Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Transportation and Water, Land, & Ocean Resources, to which was referred H.B. No. 98 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to prohibit the use of any net to take or kill fish in Kahului Harbor.

An individual testified in support of this measure. The Departments of Transportation and Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) testified that this bill was unnecessary.

Reefs and marine life are an important natural resource for the State of Hawaii, serving as both a food source and economic stimulant. Maintaining the viability of our marine ecosystem through the regulation of activities such as net fishing within Kahului Harbor is an important issue that not only affects today's citizens, but future generations as well.

Although your Committees understand that DLNR believes that the regulation of net use in Kahului Harbor can be addressed through administrative rules, DLNR has yet to look at developing rules for net use in Kahului Harbor even after the concern was raised at a hearing on a similar bill during the Regular Session of 2004. Your Committees find that Hawaii's harbors are important to economic sustainability and that this is an important matter deserving further consideration.

After careful consideration, your Committees have amended this bill by:

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Transportation and Water, Land, & Ocean Resources that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 98, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 98, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.