HB347 would prohibit the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources from establishing or enforcing bag limits for goats in public hunting areas. The bill is based on legislative findings that goat populations are increasing on West Hawaii Island, creating nuisance conditions in neighborhoods and safety hazards on roadways, and that hunters are an important tool for reducing goat impacts in areas where the animals are not native and have few natural predators.
To implement that policy, the bill amends section 183D-4 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes to add a specific exception for goats. Under the amended law, the department would still retain its general authority to establish, maintain, manage, and operate game management areas, wildlife sanctuaries, and public hunting areas, but it could not set a bag limit for goats in those public hunting areas. The measure would take effect upon approval.
Impact
The bill would directly limit the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ discretion under Hawaii’s wildlife and hunting statutes by carving goats out of the department’s authority to regulate harvest through bag limits in public hunting areas. If enacted, it would affect hunters, land managers, and residents in areas where feral or free-ranging goats are considered overabundant, and it could increase goat harvest opportunities as a population-control measure. It would amend HRS section 183D-4 and would not otherwise change the department’s broader responsibilities over wildlife management areas and public hunting areas.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have a generally supportive policy rationale centered on nuisance control, roadway safety, and conservation management, with the text explicitly framing hunters as partners in reducing goat impacts. However, the committee action indicates the measure was deferred by the WAL committee, suggesting that while the issue was recognized, the proposal did not advance at that stage. No recorded votes or transcript debate are available in the provided materials, so the overall sentiment can only be inferred from the bill’s framing and its deferred status.
Contention
The main point of contention is likely the balance between population control and wildlife regulation: supporters would favor removing bag limits to allow more aggressive goat removal, while opponents may worry about eliminating harvest limits entirely or about broader implications for hunting management and conservation policy. Another likely issue is whether the department should retain flexibility to set limits based on local conditions rather than being statutorily barred from doing so. The available record does not identify specific speakers or factions, but the deferred committee action suggests unresolved concerns about the bill’s approach.