In honor of World Oceans Day on Tuesday, June 8, Hawai'i Gov. David Ige signed nine bills intended to protect local marine life through regulations that will lead to an increase in tourism taxes.
“A lot of these bills have been many, many years in the making,” state Rep. Nicole Lowen (D-North Kona) said at a press conference covered by Big Island Now.
The legislation will enforce efforts to combat a series of issues that affect Hawaiian marine life, such as shark hunting and increased tourism in areas surrounding the ocean.
A user fee of $1 per person, collected by commercial ocean operators providing vessel-based activities to passengers or vessel-free services to customers, will begin on Jan. 1, 2024, according to Big Island Now. Additional fees such as land-lease revenues will contribute to the fund, the media outlet reported.
The funding will assist with the state's implementation of Holomua: Marine 30x30 Initiative, Ige's commitment to effectively manage Hawai‘i’s nearshore waters by 2030. Hawai'i’s Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) is leading this marine initiative as part of a comprehensive strategy launched in 2016.
Big Island Now reported that House Bill 1016 (HB1016) will allow the DLNR to issue a Commercial Marine Vessel License for everyone onboard a vessel. Serving as a hunting limitation, HB1017 will prohibit the killing of female spiny lobsters, Kona, and Samoan crabs, with similar enforcements made through HB772 and HB553.
HB1018 will enforce net permit regulations, the news outlet reported, and HB1019 will contribute to the creation of an Ocean Stewardship Special Fund, gathered through a visit fee. Similarly, HB1023 will charge visitors who want to fish.
“Hundreds of millions of visitors have enjoyed our magnificent ocean resources for decades without directly contributing to the management and protection of them,” DLNR Chair Suzanne Case said at Tuesday's press conference. “This new fund provides a framework to collect fees from visitors who use our waters.”
HB1020 and HB1022 are directed at the Board of Land and Natural Resources “to implement effective measures to cope with the impact of sporadic weather, such as size and bag limits, closed seasons and gear restrictions when needed in extraordinary situations,” effective on Oct. 1, Big Island Now reported.
In addition to the new user fees, the news report stated, several organizations will also contribute to the fund, including state land-lease revenues from the use of lands, facilities and equipment operated by the DLNR.