Honolulu Undecided on Shark Tour Ban

(Travelweekly.com - Oct 16, 2009) - The Honolulu City Council committee on Executive Matters and Legal Affairs has voted to defer action on legislation that would ban shark tour operations on Oahu, likely killing the proposal. 

Introduced last summer by Councilman Charles Djou, Bill 67 at the request of the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board. Many in the East Oahu community were upset about a plan to start shark tours in Maunalua Bay. The proposed legislation would make it illegal to maintain an office, collect money, market or conduct any other activity related to a shark tour on Oahu, penalizing violators with up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

If passed, the measure would affect two businesses that currently operate out of the Haleiwa Small Boat Harbor. North Shore Shark Adventures and Hawaii Shark Encounters who take visitors beyond that three-mile limit to view sharks. The two companies oppose the measure, saying their tours pose little danger to humans and little disturbance to sharks. A recent University of Hawaii study also concluded that shark tours have no significant impact on public safety because of the remote sites.

Currently, Hawaii law prohibits shark tours within three miles of the coastline. According to Dylan Nonaka, Djou's chief of staff, the other council committee members were concerned about the city's legal jurisdiction over such a ban. Djou was the only council member who opposed deferring Bill 67.

By Shane Nelson

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