I am a Montanan. I was born and raised there and I don't think you can take it out of me and I don't want it removed. I have Montana values like a hard work ethic.   So you say "What is this Maui stuff all about?"  Although we now live in the San Francisco Bay Area we spend our other time in Maui.  We have a small cottage upcountry off the road to Hana.  We are there as much as we can possibly be.  Hawaii is much like Montana.  Not the weather but rather the people and the respect for the environment.  So from time to time I will talk about Maui and how it is to live there on the real Maui away from the tourists.

We were there over the summer and my brother, sister-in-law and son joined us for a time.  We would go over to the tourist side to the beaches.  One day we were on Ulua Beach enjoying the day when we saw this guy and his wife with a bucket and a small net.  He saw us watching him and came up to us to see if he could answer any questions. He said he was collecting dead coral for his aquarium and that because we weren't in a protected area that it was okay.   I wasn't up on the law but it just didn't sound right.  So we didn't confront him there and I went home to double check the laws.  I was right and that it is illegal!  A couple of days later, we were back at the beach and we now knew the law.  The guy saw us and quickly left with his bucket.

Here is the law:

• Hawaii laws say that it is illegal to take, break, or damaged any stony coral and/or live rock.   Live rock is any rock with visibly attached living organisms on it.  So if the rock was within the water, it most certainly would at least qualify as live rock (with living invertebrates, and seaweed on it).  If it was living coral it would fall under the stony coral rule.  The importance of these rules are that they help protect the marine habitat that all reef and nearshore animals depend on.
  
  In terms of collecting these types of coral rocks from the beach:  State land management rules say that you can take 1 gallon per person per day of coral ruble, sand, beach rocks, etc, for noncommercial home use only.  So yes, you can collect dead coral on the beach as long as it is less than one gallon in volume per day.  But note it says off the beach.

Thank you to Russell Sparks of the Division of Aquatic Resources, Maui Office, Department of Land and Natural Resources.

So if in the future, you see what you believe is illegal activity you can contact the enforcement division at 643-DLNR  (643-3567).  I now have this number on my cell's speed dial.

Mahalo. Watch the sunset tonight and think of Maui.
Kolby