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THE SENATE                           S.C.R. NO.            
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION

  REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES TO
    RESUME FRY/SEED PRODUCTION AT THE ANUENUE FISHERIES
    RESEARCH CENTER.
 


 1        WHEREAS, the Department of Land and Natural Resources
 2   (DLNR) operates the Anuenue Fisheries Research Center (AFRC) at
 3   Sand Island on Oahu; and
 4   
 5        WHEREAS, the AFRC is engaged in aquaculture research,
 6   primarily in fish stock enhancement which seeks to increase the
 7   stock of ocean fish rather than in fry/seed production or the
 8   production of fish fingerlings in a fish farm setting; and
 9   
10        WHEREAS, fish farming is potentially more valuable to
11   Hawaii's economy than ocean fishing; and
12   
13        WHEREAS, the DLNR at one time did engage in fry/seed
14   production at the AFRC, but that activity was terminated a few
15   years ago in favor of research into fish stock enhancement; and
16   
17        WHEREAS, the Oceanic Institute, Hawaii's premier private
18   ocean sciences research entity, currently engages in fry/seed
19   production that supplies fish fingerlings to Hawaii fish
20   farmers to grow the fish commercially, although this activity
21   is not considered to be research by the Oceanic Institute; and
22   
23        WHEREAS, the Oceanic Institute reports that it is
24   currently at maximum capacity in producing fish fingerlings and
25   would like to end that line of activity; and
26   
27        WHEREAS, the goal of the State's aquaculture efforts
28   should be that fry/seed production activities be assumed by the
29   private commercial sector as part of the lucrative fish farming
30   business; and
31   
32        WHEREAS, a transition is needed between the Oceanic
33   Institute's fry/seed production and commercial fry/seed
34   production so that the commercial sector has time to fully

 
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                                  S.C.R. NO.            
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1   develop the business of fish fingerling production; and
 2   
 3        WHEREAS, the AFRC could ideally serve as a transition
 4   facility to take over fry/seed production from the Oceanic
 5   Institute until commercial production is able to supply the
 6   needs of Hawaii's aquaculture farmers who raise moi, awa, and
 7   mullet, which are the only species which presently can be bred
 8   and raised in fry/seed production; and
 9   
10        WHEREAS, fry/seed production activities compete with
11   aquaculture research activities for scarce resources, and at
12   this time Hawaii would benefit more from fry/seed production
13   because of the burgeoning commercial potential for fisheries to
14   produce popular edible fish; now, therefore 
15   
16        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
17   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2000, the House of
18   Representatives concurring, that the DLNR is requested to
19   resume fry/seed production at the Anuenue Fisheries Research
20   Center, with a view towards transitioning fish fingerling
21   production to commercial operations; and
22   
23        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the DLNR establish a plan for
24   the development of private commercial fry/seed production; and
25   
26        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
27   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the
28   Board of Land and Natural Resources and the Oceanic Institute.
29   
30 
31 
32 
33                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________