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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0140.051 2014-2016HUMBOLDT STATE UNIVEFdITY NSU Marine Lzboratanry _ Feb -13,2015 - County Council County of Hawaii . . Hawai'i County Building 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawaii 96720 RE: Testimony in Opposition to Bill 318 Aloha County Council Members, I am writing in opposition to Bill 318 which is focused on the treatment of aquarium life sold for aquarium use. The language in the bill is not based on best practices from scientific research nor the industry standard for treatment of aquarium fish. I have been working in West Hawaii since 1992 when I served on the faculty at the University of Hawaii at Hilo until 1998, as faculty member at Washington State University since 1998: and at Humboldt State University since 2013. 1 have conducted numerous research projects on the aquarium fishery in West Hawaii including evaluating the effectiveness of the West Hawaii Regional Fishery Management Area (I helped author both the 2005 and 2010 Legislative reports), research on the habitat, ecology and genetics of aquarium fish, and the dynamics and long-term sustainability of the aquarium fishery. As a marine scientist I have authored or co- authored over 20 scientific papers on West Hawaii through more than 20 funded research projects, many supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the State of Hawaii. In a recent study, which is in the process of being written up for publication, our laboratory studied the effects of collection and transport of yellow tangs (which comprise 84% of the aquarium catch) in West Hawaii. Our research team included two expert aquatic veterinarians at Oregon State University, Drs. Jerry Heidel and Tim Miller -Morgan, both which have extensive experience with the aquarium trade. We collaborated with aquarium collectors and exporters in Kona, and caught 60 yellow tang from the reef, held them in a working export facility, and shipped them from Kona, HI to Portland, OR. The fish were then transported to the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, OR where they resided for 6 months. Our study shows and aRera 6 -month holding period. In fact, the fish have now become part of an exhibit at the Hatfield Marine Science Center about sustainability in the aquarium trade and we have received no reports of mortality after 2.5 years. In our study, fish were withheld food in the export facility and during transport. Withholding food serves a very important purpose for fish transport. Withholding food prevents fish from fouling their bags. If they are unable to "clean out" their system prior to transport, they will foul their Comm. No. I Ref. To: Raf. Date_FFA 2 0 2015 bags, creating a buildup of ammonia, which is toxic to fish. Therefore, withholdinq (god is a best practice to be used prior to shipping fish and any regulation prohibiting food withholding_hs uninformed and would be detrimental to fish health. In our study, aquarium exporters used the standard volume of water to transport the tang, and discussed above, no mortality occurred. The requirement of a gallon o(water for fish transport is unnecessary and unfounded. Based on my 20 years of conducting research on the aquarium trade, which includes studies on the international trade, I have concluded that West Hawaii is one of the best-managed aquarium fisheries in the world. External evidence to support this assertion was an invitation and presentation I made on the results of our research at the "Success Stories in Ocean Conservation" symposium sponsored by the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History of 2009 and an independent scientific review of the West Hawaii Fishery Replenishment Areas (Rossiter and Levine, 2013, Marine Policy) which concluded that West Hawaii was an unusual conservation "success." However, to continue this distinction I am writing to urge you to use the best available science when making a decision on this bill which as it stands now is not based onany actual research which would improve the aquarium industry. Thank you in advance for this opportunity to provide this testimony. Mahalo, Brian Tissot, Ph.D, Director and Professor, Marine Laboratory, Humboldt Stale University TissotCDhumboldLedu i.0. 6vv M190 Tu -d,C 1(n,nln 93/�-04fl0 1I2R 571 - m)9-5' a.0b42 wwu I�t�-m�mv clnG