THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	88
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the University of Hawaii college of tropical agriculture and human resources to establish a saltwater aquaculture park at the waialee livestock experiment station.

 

 

     WHEREAS, saltwater aquaponics is a proposed isolated fish-rearing system that is similar to standard aquaponics, except that it uses bivalves, crustaceans, algae, or plankton to process the waste from saltwater fish; and

 

     WHEREAS, saltwater aquaponics is meant to eliminate the stresses that are put on local fisheries and environments by conventional fish farming practices; and

 

     WHEREAS, globally, saltwater aquaponic, aquaculture, and marine agriculture parks have been established; and

 

     WHEREAS, Mote Aquaculture Park in Florida, Cawthron Aquaculture Park in New Zealand, and the Gulf of Mexico Marine Aquaculture Park in Mississippi farm a variety of products including fish, shellfish, and algae; and

 

     WHEREAS, saltwater farming addresses the severe lack of freshwater and undesirable soil conditions for agricultural activities in coastal regions; and

 

     WHEREAS, saltwater, instead of freshwater, can be used to directly support a wide range of sustainable agricultural activities and enrich the soils in the coastal regions; and

 

     WHEREAS, food production consumes a large body of freshwater, and the lack of freshwater in Hawaii poses a grave challenge to food security; and

 

     WHEREAS, saltwater provides one option directly addressing this problem by proposing a radically different method of agriculture that does not depend on freshwater and thus relieves the existing strain on current freshwater supplies; and

 

     WHEREAS, tourism is Hawaii's largest industry, and visitors are increasingly looking for personal experiences during their stay; and

 

     WHEREAS, tourism offers farmers a way to diversify income; and

 

     WHEREAS, other states have linked their tourism industry with mariculture, one example being Maine which has a $8 million tourism industry; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2015, that the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources is requested to establish a saltwater aquaculture park at the Waialee Livestock Experiment Station; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources and the aquaculture park tenants are requested to integrate tourism into their mariculture operations; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Dean of the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

CTAHR; Saltwater Aquaculture Park