THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

173

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES TO INCORPORATE MAXIMUM PROTECTION for STATE WATERS IN THE NORTHWESTERN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS IN its RULES.

 

WHEREAS, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are the most isolated coral reefs in the world, with the highest proportion of marine endemic species and many valuable and unique natural and cultural resources, most of which are highly vulnerable; and

WHEREAS, these twelve hundred miles of coral islands, seamounts, banks, and shoals are unquestionably the healthiest and most extensive coral reefs in the United States; and

WHEREAS, this vast area of exceptional coral reef ecosystems supports more than seven thousand marine species, of which approximately half are unique to the Hawaiian Island archipelago; and

WHEREAS, although only a few invasive aquatic species have become established in this area, additional vessel access to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands is highly likely to cause further contamination by alien species from the main Hawaiian Islands; and

WHEREAS, the state waters in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands need to be set aside as a fully protected marine refuge to preserve in perpetuity their unique and fragile ecosystems, habitats, and communities of flora and fauna, as well as areas of traditional Hawaiian cultural significance; and

WHEREAS, a Northwestern Hawaiian Islands state marine refuge would also protect the foraging grounds of the monk seal, the nesting green sea turtle, and the multitude of seabirds that make this remote area their home; and

WHEREAS, designating the state waters in Northwestern Hawaiian Islands as a refuge would also protect valuable nursery and spawning grounds of many species of fish and invertebrates and may help replenish depleted populations in the main Hawaiian Islands; and

WHEREAS, demonstrated benefits of fully protected marine refuges include:

(1) Long-lasting and often rapid increases in abundance, diversity, and productivity of fish populations;

(2) Increase in fish size and reproductive output within the refuges;

(3) Increases in size and abundance of harvested species in areas adjacent to refuges, also known as the spillover effect;

(4) Balanced, healthy ecosystems characterized by decreased mortality, decreased habitat destruction, and decreased extinction; and

(5) Sites for collecting valuable fishery-independent data; and

WHEREAS, establishing the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands as a fully protected state marine refuge would complement the existing federal Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve and facilitate the melding of state and federal waters into a Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Marine Sanctuary; and

WHEREAS, establishing the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands as a fully protected state marine refuge would provide the support needed to accomplish the designation of this exceptional area as a world heritage site, which would benefit Hawaii's economy; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Legislature supports the designation of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands as a fully protected state marine refuge; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is urged to provide the state waters in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands with the maximum protection in its rules; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is requested to report its progress in this regard, including any needed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2005; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources; Administrator of the Aquatic Resources Division, Department of Land and Natural Resources; Acting Director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Field Supervisor of the Fish and Wildlife Service; and the members of Hawaii's congressional delegation.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Northwestern Hawaiian Islands State Marine Refuge; DLNR