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THE SENATE                           S.R. NO.              
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  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
35   develop the business of fish fingerling production; and
36   
37        WHEREAS, the AFRC could ideally serve as a transition
38   facility to take over fry/seed production from the Oceanic

 
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                                  S.R. NO.              
                                                        
                                                        

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