HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0333.147 2010-2012Page 1 of 2
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Murashige, Laura --
From: perinodesigns @gmail.com on behalf of Judy Perino [perino @hawaii.rr.com] n �`
Sent: Monday, October 03, 2011 2:32 PM c- ` --moo w
To: counciltestimony @ co.hawaii.hi.us °' -.<°
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Cc: bsmart @co.hawaii.hi.us; dikeda @co.hawaii.hi.us; donishi @co.hawaii.hi.us; fblas @co.hawaii.hi.uey --D—<W
jyoshimoto @co.hawaii.hi.us; wkenoi @co.hawaii.hi.us; bford @co.hawaii.hi.us; ?'mo
dyagong @co.hawaii.hi.us; phoffmann @co.hawaii.hi.us iN w v yr
Subject: Resolution 130 -11 kg.
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Testimony against passage of Resolution 130 - 11
Honorable County Council Members:
All of you have spent many hours of valuable time sitting through testimony regarding Resolution 130 -11 and its
almost identical Resolution 140 -11, which by a resounding majority, this council wisely rejected.
To highlight important points from those hearings, I would ask you to again consider the following:
1. Mr. Aila, head of DLNR, has publicly stated that the fishery is sustainable at current levels of collecting activity.
2. Dr. Walsh, DAR, has publicly stated that the fishery is sustainable at current levels of collecting activity.
3. Dr. Randall, PHD. and Dr. Rossiter, PHD. have both urged you in written testimony to oppose this ban and offered
specific scientific reasons to do so.
ALL of our Marine Biologists and PHD's in the field of marine science have spoken resoundingly to reject this bill and
all bills that call for a ban on tropical fish collecting.
This resolution is filled with wild claims, i.e. that the reefs are "being devastated by the collection of reef fish ", but
there is no scientific evidence to support this claim .
That pelagic, (offshore), fish are somehow related to the reef fish and the algae they eat, when in fact, there is no
contact between pelagic, (offshore), fish and the reef community. This assertion, according to Dr. Rossiter, is
biologically incorrect.
Further overgrowth of corals by algae is mostly attributable to increased nutrient loading from land based runoff
which allows rampant growth that grazing herbivores, such as yellow tang, cannot control. It is not the result of fish
not being present to eat it, as has been claimed.
Dr. Rossiter also concludes that the so called "evidence" used to support this resolution is NOT factual. Statements
based on historical data MUST be based on real numbers, not on unfounded perceptions or sentiment.
If this council really wants to do something meaningful to protect our reef, they should be working with DLNR to
initiate the following steps, as suggested by Dr. Randall.
>Create more marine Life Conservation Districts - 20% of all islands should be set aside as marine protected areas. (I
would like to note that West Hawaii already has more than 30% in FRA's that ban live collecting but do not address
other misuse as listed below).
>Ban the use of lay gill nets.
>Promote fishing for Peacock Grouper, (known as Roi), which eat small reef fish as approximately 95% of their diet.
>Ban the sale of speared fish and only allow spearing for subsistence fishing.
>Ban spearfishing with a light at night.
10/3/2011
Comm. No., a35•/(17,„
Ref. To: Prenewi Cekit,u,�
Ref. Date 4C_ T 5:. 2611
Page 2 of 2
I would also like to add that educating our tourists that rent snorkel gear and kayaks, etc., should be required and a
responsibility of those making their living in these businesses so that they are not trampling the coral heads out of
ignorance, which many of us have witnessed first hand time and time again. How about a user fee added on to rental
gear for an educational /restoration fund?
Again, good management of ALL the resource users is the key. Closure of only one group of users accomplishes
nothing except taking away jobs from hard working people while all the others run amok with no regulation
whatsoever.
I urge you to use common sense, listen to the science and reject this resolution.
Judith Perino
Judith Smith Perino
Perino Designs
PH. 808 325 5919
FAX 808 325 6262
10/3/2011