Here's the reality of this situation. There have been attempts to stop tropical fish collecting in Hawaii for over 20 years and they always fail. The State of Hawaii will never close a legitimate fishing business, and especially not during a recession. That will never happen. And even if it was not a recession, the fact is that not one of the species targeted by tropical fish collectors is endangered or threatened so there won't be any special efforts for their protection - not yet anyway. The real basis of this conflict is between users: divers vs. collectors, and the government is not going to take sides in this kind of dispute (lip service perhaps, but no commitment). So, change tactics. Support marine conservation districts instead where all fish are protected and divers can view them.
