Letters 9-21-13

Big Island’s resources being depleted

I agree with Dennis Gregory’s comment of Sept. 13 in West Hawaii Today regarding the depletion of our oceans and destruction of the reefs. All you have to do is go snorkeling at Puako, Beach 69 or Hapuna. You will wonder, as I did: “Where are the fish?” You can count the number of yellow fish on one hand, and algae is starting to cover the coral. This island has sold out to the aquarium trade — politics and greed are winning.

The Big Island’s beauty and natural resources are being depleted. Please go to forthefishes.org or Snorkel Bob’s Facebook page and get involved.

Here is an actual legal report of fish that your Big Island politicians allow to be taken every year:

2012 reported Aquarium take between Kahole Point and Malae Point/North Kohala:

Yellow tangs: 109,405; clown, Kole, achilles tang: 14,700. Total of all varieties: 184,056 fish just on our Kohala coast.

They are not even leaving enough reef fish to reproduce; how foolish this is, and very sad for our island.

Marilyn Nishi

Waikoloa

Let’s look at
the good news

Whatever happened to aloha? I am really disappointed in the level of negativity in the letters lately: Ban this, outlaw that, things are worse than ever, the president who can’t get anything done is a dictator, and we the people should be able to deprive minorities of their rights by majority vote.

It’s time for a reality check: Crime is down, life expectancy is up, unemployment is down, the stock market is up, traffic fatalities are down, air and water are cleaner, America is still one of the five top manufacturing nations and one of the top five exporting nations with 47 of the top 50 universities. Thanks to fracking, America is on its way being energy independent, and the Supreme Court has ruled: rights are unalienable, even yours.

Ken Obenski

Kaohe