Hawaii was the first state in the U.S. to pass a law banning the sale of shark fin soup, and it continues its groundbreaking efforts to protect marine life in its waters. If you read our July 2009 story "Where Have Hawaii's Fish Gone? (read it at Undercurrent by clicking on "Back Issues"), you'll remember that Hawaii's dramatic decline in reef fish is due to commercial collectors gathering them for hobbyists' aquarium tanks. Now state senators have introduced legislation that would impose a statewide ban on collecting reef fish for sale in the aquarium trade, with fines or jail time.Hawaii's Latest Marine Protection Efforts:
It remains to be seen if this legislation actually becomes a viable - and enforceable - ban.
