THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

168

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

requesting the department of land and natural resources to begin the process of establishing a marine protected area in kaneohe bay as mandated by the kaneohe bay master plan.

 

WHEREAS, nearshore fish and other marine life have played important roles in the lifestyles of Hawaii’s people; and

WHEREAS, throughout the years, Hawaii’s residents have held these marine resources in high regard due to their recreational and subsistence value; and

WHEREAS, in addition, marine resources provide a unique attraction to Hawaii’s visitors, especially the ecotourism industry; and

WHEREAS, recent studies have indicated that many of our nearshore fish resources have declined dramatically to a point where fishery stocks have been reduced to critical levels, due to overfishing and habitat degradation; and

WHEREAS, Kaneohe Bay is an important nursery ground for many types of reef fish and represents a variety of habitat types for reef fish to mature from larval through adult life stages; and

WHEREAS, the Kaneohe Bay Master Plan calls for the consideration of the designation of a marine protected area in the Bay; and

WHEREAS, marine resources of Kaneohe Bay are in need of immediate attention to limit further degradation due to overfishing, habitat destruction, and the rapid growth of alien algae; and

WHEREAS, marine protected areas here in Hawaii and elsewhere have shown promise as management tools for increasing the fishing stocks by providing long-lasting and often rapid increases in abundance, diversity, and productivity of fish populations, increasing fish size and reproductive output within the protected area, and increasing the size and abundance of harvested species in areas adjacent to the protected area; and

WHEREAS, caps have already been placed on the commercial activity allowed in Kaneohe Bay via the Kaneohe Bay Master Plan and the designation of a marine protected area may lead some commercial operators to considering changing the focus of their activities from high impact to low impact activities; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2003, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Aquatic Resources is requested to begin the process of establishing a marine protected area in Kaneohe Bay as mandated by the Kaneohe Bay Master Plan; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the marine protected area be designated based on the best available science and be of sufficient size to be zoned to accommodate multiple types of appropriate activities as defined by the Kaneohe Bay Task Force (established in Act 208, Session Laws of Hawaii 1990) and which maintain the quality of the resources undiminished; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the DLNR report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2004; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Marine Protected Area in Kaneohe Bay