Catastrophic fish kill still scars Niihau diet

Catastrophic fish kill still scars Niihau dietBy Associated Press

FRICKEN DUH ! {rat poison and dead fish are related.}POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Mar 15, 2009LIHUE, Kauai » Niihau residents still are not eating fish months after thousands of dead fish washed ashore.The dead fish appeared in mid-January shortly after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service dumped rat poison on nearby Lehua island on behalf of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.Lehua is less than a mile north of Niihau, a privately owned island with a population of about 100.Niihau residents say they still have not been told whether the rat poison and dead fish are related.In the interim, they have avoided consuming fish, a diet staple.The state Department of Health issued an advisory in February urging residents on the private island not to eat fish from nearby waters."We still don't know what's happening," said Keith Robinson, a member of the family that owns Niihau. "We still don't know whether it is safe to eat fish, and we are still looking for an official statement."Robinson added that there are reportedly about a dozen monk seals who used to regularly visit the island and have recently "gone missing," while others appear "extremely sick."He said, however, that residents have not had a food shortage and have not been in serious need of food and supplies. A report posted on the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs Web site erroneously reported the island needed food, he said.Robinson said the island's supply barge arrived last weekend, and there was no such shortage of food or supplies."The supply line of food to Niihau is open, but the bottom line is the people have not been able to go back to eating fish. The Department of Health has not given us clearance," he added.Janice Okubo, Department of Health spokeswoman, said the department never actually issued a direct ban for eating fish on Niihau."It was an advisory; people need to use their own common sense and judgment," she said, when asked whether Niihau fishing could resume. "For us to do a ban and to enforce it, we would have to have really strong evidence."Ilei Beniamina, a part-time Niihau resident who is an assistant professor in counseling at Kauai Community College, believes residents are not getting enough vital nutrients that the fish once provided, such as protein and calcium."Our people depend on the ocean. The ocean is their Costco," said Beniamina.LIHUE, Kauai » Niihau residents still are not eating fish months after thousands of dead fish washed ashore.The dead fish appeared in mid-January shortly after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service dumped rat poison on nearby Lehua island on behalf of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.Lehua is less than a mile north of Niihau, a privately owned island with a population of about 100.Niihau residents say they still have not been told whether the rat poison and dead fish are related.In the interim, they have avoided consuming fish, a diet staple.The state Department of Health issued an advisory in February urging residents on the private island not to eat fish from nearby waters."We still don't know what's happening," said Keith Robinson, a member of the family that owns Niihau. "We still don't know whether it is safe to eat fish, and we are still looking for an official statement."Robinson added that there are reportedly about a dozen monk seals who used to regularly visit the island and have recently "gone missing," while others appear "extremely sick."He said, however, that residents have not had a food shortage and have not been in serious need of food and supplies. A report posted on the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs Web site erroneously reported the island needed food, he said.Robinson said the island's supply barge arrived last weekend, and there was no such shortage of food or supplies."The supply line of food to Niihau is open, but the bottom line is the people have not been able to go back to eating fish. The Department of Health has not given us clearance," he added.Janice Okubo, Department of Health spokeswoman, said the department never actually issued a direct ban for eating fish on Niihau."It was an advisory; people need to use their own common sense and judgment," she said, when asked whether Niihau fishing could resume. "For us to do a ban and to enforce it, we would have to have really strong evidence."Ilei Beniamina, a part-time Niihau resident who is an assistant professor in counseling at Kauai Community College, believes residents are not getting enough vital nutrients that the fish once provided, such as protein and calcium."Our people depend on the ocean. The ocean is their Costco," said Beniamina

Without further testing by DOH we will never know the cause of the fish kill and the two dead baby whales that washed up on the shores of Kauai and Niihau. The health and safety of the public mandates such a test yet the State balks at the $15,000 price tag. This is a wise use of taxpayer money yet the State refuses to do this. The ocean is used extensively by the residents of both islands for subsistence purposes and so in order to protect our health and safety, DOH needs to do the tests. What is troubling is that the Navy was doing excercises in those same waters around the same time and we will never know if there is a connection between the Navy and these occurrences. As usual the public is left in the dark to assume the worst. Residents need to be viligent and not depend on the State to do their job. As far as the rat poison is concerned, doing a drop in the month of January at a time when Kona storms are coming from the west seems like a no brainer and it would've been culturally appropriate to consult with the people of Niihau prior. As Ilei said, they know the aina better than anyone. Lehua Island is closely connected to Niihau, its their back yard. In an effort to restore Lehua Island to its previous state before the introduction of rats and rabbits, conservationists failed to include the indigenous peoples knowledge of the area as part of the process.

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Comments

Namaka'eha March 16, 2009 at 6:16am

Its a shame that someone or something has to die in order to get attention. A lack of common sense is the refusal part to test because if the cause was determined as reported. Who would hold that department responsible to enforce laws the govern and protect our safety? Yes, the ocean is our COSTCO.
Miliaulani March 15, 2009 at 9:19am

Without further testing by DOH we will never know the cause of the fish kill and the two dead baby whales that washed up on the shores of Kauai and Niihau. The health and safety of the public mandates such a test yet the State balks at the $15,000 price tag. This is a wise use of taxpayer money yet the State refuses to do this. The ocean is used extensively by the residents of both islands for subsistence purposes and so in order to protect our health and safety, DOH needs to do the tests. What is troubling is that the Navy was doing excercises in those same waters around the same time and we will never know if there is a connection between the Navy and these occurrences. As usual the public is left in the dark to assume the worst. Residents need to be viligent and not depend on the State to do their job. As far as the rat poison is concerned, doing a drop in the month of January at a time when Kona storms are coming from the west seems like a no brainer and it would've been culturally appropriate to consult with the people of Niihau prior. As Ilei said, they know the aina better than anyone. Lehua Island is closely connected to Niihau, its their back yard. In an effort to restore Lehua Island to its previous state before the introduction of rats and rabbits, conservationists failed to include the indigenous peoples knowledge of the area as part of the process.

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