and will only take about 10 minutes to obtain. It is good for one year from the date of issue. You are not required to get this permit if you do not use any small mesh nets that are larger than 3' in any direction. In other words small hand nets are ok (as long as they are smaller than 3' feet including the length of the handle). But again to avoid any potential missunderstandings with our enforcement officers, I recommend you get an aquarium permit anyway. If you want to
get one, our office is on the same street as the hospital. Thanks for you questions and feel free to stop by and or call if you have
any further questions and/or concerns.
Russell Sparks, Education Specialist
Division of Aquatic Resources, Maui Office
Department of Land and Natural Resources
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