STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2124

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2767

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water and Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 2767 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FISH AGGREGATION DEVICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to provide funds to the Department of Land and Natural Resources to support the deployment, replacement, and maintenance of fish aggregation devices.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance.

Your Committee finds that fish aggregation devices, or FADs, maintained by the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology provide enhanced fishing opportunities for island fishers, especially by Hawaii's pelagic small boat, non-longline fishers targeting tuna species. Maintenance of the FAD program is labor-intensive as the devices are prone to breaking off and frequently need to be replaced or recovered and re-deployed. The impact of missing FAD or series of FADs to individual fishers can create devastating impacts that lead to less fish for personal or community consumption and increased operational costs to utilize distant FADs.

On average, the cost to replace a missing FAD is $12,000. To prevent losses to fishers who rely on FADs, this measure will provide the Department of Land and Natural Resources with one‑time funding to bring the state FAD program to full capacity.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) 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. 2767, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2767, S.D. 1, 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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LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair