For Hawaii fishermen who ply the waters northwest of Kauai, expansion of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument may greatly boost their chances of scoring fresh ahi, opah and other choice fish for the dinner table and local markets.
With the expansion, industrial longline fishing ships would no longer be able to deploy up to 3,000 hooks and 40 miles of line — each — in U.S. waters surrounding the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Small local fishers, however, would still be able to fish up to Middle Bank, and under U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz’s proposal, NOAA Buoy Station 51101 — the practical limit for almost all launching even from Kauai’s west side.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that removing tens of thousands of hooks from the immediately adjacent areas means much more fish available and repopulation of declining stocks.
Longliners, crewed by foreign workers, compete with local fishers.
Joel T. Mark
Punchbowl
‘Conservation’ will deny us right to fish
Why are we so willing to give up our resources without a fight?
Whether it’s in the name of conservation or for the benefit of our future generations, any expansion of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument will limit our access to our ocean and prohibit fishing. Permanently.
How is giving up our ocean so that my children and grandchildren cannot access the ocean that I currently fish in a benefit for them?
We understand and appreciate that we are the stewards of our ocean, so we fish responsibly. I want to teach my children and grandchildren to take care of our resources so that they will take care of us.
Before we agree to any “conservation” efforts, I hope people understand that any expansion of the monument ultimately means we will not have access to our ocean.
Stefanie Sakamoto
Co-owner, Fishing Tales with Mike Sakamoto
Mililani
Rail delay by lawsuit was city’s own fault
Former Star-Bulletin editor Carl Zimmerman continues to make excuses for the rail debacle and tries once again to pass off blame for the runaway costs on opponents who filed lawsuits against the project (“High rail costs easy to explain,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, June 24).
Here are the facts: There were two lawsuits filed: one in federal court, the other in state court. Only the latter resulted in a ruling that delayed construction. Plaintiff Paulette Kaleikini had argued that rail construction be enjoined because of the city’s failure to complete the archaeological inventory survey required by state law.
The Hawaii Supreme Court agreed, ruling that the city failed to comply with HRS Chapter 6E, effectively stopping construction until the archaeological inventory was complete. Construction was delayed for nearly one year.
Kaleikini did not violate the law — the city did. So why does Zimmerman, an experienced journalist, blame her for the delay?
Ben Cayetano
Waialae Iki Ridge
Timeline to install AC in schools unrealistic
Hawaii homeowners know that contracted home improvement projects can take weeks, months and even longer.
Consultation with multiple sales personnel and project estimators is a necessary, time-consuming educational process to ensure that the homeowner’s needs and expectations are met. The complaint history of licensed contractors and craft personnel must be reviewed to avoid poor performance. Building codes must be followed and building permits must be approved before construction begins.
After selecting a contractor, equipment and material must be ordered and the project placed on a work schedule. Completed projects need to be inspected to ensure that all building codes and contract specifications were met.
Considering the various steps that need to be followed, the governor’s plan to cool 1,000 classrooms in one year is unrealistic. The logistical limitation issue is separate from the over-budget contract bids.
A realistic phased-in cooling plan is needed. Rushing to meet the governor’s objective invites disaster.
John Tamashiro
Pearl City
Adjust school year to avoid hottest days
I have a simple solution to the hot classroom problem.
When I was in elementary school during the 1950s, heat in the classrooms was not a problem because the school year did not start until after Labor Day.
There may have been a few days on either side of the school year that were warm, but it was not for weeks on end. The buildings were not built with air conditioning because it was not needed.
Adjust the present school year to what it used to be, and avoid spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to retrofit the buildings with air conditioning. Don’t say it can’t be done because if the school year was moved forward by several weeks, it also could be moved back. All that money saved could instead be used to buy better educational materials and equipment.
Jerald Takesono
Kaneohe
FROM THE FORUM
“Schools see trees as a cool solution for hot classrooms” Star-Advertiser, June 20:
>> This is one “no brainer” program for the school system. Let’s get the funds together and plant as many trees as possible. Sooner the better.
>> Trees also can damage foundations, water pipes, sewer lines and roofs. Who is going to pick up after the trees and trim them? Where is the money going to come from? Trees cost a lot of money to maintain and I know the city and state do not have a good track record concerning maintenance of grass or landscaping.
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“Bishop Museum backs out of hosting feather work exhibit” Star-Advertiser, June 20:
>> Bishop Museum somehow found enough money to host the stupid shark exhibit with big cardboard models the kids enjoy being scared by. But the museum can’t find money to host the uniquely Hawaiian featherwork exhibit? What an absurd choice of resource allocation. Museum management made a terrible decision.
>> What, if not a Hawaiian royalty feather garment and symbol exhibit, should Bishop Museum display?
>> Bishop Museum is victim of a disease that has spread through the museum world that museums are here to entertain, not to educate, and that the bottom line is served by running things as a business.
“Mayor allows financing bills to pass” Star-Advertiser, June 21:
>> I believe this is the mayoral equivalent of voting “yes with reservations.”
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“Hot construction market thwarts cool-schools goal” Star-Advertiser, June 22:
>> Just because our governor said to cool 1,000 classrooms by December doesn’t mean he knew what this would entail. Typically, elected bureaucrats shoot from the hip, pick a number sounding good to voters, then spin the blame a thousand ways when their goal isn’t met.
>> Don’t blame the contractors, for all they do is price the jobs to generate a profit on a competitive basis. The contractors spend time and resources to prepare a bid and hope they are the low bidder.
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“City to convert Iwilei low-rise into hub for homeless” Star-Advertiser, June 22:
>> The homeless were kicked into these areas from Waikiki, and then Kakaako. The “hub” should be built in Waikiki and Kakaako. And Manoa. And Hawaii Kai. And Kailua. And Mililani. It’s time to stop using Waianae and Kalihi as the state’s dumping grounds.
>> Homeless prefer to live and camp near such facilities, so yes, Mayor Kirk Caldwell has indirectly designated the neighborhood as the place for them to come.
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“Rail cost could be nearly $3 billion above current estimates” Star-Advertiser, June 23:
>> Remote possibility. Yeah, right. They’re just starting to try and soften us up to getting used to hearing $10 billion.
>> If rail is built all the way to Ala Moana, $10.79 billion is too generous. I believe $12-$16 billion is more realistic. The city and Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation have been purposely lowballing and giving the public “best case” scenarios.
>> More wild guesses from all the uneducated cost estimators.
>> You can call it “wild” guesses, but my “guess” is already closer than the $3.7 billion that was projected by rail experts to build from Kapolei to Manoa. The uneducated cost estimators have been right so far while the rail experts have been abject failures.
>> Imagine what else could have been done with that money.
“High AC bids lead lawmaker to ask the AG to investigate” Star-Advertiser, June 24:
>> I think the state has been such a cash cow for vendors for so long that outrageous bids are the norm.
>> Sounds like rail.
