STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1382

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  H.B. No. 1180
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Economic Development, to which was
referred H.B. No. 1180 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE LICENSE FOR IMPORTED
     MARINE LIFE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to authorize the department
of land and natural resources to specify in its rules that any
marine life taken from the waters of the northwestern Hawaiian
islands (NWHI) may not be possessed and sold under the authority
of a license issued by the department.

     Testimony in support of this measure was received from the
Board of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaii Fishermen's
Foundation, Hawaii Audubon Society, and Evirowatch.

     Your Committee finds that under a license issued by the
Department of Land and Natural Resources, marine life from the
NWHI, including lobsters, may be sold in the State.  However,
recent changes in federal laws have allowed undersized lobsters
and lobsters with eggs (berried lobsters) harvested from NWHI to
appear in local markets.  If licensed fisheries continue to be
permitted to harvest these lobsters, your Committee believes that
Hawaii's lobster population stock and Hawaii's lobster industry
may be in jeopardy.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by narrowing the
scope of this measure to allow the department to prohibit the

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1382
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possession and sale of berried, undersized, or out-of-season
lobsters taken from the waters of the northwestern Hawaiian
islands.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Economic Development that is attached to this
report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose
of H.B. No. 1180, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass
Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1180,
S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Economic
                                   Development,



                                   ______________________________
                                   LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair

 
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