Report Title:

Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve

THE SENATE

S.R. NO.

67

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2001

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


SENATE RESOLUTION

REQUESTING A REPORT ON the development of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve Operations Plan AND clarifICATION OF the state's role and responsibilities.

 

WHEREAS, the world's coral reefs -- the rain forests of the sea -- are in serious decline and these important and sensitive areas of biodiversity warrant special protection; and

WHEREAS, while United States waters contain approximately three percent of the world's coral reefs, seventy percent of U.S. coral reefs are in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and these 3.5 million acres are unquestionably some of the healthiest and most extensive coral reefs in the United States; and

WHEREAS, on May 26, 2000, President Clinton directed the Secretaries of Commerce and the Interior, working cooperatively with the State of Hawaii and consulting with the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, to develop recommendations for a new, coordinated management regime to increase protection of the coral reef ecosystem of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and provide for sustainable use of the area; and

WHEREAS, as a result of these recommendations, on December 4, 2000, Executive Order 13178 established the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve (Reserve), including submerged lands and waters of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, extending approximately 1,200 nautical miles long and 100 nautical miles wide; and

WHEREAS, the Reserve is adjacent to and seaward of the seaward boundaries of the State of Hawaii and the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, and overlays the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge to the extent that it extends beyond the seaward boundaries of the State of Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, the Reserve is to be managed to facilitate coordination among federal and state agencies and other entities, as appropriate; and

WHEREAS, the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary), in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior and the Governor of Hawaii, is to develop a Reserve Operations Plan to govern the management of the Reserve; and

WHEREAS, after considering input from the Secretary of the Interior and Governor of the State of Hawaii, the Secretary is to establish a twenty-four member Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve Council, including one representative from the State of Hawaii as appointed by the Governor, to provide advice and recommendations on the Reserve Operations Plan and designation and management of any sanctuary; and

WHEREAS, the Secretary must provide a progress report on the implementation of the Executive Order to the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality within one year from the date of the Executive Order; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service currently manages eight islands (not including Midway and Kure Atolls) as the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge; and

WHEREAS, Midway Atoll is an unincorporated U.S. possession and is not part of the State of Hawaii, and the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge is managed by Midway Phoenix Corporation as an ecotourism business, under a long-term contract with the Fish and Wildlife Service; and

WHEREAS, Kure Atoll is under the management of the State Department of Land and Natural Resources as a state wildlife refuge; and

WHEREAS, with the exception of some tourism on Midway Atoll, there is limited human activity currently taking place in the Reserve; and

WHEREAS, only one fishery (bottomfish) is currently active in federal waters of the Reserve, two additional Fishery Management Plans for crustaceans (lobster) and precious corals, are not currently active, and there is limited recreational fishing in the area; and

WHEREAS, the National Marine Fisheries Service regulates fishing from the outer boundary of State waters out to two hundred nautical miles from shore, based on fishery management plans recommended by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council; and

WHEREAS, federal and state agencies conduct activities, such as research, monitoring, and enforcement, to fulfill their management responsibilities for federal and state resources, including the Midway Atoll and Hawaiian Island National Wildlife Refuges, the state wildlife refuge on Kure, and to help protect and recover protected, threatened, and endangered species; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-First Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2001, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) is requested to keep the Legislature apprised of the development of the Reserve Operations Plan; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DLNR, with the assistance of the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, is requested to clarify the role of the State in any specific management responsibilities, and in any potential tourism, recreational, and commercial activities within the Reserve; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DLNR shall submit a report of its findings to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2002; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Chairman of the Board of Land and Natural Resources and the Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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