Wow. What an article. If the state of Hawaii wants to regulate the industry, the first thing they need to do is up the cost of a permit. $50 bucks to go out and collect really expensive fish any which way you choose? C'mon! That's like saying, "Sure, you can have a liquor license for $50 bucks and sell anything you want, anywhere." If that were the case, bars and pubs would be more prevalent than Starbucks.
If you want to regulate an industry, the first step is to make it unavailable to just anyone. If you're serious about making money and making a living doing something, then you're going to be willing to fork over some green to do so. Plus, since it's so expensive to start up, you're going to protect your investment by conducting your business in a responsible manner. Plain and simple. This tactic might encourage more "poaching" but, on the flip-side, the state would get more money from serious fisherman that they can put into better enforcement, and I'm sure that the aquarium fishery could benefit from better enforcement of quotas and the like. Many of the numbers that the various regulatory agencies get come from the fishermen themselves and it's basically an honor system thing. Who's to say what these guys really take in? Sure, the honest ones are probably thinking about maintaining their livelyhood. But the "out for a quick buck" guys probably aren't too concerned.
I don't know. I don't want to rant. It should just be harder to obtain permission to acquire fish from the wild. It might mean more money out of pocket for you and me but, hey, fish are luxury items. Luxury costs money.
