HI HB1685

Designates a Niihau community-based subsistence fishing area consisting of all state waters and submerged lands bounded by the island's shoreline and an irregular line one mile offshore.

Restricts commercial activities including commercial fishing licenses, aquarium fish permits, gill net fishing, and spearfishing with self-contained underwater breathing apparatus in the designated area.

Requires the Department of Land and Natural Resources to consult with Niihau inhabitants and interested parties to establish rules identifying customary and traditional Native Hawaiian subsistence fishing practices.

Mandates development of a management plan that includes harvest limits, monitoring processes, enforcement methods, and potential no-harvesting zones while preserving Native Hawaiian access to traditional subsistence sources.

Effective upon approval.