THIS IS AN OUTRAGE AND SO UNNECESSARY   

PROPOSED CLOSURES PROHIBITING ALL SWIMMING, SNORKELING, SCUBA, FREE DIVING, SPEAR FISHING, & AQUATIC ACTIVITIES IN:            

70% HONAUNAU BAY (TWO-STEP)

90% HOOKENA (KAUHAKO BAY )

80% KEALAKEKUA BAY PALI AREA

100% NORTH KONA MAKAKO BAY (NORTH OF ENERGY LAB POINT)

6:00 AM TO 3:00PM 365 DAYS PER YEAR!!

REGARDLESS OF WHETHER SPINNER DOLPHINS ARE PRESENT OR NOT

NOAA’S stated purpose to protect Spinner Dolphins resting time from human contact is an excessive restriction of 9 daytime hours access to our ocean waters and rights as residents & tourists for aquatic usage of our beautiful bays for the apparent purpose of simplifying enforcement of NOAA’s ‘Swim with Dolphin ban’.

THESE ARE SOUTH KONA’S ONLY EASILY ACCESSED & PROTECTED BAYS FOR SAFE SWIMMING & AQUATIC ACTIVITIES

NOAA rational for banning swimming with Spinner Dolphins & Closures:

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/09/28/2021-20620/establishment-of-time-area-closures-for-hawaiian-spinner-dolphins-under-the-marine-mammal-protection

URGENT: submit comment to NOAA before December 27th

https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/NOAA-NMFS-2021-0091-0002

You may submit comments, identified by the docket number NOAA-NMFS-2021-0091, by either:

Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to www.regulations.gov and enter NOAA-NMFS-2021-0091 in the search box. Click on the “Comment” icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments. 

Mail: Kevin Brindock, Deputy Assistant Regional Administrator, Protected Resources Division, National Marine Fisheries Service, Pacific Islands Regional Office, 1845 Wasp Blvd., Bldg. 176, Honolulu, HI 96818.

Copies of this rule and the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and Record of Decision (ROD) can be obtained from the website https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/​action/​enhancing-protections-hawaiian-spinner-dolphins