Geology Office of Governor Rick Essay

Your initiative in merging activities between Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Conservation International (CI), and the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation (HKL Castle) and in creating the Fisheries Enforcement Units will help sustain Hawaii's ecological, economic, and cultural well-being (as your yourself pointed out) in ensuring that valuable marine stock are responsibly fished and managed.

You are correct in presuming that the key to protecting Hawaii's fisheries is effective enforcement of laws, and that if you take care of the ocean will take care of you.

Healthy fisheries are important for local fishing communities, for aside from protecting the fish, we are what we eat.

Just as we are what we eat, the fish are too. And in a never-ending ecological cycle, our actions impact the state of the water, ipso the fish drink that water, ipso they become contaminated, and, again, ipso the food that we eat contaminates our system.

As far as I understand, your interest in the waters goes back to your childhood when you saw Lake Erie literally dry up due to pollution.

It is this that I am approaching you about for I know that you understand!

So much of the public attention focuses on water pollution through public littering, but little is known about the effects of plastic pollution on waters as a result of business operation.

The purpose of this letter is to both inform and to provide a call to action on the part of elected officials about the immediate dangers of plastic water disposal. There have indeed been significant improvements to environmentally friendly business practices. However, much still remains to be accomplished in regard to disposals of plastic in the ocean.

I have chosen Hawaaii as an examople because many large businesses are located within your borders.In addition, Hawaiii relies heavily on tourists income to finance and support state budgets. Our tourists are attracted to yur coastline, but if your beaches are polluted by plastic, many tourist may not return. In fact, word-of-mouth 'buzz' may discourage other tourists from visitng Hawaii. Economic implicaitons may be huge.

It is a pity that Hawaii suffers through this. Hawaii has a booming tourist trade. In short, the ways in which you can be impacted are the following:

environment damage caused by excess plastic disposal in the ocean.

financial implication for both State and businesses if disposal measures are not enacted immediately. Eventually, as evident by the BP oil spill, negative publicity on the part of businesses can have adverse consequences on both revenue and profit. (Also, research has proven that when pricing remains constant, consumers often purchase products from socially conscious and environmentally friendly companies).

Your own reputaiton as a dedicated 'Green-rights' activst

Any legislation that you create will have an enormous effect -- both good and bad - on future generations.

Please let plastic pollution not impede your good work. It is not only the fisheries that need to be addressed but plastic pollution too. Hawaii's valuable marine stock can be protected not only by controlled fishing methods, but also reducibly to the very water that they live in and drink. Hawaii's sea life is important. Hawaii's water is valuable. All f that needs to be protected.

I will be wiling to help you in whichever way I can.

I can be reached at. ____ or email me at ____ with any questions that you may have. Thank you.

Sincerely,

(Source: Hawaii Reporter: (May 26th, 2011) State, Non-Profits, Partner on Fisheries Enforcement

http://www.hawaiireporter.com/state-non-profits-partner-on-fisheries-enforcement/123.....