Fish plan doesn’t hold water
Fish plan doesn’t hold water
Palikapu Dedman’s plan to replenish fish within the Kaupulehu Marine Reserve by relocating fish from another area is akin to using one credit card to pay off another. When using one credit card to pay another, you end up with the same amount of credit card debt, only now you owe a different bank.
When you take fish from one part of the reef to replenish another area, you end up with the same amount of fish, and probably less, because not all fish will survive capture and relocation. There are studies that go back over 10 years that provide strong evidence that closing small areas to fishing results in not only an increased fish population within the protected areas, but also in areas adjacent to the protected areas (see “Evaluation of the effectiveness of Fishery Replenishment Areas in West Hawaii with recommendations toward the establishment of an MPA”, Tissot, Walsh, and Hallacher, 2004).
If we wish for our grandchildren and great-grandchildren to have sustainable fish stocks in future years, we need to limit our take today, and provide protected areas, like Kaupulehu Marine reserve, today.
Art Tarsa
Kailua-Kona
Learn about Gold Star
In 1936, then President Roosevelt established the last Sunday in September as Gold Star Mother’s Day (now know as Gold Star Family Day).
I hope that on this Sept. 25, we all honor and pay our respects to our Gold Star mothers and fathers, wives, husbands, sisters, brothers and children of our fallen heroes!
You can see the special pin that they wear, or maybe the special dog tags that bear the picture and name of their fallen — or look for their special Gold Star license plate. One can never know the depth of their ultimate sacrifice! We can only say thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Our Kona Gold Star families are very active in the community, helping other veterans and their families. Also volunteering with the active duty and the USO.
So please take a moment and educate yourself about the history of the Gold Star mother. And to the contrary, you are not a Gold Star wife if your husband was not killed in action.
With great respect,
Gaylene Hopson
Kailua-Kona
Wondering about weeds and work
The median strip on Henry Street going makai from Palani Road consistently has more weeds than flowers. Approximately 100 feet from the median weed patch is the street entrance to Safeway, where, more times than not, a seemingly healthy looking person stands or sits with a sign requesting a handout.
Wouldn’t it be nice if monies from any of the county’s pCard slush fund could be used to pay a homeless (?) person to pick weeds? Of course, standing or sitting beats weeding any day.
William Ludwick
Kailua-Kona