Do you guys think this dearth of of sightings is due to over collection, or possibly something else? Or just to be on the safe side, punish aquarists first, find the root cause later.
Yes. About 10 years ago, I went to a wholesaler in Honolulu. They had dozens of flame angels at around 25 a pop. Yellow tangs were around 8 a pop. That trip, I had been in the water all over the island and no flames. The collectors had over collected on Oahu already and had been going to Christmas.
I prefer err on the side of caution, shut down collecting, and hopefully see a rebound in aquatic life. Once that occurs, stricter regulation of collection needs to happen. That, unfortunately, will cost money.
The Hawaii people, for the most part, treasure their natural resources and want to see these resources to stay for generations to come.
Thankfully, advances in aquaculturing have occurred and can fill the void that will develop from this decision.