STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3686

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2591

H.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water and Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 2591, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MARINE RESOURCES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Land and Natural Resources to undertake the comprehensive stakeholder engagement process and adaptive management strategies associated with the Marine 30x30 Initiative.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Friends of Hanauma Bay, West Hawai‘i Fishery Council, and one individual.

Your Committee finds that the Marine 30x30 Initiative, the State's commitment to effectively manage thirty percent of Hawaii's nearshore waters by 2030, was announced by Governor David Ige on September 1, 2016, at the International Union for Conservation of Nature World Conservation Congress in Hawaii, as part of the Sustainable Hawaii Initiative. Led by the Division of Aquatic Resources, the Marine 30x30 Initiative includes strategies to reevaluate and update statewide fishing regulations and establish a statewide network of marine managed areas encompassing thirty percent of the State's nearshore waters. Successful development and implementation of these strategies hinge on effective public outreach and a fair and transparent input process for stakeholders, including statewide public hearings and concentrated scoping workshops in communities where marine managed areas are proposed. Management plans will be developed to establish clear management goals, measure effectiveness, and inform ongoing adaptive management. This measure provides resources to help the Marine 30x30 Initiative to balance sustainable use with restoration and conservation to benefit local communities now and in the future.

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 H.B. No. 2591, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

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KAIALI'I KAHELE, Chair