2015-11-16 Game Management Advisory Commission Minutes

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Hawaii County Game Management Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes -- November 16, 2015 SF: There will be units and then plants will be propagated in those units and then that takes care of the mitigation, * So there's no animals that are going to eating those plants? SF: Correct. • So what are the animals going to be eating outside of the exclosures? SF: Outside of the exicosures we will be doing game management according to the game management plan that you guys will develop with. Why can't we enhance game in those areas? Didn't you say we can't increase the population of animals? SF: Once, the HCP is done and the mitigation is provided for in the conservation units, we can do game management and enhance game throughout the rest of the area. • As far as the Fish & Wildlife Service — now with all of this — like PTA — is there gonna be this biological opinion that they're gonna do of that area? Is that part of this HCP or is this gonna be some other over -encompassing decision that they can make? SF: No, I assume they will write a biological opinion for this. I believe that's the process. Then moving to the animals, so the sheep populations are down — can funds be used to make a determination on why? Could funds be currently used right now to figure out why the young are dying 'cause there's coccidiosis going around right now and that affects young lambs, that's something to check into. SF: Yes. Issues like, limits to the population and threats to the population are things that should be written into the management plan. Whatever research is needed or monitoring in order to explore questions that are related to enhancing game or maintaining populations or enhancing populations. As stated here under HRS 195D — for native species, you guys talk about genetic representation. But then we also have that with our game animals to have maintain a certain level of genetic representation otherwise you're going to end up with garbage. When it has the HRS 195D — it says, "must provide funding to implement the HCP and continue monitoring," Who provides the funding?