Section 188-37 - Fishing in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands(a) The department of land and natural resources may adopt rules relating to the taking of marine life in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, where, in the judgment of the department the action will not deplete the stocks of marine life in the area; the rules may include open and closed seasons, size limits, methods and appliances, and establishment of permits for taking marine life.(b) Those islands, reefs, and shoals, as well as their respective appurtenant reefs and territorial waters, of the Hawaiian Islands chain beginning and including Nihoa Island to and including Kure Island shall be referred to as the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.(c) The department may issue permits to those persons with a valid commercial marine license issued pursuant to section 189-2 who own or operate a vessel deemed capable by the department for effectively taking marine life within the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and whenever the department deems necessary, it may limit the number of permits issued to take marine life in any particular area and such limitation shall be on the basis of the order of application for permits. Issuance of permits shall be limited to persons utilizing methods or appliances approved by rule of the department, which need not be legal elsewhere within the State, and these permittees may take species of marine life, when and as approved by rule of the department. The fee for the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands taking permit shall be established by the department by rules adopted in accordance with chapter 91. The department may revoke any permit for any infraction of the terms and conditions of the permit. Any person whose permit has been revoked shall not be eligible to apply for another permit until the expiration of one year from the date of revocation.
L 1953, c 57, §§1, 2; RL 1955, § 21-70; am L Sp 1959 2d, c 1, §22; am L 1961, c 132, §2; HRS § 188-37; am L 1978, c 97, §1; am L 1981, c 85, §46; am L 1988, c 117, §1; am L 2002, c 86, §4 .