Big Island Sen. Malama Solomon says the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration needs to back off when it comes to the protection of marine species in Hawaii. And it’s about time, she says, that humpback whales and green sea turtles be taken off the organization’s endangered species list. 

Hawaii’s whale population has increased 20-fold since the days of Gov. George Ariyoshi, she said during a public meeting last week at the University of Hawaii at Hilo — and that’s not good for humans. 

“And right now, the way NOAA is set up you hit a whale, you are to blame. The whale is blameless. OK, I have a problem with that.”

“You know this poses a problem, poses a threat,” said Solomon, who chairs the Senate Water and Land Committee. “We are an oceangoing state. We enjoy our marine waters. And right now, the way NOAA is set up you hit a whale, you are to blame. The whale is blameless. OK, I have a problem with that.”

“People are our priority,” she continues. 

She feels the same way about green sea turtles. 

Green sea turtles, Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.

NOAA/ Mark Sully

“Now, I know it kind of plucks some people’s heart strings, ‘No don’t delist them!’” she said. “Well you know what, it is costing you money, costing the taxpayer money — dollars we could use in other areas.”

Last year, a group of Hawaii fishermen filed a petition with NOAA to have the whales removed from the endangered species list, noting their growing numbers. 

The humpback whales in the North Pacific have increased to more than 21,000 today, from about 1,400 in the mid-1960s, according to the Associated Press.

The global whale population was decimated by the commercial whaling industry beginning in the early 20th century. In 1973, the federal government made it illegal to hunt or harm them. They are protected not only by the Endangered Species Act, but also by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, Hawaii wildlife laws and the National Marine Sanctuaries Act. 

In 1992, the U.S. Congress created the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, jointly managed by NOAA and the state of Hawaii. 

The sanctuary extends around important whale breeding grounds off the coasts of Maui, Kauai, the Big Island and Oahu. 

The “waters around the main Hawaiian islands constitute one of the world’s most important North Pacific humpback whale habitats, and the only place in U.S. coastal waters where humpbacks reproduce,” according to NOAA’s web site. 

However, fishermen have complained that the protections negatively impact their fishing operations and that NOAA needs to start delisting species, particularly as it considers adding dozens more species to the endangered species list.

The population of green sea turtles in Hawaii has also increased since they were placed on the endangered species list in 1978. The population may have increased six-fold since the 1970s, according to The Garden Island. 

NOAA is currently reviewing whether they should be delisted.

But, some scientists remain concerned about the turtles’ overall recovery.  A study published last year by a Stanford scientist found that the green sea turtle population in Hawaii still fell short of historic levels and that their main nesting area is vulnerable to sea level rise. 

Big Island Video News captured this video of Solomon’s comments: