HB309 establishes a temporary fishpond inventory working group within the University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program to identify and document all fishponds on state land. The working group must compile detailed information for each fishpond, including its traditional name, type or function, acreage, tax map key if available, current and historical condition, historical uses and permits, surrounding land uses, and any other relevant data. It must also produce a map of state-owned fishponds and a literature review that includes Hawaiian-language newspaper sources used in the research.
The bill is framed as a cultural, ecological, and food-security measure. Its findings emphasize the historical decline of loko i`a due to development, natural disasters, sedimentation, climate change, and invasive species, and it positions the inventory as a tool for restoration, stewardship, and future policy development. The working group is scheduled to report interim findings by November 1, 2026, final findings by November 1, 2027, and dissolve on June 30, 2028. The bill also includes an appropriation from general revenues for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 to support the inventory work, with the University of Hawaii responsible for spending the funds.
In terms of state law, the bill creates a new administrative body and directs state agencies and university personnel to gather and organize information about fishponds on state land. It does not directly regulate fishpond use or ownership, but it would create a formal statewide inventory process and could lay the groundwork for future legislation or restoration programs. The bill also references the Department of Land and Natural Resources and invites participation from Hui Mālama Loko I`a, tying the effort to existing conservation and land-management structures.
The overall sentiment reflected in the bill’s progress is favorable. It passed the Senate Water and Land Committee and the Senate Higher Education Committee unanimously, and later passed the Senate Ways and Means Committee with amendments by a 12-0 vote. That voting record suggests broad support for the concept of documenting and preserving fishpond resources, especially given the bill’s cultural preservation and environmental stewardship goals.
There appears to be little overt opposition in the available record, but the main points of potential contention are practical rather than ideological: the cost of the appropriation, the scope and workload of the inventory, and the coordination required among the University of Hawaii, state land agencies, and community stakeholders. The bill’s delayed effective date of July 1, 2050 is unusual and may reflect a drafting issue or a placeholder, but the available materials do not explain it.
HB309 would add a new temporary working group under the University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program and direct it to inventory, map, and research all fishponds on state land. It would require state-level data collection on cultural and environmental resources and appropriate general funds for the work over two fiscal years. The bill would not itself change fishpond ownership or land-use rules, but it would create a formal state record that could influence future conservation, restoration, permitting, and policy decisions affecting state-owned loko i`a and the agencies that manage them.
The available voting history indicates strong support for the bill. It passed the Senate Water and Land Committee and the Senate Higher Education Committee unanimously, and it later passed the Senate Ways and Means Committee 12-0 with amendments. The discussion reflected in the bill text is also positive in tone, emphasizing cultural preservation, ecological value, and food security, with no recorded committee testimony or transcript opposition in the provided materials.
No major substantive opposition is shown in the provided record, but likely areas of concern include the cost of the appropriation, the administrative burden of compiling a statewide inventory, and the need to coordinate among the University of Hawaii, the Department of Land and Natural Resources, and community organizations. Another possible point of scrutiny is the bill’s unusually delayed effective date of July 1, 2050, which may raise drafting or implementation questions, though no explicit objection is documented here.