HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	1723
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING TO MARINE LIFE PROTECTION.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 

     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that Hawaii's nearshore marine areas are home to a wide variety of marine species, many of which are endemic to Hawaii.  The marine species of Hawaii play an important role for the State's inhabitants, providing residents and visitors physical, cultural, environmental, and spiritual sustenance.  Widespread and varied uses of marine species often leads to their removal from their natural habitats for such purposes as processing for food or sale as pets.  As interest in the marine species of Hawaii increases, the number of species being removed from their native marine habitats increases as well.  If current take levels increase, the marine species found in the nearshore waters of Hawaii will become more vulnerable to extinction, which could harm the local environment and people of Hawaii.

     The legislature further finds that to protect local marine habitats and wildlife and ensure they continue to provide benefits to Hawaii's people and economy, the State has recognized the need to identify specific areas that are in need of more effective management and best management practices for those areas.  As part of this effort, the State has made a commitment to effectively manage thirty per cent of Hawaii's nearshore ocean waters by 2030, including by supporting community-based marine management.

     The purpose of this Act is to convene a working group to identify high priority areas that are in need of protective management and that may be eligible for designation as marine protected areas.

     SECTION 2.  (a)  There is established a working group to be placed in the department of land and natural resources for administrative purposes to identify high priority nearshore marine areas that are in need of protection for potential designation as marine protected areas to help meet the goal of effectively managing thirty per cent of the State's nearshore waters by 2030.

     (b)  In identifying nearshore marine areas in need of protection, the working group shall identify areas that are in need of:

     (1)  Critical protection, which may include no-take zones;

     (2)  High protection, which may include species and size restricted no-take zones;

     (3)  Herbivore replenishment; and

     (4)  Other types of assistance, as determined by the administrative rules of the department of land and natural resources.

     (c)  The working group shall consist of:

     (1)  The chairperson of the board of land and natural resources, or the chairperson's designee, who shall act as the chairperson of the working group;

     (2)  The director of business, economic development, and tourism, or the director's designee;

     (3)  The administrator of the department of land and natural resources' division of aquatic resources, or the administrator's designee;

     (4)  A representative from the office of Hawaiian affairs;

     (5)  The director of the University of Hawaii institute of marine biology, or the director's designee;

     (6)  Representatives of native Hawaiian cultural practitioners;

     (7)  Representatives of the fishing community; and

     (8)  Other persons, as deemed appropriate by the chairperson of the working group.

     (d)  Members of the working group shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for expenses, including travel expenses, necessary for the performance of their duties.  No member shall be made subject to chapter 84, Hawaii Revised Statutes, solely because of that member's participation as a member of the working group.

     (e)  The working group shall submit a report of its findings, including any proposed legislation, to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2019.

     (f)  The working group shall be dissolved on June 30, 2019.

     SECTION 3.  This Act shall take effect on December 24, 2088.

 

Report Title:

Marine Species; Working Group; Nearshore Marine Resources

 

Description:

Establishes a working group to identify high priority areas that are in need of marine protection management for potential designation as marine protected areas.  (HB1723 HD1)

 

 

 

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