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Home My WebLink AboutCOM 0345.010 2010-2012Murashige, Laura Cc��tsv1. ') From: Eric Koch [ekoch492 @gmail.com] Sent: Monday, September 19, 2011 8:47 AM To: counciltestimony @co.hawaii.hi.us Subject: Res 140 -11 and 130 -11 Attachments: written - hawaii county, sept.docx /Oil SEP 19 9 27 Please see the attached testimony against the 2 aquarium ban resolutions -that I am against Kim Koch 9/19/2011 Page 1 of 1 Picot/1ga Comm. No. 3 L • I Ref. To Pry COw &d Ref. Dote SEP 2 1 2011 r Aloha Council My name is Kim Koch, a former Maui resident and as of last year a Big Island resident. Well, Since we are here discussing a topic that occurs beyond recreational swimming depths, I would like to go over a few of the topics that will be spoken about today since I have heard many of them through my years in Maui, and many of you have not seen aquarium collecting first hand. To start, you will hear about Maui being No ka of - simply the best, eliminating the aquarium trade. This did not happen. For many years a handful of people that are against keeping fish as pets have tried and tried to get the aquarium trade banned year after year. Exhausted with no facts on their side they came up with a plan to discourage the land based business' -by no means is aquarium collecting banned in Maui, and if I wanted to I could fly over tomorrow and setup a business...with a bit of extra paperwork. You see this is just one of the many half statements that will be brought up today. You might see photos (from DAR website -link below) of algae taking over reefs and they will ask you if you see any fish? They allude to them being all taken in turn leaving nothing to eat the algae. Now, if you did not know better or you have not done your homework this might make sense. They fail to mention where this reef is located, is it near a boat harbor, near a golf corse with fertilizer run off? Or near an injection well? They also fail to mention that it may be an invasive species of algae that our local herbivorous fish do not eat...once again spun information. http: / /hawaii.gov /dlnr /dar /pubs /MauiReefDeclines.pdf You will hear statements like 99% of fish die within a year in captivity; this is what I like to call a classic bias sound bite. Which is quoted out of Bob Fenners book and if you do your research and contact Bob he will explain that this was not even speaking about the Hawaiian Fishery. You many also hear a quote about under reporting catches from Dan Polhemus a former DAR Kona official, who is now a director of the NW Hawaiian Islands National Monument, and if you contact him, he will explain that he was misquoted and in fact he does not believe there is any level of under reporting in the Aquarium Trade Fishery in Hawaii. If you choose not to contact him, I have included this below Begin forwarded message: From: Dan.A.Polhemus @hawaii.gov Date: December 14, 2009 9:45:50 AM HST To: Cc: Dan.A.Polhemus @hawaii.gov Subject: Fw: Your quote is being used is it accurate? Please provide context for the quote cited. Is this in relation the the aquarium industry? If so, I don't believe I have ever cited such numbers. I doubt that there is any commercial fishery in the State with a level of under - reporting that large. - Dan Polhemus Dr. DAN A. POLHEMUS Division of Aquatic Resources State of Hawaii DLNR 1151 Punchbowl St. Honolulu, HI 96813 Phone: (808) 587 -0100 e -mail: Dan.A.Polhemus @hawaii.gov Forwarded by Dan A Polhemus /DLNR /StateHiUS on 12/14/09 09:49 AM DLN R.AR. DLN RAquatics /DLN R/StateHi US Sent by: Rhodie F Masusako /DLNR /StateHiUS 12/14/09 09:34 AM Todan. a. polhemus @hawaii.govccSubjectFw: Your quote is being used is it accurate? 12/10/2009 08:08 PM ToDLNR. aquatics @hawaii.govccSubjectYour quote is being used is it accurate? Aloha Dan Polhemus, PhD, I have read an article in the Maui News and you are being used as a quoted source the quoteis "As for the sources on underreporting: Dan Polhemus, Director of the Div. of Aquatic Resources said that the actual number caught is probably between 2 - 5 times what is reported.' This is in reference the November 27 Maui news article. Your statement is being used to support that the aquarium industry is understating its catch reports. Is this an accurate quote ? ?? I am trying to understand this article your help is appreciated There have been many studies on the aquarium trade in Hawaii by leading officials who have dedicated their lives to studying the reefs. Jack Randall head Ichthyologist at the Bishop Museum who recently did a study about the longevity of fish in the aquarium trade(attached at the end of this), with the