Support the proposed Ocean Stewardship Fees this week
The Department of Land and Natural Resources is hosting public meetings across the islands this week regarding the proposed Ocean Stewardship Fees and we encourage you to join virtually or in-person to provide verbal testimony. Written testimony will also be accepted through Friday, August 4. Details and sample message below.
The proposed Ocean Stewardship Fees would require a $1 ocean user fee for each customer of a commercial vessel, watercraft, or water sports equipment operator and the revenue generated would be put towards a special fund to support marine conservation, mitigation, and protection programs, with a portion designated to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. With millions of people visiting and enjoying our ocean waters every year, when implemented, this fee has the potential to generate $1,000,000 - $3,000,000 annually to be invested in Hawaiʻi's irreplaceable marine resources.
Upcoming public meetings
Maui, Molokaʻi, and Lānaʻi – Tuesday, July 25, 2023, 5:30-8:30pm
Online via Zoom - register here
In-person at:
Maui DAR Office, 130 Mahalani Street, Wailuku, Hawaiʻi 96793
Kūlana ʻŌiwi, 600 Maunaloa Highway, Kaunakakai, Hawaiʻi 96748
Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation – Lānaʻi Office, Mānele Small Boat Harbor, Mānele Harbor Road, Lānaʻi City, Hawaiʻi 96763
Hawai‘i island – Wednesday, July 26, 2023, 5:30-8:30pm
Online via Zoom - register here
In-person at:
Aupuni Center Conference Room, 101 Pauahi Street, Suite #1, Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720
West Hawai‘i Civic Center – Community Meeting Hale, 74-5044 Ane Keohokālole Highway, Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i 96740
Oʻahu and Kauaʻi – Thursday, July 27, 2023, 5:30-8:30pm
Online via Zoom - register here
In-person:
Stevenson Middle School Cafeteria, 1202 Prospect Street, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi 96822
Līhuʻe Neighborhood Center, 3353 ʻEono Street, Līhuʻe, Hawaiʻi 96766
Written comments
Written comments can be submitted via email or mail by Friday, August 4, 2023 to DLNR.Aquatics@hawaii.gov or Division of Aquatic Resources, 1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 330, Honolulu, HI 96813
Sample message
Aloha Chair Chang and members of the BLNR,
The Ocean Stewardship Fees have the potential to generate much needed funds to support Hawaiʻi’s marine conservation and protection, and importantly the Department of Land and Natural Resources’s work in doing such work.
I support the proposed rules and kindly suggest that a portion of the fees be used to support community-based marine resource management and/or support increasing the Division of Aquatic Resources’s capacity to collaborate directly with communities.
Thank you for this opportunity to testify on this important matter.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
The Ocean Stewardship Fees have been a long time coming and we are excited to finally see it coming to fruition (read more about how we got here in the July Mālama). We encourage you to participate in the public meetings and submit written comments to help unlock a transformative revenue source to provide our islands’ invaluable nearshore environment with much needed and much more meaningful management and protection. Your personal insights and perspectives on the value of our beaches, reefs, and ocean waters can help to shape the final outcome and secure a healthier ocean for generations to come.