Laws Protecting Corals

We are very fortunate that Hawai'i has strict laws protecting our coral reefs which are enforced by the State Department of Land and Natural Resources. Hawai'i's laws don't allow the taking, or damaging of any live stony corals from the waters of Hawai'i. Most stony corals are important because they help build our coral reefs. The sale of these eight stony corals is prohibited: cauliflower, rice, lace, lobe, finger, bracket, mushroom, and orange cup corals.

Penalties:

If people do not follow these strict laws they can be fined up to $500 and/or put in jail for thirty days. They can also be fined up to $100 per specimen taken illegally, if it is their first offense.