Jennifer Lopez Reavis of Kurtistown wrote that “possession limits and seasonal constraints recommended by this bill would make it impossible to operate our small business” and pointed to “an abundant supply of opihi here on the Big Island year round.”
BY JOHN BURNETT
STEPHENS MEDIA
jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com
HILO — The state Senate Judiciary and Labor Committee has delayed hearing a bill that would place restrictions on harvesting opihi.
The hearing on Senate Bill 2923, which was to have been held on Friday, has been rescheduled for Tuesday at 10 a.m. in Room 16 at the state capitol in Honolulu.
The measure is intended to help naturally replenish the population of the Hawaiian saltwater limpets, which are considered a local delicacy. If enacted, it would outlaw the taking of opihi from below the waterline, set seasons for opihi picking and limit the amount of opihi that can be taken for noncommercial purposes. It would also essentially ban opihi picking on the island of Oahu for five years.
Exempted from the law would be “any person exercising Native Hawaiian gathering rights and traditional practices as authorized by law, or as permitted by the Department of Land and Natural Resources.”
The bill has passed one of three required readings before the full Senate.
The measure has support of University of Hawaii marine biologists and The Nature Conservancy and the conditional support of the DLNR and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.
Testimony by The Nature Conservancy stated that “opihi have been severely depleted and are becoming increasingly difficult to find in the main islands, especially the larger sized opihi.” The environmental group would like restrictions to be even tighter, expressing concern that the legislation, as written, “now only applies to noncommercial harvests, with no bag limits whatsoever for commercial harvesting.”
Among those submitting testimony against the bill are opihi pickers and fishmongers.
Jennifer Lopez Reavis of Kurtistown wrote that “possession limits and seasonal constraints recommended by this bill would make it impossible to operate our small business” and pointed to “an abundant supply of opihi here on the Big Island year round.”
