| 47 | | - | SECTION 1. The legislature finds that loko ia, or traditional fishponds, offer a critical opportunity for realizing the promise of Hawaii's sustainable future, as loko ia represent a unique nexus of environmental, cultural, social, and economic benefits. According to the 2020 report entitled Loko Ia Needs Assessment, loko ia sit at the intersection of small-scale fisheries, regenerative economic and workforce development, and coastal ecosystem and community resiliency. Loko ia also offer opportunities to restore and revitalize cultural sites and practices; rebuild coastal and estuarine function; educate youth, residents, and visitors through experiential training; prepare for, and adapt to, the effects of climate change; and provide community food security and resiliency. The legislature also finds that although the United States Fish Commission documented that approximately six hundred eighty thousand pounds of seafood were delivered to Hawaii markets from more than one hundred fishponds in the early 1900s, fishpond production in Hawaii has steadily declined over the past one hundred years. By the late 1970s, only twenty-eight fishponds were suitable for production, and by 1985, only seven fishponds were in commercial or subsistence use. Fortunately, today in Hawaii, local communities and grassroots nonprofit organizations are working together across the State to restore traditional fishponds for cultural, educational, and food production purposes, but these efforts require support. The 1993 report, Governor's Task Force Report on Molokai Fishpond Restoration, reflected on hatcheries that once operated in Hawaii to support fishponds and called for the development of a hatchery. While this recommendation was never adopted, the legislature finds that the State now has a unique historical opportunity to develop a regenerative mullet hatchery program as part of a broader effort to restock fishponds while simultaneously supporting place-based and future-focused career and technical education and natural resource pathways in the department of education. The 2020 Loko Ia Needs Assessment revisits this still-critical need for a hatchery and opportunities to develop a hatchery facility and increase partnerships between practitioners and the State to visualize and plan for the further development of hatcheries for fishpond production and to provide training and certification pathways for aquaculture technicians and operators at fishponds. The legislature is aware that the Waianae coast received its name from the mullet that was once abundant along the coast. In Hawaiian, wai means water, and anae means large, fully grown mullet. Before water was diverted for sugar cane or housing developments, Waianae had many wetlands fed with brackish water, also known as muliwai. These wetlands and their connection to the ocean are essential for many marine species, including mullet, or amaama, that have different life stages in varied salinities. These fish were once produced in large amounts in Waianae because of these muliwai. Not only is the Hawaiian striped mullet symbolically significant to the community, but the fish is also a staple protein that is highly desirable to aquaculturists, particularly fish pond stewards, and has a long history in the community. The legislature further finds that the marine science learning center at Waianae high school currently has a functioning aquaculture facility with a saltwater well that has been the central focus of the science curriculum delivered for more than twenty-five years to students enrolled in the program. The location of the well, which is directly adjacent to the ocean, ensures a constant supply of saltwater for the well, an ecological condition that is essential to the continued success of a mullet hatchery program. In addition to the water, the marine science learning center also has a long history of engaging students in hands-on, work-based learning through work in an aquaculture facility. This facility is uniquely positioned to facilitate transmission of the skill sets necessary to produce sizable amounts of mullet fingerlings to supply fishponds and transition mullet through their life cycles, including the life cycles of future generations. The purpose of this Act is to: (1) Require the department of education to establish a native fish hatchery pilot program at Waianae high school; and (2) Appropriate funds for the pilot program. SECTION 2. (a) The department of education shall establish a native fish hatchery pilot program at Waianae high school to contribute to community sustainability efforts and develop a green workforce. (b) Under the pilot program, teachers shall be trained in the operation and management of a fish hatchery and translate the acquired concepts and skills into a curriculum to be delivered to students. (c) The department of education shall submit a report on the progress of the pilot program and any findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular sessions of 2023, 2024, and 2025. (d) The pilot program shall cease to exist on June 30, 2025. SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2022-2023 for the establishment of a native fish hatchery pilot program at Waianae high school; provided that the funds shall be used as follows: (1) $ for one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) hatchery manager position; (2) $ for two full-time equivalent (2.0 FTE) hatchery technicians; and (3) $ for the construction, operation, and maintenance of a hatchery, including the greenhouse structure to house the hatchery operations. The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act. SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2051. |
