Take of pāku‘iku‘i, or Achilles tang, prohibited along Big Island west coast

A new administrative rule adopted by the Hawai‘i Board of Land and Natural Resources on Friday prohibits the take of pāku‘iku‘i, or Achilles tang, from the West Hawai‘i Regional Fishery Management Area off the west coast of the Big Island under adaptive management rulemaking authority.

This is the first time the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources has adopted rules under the new authority, which allows the department to approve temporary management measures in response to rapidly changing resource conditions.

The Division of Aquatic Resources indicated the change will allow for replenishment of the dangerously depleted pāku‘iku‘i population in the area as the division works toward longer-term regulations for sustainable take of the fish species. The new rule is set to begin Dec. 19 and would be effective for a maximum of two years with the option to extend up to one year if approved by the state Land Board or Hawai‘i Legislature.

The Division of Aquatic Resources is already working with coastal communities, the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to better understand pāku‘iku‘i life history traits that will support a more robust understanding of their stocks.