STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1294

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 1615

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committees on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs and Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 1615, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SHELLFISH AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to promote the development of a viable, local shellfish aquaculture industry in Hawaii by appropriating funds to conduct a feasibility and cost study to determine the statutory and administrative rule changes, requirements for staffing, laboratory support, and research, and training and technical assistance needs to develop a shellfish aquaculture industry in Hawaii.

 

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Agriculture, Kona Bay Marine Resources, the Hawaii Aquaculture Association, the Oceanic Institute, and one individual.

 

     Your Committees find that despite Hawaii having clean and high quality coastal waters, there is no local production of shellfish, except for hatchery and early lifestages that are sold to out-of-state producers for growth.  An appropriation to the University of Hawaii to conduct a study on the feasibility and costs of developing a shellfish aquaculture industry in Hawaii will assist in diversifying Hawaii's aquaculture industry and overall agricultural industry.

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Changing the blank appropriation amount to $75,000 for the shellfish aquaculture industry feasibility and cost study;

 

     (2)  Adding a part II that appropriates $168,600 for the University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program to conduct an opihi restoration program at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii in Keahole for the purposes of:

 

          (A)  Obtaining a current baseline population of Hawaii opihi throughout the islands for further management and stocking strategies; and

 

          (B)  Creating a hatchery-based opihi restocking program; and

 

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and style.

 

     Your Committees believe that this measure, as amended, fulfills the intent of this measure, which is to promote the development of a viable, local shellfish aquaculture industry in Hawaii.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs and Education that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1615, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1615, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 


Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs and Education,

 

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair

 

____________________________

RUSSELL S. KOKUBUN, Chair