THE SENATE |
S.C.R. NO. |
113 |
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
Urging the department of land and natural resources to minimize human Interaction at certain locations during coral spawning events.
WHEREAS, Native Hawaiians have a unique and sacred relationship with the ocean and corals, in which the health of the corals and ocean are essential to the health of the islands of Hawaii and its people; and
WHEREAS, healthy coral reefs are critical to the economic, cultural, and environmental well-being of Hawaii; and
WHEREAS, coral reefs in Hawaii and worldwide are currently threatened by oceans becoming warmer and more acidic, sediments, sewage and runoff nutrients, and other factors; and
WHEREAS, to protect our economy, connections to culture, and environment, Hawaii should act to encourage greater coral survival; and
WHEREAS, cauliflower coral, also known as head coral, rose coral, or Ko‘a in Hawaiian, is a major reef-building coral that protects Hawaii's shorelines and provides habitat for fish and crab; and
WHEREAS, many cauliflower coral colonies experienced bleaching and death from 2014-2016 due to abnormally high ocean temperatures; and
WHEREAS, these events and other stressors have left the cauliflower coral imperiled, though not officially endangered, throughout a significant portion of its range in Hawaii; and
WHEREAS, cauliflower corals reproduce by spawning, in which the corals synchronize their release of massive numbers of eggs and sperm to spread over a broad area during, or a few days after, the full moon once a year in April or May, and this event can be predicted reliably by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and
WHEREAS, cauliflower coral's fertilized eggs form free-floating coral larvae that die at a high rate unless they settle into a reef; and
WHEREAS, coral larvae survive interferences/activity at higher rates if they are not disturbed by human interaction such as swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving in the first few days after they form; and
WHEREAS, the Kohala Center's Kahalu‘u Bay Education Center on Hawaii Island has been educating visitors to minimize human interaction during spawning for several days per year since 2020; and
WHEREAS, there have been increases in juvenile cauliflower corals in Kahulu‘u Bay as a result of these efforts to minimize human contact after spawning; and
WHEREAS, as a result of the successful program at Kahalu‘u Bay, the Department of Land and Natural Resources has ordered brief spawning closures at Wai‘akea Bay State Park, providing a strong foundation for extending closures to other suitable areas; and
WHEREAS, more reef-building cauliflower corals could survive without human interaction in the few days after spawning; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is urged to determine priority locations around the State where minimizing human interaction immediately after cauliflower coral spawning may contribute to greater coral reef formation; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is requested to take actions to support healthier coral reefs, including public education, to minimize human interaction following coral spawning periods; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, and Mayor of each county.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Coral Reefs, Coral Spawning, Department of Land and Natural Resources; Minimize Human Interaction;