Dear Governor Neil Abercrombie:

The state of Hawaii needs to strengthen its ocean wildlife protection laws.

As it stands, there are no regulations in place that monitor how many fish are being extracted from their environments and how these animals are being treated.

It means that collectors can use any method they wish to remove as many animals as they want from coral reef ecosystems. They often capture hundreds of fish in a net from deep below the surface and bring them up without regard to the pressure change. As a result the fish can suffer the bends, just as a human would without proper equalization techniques. The fish can also die of shock to their systems as well as contaminated water as a result of cramped tanks.

These fish are also vital components of their natural habitats, so the whole reef suffers if its living organisms are removed in large quantities.

Please address this problem by creating legislation that would regulate the collection of reef animals as well as require proper, humane methods in caring for these creatures.

The future of Hawaii's precious coral reefs depends on it.

Thank you.