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Kai Kuleuma Network- West Bawai^i Island position. The communities represented bythe Kai Quleananetwork would like to convey that these types ofinteractions ooustdu0cbar000nlerUofthcsean(rnuJmandinnot aHawaiian cultural or traditional religious practice in West Hawai'i. We have collectively witnessed thousands of incidents over the years where individuals and commercial operators are violating these laws, eypcoia||v related tnnui'a(do)pbinm),even after being warned and cited. Over the past few years, there has been asharp incline inthese incidents concurrent with the increasing numbers of tourists and new marine -based businesses that encourage and support this inappropriate behavior. This is significant, as a single disturbance may seem inconsequential, but nearshore pods frequently experience chronic disturbances throughout the day from cornnoenuiu| dolphin tours and recreational viewers. Dolphin researchers have documented that these pods are engaged by swimmers and boaters over 82% of the time they are present inour waters during the day . We would like to share our position that there is no Hawaiian indigenous Cultural nor religious practice. past or present, that allows o,encourages interactions between humans and mu'othat involves touching, swimming with or alongside, following, orpursuing these oni,ou|m. The onlY occasion where direct interaction may be appropriate is when a recognized cultural practitioner, working with federal and state agency partners, assists with a stranding or responds tmu pnLunha| injury or death o[aprotected marine species, following strict cultural protocols. There are some cultural pnucdoos involving ouun6(whod«a) but again, these are done under strict guidance of indigenous practioners and is not something taught to the general public. luaddition, these interactions that constitute harassment pose significant safety risks to as it is a common practice by commercial operators to have guests snorkeling in large groups v/bi|o the boat operators engine is on, resulting in dangerous boating operations that may result in injury to those inthe water. Thank you for the efforts 6vyour agencies tuuphmldthe regulations in place to,safeguard these animals from harassment, and the opportunity toshare our perspectives from the communities in West Hawai'i. 'Omakounaomcko^oia'i'o, Signed onbehalf ofthe Kai KubunuNetwork bvlineal descendants and representativesfrmm Miboio^Ko|upa(Hnookwn)'Ku`Op5|dhu,Qfiki^o,P5hocboe,Kuho|u"u`Keaubmu,Kcalokekue+ 'Vla 11 a K � pace