HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	83
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES TO WORK WITH THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION AND OTHER EXPERTS TO CONDUCT A STUDY ON THE POPULATION STATUS OF CORAL REEF HERBIVORES AROUND THE ISLAND OF OAHU AND DEVELOP EFFECTIVE POLICIES FOR SUBSTANTIALLY increasing THOSE POPULATIONS WITHIN A DECADE.

WHEREAS, coral reefs provide extremely valuable ecosystem goods and services for the people of Hawaii, including habitats for nearshore fisheries; opportunities for various tourism and recreational activities; and coastal protection from waves, storms, and erosion as sea levels rise; and

WHEREAS, reefs are also fundamental to the fabric of local communities, providing a source of food, materials, and traditional activities; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii's coral reefs generate over $800 million per year in gross revenues, and the estimated total economic value of coral reefs in the main Hawaiian Islands exceeds $33 billion; and

WHEREAS, many reefs around the island of Oahu have been degraded from poor land use practices and are dominated by dead coral covered by seaweeds; and

WHEREAS, the maintenance and recovery of coral reefs require abundant and diverse herbivores, which are fishes that eat seaweeds, such as parrotfishes (uhu), surgeonfishes (e.g., kala, kole, manini), and chubs (nenue); and

WHEREAS, parrotfishes are also known producers of sand that replenishes beaches; and

WHEREAS, abundant and diverse herbivores are known to keep reef surfaces clean so that corals can flourish; and

WHEREAS, the depletion of herbivores results in reefs being dominated by seaweeds rather than corals, thus reducing fishing and other recreational, commercial, and traditional cultural opportunities; and

WHEREAS, the population of coral reef herbivores around Oahu is the lowest in the State, existing at below five percent of its potential; and

WHEREAS, ever-increasing ocean warming has caused coral bleaching events that kill corals and are predicted to occur every year in Hawaii before the year 2040; and

WHEREAS, reefs that bleach are known to recover more quickly and fully when herbivores exist in abundance; and

WHEREAS, existing statewide fishing rules concerning herbivores may be insufficient to replenish herbivore populations around Oahu before coral bleaching becomes an annual event; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is requested to:

(1) Work with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and other experts to conduct a study on the population status of individual species and families of coral reef herbivores around Oahu, prioritizing uhu and kala; and

(2) Conduct an analysis of policies and strategies to substantially increase the populations of coral reef herbivores around Oahu within a decade; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than December 1, 2024; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources and Director of the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Coral Reef Herbivores; Study; DLNR