02-10-2008, 05:03 AM
Received this email today forwarded, orginally from DAR.
Please see the following statement from DAR Aquatic Biologist Dr. Bill Walsh. A hearing on this bill will be held in Honolulu at 2:30pm on MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11th, so quick action is necessary!
Could use a little help on the aquarium killer bill. DAR (Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources) is opposed to it and has submitted proposed testimony to the Governor's office which would transform the bill into something quite useful. Basically the amended bill
would maintain the present management approach in West Hawaii, provide a legislative mandate for the things we've been working on here (Limited Entry & Species of Special Concern) and expand the West Hawaii management model to Maui and Oahu. Collectors on these island would be intimately involved with the establishment of FRAs and the listing of species of special concern. The DAR proposals also build upon the concept of MPAs as a viable management tool.
Concerned parties need to contact Linda Smith at the Governor's office, Laura Thielen at DLNR and Andy Smith, the Governor's West Hawaii Liaison, and express to them that they should fully support the West Hawaii model as implemented by DAR, would advocate its expansion statewide, and consider it to be a sustainable, business-friendly alternative to what is currently being proposed in SB3225. Key concepts for DAR's approach are support for (i.e. business friendly) and sustainability of the fishery and science-based management. Contact needs to be made as soon as possible as there is a hearing on the bill this coming Monday afternoon.
We need to have the Governor's office recognize that this is the way to go. If the bill stays as is and passes it will be the end of the commercial aquarium industry here in Hawaii. If it dies as is, then the originators (Snorkel Bob, etc.) will regroup and come back next year better organized and wielding more influence on key legislators. They'll conduct an overblown and falsehood-based publicity campaign and sooner or later using the mantra of poor/nonexistent aquarium management they'll get their bill passed.
The bag limits in the bill are just a veiled attempt to shut down the fishery rather than actually manage it. They're too low to support a
economically viable fishery. The aquarium fishery is the most commercially valuable ($) non-pelagic fishery in the state and shutting it down, because someone thinks it should be, is not sufficient reason to do so. Aquarium bag limits in general also aren't really feasible at this time, both because we don't have enough scientific knowledge to be able to set meaningful limits and even more importantly because they're sooooooooooo enforcement intensive. Somebody would have to continually check up on the collectors to see if they're abiding by any bag limits. We all know the difficulty of having that happen. Bag limits may look good on paper but they'll be basically meaningless in the real world and would only encourage misreporting and cheating.
So it would be in your best interest and the interest of the fishery if you would you contact the Governor's office her liaison to let them know that you, as an aquarium fisher, are in favor of the proposed DAR amendments which will actually manage the fishery rather than effectively closing it. These amendments need to replace the current provisions of SB3225.
Please send this message on to others who you think would be of assistance. Here's the contact info:
Gov. Chief Policy Advisor - Linda Smith: Linda.Smith@hawaii.gov
808-586-0034
DLNR Director- Laura Thielen - dlnr@hawaii.gov 808-587-0390
Gov Liaison - Andy Smith: konagov@hawaii.gov 808-327-4953
Let me know if you have any questions.
Aloha,
Bill Walsh
Please see the following statement from DAR Aquatic Biologist Dr. Bill Walsh. A hearing on this bill will be held in Honolulu at 2:30pm on MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11th, so quick action is necessary!
Could use a little help on the aquarium killer bill. DAR (Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources) is opposed to it and has submitted proposed testimony to the Governor's office which would transform the bill into something quite useful. Basically the amended bill
would maintain the present management approach in West Hawaii, provide a legislative mandate for the things we've been working on here (Limited Entry & Species of Special Concern) and expand the West Hawaii management model to Maui and Oahu. Collectors on these island would be intimately involved with the establishment of FRAs and the listing of species of special concern. The DAR proposals also build upon the concept of MPAs as a viable management tool.
Concerned parties need to contact Linda Smith at the Governor's office, Laura Thielen at DLNR and Andy Smith, the Governor's West Hawaii Liaison, and express to them that they should fully support the West Hawaii model as implemented by DAR, would advocate its expansion statewide, and consider it to be a sustainable, business-friendly alternative to what is currently being proposed in SB3225. Key concepts for DAR's approach are support for (i.e. business friendly) and sustainability of the fishery and science-based management. Contact needs to be made as soon as possible as there is a hearing on the bill this coming Monday afternoon.
We need to have the Governor's office recognize that this is the way to go. If the bill stays as is and passes it will be the end of the commercial aquarium industry here in Hawaii. If it dies as is, then the originators (Snorkel Bob, etc.) will regroup and come back next year better organized and wielding more influence on key legislators. They'll conduct an overblown and falsehood-based publicity campaign and sooner or later using the mantra of poor/nonexistent aquarium management they'll get their bill passed.
The bag limits in the bill are just a veiled attempt to shut down the fishery rather than actually manage it. They're too low to support a
economically viable fishery. The aquarium fishery is the most commercially valuable ($) non-pelagic fishery in the state and shutting it down, because someone thinks it should be, is not sufficient reason to do so. Aquarium bag limits in general also aren't really feasible at this time, both because we don't have enough scientific knowledge to be able to set meaningful limits and even more importantly because they're sooooooooooo enforcement intensive. Somebody would have to continually check up on the collectors to see if they're abiding by any bag limits. We all know the difficulty of having that happen. Bag limits may look good on paper but they'll be basically meaningless in the real world and would only encourage misreporting and cheating.
So it would be in your best interest and the interest of the fishery if you would you contact the Governor's office her liaison to let them know that you, as an aquarium fisher, are in favor of the proposed DAR amendments which will actually manage the fishery rather than effectively closing it. These amendments need to replace the current provisions of SB3225.
Please send this message on to others who you think would be of assistance. Here's the contact info:
Gov. Chief Policy Advisor - Linda Smith: Linda.Smith@hawaii.gov
808-586-0034
DLNR Director- Laura Thielen - dlnr@hawaii.gov 808-587-0390
Gov Liaison - Andy Smith: konagov@hawaii.gov 808-327-4953
Let me know if you have any questions.
Aloha,
Bill Walsh