THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	18
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE STATE OF HAWAII TO RECOGNIZE THE FOURTH SATURDAY OF EVERY SEPTEMBER AS "TRASH FISHING DAY".

 

 

     WHEREAS, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), is the largest animal rights organization in the world and works through public education, investigative newsgathering and reporting, research, animal rescue, legislation, special events, and protest campaigns; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to PETA, as many as 2.7 trillion fish are killed globally every year, primarily due to commercial and recreational fishing; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to PETA, billions of pounds of marine debris, including trash and pollutants, such as plastic bags, fishing gear, and abandoned boats, enter the ocean every year; and

 

     WHEREAS, it is estimated that there are currently one hundred million tons of plastic in the world's oceans and by 2050, the oceans will contain more plastic than fish.  This means debris kills more than one million marine animals each year; and

 

     WHEREAS, the marine debris that result from recreational fishing cause serious problems for our fishing communities, economies, and ocean ecosystems; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 1997, PETA first introduced Fish Amnesty Day to remind people that animals should be respected and not killed for fun and to raise awareness for fish rights, as fish and other marine life are often forgotten by animal advocates who tend to focus on land animals; and

 

     WHEREAS, Fish Amnesty Day is celebrated on the fourth Saturday of every September, the same day as National Hunting and Fishing Day and involves "fishing" marine debris and litter out of the water; and

 

     WHEREAS, trash fishing decreases marine debris and cleans the waters for the fish, birds, and other surrounding wildlife to prevent entanglement in debris which can be deadly; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, that the State is requested to recognize the fourth Saturday of every September as "Trash Fishing Day" to encourage the fishing of trash, rather than fish, from Hawaii's fresh and marine waters; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Trash Fishing; National Fish Amnesty Day