likes of others like Rich Pyle, and even our local Dr William Walsh who just last weekend stated that he was happy with the current levels of collection of aquarium fish in West Hawaii. (link below) . You will find that anyone without a hardliner stance against the aquarium trade will be personally attacked discredited and attacked by opponents of the aquarium industry. Not so much the research aspect, but they will say they are vested in the trade, have been paid off and I have even heard outlandish statements about their personal lives. This is not right in my opinion as you have a sworn oath to science when you graduate as you do as a writer to give unbiased factual information...as I believe most scientist do. http: / /www.westhawa iitoday.com/ sections /news /local- news /tighter -ru les- tropica I- fish - collection - eyed.htm I You may also hear statements like there are no fish left and they have all been collected. If that were the case similar to a finite resource like oil or gold, this industry would have been over many years ago. You will not hear the information about the biology of the fish like how often they spawn, where they drift through the larval phase and when and where they settle out onto the reef. An interesting point is that there was a study done (link below) that did DNA testing of fish populations and fish that spawn in the Marine Sanctuary's hundreds of miles away have been known to settle out on the reefs of the Big Island. They allude to the fact that once a fish is gone it will never come back. Fish are highly reproductive animal's spawning daily and releasing millions of viable eggs every year. http: / /oregonstate.edu/ terra / 2010 /12 /yellow -tang- study- shows -ma rine- reserve - benefit/ http : / /www.hawaii.edu /malamalama /2011 /04 /marine - reserves/ You will hear about the how the aquarium fishery is affecting tourism and that there is an ongoing ocean user conflict. If there was such a conflict, why would the local Kona Scuba Dive Operators fill the scuba tanks that allow fisherman to fish? For the love of god the tourism industry has more than a third of the coast line that is off limits to aquarium fisherman...leaving plenty of areas for operators to take tourists without ever seeing a aquarium collector...and the most ironic thing I have seen in Kona is that the tourists you do run into at the boat harbor always want to see and think it is very cool. This may seem like a far off idea but does anyone think that maybe a down economy and a natural disaster in a location like Japan where many of our tourists come from could possibly affect tourism levels? There is plenty of coast line here on the Big Island for all to share with no conflict and a low possibility of anyone ever seeing each other on the water. Plenty of FRAs and MLCDs for tourists to go that are off limits to aquarium collectors. This is more of a lobbyist point as who should have priority over the oceans as they are all businesses making money in some way. Is this morally right for one to say the other is in the wrong? You might possibly hear statements about a particular fish like say the Bandit Angel, and someone might say I have not seen them ever or in many, many years...well if you take this a step forward and follow up with where were you diving? And they respond with well uh I was snorkeling. Once again, mis- information as these fish 99.9% of the time live at depths greater than 150ft and you have a better chance of getting struck by lightning than seeing a bandit angel in snorkeling depths. Many people do not know the proper habitats that certain species live at and there for don't understand why they don't see them. I guarantee you will hear emotional testimony today but I will close with this If you don't have an opinion you have no heart, and if you do not use facts and logic to form your opinion you are not using your brain. I know all you council members that sit before me have a good solid head on your shoulders as elected officials and I trust you will filter through the emotional testimony and look for the facts and logic. Do your research before you vote, contact your local fishery scientist like Dr Walsh down the road, go diving with an aquarium collector, get to know what you are voting on. Passing a bill or resolution for a total ban on something that puts lively hoods at stake and in one of the worst economies with one of the highest unemployment rates the last thing you should do is put more people out of work...purely on emotion -DO your homework I thank you all, I am open to any questions you may have and know that I am against this resolution. Kim Koch Kailua -Kona