HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

230

TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007

HD1

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the department of land and natural resources to consider imposing an annual periodic closure prohibiting or restricting by bag limit the night time commercial harvest of parrot fish.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, parrot fish, scarus sp., are an important food fish culturally in Hawaii and are caught by subsistence and commercial means using various harvest methods; and

 

     WHEREAS, parrot fish abundance varies from year to year depending on optimum spawning conditions, weather, and recruitment; and

 

     WHEREAS, the life history of parrot fishes are largely known, including the behavior of building mucous envelopes around themselves during nighttime periods of sleep; and

 

     WHEREAS, parrot fish while sleeping at night are harvested by dive spear-fisherman; and

 

     WHEREAS, commercial catch rates of parrot fish have steadily increased through the 1980s, remained stable through the 1990s, but have recently shown signs of decline; and

 

     WHEREAS, parrot fishes made up of 32 percent of the commercial dive spearfish landings during the 5 year period of 1995 to 1999; and

 

     WHEREAS, the recreational and subsistence harvest of parrot fishes remains unknown; and

 

     WHEREAS, the only existing State regulation for parrot fish is the prohibition of taking fish under 12 inches in length; and

 

          WHEREAS, the unregulated night time take of sleeping parrot fish could reduce the stock to unsustainable levels; and now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2007, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is requested to conduct analysis, using the best available parrot fish fishery, biological, economic and social information, to consider imposing an annual periodic closure prohibiting the night time commercial harvest of parrot fish during the months of February through October, or bag limit on the night time commercial harvest of parrot fish; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department is requested to engage the dive and spear fishing community throughout the State to solicit comments and input on the proposed measures; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is requested to report its findings and recommendations, including any suggested legislation to the Legislature, no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2008; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, who is requested to transmit copies of the Concurrent Resolution to prospective members of the panel and any other interested party.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

DLNR Study; Parrot Fish