Hawaii has become the first U.S. state to ban the capture, entanglement, or killing of any shark species in its waters — a milestone in marine conservation that builds on more than a decade of the state’s effort to protect one of the ocean’s most ecologically essential animals.
At a glance
- Hawaii shark ban: Act 51 (House Bill 533), signed by Governor David Ige on June 8, 2022 C.E. — World Oceans Day — makes it illegal to knowingly capture, entangle, or kill any shark species in Hawaiian waters.
- Penalty structure: Violations carry fines of $500 for a first offense, $2,000 for a second, and $10,000 for any subsequent violations, with possible forfeiture of commercial maritime permits, vessels, and fishing equipment.
- Cultural recognition: The law explicitly acknowledges the importance of sharks in Native Hawaiian cultural practices and beliefs, with the Department of Land and Natural Resources authorized to issue non-commercial collection permits that incorporate Native Hawaiian cultural protocol.
A law with real teeth
Act 51 was one of nine measures Governor Ige signed into law on World Oceans Day, 2022 C.E. The timing was deliberate. Sharks have long held significance in Hawaiian waters — both ecologically and culturally — and the law reflects that dual importance.
Brian Neilson, Aquatic Resources Administrator for the DLNR’s Division of Aquatic Resources, said the department recognizes sharks’ “importance in native Hawaiian cultural practices and beliefs.” To honor that, the law allows the DLNR to issue non-commercial collection permits that incorporate Native Hawaiian cultural protocol, species and size restrictions, and a prohibition on collecting any shark listed as endangered or threatened.
Exemptions exist for sharks taken in self-defense, sharks caught outside state marine waters with proper documentation, and sharks taken under a DLNR-issued permit. The DLNR may also issue administrative rules to address bycatch — sharks accidentally caught while fishing for another species — and their release.
Why sharks need this protection
Sharks are apex predators and keystone species. They regulate populations of predatory fish below them in the food chain, keeping marine ecosystems balanced. Without them, those systems can shift in ways that cascade through the entire ocean — weakening fisheries that millions of people depend on for food.
The need for protection is urgent. A 2021 C.E. study published in Nature found that global shark and ray populations have declined by more than 70 percent since 1970 C.E., driven largely by rising fishing pressure. More than 100 million sharks are killed by humans each year. One-third or more of shark, ray, and chimaera species are now threatened with extinction.
Part of what makes sharks so vulnerable is their biology. They mature slowly and reproduce at low rates. Female great white sharks reach sexual maturity between 16 and 20 years of age. Female scalloped hammerhead sharks — a species found in Hawaiian waters — don’t reproduce until age 15 to 17. Many sharks are killed before they ever breed, which makes population recovery extremely slow.
Building on Hawaii’s conservation legacy
Hawaii has been ahead of the curve on shark protection before. In 2010 C.E., it became the first U.S. state to ban the private possession of shark fins. That law made it illegal to own, buy, sell, or trade shark fins, with fines starting at $5,000 for a first offense and rising to $50,000 for a third or subsequent violation.
The fin trade is among the most destructive forces driving shark mortality. The World Wildlife Fund identifies demand for shark flesh and fins as the primary driver of overfishing, with fins alone accounting for roughly 73 percent of estimated annual shark deaths. Finning — severing a shark’s fin while the animal is still alive and then discarding the body at sea — remains one of the most brutal and wasteful practices in commercial fishing.
Act 51 goes further than the fin ban. It addresses the killing itself, not just the trade that follows. Hawaii’s Division of Aquatic Resources advises against fishing near shark-frequented areas, particularly near shark pupping grounds — a detail that signals the law is as much about habitat protection as it is about direct take.
What the ban means for shark conservation
No law is a complete solution. The exemptions built into Act 51 — including DLNR-issued permits and self-defense provisions — mean enforcement will require careful monitoring. Bycatch, in particular, remains a gray area the DLNR has indicated it will address through future administrative rules. How those rules are written and enforced will shape how much protection the law ultimately delivers in practice.
Still, the symbolic and legal weight of this ban matters. Marine conservation organizations like Oceana have long argued that sharks need broad legal protection, not just species-by-species measures. Hawaii’s decision to cover all shark species under one statute — the first such move by any U.S. state — sets a standard other states and nations could follow.
For an island chain whose culture, ecology, and economy are bound to the ocean, the message is clear: sharks belong in Hawaiian waters, alive.
Read more
For more on this story, see: The Optimist Daily
For more from Good News for Humankind, see:
- Ghana establishes a new marine protected area at Cape Three Points
- Indigenous land rights: 160 million hectares recognized ahead of COP30
- The Good News for Humankind archive on marine conservation
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