HONOLULU, Hawaii (6 June 2002) -- Hawaii joined Florida and the Cayman Islands today as Governor Ben Cayetano signed into law a measure that bans commercial shark feeding in Hawaii state waters. The new law, which goes into effect on July 1, bans all commercial shark feeding in Hawaii state waters and prohibits businesses from advertising or soliciting shark feeding. A loose coalition of government officials, environmentalists, local dive operators and concerned citizens moved earlier this year to better protect both the public and marine life by banning shark feeding. William Devick, administrator of Hawaii's Division of Aquatic Resources, said that the new law takes a proactive approach "and prohibits such activities before they become established in Hawaii." He added that "attacks on people involved in feeding operations have been documented" on the mainland. Evan T. Allard, President of Cyber Diver Society (CDS), commended the tens of thousands of divers worldwide who joined Cyber Diver's ACT NOW campaign to help ban shark feeding in Hawaii. "Decisions to ban shark feeding in Florida, the Cayman Islands and now Hawaii clearly demonstrate that together, we can make a difference," Allard said. "The global diving community understands that proactive commitment to environmental regulations represents our last chance to nurture and protect endangered marine species, yet some within our industry are still betting on the bottom line to make environmental problems go away," Allard added. "We all need to work harder to educate our friends at PADI, Project Aware, CORAL, DEMA and other dive industry marketing elements to the immediate and long-term benefits of enhancing public safety and protecting marine wildlife." | | Television entertainer Erich Ritter fooling around with sharks at Walker's Cay, Bahamas before a shark bit off most of his lower leg. Bob Dimond, President of the Marine Safety Group - the environmental organization that led the Florida fight to stop the practice - praised the Hawaii decision. "Like Florida, Hawaii has taken a big step to protect its huge ocean tourism industry and its marine life", Dimond said. "Now, the question is: who's next?" © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORKSCUBA FORUMDISCUSS THIS TOPIC - Dive in and have your say at Scuba Forum |