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| 47 | + | SECTION 1. The legislature finds that loko ia, or traditional fishponds, offer a critical opportunity for realizing the promise of Hawaii's sustainable future, as loko ia represent a unique nexus of environmental, cultural, social, and economic benefits. According to the 2020 report entitled Loko Ia Needs Assessment, loko ia sit at the intersection of small-scale fisheries, regenerative economic and workforce development, and coastal ecosystem and community resiliency. Loko ia also offer opportunities to restore and revitalize cultural sites and practices; rebuild coastal and estuarine function; educate youth, residents, and visitors through experiential training; prepare for, and adapt to, the effects of climate change; and provide community food security and resiliency. The legislature also finds that although the United States Fish Commission documented that approximately six hundred eighty thousand pounds of seafood were delivered to Hawaii markets from more than one hundred fishponds in the early 1900s, fishpond production in Hawaii has steadily declined over the past one hundred years. By the late 1970s, only twenty-eight fishponds were suitable for production, and by 1985, only seven fishponds were in commercial or subsistence use. Fortunately, today in Hawaii, local communities and grassroots nonprofit organizations are working together across the State to restore traditional fishponds for cultural, educational, and food production purposes, but these efforts require support. The 1993 report, Governor's Task Force Report on Molokai Fishpond Restoration, reflected on hatcheries that once operated in Hawaii to support fishponds and called for the development of a hatchery. While this recommendation was never adopted, the legislature finds that the State now has a unique historical opportunity to develop a regenerative mullet hatchery program as part of a broader effort to restock fishponds while simultaneously supporting place-based and future-focused career and technical education and natural resource pathways in the department of education. The 2020 Loko Ia Needs Assessment revisits this still-critical need for a hatchery and opportunities to develop a hatchery facility and increase partnerships between practitioners and the State to visualize and plan for the further development of hatcheries for fishpond production and to provide training and certification pathways for aquaculture technicians and operators at fishponds. The legislature is aware that the Waianae coast received its name from the mullet that was once abundant along the coast. In Hawaiian, wai means water, and anae means large, fully grown mullet. Before water was diverted for sugar cane or housing developments, Waianae had many wetlands fed with brackish water, also known as muliwai. These wetlands and their connection to the ocean are essential for many marine species, including mullet, or amaama, that have different life stages in varied salinities. These fish were once produced in large amounts in Waianae because of these muliwai. Not only is the Hawaiian striped mullet symbolically significant to the community, but the fish is also a staple protein that is highly desirable to aquaculturists, particularly fish pond stewards, and has a long history in the community. The legislature further finds that the marine science learning center at Waianae high school currently has a functioning aquaculture facility with a saltwater well that has been the central focus of the science curriculum delivered for more than twenty-five years to students enrolled in the program. The location of the well, which is directly adjacent to the ocean, ensures a constant supply of saltwater for the well, an ecological condition that is essential to the continued success of a mullet hatchery program. In addition to the water, the marine science learning center also has a long history of engaging students in hands-on, work-based learning through work in an aquaculture facility. This facility is uniquely positioned to facilitate transmission of the skill sets necessary to produce sizable amounts of mullet fingerlings to supply fishponds and transition mullet through their life cycles, including the life cycles of future generations. The purpose of this Act is to: (1) Require the department of education to establish a native fish hatchery pilot program at Waianae high school; and (2) Appropriate moneys for the pilot program. SECTION 2. (a) The department of education shall establish a native fish hatchery pilot program at Waianae high school to contribute to community sustainability efforts and develop a green workforce. (b) Under the pilot program, teachers shall be trained in the operation and management of a fish hatchery and translate the acquired concepts and skills into a curriculum to be delivered to students. (c) The department of education shall submit a report on the progress of the pilot program and any findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular sessions of 2023, 2024, and 2025. (d) The pilot program shall cease to exist on June 30, 2025. SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2022-2023 for the establishment of a native fish hatchery pilot program at Waianae high school; provided that the funds shall be used as follows: (1) $ for one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) hatchery manager position; (2) $ for two full-time equivalent (2.0 FTE) hatchery technicians; and (3) $ for the construction, operation, and maintenance of a hatchery, including the greenhouse structure to house the hatchery operations. The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act. SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2050. |
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