HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	198
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

urging the department of Land and natural resources to assess the impact of jug line fishing and to adopt rules pursuant to Chapter 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes, necessary to address any concerns raised by the assessment.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, protecting Hawaii's marine life is vital to maintaining ocean ecosystems for present and future generations; and

 

     WHEREAS, jug line fishing typically involves deploying offshore floating jugs, bobbers, or other buoyant devices to suspend baited hooks in the ocean and often targets large fish species, requiring the use of thick and strong, or high-test, fishing lines; and

 

     WHEREAS, jug line fishing is different from hand-pole fishing in that with jug line fishing, gear can be largely unattended, allowing for passive fishing of large areas with minimal gear, effort, or follow up to retrieve gear; and

 

     WHEREAS, jug line fishing is a largely non-selective fishing practice that poses major threats to marine life, frequently resulting in the hooking, entanglement, or injury of non-target species, including sharks and protected green sea turtles, and presenting a severe risk to endangered species, such as the Hawaiian monk seal and hawksbill sea turtle; and

 

     WHEREAS, jug lines often become marine debris when they are lost, cut, or otherwise left in the ocean; and

 

WHEREAS, once in the ocean, this gear can persist for years, continuing to pollute coastal and offshore areas, damage delicate coral reefs, and pose a serious threat to marine life through entanglement; and

 

     WHEREAS, in September 2025, the Department of Land and Natural Resources reported the death of RS34, a two-year-old female Hawaiian monk seal known as Moana, which was caused by a jug line fishing method; and

 

WHEREAS, wildlife officials determined that the use of high-test line and buoyant jugs significantly increased the risk of gear loss and entanglement, resulting in fatal consequences for the Hawaiian monk seal; and

 

WHEREAS, this incident demonstrates the unsustainable nature of jug line fishing and its impact on non-target marine life; and

 

     WHEREAS, the continued use of jug lines and jug rig variant fishing methods is incompatible with responsible resource management and the State's obligation to protect marine wildlife and the marine environment of Hawaii; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2026, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is urged to assess the impact of jug line fishing and to adopt rules pursuant to Chapter 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes, necessary to address any concerns raised by the assessment; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

DLNR; Jug Line Fishing; Administrative Rules