HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0862.109 2008-2010To: Whom it may concern
Date: 10/18/2010
From: Chuck Miller
Hello my name is Chuck Miller
I have lived in the state of Hawaii since 1957 and I have lived in Kailua -Kona since 1985.
I am in favor of an outright ban on tropical reef fish collecting. I got my first mask and snorkel at
the age of seven, I fell in love with the ocean then and still love it today. I have traveled through
the islands by power boat and sail boat. I have snorkeled and scuba dived around the Islands of
Kaui, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, Lanai, Molokini and Hawaii. I have been diving off the west side of
Hawaii Island since 1985. Commercial Tropical reef fish collection has been controversial since
before I got hear in 1985. In the late 80's the commercial trop divers gathered together and
agreed not to fish certain areas, this was their reaction to talk of regulation of their industry. One
of the areas they agreed not to take fish was directly in front of the Old_,Airport. I knew the area
well as I would free dive and scuba dive there many times each year. In approximately 19911
began a new job that required me to work long hours and I had no time for diving. It was a few
years before I dove off the Old Airport again. When I did dive there I was blown away at the
large number of reef fish in large schools and the many different species, that I had never seen
there in large numbers, they were everywhere I looked. I soon realized this was because the trop
divers were not taking fish there anymore. The complete cycle of life had returned and the
natural balance had returned. Back then the trop divers claimed they had no adverse effect on the
populations of reef fishes and did no harm to the reef. I have seen first hand that this is not true.
This story I am going to tell does not implicate all trop divers, it was only two of them and my
experience with them. In 1990 I had taken in a new roommate, he was a tropical fish collector
and worked for a company here in Kona. At that time I had no opinion of the tropical fish
collection industry. After a couple of months my roommate invited me on a fish collection
expedition on their work boat. I thought it would be fun and interesting. We slowed the boat and
looked through a viewing glass box to pick just the right spot, then down we dove setting their
fence nets and then chasing the fish into the nets, scooping them up with hand nets and placing
them in the laundry baskets tied together to create a cage to bring them up to the surface. I caught
my first one and was so excited, I got it into the basket and I heard a clanking sound. I looked
around to see what it was and saw one of the divers shooting a three prong spear into the reef
breaking chunks of reef off with each shot. Jabbing the spear into small holes. The spear tip had
been removed and was a blunt end. Soon fish began to dart out of the reef and into the net and
then were caught. Soon all the noise and activity attracted a moray eel and as it moved closer to
the net one of the divers shot it with a spear, then the other diver joined in and they pounded this
eel until it left the area. While the spears had no points it was obvious the impact hurt. Then it
was back they went to pounding the reef with spears and catching the last few fish and up we
went. As I slowly rose to the surface I looked down were we had been and I saw a deserted
damaged bottom where there had been so many fish, it looked ugly and I was ashamed. I had so
many questions for them about why were they pounding the reef? To get the fish out of there
homes they replied. Why did you shoot the eel? To protect our nets they replied. I was sick at
what I had witnessed, I did not dive the second dive and promised myself I would never
participate in such a thing again. I complained to them about the damage they do and they just
laughed in my face and said "look at all the money in the tank ". I heard many conversations
�DG