THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	104
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE 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 DEPLETED CORAL REEF HERBIVORES AROUND THE ISLAND OF OAHU AND DEVELOP EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVE POLICIES FOR SUBSTANTIALLY REPLENISHING THOSE POPULATIONS WITHIN A DECADE.

WHEREAS, coral reefs provide extremely valuable ecosystem goods and services for the people of Hawaii, including habitat for nearshore fisheries, opportunities for various tourism and recreational activities, coastal protection from waves, storms, and erosion as sea level rises; 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 $800,000,000 per year in gross revenues, with coral reefs in the main Hawaiian Islands having an estimated total economic value of over $33,000,000; and

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

WHEREAS, maintenance and recovery of coral reefs requires abundant and diverse herbivores, which are fishes that eat seaweeds, including parrotfishes (uhu), surgeon fishes (kala, kole, manini, etc.), chubs (nenue), and others; and

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

WHEREAS, abundant and diverse populations of coral reef herbivores are known to keep reef surfaces clean so corals may flourish; and

WHEREAS, declining coral reef herbivore populations result in reefs dominated by seaweeds rather than corals, reducing fishing opportunities and impacting other goods and services; and

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

WHEREAS, coral reef herbivores are frequently targets of spearfishing at night around the island of Oahu when the fish are inactive and highly vulnerable, resulting in unsustainable exploitation and unreported catch; and

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

WHEREAS, reefs that bleach are known to recover more quickly and fully when coral reef herbivores are abundant; and

WHEREAS, current statewide herbivore fishing rules are insufficient to replenish herbivore populations around the island of Oahu before coral bleaching becomes an annual event; now, therefore,

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

(1) With support from 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 the island of Oahu, prioritizing the severely depleted uhu and kala populations; and

(2) Conduct an analysis of alternative policies for substantially replenishing populations of coral reef herbivores around the island of Oahu within the 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 Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources and Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Department of Land and Natural Resources; Board of Land and Natural Resources; Coral Reefs; Coral Reef Herbivores; Conservation