HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0140.045 2014-2016Leslie, Earlanne
From:
hawaii@reefrescuealliance.org
Sent:
Saturday, February 14, 2015 2.00 PM
To:
Council Testimony
Subject:
Hawaii County AWESC Bill 318 in SUPPORT
From: On Behalf Of Testimony Submittal smw@hawaii.rr.com
Sent: Saturday, February 14, 2015 1:29 PM
To: octopu5@a maui.net
Subject: Hawaii County AWESC Bill 318 in SUPPORT
Name:
P.-nlalh
CitN
State
Steven Ward
smw2hawaii.rr.com
Kailua Kona
HI _.....
My message to the Committee: Aloha Chair Wille and AWLS Committee Members,
I am writing in support of HCB318, As a thirty plus year resident of
the Kona coast one of the benefits I have enjoyed over the years is
time spent in our beautiful ocean. I was first certified for SCUBA in
1983 here with Jeff Lcicher, owner of Jack's Diving Locker, and
shortly thereafter got my NAU1 Advanced card with them. I have been
an avid snorkeler here since before I got certified.
'Ihere is no doubt in my mind that there are significantly fewer
exotic fish than there were in the 80's. The aquarium trade has
been extremely voracious here, and the results are quite clear. We
need to do more to protect this valuable resource train export to
aquariums, benefitting a small part of our community, while
threatening a much larger economic component.
I am, of course, speaking of all the dive shops and snorkel cruises
that are dependent on these fish for their businesses. It would be an
interesting study to find out more specifically just how large a
component of the Big Island economy is devoted to ocean tourism. 11
is safe to say that it is far, far larger than the aquarium trade.
It is past time to protect that important parr of our economy. If
the perception, in this networked age, that the reefs have fewer fish,
and there are better dive/snorkel destinations elsewhere ever takes
hold, the Kona coast economy would take a very large hit. The other
side ofthe coin is that if the word goes out that we're protecting
our reefs the way other countries with valuable reef fish are banning
the aquarium trade this will show we are proactive and protecting this
valuable asset.
In summary, I hope you will succeed in getting this bill through and
signed. There are many, many people in the community that depend on
the reefs and a healthy fish population for their livelihood, and they
greatly outnumber those in the aquarium trade. Thanks for this bill:
it is way overdue.
_. _...... Comm No.
Ref. To:
Ref. DateFEB 2 8 7014
Mahalo for this opportunity to express my opinion, and for your
'service to our community.
I feel this bill is a good start, we need to protect our reefs!
with aloha,
Steve Ward
Mahalo for the opportunity!