HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0333.119 2010-2012Murashige, Laura , j 2)0-1 f %o'.. . 3,323
From: Greg and Rebekah Kaufmann [gnrkaufmann @yahoo.com]
Sent: Sunday, October 02, 2011 6:48 PM
To: counciltestimony @co.hawaii.hi.us
Subject: Please save our fish and our oceans health
To whom it may concern
Page 1 of 1
PJCouNcti..
As a Kamuela resident and business owner from Kawaihae I would like to plead to anyone hearing
testimony on Aquarium reef collecting to think seriously about standing up to get aquarium fish
collecting stopped!! I have been an avid Scuba diver and instructor of diving by trade along the Kohala
Coast for over 10 years and have personally seen the devastation that this industry of Reef fish
collectors has caused. I often hear tourists complain "We like Hawaii, but there are no fish we are going
to the Caribbean next year." Not only can our reefs not sustain the industry but neither can our tourism.
Once our herbivores are gone such as yellow tang there are no fish left to clean the li off the sea turtle
shells which will lead to disease and one more reason tourists will choose other destinations. This issue
of aquarium collection affects every resident of Hawaii and as a very informed ocean lover I beg you to
consider strongly the benefit's of stopping aquarium reef fish collection to conserve our irreplaceable
environment. There is a lot of research available to see the true devastation and unsustainable nature of
collecting reef animals please take the time to see it and considetr a ban on the trade.
Respectfully
Rebekah Kaufmann
PO Box 6738
Kamuela Hawaii
96743
808 - 443 -4704
10/3/2011
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comm. No. 333. /19
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