COM 1026.011 2004-2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

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For a long time, HSF officials, with the concurrence of the State Department of Transportation, have argued that there would be no adverse impact on traffic. Recently, HSF revised its schedule so that they will depart from Kawaihae at mid-day rather than 9:00 p.m. HSF and DOT officials now claim that the change was made to reduce the impact on local traffic. Interesting. First we're told there will be no impact on traffic, and then we're told that the schedule change was made to avoid compounding our traffic problems. They can't have it both ways. More likely, HSF made a business decision when they realized that a 9:00 p.m. departure from Kawaihae with a 1:00 a.m. arrival in Honolulu might not be popular, and, having made a that business decision, they took the opportunity to put some spin on it by claiming that the decision was driven by concern for local traffic. At a recent community meeting in Waimea, we saw a computerized simulation of traffic in Waimea that allowed planners to demonstrate the effects on traffic backups of various modifications to roads and traffic lights. Why not a similar study at Kawaihae? At a recent meeting at Kealakehe High School, Harbors Director Barry Fukunaga, in response to a question, repeated his frequent assertion that no traffic study was needed. Later in the meeting, Director of Transportation Rod Hiraga mentioned that HSF had prepared a traffic plan that DOT sent back for revisions. Which is it? No plan necessary or a plan that was deemed deficient? Does the public get to see these plans? Apparently not. Whales I have spent time on the water in the Kawaihae area during whale season on fishing boats, kayaks, and outrigger canoes, and I have had very close and unexpected encounters with whales on all three. Based on my experience, I can say that HSF's claim that they will avoid whales by slowing down to 25 knots is nonsense. In very calm waters while traveling at trolling speed (8 knots), when whale sighting should be easiest, I have had encounters with whales that required immediate and abrupt evasive action. In one case, the captain of a 35 foot fishing boat and two others were paying special attention to watching for whales when one suddenly surfaced directly in front of us. The captain slammed the boat into reverse and we shuddered to a stop less than 20 feet from the whale, which floated directly in front of us for a few moments before slowly swimming off. To claim that a vessel ten times as long as our fishing boat, traveling at three times our speed could have evaded that whale displays a lack of appreciation of the density of the whale population during winter months. Resource depletion The impact of Oahu fishermen on local fishery resources is a concern to local residents, and this concern has been echoed by Dr. Bill Walsh of DLNR. At a public information meeting, this concern was been dismissed by Harbors Director Barry Fukunaga, who says that he believes that just as many Big Island fishermen will travel to Oahu as will travel to the Big Island. By itself, the difference in population between the two islands renders his statement absurd. To compare the over-fished waters of Oahu with the offshore fishing of the Kona Coast and the ulua fishing of South Point is a display of ignorance. Mr. Fukunaga's assertion that all Hawai'i residents should have equal opportunity to fish where they please misses the point-that preservation of threatened resources is very 2