Senate Concurrent Resolution 122 is a bill 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, Hawaii. The resolution aims to develop effective alternative policies to substantially replenish these populations within a decade.
Coral reefs are important for Hawaii as they provide valuable ecosystem goods and services. They offer habitat for nearshore fisheries, opportunities for tourism and recreational activities, and coastal protection from waves, storms, and erosion. Additionally, coral reefs are crucial to local communities, providing food, materials, and traditional activities. In terms of economics, coral reefs in Hawaii generate over $800 million per year in gross revenues, with an estimated total economic value of over $33 million.
However, many reefs around Oahu are degraded due to poor land use practices, resulting in dead coral covered by seaweeds. To maintain and recover coral reefs, it is essential to have abundant and diverse herbivores, which are fishes that eat seaweeds. These herbivores include parrotfishes, surgeonfishes, chubs, and others. Parrotfishes are also significant as they contribute to the production of sand that replenishes beaches.
Abundant and diverse populations of coral reef herbivores help keep reef surfaces clean, allowing corals to flourish. Declining populations of these herbivores result in reefs dominated by seaweeds instead of corals, which reduces fishing opportunities and impacts other goods and services. Around Oahu, the abundance of coral reef herbivores is five percent below its potential, the lowest in the State. Additionally, these herbivores are frequently targeted during night spearfishing, resulting in unsustainable exploitation and unreported catch.
Furthermore, with the increasing ocean warming, coral bleaching events that kill corals are predicted to occur annually in Hawaii before 2040. Reefs that experienced bleaching recover more quickly and fully when there is an abundance of coral reef herbivores.
The resolution recognizes that current statewide herbivore fishing rules are insufficient to replenish herbivore populations around Oahu before coral bleaching becomes an annual event. Therefore, the bill requests the Department of Land and Natural Resources, in collaboration with experts, to conduct a study on the population status of individual species and families of coral reef herbivores around Oahu, with a focus on the severely depleted uhu and kala populations. The department is also asked to analyze alternative policies to substantially replenish coral reef herbivore populations within a decade.
The Department of Land and Natural Resources is further requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature by December 1, 2024.
Overall, this bill aims to address the depletion of coral reef herbivores around Oahu and develop effective strategies to replenish these populations, recognizing the importance of coral reefs to the Hawaiian ecosystem, economy, and local communities.
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