HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0771.097 2020-2022 p/ GRNRM c
dill [67
COMM.171
ukANTY CLE;-;11
From: Heather Howard COUNT? ?UF H" #M
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2022 11:47 AM
To: Council Testimony .10ll MAY 13 01 II: 52
Subject: Written Testimony for support of Bill #167
Aloha County Council Members,
Here is my written testimony in support of Bill 167. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you have.
Coral reefs are among the most complex and fascinating marine ecosystems on our planet and include a wide range
of symbiotic relationships. Coral reefs are known as the "rainforests of the sea."They cover only 1% of our planet's
surface but are home to 25% of all marine species.
Surrounded by the ocean, the Hawaiian Archipelago stretches 1500 miles NW to SE and includes 132 islands, atolls,
reefs, and shoals. Hawaii has a unique marine ecosystem; 25% of our marine species are endemic, meaning they
are only found in Hawaii, and nowhere else in the world. The Northwest Hawaiian Island coral reefs are home to
about seven thousand species of plants and animals. Hawaii is home to 80% of all coral reefs in the United States.
The main Hawaiian islands are surrounded by almost 410,000 acres of coral reefs. Hawaii's ocean industry,
including ocean recreation, generates over$3 billion annually in gross revenues for Hawaii's economy, Source:
DLNR. In addition to providing tourism dollars, healthy coral reefs:
• Provide oxygen through photosynthesis
• Reduce wave energy by 97% before hitting shore protecting our beaches from erosion
• Sustains human life by providing habitat for fisheries that produce 20% of the protein in the human diet
• Are a source of new medicines being developed to treat cancer, arthritis, human bacterial infections,
alzheimer's disease, heart disease, and viruses like HIV.
From larger, populated islands like Oahu to small, remote islands like Jarvis, the reefs surrounding islands and atolls
in the Pacific are impacted by changes in the surrounding ocean and terrestrial watersheds. Everything that starts on
land or in the air can impact the health of the coral reefs. "Ko kula uka, ko kula kai", what happens on the land,
happens to the sea.
Over recent decades, worldwide, over 50% of living coral has been lost due to a combination of local factors and
global climate change. Recovery from such events is a decades-long process. With bleaching now frequent, coral
reefs have little time to rebuild.
In 2015 Hawaii experienced one of its worst bleaching events on record. for 18 consecutive weeks during our
summer months, the ocean temperature surrounding the Hawaiian Islands increased by just 3 degrees Fahrenheit.
During this time we lost 95% of our Cauliflower Corals and 50% of our coral cover overall. Since the last major
bleaching event that lasted from 2015-2017 globally, Cauliflower Coral (Pocillopora Meandrina) has been petitioned
by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
to be added to the Endangered Species Act. Hawaii was considered a stronghold for this species until the 2015
bleaching event. Now it is highly possible that this shallow water species will perish forever unless we act now to
protect and restore it.
It's now commonly known and scientifically proven that chemicals found in sunscreen are harmful to coral reefs.
Sunscreen companies are killing our coral reefs and are profiting without any repercussions for this negligence. In
2018 the Hawaii state legislature passed bill SB2571 banning the sale of sunscreens containing the chemicals
oxybenzone and octinoxate. The response of the sunscreen companies was to change one compound in their
products from oxybenzone to avobenzone and put a reef-friendly sticker on the front of the product. This is deceiving
and misleading, causing tourists and community members alike to think they are making the right choice when if fact
they are still using a product that kills our reefs. Comm. No —Ii Q1
1 Ref. To: PIC (/
Ref. Dote MAY 17 2022
How sunscreen chemicals enter our environment: The sunscreen you apply may not stay on your skin. When we
swim or shower, sunscreen washes off and enters our waterways.
How sunscreen chemicals affect specific marine life:
• Coral: Accumulates in tissues. Can induce bleaching, damage DNA, deform young, and cause mortality
• Green Algae: Can impair growth and photosynthesis
• Mussels: Can induce defects in young
• Sea Urchins: Can damage immune and reproductive systems, and deform young
• Fish: Can decrease fertility and reproduction, and cause female characteristics in male fish
• Dolphins: Can accumulate in the tissue and be transferred to young
Source: NOAA
By passing this bill not only are we benefiting the ocean ecosystem, but we are also protecting the cultural history of
the Hawaiian people. As stated in the Kumulipo, the coral polyp is the beginning of all life born from the darkness.
The coral was the first stone in the foundation of the earth mentioned in the ancient chant. In this text, the selection
of hard-coated creatures as the first forms of life on earth harmonizes with the idea of reproductive power inherent in
a stone into which a god enters, an idea fundamental to Polynesian thought about the structure of the world.
I support Bill 167 and the ban of harmful chemicals for sale in sunscreen or other beauty products in Hawaii County
and hope this will pave the way for the other counties to follow suit.
Heather Howard
Heather Howard
Coral Reef Education Institute
808-987-3165
4.10.4 CORAL REEF EDUCATION INSTITUTE
onecoralreef,org
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