HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	22
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2016		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII		S.D. 1

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

SUPPORTING GAME MAMMAL, GAME BIRD, AND FISHING RESOURCES IN ORDER TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY AND FOOD SECURITY AND TO PRESERVE LONG STANDING LOCAL AND CULTURAL PRACTICES.

     WHEREAS, Hawaii imports between eighty-five and ninety  percent of its food, and in the event of a natural disaster or  global event that prevents food shipment, Hawaii could face a devastating food shortage; and

     WHEREAS, the practices of fishing and hunting have a long history in the culture of Hawaii; and

     WHEREAS, today, the availability of fresh, locally-caught fish is a basic expectation in our communities; and

     WHEREAS, residents on the island of Molokai receive approximately forty percent of their daily sustenance from subsistence sources such as fishing, hunting, and backyard farming; and

     WHEREAS, the residents of the island of Hawaii harvest up to 500,000 pounds of game each year; and

     WHEREAS, game mammals and game birds are a sustainable food source, and our State's unique relationship with the ocean allows us the opportunity to integrate the local fish and game industry into our food security profile; and

     WHEREAS, policies on conservation and protection of terrestrial and marine resources should promote the concept that game mammals, game birds, and marine resources are an integral part of our island culture; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2016, the Senate concurring, that this body urges the conservation, development, and utilization of game mammal, game bird, and fishing resources; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this body recognizes that pioneered introductions, such as the pig, and later sustainability introductions, such as goats, sheep, and deer, are now recognized as game mammal and game bird resources and should be included among the game management resources supported to achieve sustainability and food security; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this body urges state departments to develop and update their rules and policies to integrate the local hunting and fishing industries into any food security or sustainability strategies they employ and to preserve, protect, and promote these industries and local cultural practices to nurture them into viable and sustainable economic, nutritional, and cultural resources; and

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

Report Title: 

Hunting; Fishing; Game Resources; Food Security; Sustainability