RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, nearshore fish and other marine life have played important roles in the lifestyles of Hawaii's people; and

WHEREAS, throughout the years, Hawaii's residents have held these marine resources in high regard due to their recreational and subsistence value; and

WHEREAS, marine resources also provide a unique attraction to Hawaii's visitors, especially the ecotourism industry; and

WHEREAS, recent studies have indicated that many of our nearshore fish resources have declined dramatically to a point where fisheries stocks have been reduced to critical levels due to overfishing and habitat degradation; and

WHEREAS, Kaneohe Bay is an important nursery ground for many types of reef fish and represents a variety of habitat types for reef fish to mature from larval through adult life stages; and

WHEREAS, the Kaneohe Bay Master Plan calls for the State to consider the designation of a marine protected area in Kaneohe Bay; and

WHEREAS, marine resources of Kaneohe Bay are in need of immediate attention in order to limit further degradation due to overfishing, habitat destruction, and the rapid growth of alien algae; and

WHEREAS, marine protected areas here in Hawaii and elsewhere have shown promise as management tools for increasing the fish stocks by: providing long-lasting and often rapid increases in abundance, diversity, and productivity of fish populations; increasing fish size and reproductive output within the protected area; and increasing the size and abundance of harvested species in areas adjacent to the protected area; and

WHEREAS, caps have already been placed on the commercial activity allowed in Kaneohe Bay via the Kaneohe Bay Master Plan and the designation of a marine protected area may lead some commercial operators to consider changing the focus of their activities from high-impact to low-impact activities; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2003, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is requested to establish a marine protected area in Kaneohe Bay as called for by the Kaneohe Bay Master Plan; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the marine protected area be designated based on the best available science and be of sufficient size to be zoned to accommodate multiple types of appropriate activities that maintain the quality of the resources undiminished; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Land and Natural Resources report is requested to submit a status to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2004 and each regular session thereafter until the marine protected area is established in Kaneohe Bay; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor and the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources.

Report Title:

DLNR; Establish Marine Protected Area in Kaneohe Bay