The following is a statement from Teresa Telecky, Ph.D., senior director of the Wildlife Department at Humane Society International, the international affiliate of The Humane Society of the United States, welcoming Wednesday’s decision by the Supreme Court of the State of Hawaii requiring the state to assess the environmental impact of commercial aquarium fish collection prior to issuing permits to collectors:.

“The Supreme Court of the State of Hawaii ruled that the collection of animals for the international aquarium trade must be subjected to environmental impact review, which should spare millions of Hawaii’s coral reef animals. We have been trying to stop this unsustainable and cruel trade for nearly a decade. This is major victory for Hawaii’s wildlife and for people who rely on healthy coral reef ecosystems for their survival.”

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HSI and HSUS were among the groups to support SB 1240 in Hawaii, a bill that would have limited the capture of reef wildlife for personal aquariums. Despite widespread public and legislative support, Governor David Ige vetoed the bill. HSUS joined a coalition of conservation and animal protection organizations in this lawsuit against the state for issuing aquarium collection permits in violation of the Hawaii Environmental Policy Act.

Media contact: Raul Arce-Contreras, rcontreras@humanesociety.org, (301) 721-6440