Seaweeds and sovereignty: Governance gaps and self-determination within limu stewardship in Hawai’i

Abstract

This paper examines the subtle place of everyday agency and political sovereignty within coastal resource management and governance of limu (seaweeds) in Hawai’i. It thus responds to recent calls for effective and equitable marine governance recognizing the Indigenous peoples and local communities who steward many of our most ecologically significant and vulnerable coasts. Here we argue for the need to explicitly center political agency within contemporary ocean governance. In Hawaiʻi culturally valued species are subject to diverse risks, governance, and management regimes, Limu exemplify the linked wellbeing of marine species, their environments, and the Indigenous and local communities that depend upon and steward them. Drawing on moʻolelo as method, we identify that community sovereignty over culturally valued species is a key indicator of equitable marine governance and the ecological and community wellbeing that depends, in part, upon it. A systematic analysis of marine management structures was completed for limu and for Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian peoples) agency within administrative rules by marine managed areas, revealing a lack of guidelines for the gathering protocols, bag limits, and seasonal take that are necessary to long-term sustainable gathering of limu communities at the state level. Literature review of existing limu biogeographic research revealed that there is very little known about the archipelago-level statuses of native limu species and what the drivers of declines or abundances may be, further highlighting the potential use of ʻŌiwi (Native) science to complement existing monitoring methods. Attention to the cultural knowledges surrounding limu and Hawaiian wellbeing can inform ocean policy in ways that support higher levels of self-determination and self-governance alongside benefits to species and their ecological futures, and foster beneficial feedback loops supporting coastal wellbeing inclusive of species, ecologies, and Indigenous and local communities.