53
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.C.R. NO.            
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                     HOUSE CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION

ENCOURAGING THE STATE OF HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL
   RESOURCES TO ESTABLISH A COMMUNITY BASED SUBSISTENCE FISHING
   AREA AT HA'ENA ON THE ISLAND OF KAUAI.



 1       WHEREAS, Ha'ena, located on the north shore of Kauai, is
 2   known for its incredible scenic beauty and has a history of
 3   land use dedicated to protecting and preserving its precious
 4   natural resources;  and
 5   
 6       WHEREAS, Ha'ena is also home to an active Native Hawaiian
 7   community dedicated to renewing and perpetuating traditional
 8   cultural knowledge and practices through the establishment of
 9   the Hui Maka'ainana O Makana, a non-profit, community based
10   organization;  and
11   
12       WHEREAS, founded upon a strong constituency of Native
13   Hawaiian families with ancestral ties to the lands of Ha'ena,
14   the Hui Maka'ainana O Makana has an objective of renewing,
15   protecting, and perpetuating the cultural values and resources
16   of Ha'ena through active practice, and aspires to manage the
17   natural resources of the area in a way that is both culturally
18   rewarding and financially viable, creating sustainable
19   opportunities where currently there are none;  and
20   
21       WHEREAS, current Western fisheries management practices
22   fail to adequately protect and preserve the finite resources of
23   our native ecosystems, and illustrate the need to reawaken
24   traditional fisheries management practices and to apply them
25   successfully at a sustainable level;  and
26   
27       WHEREAS, the Ha'ena community is uniquely disposed to be
28   successful in this objective, and the following factors will
29   contribute towards its success:
30       (1) The State has voiced its support of such a management
31   structure;
32       (2) Influential members of the community stand behind it;
33       (3) There is a strong Hawaiian cultural component to the
34   project;  
35       (4) Financial resources can be solicited through the non-
36   profit structure of the Hui Maka'ainana O Makana;  

 
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 1       (5) The project is supported by the scientific community;  
 2       (6) An educational component will help sustain the project;
 3   and
 4       (7) The resources themselves are still healthy and capable
 5   of renewal to a state of natural abundance;  and
 6   
 7       WHEREAS, the State Department of Land and Natural Resources
 8   has the authority to designate a community based subsistence
 9   fishing area and carry out fisheries management strategies for
10   such areas for the purpose of reaffirming and protecting
11   fishing practices customarily and traditionally exercised for
12   the purposes of Native Hawaiian subsistence, culture, and
13   religion (Section 188-22.6, Hawaii Revised Statutes), and  the
14   Department may contract the services of a local or community
15   group to manage and provide educational services for the
16   program as was done at Mo'omomi on the island of Molokai (Act
17   271, Session Laws of Hawaii 1994);  and
18   
19       WHEREAS, the beneficiaries of the proposed action will
20   include the Native Hawaiian community, the greater Ha'ena
21   community, Ha'ena State Park, visitors to Kauai and the visitor
22   industry, the fisheries, the reef, and the entire marine
23   ecosystem, as well as future generations to come;  now,
24   therefore,
25   
26       BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
27   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
28   of 2000, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Land and
29   Natural Resources, is encouraged to establish a permanent,
30   community based subsistence fishing area for the fisheries
31   adjacent to Ha'ena State Park on the island of Kauai;  and
32   
33       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that upon receipt of an appropriate
34   management proposal, the Department of Land and Natural
35   Resources is encouraged to grant the management responsibilites
36   of the established fishing area to the Hui Maka'ainana O
37   Makana;  and
38   
39       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
40   Resolution be transmitted to the Department of Land and Natural
41   Resources, the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the
42   Speaker of the House of Representatives.
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46                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________