102
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.C.R. NO.            S.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________


                     HOUSE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION
  SUPPORTING CONTINUED EFFORTS TOWARD THE POPULATION RECOVERY OF
    THE HAWAIIAN MONK SEALS AND REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF
    LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES TO MONITOR SUCH EFFORTS.



 1        WHEREAS, the Hawaiian monk seal is one of the most
 2   endangered marine mammals on earth and is found only in the
 3   Hawaiian Islands; and
 4   
 5        WHEREAS, the Hawaiian monk seal is the only marine mammal
 6   that lives its entire life in the Hawaiian Islands; and
 7   
 8        WHEREAS, the Hawaiian monk seal, its ancient name being
 9   'Ilioholoikauaua, is the kinolau (physical essence) of the
10   Hawaiian god, Kanaloa, and an 'aumakua (personal god) to the
11   Kanaka maoli indigenous people of Hawaii today; and
12   
13        WHEREAS, there are only about 1,300 to 1,400 Hawaiian monk
14   seals left on earth; and
15   
16        WHEREAS, the Legislature supports the continued efforts of
17   the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, Hawaii
18   Audubon Society, Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund, Hawaiian
19   Political Action Council of Hawaii, Marine Mammal Commission,
20   Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Team, U.S. Department of Commerce's
21   National Marine Fisheries Service, and other organizations to
22   sustain and propagate the Hawaiian monk seals' population; and
23   
24        WHEREAS, there is conflicting testimony as to the cause of
25   the decrease in the Hawaiian monk seal population and even more
26   conflicting information as to whether or not closure of the
27   Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Lobster Fishery will allow the
28   Hawaiian monk seals to repopulate; and 
29   
30        WHEREAS, in order to successfully rescue the Hawaiian monk
31   seal against extinction, its potential demise must be addressed
32   taking a wholistic versus piecemeal approach; and
33   
34        WHEREAS the Legislature eventually would like to examine
35   comprehensive plans addressing the Hawaiian monk seal
36   population problem and the degree of effectiveness of such
37   plans to bring about a measurable difference in the Hawaiian

 
Page 2                                                     102
                                  H.C.R. NO.            S.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        


 1   monk seal population; now, therefore,
 2   
 3        BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
 4   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
 5   of 2000, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Land and
 6   Natural Resources is requested to monitor the efforts of the
 7   interested parties in propagating the Hawaiian monk seal, and
 8   to report its findings (including but not limited to the status
 9   of the Hawaiian monk seal) to the Legislature no later than
10   twenty days prior to the convening of the Twenty-first
11   Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2001;
12   and
13   
14        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature supports on-
15   going studies to determine the status of the Hawaiian monk seal
16   and the factors contributing to its declining population,
17   including but not limited to shark attacks, male mobbing,
18   marine debris, toxic dumps, and lack of food; and
19   
20        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that with respect to the lack of
21   food, the Legislature welcomes further studies to determine
22   whether lobsters are a main food source of the Hawaiian monk
23   seal, and if so, the status of the lobsters; and
24   
25        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
26   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Secretary of the
27   United States Department of Commerce, the Assistant
28   Administrator of the National Marine Fisheries Service, the
29   Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, the
30   Pacific Islands Ecoregion Manager of the United States Fish and
31   Wildlife Service, the Governor, the Chairperson of the Board of
32   Land and Natural Resources, and the Chairperson of the Board of
33   Office of Hawaiian Affairs.