STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2645

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2737

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water, Land, and Agriculture, to which was referred S.B. No. 2737 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MARINE INVERTEBRATES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to prohibit the commercial taking or sale of female ula (spiny lobster), Kona crab, and Samoan crab.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Conservation Council for Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that the number of ula (spiny lobsters), Kona crabs, and Samoan crabs have declined over the years, and it appears that the overharvesting of female ula, Kona crabs, and Samoan crabs has contributed to the decline. This measure prohibits the commercial taking and sale of female ula, Kona crabs, and Samoan crabs.

At the hearing, your Committee noted testimony from the Department of Land and Natural Resources requesting that this measure be amended to prohibit any taking of female ula, Kona Crabs, and Samoan crabs, regardless of whether the taking was for commercial or recreational purposes. After careful consideration, your Committee finds that this amendment would help to replenish the overall population of ula, Kona crabs, and Samoan crabs. Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by prohibiting any person from taking or killing female ula, Kona crabs, or Samoan crabs.

Your Committee has further amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting section 2 of this measure, as laws supercede any administrative rule to the contrary; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, and Agriculture that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2737, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2737, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water, Land, and Agriculture,

____________________________

RUSSELL S. KOKUBUN, Chair