Malibu Divers support Hawaii Coral Reef FinesWe've traveled all over the world to dive in some of the most beautiful places. Hawaii is one of them. It's a sad state of affairs when you can see the coral reef difference from one year to the next. From our experience fining scuba divers (and snorkelers) is long over due. We're angered by the few careless, aggressive or unaware divers that seem to have no regard for the reef and marine life. While no one wants to have to police the reefs, it's time for responsible divers to speak up and let others know that just because they have earned a certification card, it doesn't mean they have a license to go and do whatever they want, wherever they want. Join us in speaking up and show them how Malibu Divers protect our reefs and eco systems.
Hawaii
protecting coral reefs with big finesBy AUDREY McAVOY (AP) - Aug 2, 2009
HONOLULU — Wrecking coral will cost you in Hawaii. A Maui tour company is paying the state nearly $400,000 for
damaging more than 1,200 coral colonies when one of its boats sank at Molokini,
a pristine reef and popular diving spot. Another tour operator faces penalties
for wrecking coral when it illegally dropped an anchor on a Maui
reef.
The state plans to sue the U.S. Navy to seek compensation for coral ruined
when a guided missile cruiser the length of two football fields ran aground
near Pearl Harbor in February.
The fines began issuing fines two years ago as part of its efforts to punish
those who damage a resource critical to Hawaii's
fragile environment and tourism, the state's No. 1 industry.
"People are going to have to be more careful out here, because it if
keeps getting damaged, we're going to lose it," said Laura Thielen,
chairwoman of the state Board of Land and Natural Resources, which decides how
much to fine. "We have to take some very strong action or else it's going
to be too late."
Hawaii is home to 84 percent of all coral
under U.S.
jurisdiction. About 15 percent of U.S.
coral is in state waters surrounding the main Hawaiian islands from Niihau to
the Big Island. Another 69 percent is in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands — a stretch of mostly
uninhabited atolls President George W. Bush made a national marine monument in
2006.
Coral reefs provide vital habitats for fish, help protect shoreline areas
during storms, and support a thriving snorkeling and scuba diving industry.
Experts say coral reefs in the marine monument are in good shape. But those
near population the main Hawaiian island population centers are under pressure
from sediment found in runoff, overfishing and invasive algae.
Careless ocean users, who can kill a 500-year-old coral in five minutes, are
another danger.
"Each one may be considered fairly small. But when you add them
together, then the impact gets to be even greater," said University of Hawaii
coral reef expert Richard Richmond.
Kuulei Rodgers, a Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology assistant researcher,
said injured corals will have a harder time recovering from global warming and
rising levels of carbon dioxide the oceans are absorbing amid growing
greenhouse gas emissions.
"It's the same as if when a disease hits people, it's the weaker ones
that will normally be the ones that suffer the high mortality," Rodgers
said.
The state imposed its first-ever fine for breaking coral in June 2007, when
it ordered Lahaina-based tour operator Crystal Seahorse to pay $7,300 for
illegally entering a natural area reserve and breaking 11 coral specimens
there.
Hawaii had
the legal authority to impose such fines before, but instead preferred to
simply educate offenders about reefs and have them assist with the cost of
restoration. It shifted course after realizing this wasn't prompting people to
take necessary precautions around coral.
Maui Snorkel Charters, which runs tours under the name Maui Dive Shop, is paying
the largest fine assessed so far.
In 2006, its Kai Anela tour boat headed to Molokini with 15 snorkelers and a
captain armed with just three days of training. No tourists were hurt when the
ship sank after developing mechanical problems, but the company tripled the
original coral damage area by bungling salvage attempts.
The state's staff biologist estimates the area will take 80 years to
recover.
Maui Snorkel Charters is paying $396,000 in a settlement, with part of the
money up front and the rest in installments through 2011. The company
apologized, and the Kai Anela is back in service.
The Navy is another target, for coral wrecked over a 6- to 10-acre area when
the USS Port Royal ran aground. The Navy has already spent nearly $40 million
on ship repairs and some $7 million restoring the reef, including dispatching
scuba divers to help reattach more than 5,000 broken coral colonies.
Florida, which has 2 percent of U.S. coral — the most of any state after Hawaii — is also moving
to shield the resource.
Under the newly passed Coral Reef Protection Act, approved by the
Legislature this year, Florida
may fine culprits up to $250,000 and sue offenders for unlimited compensatory
damages. Until the law, which took effect July 1, Florida had to seek compensation through the
courts.
The federal government has in the past fined offenders millions of dollars
for coral wrecked in marine sanctuaries.
Tori Cullins, co-owner of Wild Side Specialty Tours in Waianae, supports
fines.
"Unless you hit people in the pocketbook, I don't think it's going to
matter much," said Cullins, who operates marine mammal viewing tours.
Associated Press writer Brian Skoloff in West Palm Beach, Fla.
contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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