Marine Resource Violators Face Education/Community Service Under New Law

June 16, 2016, 2:16 PM HST
* Updated June 16, 2:19 PM

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Hawai‘i Governor David Ige today signed Senate Bill 2453 authorizing alternative sentencing for aquatic violations. The new law provides clear legal authority to judges, allowing them to more effectively tailor sentences when aquatics statutes are violated. The bill covers most regulations under the jurisdiction of the DLNR’s Division of Aquatic Resources, including most fisheries violations. Judges will still be able to impose jail time or fine defendants. Now they’ll also be able to sentence offenders to an educational course or resource-specific community service work.

Alternative sentencing authority was one of the key priorities of the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary’s Environmental Court Working Group, which made recommendations prior to the establishment of Hawaii’s Environmental Court in 2015. The Court is the first of its type in the nation. It provides a dedicated forum for resource violations, with presiding judges who are specially trained in the nuances of resource law and the cumulative effect of seemingly innocuous resource violations.

“From the DLNR perspective, we’re thrilled that Governor Ige signed this bill into law,” said Suzanne Case, DLNR Chair. “It provides us with an opportunity to educate and rehabilitate resource law violators, and in doing so, encourage pono approaches to extractive use of Hawaiʻi’s natural resources.” Under the State’s regulatory scheme, boaters and hunters must take an educational course before obtaining licenses. Because Hawaiʻi doesn’t require a recreational fishing license, there is no such requirement for fishers.

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“Senate Bill 2453 gives judges the opportunity to reduce recidivism among resource offenders,” said Judge Barbara Richardson, one of the bill’s key supporters. “When we fine someone, we teach them that their individual act was prohibited by law. By requiring them to complete an educational course, that person has the opportunity to learn why their conduct was illegal, in addition to learning about other resource laws of which they should be aware, as well as the sustainable management principles that are a common thread between Hawaiian traditions and the resource laws we have today.”

The bill also creates an opportunity for violators to restore the resources they’ve harmed, as it provides for resource-specific community service opportunities when cases are heard in Hawaiʻi’s Environmental Court. “It’s very simple,” Chair Case noted, “If a person is convicted for poaching ‘ama‘ama (mullet) out of season, we want them to work restoring a fish pond, cleaning the beaches, or engaging in some other activity that gives back to the resource. DLNR’s educational course will be an adapted version of its Makai Watch curriculum, which is currently used to train community groups on aquatic resource laws and how to identify violations.”

The educational curriculum is already available online, and contains cultural references that illustrate the importance of marine resources in pre-contact Hawaiʻi.

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