HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

2001

THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

relating to restorative aquaculture.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 

     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that a 2021 study by The Nature Conservancy establishes that "[r]estorative aquaculture occurs when commercial or subsistence aquaculture provides direct ecological benefits to the environment, with the potential to generate net-positive environmental outcomes."  The legislature further finds that the term "restorative aquaculture" has been applied to the cultivation of seaweeds and bivalve species as both can benefit the ecosystem while potentially producing commercially valuable crops. 

     However, the question remains whether restorative aquaculture activities, such as the cultivation of seaweed and oysters, are feasible in the State.  Therefore, a feasibility study on restorative aquaculture is a crucial step to assess the potential benefits, risks, and impacts of restorative aquaculture activities in the State and to provide valuable information for decision-makers and stakeholders to make informed choices about whether to proceed with a restorative aquaculture initiative and how best to design and implement it.

     Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to:

     (1)  Require the department of agriculture's aquaculture development program to conduct a feasibility study to identify potential sites in the State for restorative aquaculture activities; and

     (2)  Make an appropriation.

     SECTION 2.  (a)  The department of agriculture's aquaculture development program shall conduct a feasibility study to identify potential sites in the State for restorative aquaculture activities.  

     (b)  The study shall include but not be limited to the following considerations:

     (1)  Identification of locations that are technically feasible to cultivate indigenous seaweed or bivalve species based on:

          (A)  The physical oceanographic conditions with respect to the equipment, cultivated species, and operator requirements;

          (B)  The environmental conditions that would be required for suitable growth of the cultivated species; and

          (C)  The marine spatial planning constraints with respect to existing marine sector infrastructure and activity, including the aggregation and integration of existing marine special planning data sets;

     (2)  Evaluation of legal issues related to ownership, carbon policy, and transfer of carbon rights, including the negotiation of any necessary legal agreements to register and sell offsets or credits and the legal authority of landowners to participate in market projects; and

     (3)  Exploration of the scope for beneficial interactions and relationships with local communities and fishing interests, including community-supported reforestation of near-shore areas and traditional fishpond sites of depleted seaweed and bivalve populations. 

     (c)  The department of agriculture shall submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2025.

     SECTION 3.  There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $300,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2024-2025 for the department of agriculture's aquaculture development program to conduct a feasibility study to identify potential sites in the State for restorative aquaculture activities.

     The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of agriculture for the purposes of this Act.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2024.

 

INTRODUCED BY:

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Report Title:

DOA; Aquaculture Development Program; Restorative Aquaculture; Feasibility Study; Report to the Legislature; Appropriation

 

Description:

Requires the Department of Agriculture's Aquaculture Development Program to conduct a feasibility study to identify potential sites in the State for restorative aquaculture activities.  Makes an appropriation.

 

 

 

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