HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	202
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2010
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

Requesting the development and airing of public service announcements on commercial passenger air flights to the state on the importance of caring for the State's unique and fragile ecosystem.

     WHEREAS, the Hawaiian monk seal is one of the rarest marine mammals in the world, and among the world's most endangered species, with the population currently declining at four per cent annually and estimated at fewer than one thousand two hundred individuals; and

     WHEREAS, food limitations, entanglements in marine debris, and human interactions including being caught as bycatch in fishing gear, mother-pup disturbance on beaches, and exposure to disease all threaten the remaining population; and

     WHEREAS, in 2008, the Hawaiian monk seal was designated as the State's mammal to increase awareness of it as an endangered species with the hope that this awareness would result in increased protection and its repopulation; and

     WHEREAS, although the main Hawaiian island seals are a small population, they are a much healthier population and are slightly increasing in numbers rather than declining like the larger northern Hawaiian island population; and

     WHEREAS, two recent incidents of intentionally killed monk seals on Kauai and one on Molokai have brought attention to the human threat to the seals; and

     WHEREAS, in September, a Kauai man plead guilty to shooting a seal in violation of the federal Endangered Species Act and received a ninety-day jail term, one year supervised release, and a $25 fine; and

     WHEREAS, seal advocates and volunteers worry that such a sentence sends the wrong message to Hawaii residents and visitors regarding the value of the Hawaiian monk seal; and

     WHEREAS, a comprehensive outreach program for Hawaii residents and visitors regarding the importance of the Hawaiian monk seal and other endangered Hawaiian flora and fauna needs to be firmly established; and

     WHEREAS, Hawaii residents and visitors need ready-access to information on the State's unique and fragile ecosystems, recommendations on how to care for the State's ecosystems, and information on how to behave if one comes into contact with an Hawaiian monk seal; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2010, the Senate concurring, that the Hawaii Tourism Authority is requested to work in cooperation with the Department of Transportation to develop and air public service announcements on commercial passenger air flights to the State; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hawaii Tourism Authority is requested to include:

     (1)  Information on the State's unique and fragile ecosystems;

     (2)  Recommendations for visitors and residents on how to care for the State's ecosystems;

     (3)  Information focusing on the Hawaiian monk seal and how to behave if encountered; and

     (4)  Information on applicable federal and state laws with regard to endangered species; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the President of the Hawaii Tourism Authority and the Director of Transportation.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Public Service Announcements; Hawaiian Monk Seals; Endangered Species