SUBHEAD: We needa public hearing on Hawaii Oceanic Technology's Permit for 247 acre fishfarm.
Image above: A science fiction illustration for War of the Worlds. Source unknown.
Want to know a secret? About three miles off of Kawaihae, on the Big Island, a company wants 247 acres of your ocean to put 12 huge untethered cages to grow 6,000 tons of tuna -- mostly for export to the Mainland and Japan. It isn't actually a secret, but with the lack of public hearings held so far, you'd think it was. Before the next agency in line gives the green light for a corporation to pollute Hawaiian waters, tell them to hold a public hearing. You can write the Army Corps of Engineers for a hearing here:
Amy Klein, Project Manager Army Corps of Engineers Building 230 Fort Shaffer, HI 96858 Fax:(808) 438-4060 You can also request that public hearings be held on this issue by going to this website: (http://action.foodandwaterwatch.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4132) They suggest the following kind of testimony:
I am writing to urge you to hold a public hearing before issuing a permit to Hawaii Oceanic Technology, Inc.'s (HOTI) proposed industrial tuna operation off the North Kohala Coast on Hawai`i Island. The company has failed to adequately reach out to the public. Many community members are just learning about the proposal now, even though a conditional Conservation District Use Permit has already been granted. At the board meeting for the CDUP permit, a condition was for HOTI to hold community meetings. To my knowledge, they still have not done so. For many residents near the Kohala coast, the first time they heard of the project was at a meeting organized by Councilmember Pete Hoffman in April. Such industrial ocean aquaculture operations have wreaked havoc on the marine environment elsewhere and could cause significant harm to Hawaiian waters if more companies are allowed to open up shop here - especially one of HOTI's magnitude. Please give the community a chance to voice their opinions by holding a public hearing in Kohala before proceeding in the permitting process. Please notify me of your decision, and mahalo for your consideration.See also:
Island Breath: Something Fishy 7/12/08
Ea O Ka Aina: Kauai Shrimp Waste Dump 3/19/10
Ea O Ka Aina: Shrimp Effluent Permit 3/12/10
Island Breath: Kauai Shrimp to dump in ocean 8/21/06
Island Breath: Kauai's Crustacean Crisis 4/23/04 .
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