STAND. COM. REP. NO. 527

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 259

       S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Water and Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 259 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FISHING NETS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to require all fishing nets placed in state waters to have identification tags with the contact information of the fishing net's owner.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Conservation Council for Hawai‘i, Animal Rights Hawai‘i, West Hawaii Humane Society, Ho‘okipa Network Kauai, and four individuals.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from Hawaii Goes Fishing and three individuals.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

     Your Committee finds that the Department of Land and Natural Resources currently lacks clear statutory authority to require all fishing nets to be registered and tagged.  Your Committee also finds that the department via their experiences with lay nets are learning and developing the most effective and efficient identification tag requirements, and are in the best position to determine the specific information that shall be required on fishing net identification tags.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Clarifying that all fishing nets used in state marine waters are required to be registered and affixed with an identification tag as specified by the Department of Land and Natural Resources;

     (2)  Removing the provision that any fishing net that does not have identification tags shall be subject to immediate seizure; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water and Land that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 259, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 259, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committees on Judiciary and Labor and Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water and Land,

________________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair