Political

Monk Seals in Congress

Friday, February 5th, 2010

Last week, the Hawaii State legislature took a stand for the endangered Hawaiian monk seal. In 2009, three seals were found dead and ruled to be intentional killings, two off of Kauai in April and May and the other off of Molokai on Dec. 14. One of the Kauai seal’s killer was arrested and convicted but spent 90 days in jail and paid a $25 fine. Molokai’s seal killer has not been found.

"Passing this legislation will send a message that the people of Hawai'i will not stand by and allow individuals to take their anger out on innocent animals," said Senator Gary Hooser in a statement.

Sen. Hooser (7th Senatorial District) introduced SB 2441 that would increase the penalty for harming or killing an Hawaiian monk seal and other endangered species from a misdemeanor to a Class-C felony. That means if the Kauai seal perpetrator had been arrested under this law, he would face up to a $100,000 fine and 40 years in prison.

State Representative Chris Lee (51st Representative District) introduced a companion bill in the house, HB 2767, to Hooser’s bill.

Other representatives are taking up the cause, introducing bills that would educate tourists to Hawaii’s beaches about Hawaiian monk seals, putting a public service announcement about endangered species on all in-bound Hawaii flights, and setting up an endangered species informational kiosk at Hawaii airports.

The bills are still in House and Senate committees, and have all passed at their first readings. More information can be found by searching for the bills at http://hawaii.gov/lrb/par/

FADs Not Going Out of Style

Friday, January 22nd, 2010

Molokai fishermen have been working hard in the last few weeks to find every channel possible to save one of their most important resources. Those who rely on the ocean for a living, also rely on Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) buoys.

Recently, the FADs around Molokai and neighboring islands have been disappearing at an alarming rate. While storms and rough surf can sometimes cause the buoys to break loose, more often than not the damage is caused by barges and tugboats. Local fisherman and state officials are teaming up to solve the problem.

“Things are always going to happen out there. I think, though, that we can work together to minimize our problem,” said FAD Program Supervisor Warren Cortez.

FADs were first installed in the waters around Hawaii in 1980 by the state’s Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR). Fish are naturally attracted to floating objects, so these buoys serve as fish magnets to save time for fishermen. There are currently over 50 FAD locations in Hawaii.

Molokai’s only state-sponsored buoy, the CC, was installed a few miles south of the island in 1985. The next closest buoy for Molokai’s fishermen is a weather buoy that is nearly 20 miles away from Kaunakakai. CC needed to be replaced only five times in its first 21 years, but in the past four years it has been knocked loose four different times.

“It’s an economics thing,” said fisherman Capt. Clay Ching. “If you can make a straight beeline to one spot rather than flipping a coin to decide where to go, you save a lot of fuel. Without the buoys it makes it much harder on everyone.”

Each time the buoy is dislodged it takes thousands of dollars and several months to replace. The CC was most recently knocked loose on Jan. 7 after only three months since it was last replaced. Cortez decided that because of the poor lifespan and the state’s budget crunch, he would have to consider not replacing it. 

“We do not blame him,” Molokai resident Matt Yamashita said. “The tug and barge’s irresponsibility and inability to be held accountable makes Molokai’s FAD a money drain for the state.”

Yamashita wrote a letter to Senator Kalani English, Representative Mele Carroll and Councilman Danny Mateo to see if they could help solve the problem at its roots. The letter was well received and eventually led to a meeting between Cortez and representatives from the tug and barge company.

Cortez said he learned about the barges’ routes at the meeting and now has a better idea of how to keep the FADs out of harm’s way. He said it was a step towards making the boats more accountable.

“At least now if they’re in the loop it’s hard for them to say they don’t know about it,” Cortez said.

Cortez said he plans on now discussing a new location for the buoy with Molokai’s fishermen to make sure it is in a location that makes sense. He hopes to have a new, safer buoy in the water in the next few months.

Ching wasn’t as optimistic. He said it was virtually impossible to hold the tug and barge company accountable. He believes that it may just be one captain who is going out of his way to intentionally hit the buoys.

“The barge has been going for years before without these problems,” Ching said. “It’s always the same story, the tug and barge guys aren’t very cooperative. They can go out of their way a half mile just to avoid the thing.”

Ching said the best solution would be investing in mid-water buoys, which serve the same purpose but rest 40-60 feet below sea level. The new buoys would be out of harm’s way, but the process is much more expensive. The investment may not be one that the state has the funds to make at this point.

Back to Work

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

As unemployment creeps toward 16 percent on Molokai, more than double the state’s average, government agencies are searching for solutions for a lost generation of jobs.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development office hosted a roundtable discussion last week with Molokai residents, asking for their suggestions. This office’s job is to help create or expand small businesses on Molokai.

got only a bird’s eye view of how our community leaders discuss the economy,” she said.

Lopez said during the meeting that retail businesses are declining on Molokai, while the cost of living keeps rising. However, she believed Molokai will find a way.

“We’re a people of resiliency,” Lopez said of Molokai.

This was also the first time Kalanianaole Hall is being used since renovations started in 2008. No blessing has been scheduled yet, said Stacy Crivello, member of Moloka`i Enterprise Community Governance Board and attendee of the roundtable discussion. She added the USDA needed a place to meet, and since they helped fund the renovations, she thought it was appropriate for them to use the hall.

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Who has benefited from USDA Rural Development?

Community Programs: Lanikeha Community Center, Na Pu`uwai Native Hawaiian Health Center, Molokai Community Health Center, Home Pumehana Senior Center, Kalanianaole Hall, Molokai Baptist Church Gym, All God’s Children Preschool, Molokai Land Trust, Maui County Fire Department and the Meth on Molokai film production.

Rural Business Enterprise Grants: Molokai Artisan Training Program, Aka`ula School, and Molokai Affordable Homes and Community Development Corp.

The office also has an energy efficiency program, home mortgage program, and water/environmental loan and grant programs.

How does one qualify?

There are 47 different programs run by the USDA to provide support to rural development. Below is an example of one type of grant and the qualifications included.

Example: Rural Business Opportunity Grant Program
Eligibility: government and the public (states, towns); non-profits; cooperatives
Funds are used to: identify business opportunities unique to rural communities -- such as export markets, provide or establish training centers and business support.
Funds are not used to: duplicate current services (however, they can be granted to expand support), fund political activities, buy real estate or aid in the construction of new buildings.
Usual criteria: Sustainability, major structural changes in local economy, long-term poverty or population decline.
No minimum amount, $50,000 maximum.

What does the USDA provide?

Three different payment options are presented.

Direct loan funds come from the federal government, to be repaid. Grants come from the federal government, not to be repaid. Guaranteed loan funds come from banks, and the USDA guarantees the loan.

More information can be found at their website, http://www.rurdev.usda.gov, or stopping by the office in Kaunakakai, next to Molokai Pizza Café. Information was provided by Irene Lam.