Victory: CRB Rules Approved for Hawaiʻi Island
March 25 Update
You all made it happen! Yesterday, the Board of Agriculture and Biosecurity gave final approval to emergency interim rules to prevent the spread and establishment of coconut rhinoceros beetles (CRB) across Hawaiʻi Island.
One year ago, CRB were found outside of Waikoloa for the first time since they were first detected there in 2023. In a matter of months, CRB were being found across West Hawaiʻi, including at Kīholo, Keāhole, and Kohanaiki. A “voluntary” stop movement order was imposed in June of 2025; however, CRB host material continued to be transported from infested areas in West Hawaiʻi, creating a daily risk of the pest spreading and becoming permanently established across Hawaiʻi Island.
After waiting for months for mandatory protections, community members on Hawaiʻi Island, including the Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund and Pōhaku Pelemaka, finally petitioned the Board of Agriculture and Biosecurity in January of this year, to adopt interim rules requiring businesses to adopt best management practices before moving any CRB host material from West Hawaiʻi.
The volume of written and verbal testimony at the petition’s first consideration by the Board made it clear that the Hawaiʻi Island community and its allies were ready for immediate action to protect their niu, food and water security, native ecosystems, and local economy. The Board accordingly directed Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity staff to move forward with the interim rulemaking process, and to bring the petitioners’ rules back for their final consideration in March. Voluminous community testimony was subsequently provided to the Advisory Committee on Plants and Animals to urge their favorable consideration of the rules, and to the Board of Agriculture and Biosecurity yesterday - resulting in their final vote of approval.
The rules now only require the Governor’s signature before they are formally adopted into law.
These critically needed rules moved forward in record time, just like the Molokaʻi rules, because of the strong, unified community support you demonstrated to the Board and Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity staff.
Mahalo nui to everyone who submitted testimony, encouraged your friends and family to take action, and stayed engaged throughout this process. And a special mahalo to Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund and Pōhaku Pelemaka for initiating the petition that made this possible.
The Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity and the Hawaiʻi Island Invasive Species Committee will now begin hosting trainings for businesses and residents on best practices to prevent the spread of CRB and how to comply with the new requirements.
This is a big step forward—but continued awareness, action, and community vigilance will be key to ensuring these rules are effective.
Mahalo again for being part of this collective effort to protect our islands. We’ll keep you updated on additional actions to protect our island home from invasive pests.
Emergency interim rules to prevent the spread and establishment of coconut rhinoceros beetles (CRB) across Hawaiʻi Island are up for final approval by the Board of Agriculture and Biosecurity next Tuesday, March 24, at 9 a.m.
Mahalo nui to all who have weighed in on these rules during their prior consideration by the Board of Agriculture and Biosecurity and the Advisory Committee on Plants and Animals. These critically needed proposed rules have been kept alive largely because of the broad community support and attention you have helped to demonstrate to the Board as well as Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity staff.
Now, we have just one more approval to go in order for these rules to become law. Please submit written testimony and consider testifying verbally, either virtually via Zoom or in-person at the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity Plant Quarantine Branch, 1849 Auiki Street, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi 96819. Sample testimony below (and feel free to add your own experiences and perspectives if you wish!).
Sample E-mail Testimony
To: DAB.BOARD.TESTIMONY@HAWAII.GOV
Subject: Testimony in SUPPORT of Agenda C-1: Interim CRB Rules for Hawaiʻi Island
Aloha Chair Hurd and members of the Board of Agriculture and Biosecurity,
My name is [your name] and I am testifying in STRONG SUPPORT of agenda item C-1, which would establish critically needed interim rules to prevent the potentially devastating spread of coconut rhinoceros beetles (CRB) across Hawaiʻi Island.
I greatly appreciate the Board’s and the Advisory Committee on Plants and Animals’ understanding of the dire, emergency situation facing Hawaiʻi Island, with respect to the daily threat of CRB becoming broadly established well beyond Kona. As you know, the consequences of CRB becoming established throughout Hawaiʻi Island would be devastating to the island’s food security, ecology, cultural integrity, and economy. The widespread establishment of CRB on Hawaiʻi Island would also increase the chances of CRB eggs, larvae, or adults making their way to other islands not currently known to have active CRB infestations.
By mandating, rather than simply suggesting, best management practices prior to the movement of CRB host material fom Kona, these interim rules would provide a vital layer of protection against the potentially imminent and devastating spread of CRB across Hawaiʻi Island and throughout our island chain.
Accordingly, I respectfully but strongly urge your continued support of these rules, by voting for their final adoption today.
Mahalo nui,
[your name]