Hawaiian Ornamental Fishing Ban PASSED

[gobytron]

sounds like a good alternative plan...though an incredible amount of work to allocate those specific parameters for each species.
speaking as a hobbyist of course.

unfortunately, I doubt many of the policy makers are hobbyists and they see things in a very different light.

Personally I would love to pay 100$ for a Gramma Loreto...
I'm amazed such an incredible species of fish can be had for 24.95.
Or 300$ for a ribbon eel with their captive life expectancy.

An outright ban will bring prices up for sure, which in turn could create a renewed interest by policy makers in this industry.

This Ban could turn out to be the start of the exact scenario you've outlined.