Time to protect reef wildlife; sign bill

Nearly 50 years ago, Gov. John Burns’ administration decided that the environmental impacts of commercial aquarium collection of reef wildlife’s should be studied before more was taken. Gov. George Ariyoshi reversed that decision, saying that environmental impacts could be assessed after wildlife extraction had begun. So the public, reef wildlife and a fragile ecosystem have waited 45 years. Instead of assessment, we got excuses, hollow claims that commercial extraction is “sustainable” — and scarcity.

Decades of public outcry yield continuing frustration with the status quo. Many have witnessed the dramatic declines in reef health and wildlife — valuable public trust assets — and failure by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) to meet its constitutional mandate to protect natural resources.

In an exhaustive process, the state Legislature took an unusual step and passed Senate Bill 1240, to phase out the commercial aquarium trade. The bill is not the ban widely called for but a successful compromise that will grandfather in existing permitted commercial aquarium collectors, prohibit new permits and have DLNR propose catch limits and define “sustainable” for the Legislature to consider in 2019.

The bill was amended to address DLNR opposition and should have the added benefit of promoting more public discussion about how to manage existing collection practices and impacts as well as how to protect the existing collectors in 2019. The bill means no one gets hurt, reefs and wildlife get protection, discussion is possible.

Survey data for West Hawaii show overwhelming support for SB 1240. Global data is also clear. In protected areas, reef species show recovery. Unprotected areas show declines for all targeted species, dramatic declines for some. Most reefs, like Oahu, have no survey data but reef wildlife scarcity is painfully evident.

Much of what DLNR says in opposition to SB 1240 makes no sense and conflicts with other statements. For example, DLNR staffers say it will cost $10 million to define sustainability, but they say the commercial aquarium trade in Hawaii is “sustainable” already.

When asked in legislative public hearings, DLNR staff admitted there are no rules prohibiting DLNR staff and leadership from having financial ties to the commercial aquarium collection industry itself, even permittees can work for and/or run the programs or DLNR itself, as has been and may still be the case.

These ethical conflicts, if not prohibited, should be disclosed. They could explain a lot.

Those opposed to SB 1240 might throw around the word “science” to justify their 45-year, entrenched position, but what they really mean is they support the status quo: no definition of sustainable, no limit to the number of permittees or animals per permittee that can be extracted per day, no public discussion, pretty much no survey data outside West Hawaii, no meaningful regulation, no programs developed, no studies of the environmental impacts under HRS Chapter 343, no enforcement.

SB 1240 is consistent with popular concepts like the Sustainable Hawaii Initiative, the Paris Accord and Malama Honua — and comes on the heels of the return of the Hokule‘a and Hikianalia, nearly a year after the World Conservation Congress came to the shores of Hawaii. It is perhaps the first and only bill this year that could give meaning to those concepts with action.

How lucky, a bill that harms no one but will protect reef wildlife for generations to come. If not this, what does malama honua mean?

Jessica Wooley runs ‘Aina Aloha Consulting. She is a former state representative and former director of the state Office of Environmental Quality Control.