Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water, Land, and Agriculture, to which was referred S.B. No. 1267 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Agriculture for the aquaculture development program to hire a contractor to tag and monitor sharks along the Leeward coast of Oahu from Pearl Harbor to Kaena Point.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by two individuals. Testimony in opposition was submitted by the Department of Agriculture. Comments were also submitted by Cates International, Inc.

Your Committee finds that there are growing incidents of shark attacks in this State. In order to understand shark activity, there is a need to collect and interpret data about shark movements and habits of migration. Thus, this measure will appropriate the necessary funds to tag and monitor sharks along the Leeward coast of Oahu.

Your Committee has amended this measure by requiring the Department of Land and Natural Resources in conjunction with the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology to execute the project.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, and Agriculture that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1267, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1267, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.