34
THE SENATE                           S.R. NO.              S.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  RESOLUTION

  REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES TO
    RESUME FRY/SEED PRODUCTION AT THE ANUENUE FISHERIES
    RESEARCH CENTER.
 


 1        WHEREAS, the Department of Land and Natural Resources
 2   (DLNR) operates the Anuenue Fisheries Research Center (AFRC) at
 3   Sand Island on Oahu; and
 4   
 5        WHEREAS, the AFRC is engaged in aquaculture research,
 6   primarily in fish stock enhancement which seeks to increase the
 7   stock of ocean fish rather than in fry/seed production or the
 8   production of fish fingerlings in a fish farm setting; and
 9   
10        WHEREAS, fish farming is potentially more valuable to
11   Hawaii's economy than ocean fishing; and
12   
13        WHEREAS, the DLNR at one time did engage in fry/seed
14   production at the AFRC, but that activity was terminated a few
15   years ago in favor of research into fish stock enhancement; and
16   
17        WHEREAS, the Oceanic Institute, Hawaii's premier private
18   ocean sciences research entity, currently engages in fry/seed
19   production that supplies fish fingerlings to Hawaii fish
20   farmers to grow the fish commercially, although this activity
21   is not considered to be research by the Oceanic Institute; and
22   
23        WHEREAS, the Oceanic Institute reports that it is
24   currently at maximum capacity in producing fish fingerlings and
25   would like to end that line of activity; and
26   
27        WHEREAS, with the success last year of the Hawaii Offshore
28   Aquaculture Research Project to raise moi, new foreign markets
29   have opened up but Hawaii cannot support these markets without
30   an increase of moi fry; and
31   
32        WHEREAS, as a result of Oceanic Institute's cap on
33   production just as new markets have been successfully
34   developed, there exists an urgent and immediate need for seed

 
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                                  S.R. NO.              S.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1   stock and fry production; and
 2   
 3        WHEREAS, the goal of the State's aquaculture efforts
 4   should be that fry/seed production activities be assumed by the
 5   private commercial sector as part of the lucrative fish farming
 6   business; and
 7   
 8        WHEREAS, a transition is needed between the Oceanic
 9   Institute's fry/seed production and commercial fry/seed
10   production so that the commercial sector has time to fully
11   develop the business of fish fingerling production; and
12   
13        WHEREAS, the AFRC could ideally serve as a transition
14   facility to take over fry/seed production from the Oceanic
15   Institute until commercial production is able to supply the
16   needs of Hawaii's aquaculture farmers who raise moi, awa, and
17   mullet, which are the only species which presently can be bred
18   and raised in fry/seed production; and
19   
20        WHEREAS, fry/seed production activities compete with
21   aquaculture research activities for scarce resources, and at
22   this time Hawaii would benefit more from fry/seed production
23   because of the burgeoning commercial potential for fisheries to
24   produce popular edible fish; now, therefore 
25   
26        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
27   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2000, that the DLNR
28   is requested to resume fry/seed production at the Anuenue
29   Fisheries Research Center, with a view towards transitioning
30   fish fingerling production to commercial operations; and
31   
32        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the DLNR, with the assistance
33   of the Department of Agriculture and the aquaculture industry,
34   establish a plan for the development of private commercial
35   fry/seed production; and
36   
37        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the DLNR submit to the
38   Legislature a status report on current fry/seed production at
39   the Anuenue Fisheries Research Center, as well as a proposed
40   plan for development of private commercial operations no later
41   than twenty days prior to the Regular Session of 2001; and

 
 
 
 
 
 
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                                  S.R. NO.              S.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1   
 2        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
 3   Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of
 4   Land and Natural Resources, Chairperson of the Board of
 5   Agriculture, and the Oceanic Institute.