Safety & General Rules

Fish Safe

Protect yourself from the sun.
Check tide and weather information.
Wear protective footwear.
Avoid wet areas on rocks.
Study surf conditions, and never turn your back on the waves.
Fish with a friend; let someone know when you plan to return.
Take along gear that floats when fishing from rocky shorelines.

Warning: Hazardous to enter water during periods of high surf along the North Shore (O’ahu).

Use Barbless Circle Hooks

Better for the fish — Easier to quickly release unwanted catch without damage, meaning more and healthier fish in the future.
Better for you — Minimizes injury to yourself and others, as well as damage to clothing and nets.
Better for Hawai’i’s protected species — Barbless hooks reduce potential injury in the event of accidental hooking or entanglement, and allow for quicker release or self-shedding to reduce trauma.

You can get sample barbless hooks at DAR offices.

Catch and Release

To help improve the quality of fishing in Hawai’i, fishers are encouraged to release fish safely whenever possible. Guidelines:

Quickly play and release fish.
Keep fish in water as much as possible.
Gentle handling is essential.
Remove hook quickly with pliers, or cut line. Barbless hooks are preferred.
Revive unconscious fish by holding upright in water and moving back and forth, forcing water over gills.
Don’t hold by eye sockets — blindness or death may result.
Be selective about the fish you take. If you catch an undesirable fish, let it go carefully so it can remain part of the food chain.

Pono Fishing

Take only what you need from the sea.
Know and follow fishing regulations.
Take fish when they’re not spawning.
Use proper gear and techniques; improve your skills.
Learn from others; share knowledge.
Spread your fishing areas around.
Respect rights of other anglers and property owners.
Dispose of trash properly on shore.
Don’t release live bait into freshwater systems.
Support local conservation efforts.

Shark Feeding

Unlawful to conduct any activity related to the feeding of sharks in state waters.
Persons engaged in taking marine life that results in captured, injured, or dead fish being incidentally eaten by sharks are not in violation, provided the purpose of taking marine life is not the feeding of sharks.
Persons may feed sharks for traditional Hawaiian cultural or religious practices, provided the feeding is not part of a commercial activity.

Shark Fins

Unlawful to possess, sell, offer for sale, trade, or distribute shark fins. Shark fin is defined as the raw or dried fin or tail of a shark.

Fisher Harassment

Unlawful to prevent or attempt to prevent the lawful taking of fish by licensed freshwater anglers, including by affecting the behavior of fish, affecting personal property for fishing, or obstructing access to fishing areas.
Unlawful to enter or remain on public lands or waters, or private lands or waters without the landowner’s permission, for this purpose.

Cleaning and Discarding Catch

In the interest of safety, fishers are strongly encouraged to avoid cleaning their catch and discarding fish parts in areas frequented by swimmers and other water users.

Dive Flags

Spearfishers and other divers must mark their position with a dive flag, and may not surface more than 100 feet from the dive flag while diving in ocean waters (50 feet in navigable streams) except in an emergency.
Dive flags shall be displayed only when diving is in progress, and must be removed from the water when no diving is in progress.
Dive flags displayed on the surface of the water must be a minimum of 12” × 12”. If mounted on a vessel greater than 16 feet in length, dive flags must be a minimum of 20” × 24” and displayed with a blue and white alpha flag.
Between sunset and sunrise, dive flags must be illuminated so as to be identifiable from 100 feet away.

See also HAR 13-245-9 (DOBOR).

Release of Non-Native Aquatic Life

No person shall release any live non-native fish or other live non-native aquatic life into any waters of the State.

Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs)

Hawai’i Statewide Fish Aggregating System — Surface FADs

Prohibited:

Attach, moor, or tie any boat or watercraft, or any rigging or structure to any fish aggregating device.
Board, deface, damage, remove, or destroy any fish aggregating device.

Exceptions: Permits may be issued for certain activities.

Catch Reporting: Commercial fishermen must report FAD catches on their monthly catch reports.

Current Fish Aggregating Device locations and status can be found on the DAR website at: http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dar/fishing/artificial-reefs-and-fads/

Safe Fishing Practices for Sea Turtles

Prevention:

Do not cast your line where turtles are seen surfacing to breathe.
Use barbless circle hooks.

If you hook or entangle a turtle:

Gently bring turtle close to you. Use a dip net or firmly hold front flippers and shell to safely lift out of water.
Cut line close to hook and remove line that has become entangled around the turtle. AVOID turtle’s mouth and flipper claws; use blunt scissors/knife to cut line.
Do not lift turtle above water by pulling line — this will result in further injury. If distance or turtle size prevents safe retrieval, cut line as short as possible to release turtle.
Do not remove hook unless turtle is lightly hooked and it can be taken out without further injury. If uncertain, DO NOT remove hook.

Turtles with serious cuts, ingested or deeply embedded hooks need veterinary care. Keep turtle in shade. Call the Marine Animal Response Hotline: 1-888-256-9840.

Safe Fishing Practices for Monk Seals

Prevention:

Watch your gear so you can respond quickly if a seal appears.
Give a seal time to move on before resuming fishing.
Clean your catch away from seals, and never feed a seal.
Use barbless circle hooks.

If you hook or entangle a monk seal:

Immediately call the Marine Animal Response Hotline: 1-888-256-9840.
Do not attempt to de-hook the seal. Seals are large and will bite.
Cut line as close to the animal as possible to minimize the amount of trailing gear.

Tip for spearfishers: Keep your catch close, or in a sealed float on the surface. Avoid letting seals associate divers with an easy meal.

When to call: Call 1-888-256-9840 if:

A seal takes your bait or catch.
You think a seal might be hooked or entangled.

Marine Animal Response Hotline

1-888-256-9840

Option	Report
1	Monk seal sighting or emergency
2	Sea turtle emergency
3	Entangled large whale
4	Injured, sick, or dead whale or dolphin (not entangled)
5	False killer whale or blackfish sighting or interaction while fishing
6	Harassment of or illegal activity involving a monk seal, sea turtle, dolphin, or whale
7	Injured or dead sea birds

Please Report Marine Debris

If in-water debris is large and a navigation hazard, call the US Coast Guard Sector Command Center: 808-842-2600.
If debris is on reef or shoreline, call 833-4-Da-Nets (833-432-6387).

Violations and Fines

To report violations, call 643-DLNR (3567).
Violations are subject to fines ranging from $100 to $10,000, and jail sentences of up to one year.
Informer’s fee: One half of the fine imposed and collected in cases where the defendant has been convicted shall be paid to the person giving the information leading to the arrest.

Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) Offices

Island	Address	Phone
O’ahu	1151 Punchbowl St., Rm. 330, Honolulu, HI 96813	808-587-0100
Kaua’i	3060 ‘Eiwa St., Rm. 306, Līhu’e, HI 96766	808-274-3344
East Hawai’i	75 Aupuni St., Rm. 204, Hilo, HI 96720	808-961-9530
West Hawai’i	Honokōhau Marina, 74-380B Kealakehe Pkwy., Kailua-Kona, HI 96740	808-327-6226
Maui County	130 Mahalani St., Wailuku, HI 96793	808-243-5294