KAHULUI, Maui — Maui Mayor Charmaine Tavares said yesterday she is "appalled by the reported amount of marine resources that are leaving our island" with Hawaii Superferry passengers or being seized by screeners at Kahului Harbor.

In a written statement to the Hawai'i Inter-Island Large Capacity Ferry Vessel Oversight Task Force, which met yesterday on Maui, Tavares said vehicle checks at the Maui and Honolulu ferry terminals are inconsistent and can't be counted on to intercept invasive species and natural resource contraband.

The mayor was among a number of testifiers who called for continued involvement in vehicle and passenger screening by officers with the state Department of Agriculture and Department of Land and Natural Resources at Superferry expense.

The meeting attracted the task force's largest audience ever, with 60 members of the public in attendance and more than half offering testimony calling for stricter oversight of ferry operations.

Hawaii Superferry official Richard Houck said after the meeting that the amount of material being confiscated is "relatively small." He said company employees are vigilant about their screening duties, going as far as "picking bees out of radiators."

"The fact they we're picking (contraband) up, to me, is a success," said Houck, a retired Coast Guard admiral.

A minimum of two officers from DLNR's Division of Conservation and Resource Enforcement has been present for each Superferry departure from Kahului Harbor, while on O'ahu, conservation officers are used on a random basis to assist with screenings. Department of Agriculture officers also assist when available.

FISH, LIMU CONFISCATED

One concern raised by opponents of the new interisland ferry is that it would make it easier for people from O'ahu to bring their vehicles to Maui to remove fish, 'opihi, limu and other Native Hawaiian subsistence resources, as well as rocks, sand, logs and other natural resources.

It is not illegal to ship most of those items on airplanes or other vessels, but special rules prohibit their transport on the Superferry while an environmental impact statement is conducted by the state Department of Transportation.

Items confiscated from 3,769 Honolulu-bound vehicles screened at Kahului Harbor from Aug. 10 to Sept. 12 included 412 pounds of reef fish such as uhu, palani, nehu and papio, 38 pounds each of 'ahi and aku, 36 pounds of 'opihi, 15 pounds of octopus, 15 pounds of edible seaweed, and 260 pounds of goat meat, according to conservation officer Brooks Tamaye.

Of the 1,151 coolers and other containers that were checked, 35 contained marine life or other natural resources, he said.

Five citations were issued for violations of state conservation laws that included taking of undersized fish.

Due to staffing concerns, DLNR plans to drop its daily presence at the Superferry terminal at the end of the year and provide screening assistance on a random basis.

REPORT'S CRITICISMS

The DOT's rapid-risk assessment of Hawaii Superferry's compliance with 41 operating conditions imposed by the state reported the company did not meet a requirement to conduct agricultural screenings comprising visual inspections of engines, interiors, undercarriages, wheel wells, trunks, truck beds, and trailered vehicles and equipment, and allowed excessively muddy vehicles on board the ferry in violation of another condition.

The report, prepared by Belt Collins Hawaii Ltd., said vehicle inspections were conducted with "varying degrees of diligence" and that the thoroughness of screenings declined when ferry employees were pressed for time because of a backlog of vehicles.

In her statement, Tavares said she is "gravely concerned about the impacts that are occurring to Maui's special places and resources."

"Many of the negative impacts we feared and predicted are being realized, despite the fact that Hawaii Superferry has been operating well below its optimal passenger load ... ," she said. "A hundred pounds of limu here and 50 pounds of fish there may seem insignificant however, the cumulative impacts may prove irreversible and will rob our future generations of the resources and lifestyle they deserve."

Tavares and other testifiers recommended that the company pay for state conservation and agriculture officers to assist with screening on a permanent, daily basis.

SURCHARGE SUGGESTED

Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner Blossom Feiteira said the expertise of state agriculture and conservation officers was essential to effective screenings. She suggested a $5-per-passenger surcharge to pay for their services.

Houck said he doesn't think the company should be on the hook for government staffing, and that the state has the authority to establish surcharges, just as it does for cargo inspections.

He said the issue of natural resource depletion in Hawai'i "is much bigger than the Superferry."

If the state wants to protect marine resources it has the option of passing new fishing restrictions, he said.

"It's not the Superferry that's responsible for reefs being devastated," he said.