STAND. COM. REP. NO. 779

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: H.B. No. 808

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water, Land, & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 808 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SHARK AND RAY PROTECTION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to maintain viable populations of sharks and rays by:

(1) Prohibiting, subject to certain limited exceptions, and establishing criminal penalties and administrative fines for, the capture, taking, possession, abuse, entanglement, or killing of any shark within marine waters; and

(2) Expanding the protection, subject to certain limited exceptions, to all rays within state marine waters.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs, The Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society International, One Ocean Research, West Hawaii Humane Society, Animal Rights Hawai‘i, For the Fishes, Friends of Hanauma Bay, O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, and numerous individuals submitted testimony in support of this measure. A few individuals submitted testimony in opposition to this measure. The Department of Land and Natural Resources, Center for Hawaiian Sovereignty Studies, and a few individuals offered comments on this measure.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Specifying the geographic scope of the protection of sharks;

(2) Adding a self-defense and defense of others exemption to the prohibition against the capture, taking, possession, abuse, entanglement, or killing of any shark;

(3) Changing its effective date to July 1, 2050, to promote further discussion; and

(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 808, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 808, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water, Land, & Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair