Posted by Pono Kealoha on October 21, 2009 at 12:22am
Hawaii Oceanic Technology (Ahi Fish Farm)Aloha Kakou,The Kanaka Council Moku O Keawe needs your kokua to stop a massive fish farming operation off the Kawaihae Coast on the island of Hawaii. DLNR has scheduled a hearing for Friday, October 23 in Honolulu at 9 am and we need people to submit testimony or better yet be there to give testimony in opposition to the fish farm. I have attached HOT submittal to DLNR for your review. HOT avoids addressing the significant cultural impact and our native tenant rights. I will be at the meeting on Friday in Honolulu and invite all of you to join me to give testimony in opposition.DLNR building 1151 Punchbowl StreetMeeting 10/23/09 Friday - 9am Boardroom groundfloor Room 132Malama o ke kaiKale........................................Aloha e Kale,Mahalo for your efforts in another assault on our 'aina and our culture. I know you have been at the front of this effort to prevent Kona Blue and other businesses from destroying our oceans in the name of money.On to the matter at hand ...I have opened both your attachments and see that the HOT attachment is over 100 pgs in length ... hard to read, comprehend and formulate testimony in opposition.Can you help with this? Are there areas of both cultural and environmental concerns that you can highlight for us.I understand there is information available, from studies already done on other fish farm operations, that document it harmful impacts.For example, I learned at a presentation, put on by Kahea, you and another ocean protection organization last month that these fisheries are feeding their caged fishes pellets that are either entirely or partially made from gmo soy beans ... not only potentially turning these caged fishes into gmo freaks, but these pellets are also being consumed by our ocean fishes!I also learned from you guys that these gigantic metal cages are cleaned with chemicals, including hydrochloric acid and that this cleaning occurs out in the ocean ... the fish farm operations claim they place an "ocean type barrier" around the cages to prevent seepage of these chemicals into the ocean ... of course there is always an "acceptable rate of seepage" allowed ... like saying "we only pouring small quantities of chemicals into the (our) ocean, no real harm."And haven't even talked about the assault on our traditional cultural practices.So if you can let us know what other hewa will result from an approval of this expanded fish farm and help us fashion bits of testimony that we can submit or speak to at the hearing on Friday so maybe more can show up or oppose (in writing) the request to expand these ocean fish farm operations. Thank you in advance for what mana'o you can share and what we can use to oppose this operation.Malama i ke kai, malama 'aina,Keeaumoku..........................................................Aloha Kakou,I think what needs to be put forth is that Ocean Blue originated with research from UH. Monies, grants were given to professors, scientists and students to first do research on our ocean. Look at the beginnings of the Kona ocean project, it started with limu, abalone, etc. down there by the Kona harbor.First they come and say they doing this research because not going have ahi, not going have limu and so on so that they get grant for research when in reality it is UH professors who see a way to get free money to start a business, and under the guise of research they get to monopolize the end product.It is no secret that eventually the professors, scientists retire and are the CEO's of these companies. Our tax dollars paid to start their businesses.They give back token bits to the community and rake in millions.Now these pellets that they using to feed the fish are scary being as someone suggests may be like frankenstein food.........biogenetically altered food....that not only these caged ahi will eat. Particles of this fish food will be spread by the currents and tides, there is no way they can contain it or choose who they feeding.I think this will be worst pollution than the runoffs from the golf courses.Everything in the ocean will be altered in time. In the name of science our food from the aina has been tainted........now they have been fooling around with our food from the ocean.If there was no profit coming out of building more cages......they would not do it.Enough is enough.Meliss
Where can I email a written testimony?
In my humble opinion, on one hand I forsee an ahi fish farm business that has great potential for providing jobs for fish farmers, game for "Wild Ahi Fishing Safaris and Tournaments, " and a replenished food source of ahi in the ocean for all breeds of sharks. However, this ahi fish farm also has the great potential to upset the entire ocean ecosystem as well as to destroy the rights of human beings all over the world to choose whether or not they want to eat gmo soy fed fish or not. As long as they use the ocean, there is no way in hell that they can guarantee the gmo soy fed fish will remain segregated from the non gmo soy fed fish. The right to choose gmo soy beans or non gmo soybeans was the big pilikia in the Trade dispute between the US and the European Union when a US company wanted to export gmo soy beans. I encourage kale and the rest to check out what is being said about gmo soy beans which the fish farm will have in their fish food. http://www1.american.edu/TED/soybean.htm
Geneatic scientists give their opinions against using genetically modified food that is new to the human body before it has been tested as thoroughly as they test new drugs. Austria already banned it.
The gmo soy beans have a self generated weed killer.
The Ted Case Studies report about the gmo soy beans stated, "Greenpeace and other activist groups have mounted an opposition campaign in an effort to raise concerns among the European public about genetically modified (GMO) soybeans. The campaign is based on the "right to know" principle. The "right to know" advocates call for a segregation and labeling of all GMO soybeans, which enter the European Union. These groups are threatening a possible boycott of all US soybeans if their demands are not met. (Foundations of Economic Trends)
All the ahi swimming in the ocean cannot be labeled. No matter how good a control system the fish farm comes up with, a unaffordable margin of error will always exist and the people's "right to know" will be lost amongst the integrated gmo soy fed and non gmo soy fed ahi in the ocean.
In closing, in regards to cleaning their fish cages I staunchly believe that the only "acceptable amount of seepage" of hydrochloric acid or other chemicals into the ocean is none, zero, nada. Also, that no jobs or businesses are worth any destruction of the ocean's ecosystem.
Yes, it would help to list power points regarding this issue. It is also common knowledge that the U.S has always regarded Hawai'i as expendable and thus, all experiments and novelle ideas that are untested is usually done at Hawai'i's expense without regard to our natural gathering rights. Tainting our sustenance with no regard to our health is commonplace under their doctrines of manifest destiny. That blatant disregard in itself is enough to be outraged. We were never expendable nor will we accept being expendable in their consciousness.
We do have gathering rights which include the ocean; what they foolishly tamper with is affecting our gathering rights and the quality of the sealife from which we harvest. GMO should be banned from our territory as we should ban nuclear and its toxins since we are a neutral country; even if we are under U.S. belligerent occupation.
Comments
In my humble opinion, on one hand I forsee an ahi fish farm business that has great potential for providing jobs for fish farmers, game for "Wild Ahi Fishing Safaris and Tournaments, " and a replenished food source of ahi in the ocean for all breeds of sharks. However, this ahi fish farm also has the great potential to upset the entire ocean ecosystem as well as to destroy the rights of human beings all over the world to choose whether or not they want to eat gmo soy fed fish or not. As long as they use the ocean, there is no way in hell that they can guarantee the gmo soy fed fish will remain segregated from the non gmo soy fed fish. The right to choose gmo soy beans or non gmo soybeans was the big pilikia in the Trade dispute between the US and the European Union when a US company wanted to export gmo soy beans. I encourage kale and the rest to check out what is being said about gmo soy beans which the fish farm will have in their fish food. http://www1.american.edu/TED/soybean.htm
Geneatic scientists give their opinions against using genetically modified food that is new to the human body before it has been tested as thoroughly as they test new drugs. Austria already banned it.
The gmo soy beans have a self generated weed killer.
The Ted Case Studies report about the gmo soy beans stated, "Greenpeace and other activist groups have mounted an opposition campaign in an effort to raise concerns among the European public about genetically modified (GMO) soybeans. The campaign is based on the "right to know" principle. The "right to know" advocates call for a segregation and labeling of all GMO soybeans, which enter the European Union. These groups are threatening a possible boycott of all US soybeans if their demands are not met. (Foundations of Economic Trends)
All the ahi swimming in the ocean cannot be labeled. No matter how good a control system the fish farm comes up with, a unaffordable margin of error will always exist and the people's "right to know" will be lost amongst the integrated gmo soy fed and non gmo soy fed ahi in the ocean.
In closing, in regards to cleaning their fish cages I staunchly believe that the only "acceptable amount of seepage" of hydrochloric acid or other chemicals into the ocean is none, zero, nada. Also, that no jobs or businesses are worth any destruction of the ocean's ecosystem.
We do have gathering rights which include the ocean; what they foolishly tamper with is affecting our gathering rights and the quality of the sealife from which we harvest. GMO should be banned from our territory as we should ban nuclear and its toxins since we are a neutral country; even if we are under U.S. belligerent occupation.
Tane