The Hawaiʻi County Council is urging state officials to step up enforcement of coconut rhinoceros beetle containment protocols in Kona.
Kona has been dealing with an outbreak of CRB for over a year. The State Board of Agriculture and Biosecurity enacted restrictions on the movement of beetle host materials this spring. But the agriculture department has been slow in its communication with commercial operators about the restrictions, according to the Big Island Invasive Species Committee.
Businesses in areas known to be infected with CRB need to enter compliance agreements with the agriculture department to transport green waste and potted plants.
Since those rules went into place, the Big Island Invasive Species Committee has been training business owners on how to comply with their permit conditions and identify signs of CRB.
BIISC Public Outreach Coordinator Kawehi Young told Hawaiʻi County council members that after businesses complete a training, BIISC submits paperwork to the agriculture department staff on Oʻahu for approval and follow-up.
“Often we aren't getting timely updates on the status of those compliance agreements,” she said during a council hearing on Wednesday.
Resolution 603 calls on the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to approve outstanding compliance agreements and designate a staff member on Hawaiʻi Island to formally lead HDAB’s CRB response.
Young echoed that call during her testimony on the resolution.
“A local contact would help improve our communication, help support businesses, and create a clear pathway for addressing concerns about potential noncompliance,” she said.
HDAB’s Jonathan Ho told council members that resources to fight CRB are limited.
“From the department standpoint, on-island quarantines are very difficult to enforce. … We don't have the staff,” he said.
According to Ho, HDAB has three staff members based in Kona — none of whom could dedicate their time solely to the CRB containment effort.
Ho added that the department was working to fill vacant positions. It also has plans to treat palms in Kona with insecticide and team up with the state Department of the Attorney General to investigate reports of noncompliance within the CRB containment zone in Kona.
A beetle was found in a trap in Hilo earlier this month. So far, no additional beetles have been found on that side of the island.
