As the chair of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and trustee for Moloka‘i and Lāna‘i, I would like to praise the Board of Land and Natural Resources’ unanimous decision to approve the holding of public hearings on the Hui Mālama o Mo‘omomi’s proposed Mo‘omomi Community-Based Subsistence Fishery Area (CBSFA) rules. These rules have been informed by 25 years of documented observation and generations of intimate familiarity with the coastline of Mo‘omomi, and seek to formally guide pono harvesting practices for all who fish in the waters of Northwest Moloka‘i, including those who may not have such a deep connection to and reliance upon its resources. I would also like to express my great appreciation for the Hui Mālama o Mo‘omomi, the Ho‘olehua Homestead Association, the lawai‘a pono and others who have dedicated countless hours over the past two decades to discussing, developing and now presenting this CBSFA proposal for formal rulemaking, in order to protect and perpetuate the subsistence resources of Mo‘omomi, and to ensure a continued state of ‘āina momona for Moloka‘i’s present and future generations.
