Protect your precious place
My wife and I recently spent 10 wonderful days on the island of Hawaii, enjoying the splendor of the island, the consistently great food, and most of all, the friendly people everywhere we went.
There was, however, one glaring disappointment. We took a snorkeling trip, and were dismayed at the lack of fish population and the condition of the coral. In talking with locals, it appears the problem is well recognized. Consistently, the blame was leveled at overnetting of the ocean, both as to fish and plankton. The consensus was that these predatory practices are occurring at a rate that is unsustainable for natural reproduction replacement.
I do not know whether the consensus of overnetting is correct or not; I do know that there is a marked and disturbing difference between what I see today, and what I saw at Hanauma Bay on Oahu when I lived in Honolulu in 1962 and on subsequent trips.
The fish and coral ecosystem of Hawaii is delicate, and must be protected. I sincerely hope appropriate corrective measures are being taken to restore the waters around Hawaii, and the other islands.
Douglas Jenkins
Scottsdale, Ariz.
Saved means special treatment
It is beyond me how a college like Harvard could hold a slot for Malia Obama for 2017.
If I applied for college at Palamanui for 2017, they would probably tell me to reapply in 2017. Why would they accept my application for enrollment in 2016 for 2017?
Would Palamanui deny someone in 2017 because they had “saved” me a slot in 2016? I think not. Political correctness has its limits, this is beyond good sense.
Jay Tomokiyo
Kailua-Kona