2017-04-03 Letter to Sylvia Luke re SB 1240, SD2, HD1 Relating to Aquatic Life

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--�YY.os h .".(1:•'-t...‘:-.rt \. +.,'. Wil Okabe ,� Managing Director Harry Kim : .i `',•;, H Mayor _J _ Barbara J.Kossow •?ATF. „,' �`� Deputy Managing Director County of Hawai`i Office of the Mayor 25 Aupuni Street,Suite 2603 • Hilo,Hawaii 96720 • (808)961-8211 • Fax(808)961-6553 KONA: 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Hwy.,Bldg.C • Kailua-Kona,Hawaii 96740 (808)323-4444 • Fax(808)323-4440 April 3, 2017 Rep. Sylvia Luke, Chair Committee on Finance Hawai'i State Capitol Honolulu, HI 96813 Dear Chair Luke and Members: RE: SB 1240 SD2 HD1 Relating to Aquatic Life Thank you for this opportunity to comment on SB1240, SD2, HD1. I agree with the findings of a prior committee that "ensuring the sustainability of aquatic life and the protection of coral reefs in Hawaii waters is vital to the long-term interests of the people of Hawaii; the economic and environmental benefits of protecting the marine environment cannot be overstated." SD2 would seem to have been a relatively modest attempt to get a handle on what sustainability means and requires. I hope that the Legislature will move forward with that concept, while providing DLNR what it needs to fulfill its directives. But HD1 does not stop there. SB 1240 started life as a moratorium on the issuance of commercial aquarium fish permits, until the department of land and natural resources could define "sustainable" and establish sustainable collection practices and limits. The Senate Committee on Water and Land removed the moratorium and simply provided for data collection. Now HD1 has gone further than even the original SB1240 by creating an outright prohibition on the issuance of new aquarium fishing permits or the transfer of existing permits. This obviously is a dramatic change from the prior drafts, may not have received adequate consideration in the Senate, and would go beyond what our aquatic experts believe is necessary to assure a healthy fish population. Therefore, regardless of my personal views on fish collection, I cannot support the prohibition. County of Hawai`i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.