STAND. COM. REP. NO. 211________

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: H.B. No. 1706
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ocean Recreation and Marine Resources, to
which was referred H.B. No. 1706 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FISHERIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to limit the harvesting of
sharks and to prohibit the harvesting of shark fins by:

     (1)  Including language limiting the harvest of sharks to
          one per day;

     (2)  Stipulating that no person shall knowingly harvest for
          sale, possess for sale, buy, sell, or trade shark fins;
          and

     (3)  Establishing fines of not less than $5,000 and not more
          than $15,000.

     Testimony in support of this bill was submitted by the
Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), the University
of Hawaii's Environmental Center, the Sierra Club, the Hawaii
Audubon Society, Hawaii Fishermen's Foundation, EnviroWatch Inc.,
and several concerned individuals.

     Testimony in opposition was received by the Department of
Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT), the Western
Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, Diamond Bay

 
 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 211________
                                 Page 2

 
Specialty Seafoods, Boats/Hawaii Inc., and several concerned
commercial fishers.

     Your committee has amended the measure to allow the
possession, purchase, sale, or trade of shark fins only if
documentation can be provided that the fins were taken from a
shark landed whole in the State.

     Your committee finds that this bill will positively address
concerns over the wasteful and ecologically damaging fishing
practice of harvesting a shark only for its fin.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Ocean Recreation and Marine Resources that is
attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the
intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1706, as amended herein, and
recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached
hereto as H.B. No. 1706, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee
on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Ocean Recreation
                                   and Marine Resources,



                                   ______________________________
                                   Roy M. Takumi, Chair