Message from the Chairperson - hawaii.gov · page 1 Message from the Chairperson Aloha! I am pleased to submit the Hawaii Department of Agriculture’s Annual Report for the Fiscal

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Message from the Chairperson

Aloha! I am pleased to submit the Hawaii Department of Agriculture’sAnnual Report for the Fiscal Year 2004.

The responsibilities and talents of the department are as diverse as theyare important to Hawaii’s agriculture and environment. From the plantquarantine inspector protecting our ports of entry from pests, to theveterinarian providing technical assistance to mitigate disease threats,from the entomologist researching methods to combat established pests,to the market development specialist working to expand marketingopportunities for local products, the work of the department impacts somany aspects of life in Hawaii.

This annual report highlights important accomplishments realized during the fiscal year 2004, including:

The completion of the Lower Hamakua Ditch Emergency Bypass Tunnel on the Big Island,which received several state and national awards for design and construction.

The interception of 1,600 insect pests that arrived among 14 million pieces of baggage, cargoand mail parcels.

The successful eradication of a serious plant disease, chrysanthemum white rust, within threedays of its discovery at a Big Island nursery through a multi-agency effort.

Implementation of the highly successful Five-Day-or-Less rabies quarantine program, whichallows for the direct release of a dog or cat at the airport if the pet owner completes therequirements of the program.

Each of these accomplishments builds on the work of many people, both within and outside of thedepartment, and we look forward to future collaborative initiatives to sustain and expand agriculture asa viable and significant industry in the State of Hawaii.

Sincerely,

Sandra Lee KunimotoChairpersonHawaii Board of Agriculture

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Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Office of the Chairperson 3

Administrative Services Office 6

Agricultural Development Division 8

Agricultural Loan Division 11

Agricultural Resource Management Division 13

Animal Industry Division 15

Aquaculture Development Program 20

Plant Industry Division 22

Quality Assurance Division 34

Agribusiness Development Corporation 37

Lists of Tables & Charts 40

Board of Agriculture - Photos 41

Organizational Chart 42

Other Tables and Charts 43 - 57

Editor/Desktop Publisher: Janelle SaneishiPublic Information Officer

Printer: Hagadone Printing Company

This annual report is also accessible via thedepartment’s website at: www.hawaiiag.org/hdoa/

This annual report may be also made available inlarge print, taped or in Braille to meet special needs,if requested in advance by calling (808) 973-9560.

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Office of the Chairperson

Planning & Development

The Department actively seeks to protect existingfarming areas and promote increased access to andproductive use of the thousands of acres of primeagricultural lands and infrastructure vacated by sugarplantations throughout the State.

The Department, as principal advocate for agricultureamong State agencies, offers consultative input intoland use zoning, environmental program developmentand implementation, and broader planning and economicdevelopment issues that affect agricultural resourcesand the growth of agricultural businesses.

While modest in comparison to the visitor industry’s$11 billion in economic activity, the economic activitygenerated by diversified agriculture is solid, steadilyincreasing, and will be bolstered by the continuedstrength of the pineapple and sugarcane industries.

The Department participated in the 70+ memberAgricultural Working Group (AWG) which resulted inlegislation brought before the 2004 Legislature to identifyand protect important agricultural lands (IAL) and providefor the development of incentives to benefit landownersand agricultural businesses situated on importantagricultural lands. The effort of the AWG broughttogether a wide array of expertise to the promotion ofagriculture as an important and respected segment of

Hawaii’s economy. Although no IAL legislation passedduring the 2004 legislative session, significant progresswas made in increasing the knowledge of legislatorsand the public of the broad effort and commitmentnecessary to accomplish the 25-year-old constitutionalmandate.

The Department also supported the protection ofagricultural resources, increased the use of formersugarcane lands and infrastructure, and expandeddiversified agriculture development in general through anumber of ongoing efforts. These efforts included thesubmittal of extensive testimony before CountyCouncils and departments, State Land UseCommission, and community organizations onagriculture-related issues such as amendments toagricultural property tax programs, county-levelinitiatives to preserve prime agricultural lands, facilitatingdiscussions between farmers and landowners on “goodneighbor” and land tenure issues; and amendments toCounty agricultural zoning and communityplan ordinances.

The Department also shepherded the establishment ofHawaii’s Conservation Reserve Enhancement Programto encourage agricultural landowners to undertake soilprotection and water quality enhancing activities.

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AGRIBUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & RESEARCH

The Agribusiness Development & Research funds helpthe department address critical agricultural research,marketing and promotional needs to ensure thecontinued growth of Hawaii’s agriculture. This programalso allows the department to respond to urgentagricultural problems without having to wait forsupplemental funds from the legislature.

The following are projects approved by the HawaiiBoard of Agriculture during FY 2004:

Development and Evaluation of Strategies toManage Closteroviruses, Mealybugs and MealybugWilt of Pineapple ($70,000) FY2002

Mealybug wilt of pineapple can be prevented bycontrolling the mealybugs or controlling the viruses.This is the final year of a three-year project thatcontinues to work with the commercial pineappleindustry to reduce the incidence of PMWaV’s, developreliable detection systems for mealybugs and evaluatedifferent approaches to reduce MWP in Hawaii.

Evaluation of All Potential Post-Harvest and Pre-PlantFungicides for Control of Pineapple Fruit Rot, FruitMold and Butt Rot ($14,076)

This research project will evaluate all post-harvestand pre-plant fungicides for control of pineapple fruitrot, fruit mold and butt rott, which could replace Bayletonand Tilt. Bayleton and Tilt are both registered for pre-plant seed dip to control butt rot and are in danger ofbeing lost. This is the first year of a two-year project.

Biology and Control of Micro-Lepidoptera onPineapple ($29,750)

A number of micro-Lepidoptera has been identifiedas significant pests of pineapple with estimateddamage to pineapple crops from 15 percent to60 percent in extreme cases. This project willdetermine the biology of the micro-Lepidopteraassociated with pineapple damage; quantify mortalityfactors currently acting on populations of the moths inpineapple; and screen insecticides with potential forcontrol of the moths.

Pineapple Nematode Management ($30,578)

As a result of many postplant nematicides beingremoved from the market, this project will evaluateenvironmentally sensitive products for their potentialto control nematodes in pineapple. The objectivesare to evaluate Dragonfire, Plantpro and Midas asnew nematode control products and to determinethe feasibility to an intercycle sunn hemp covercrop for preplant nematode control.

Symphylid Damage in Pineapple ($36,509)

Symphylids are not as widespread as nematodes,however they can cause significant damage topineapple. Since little attention has been given tosymphylids, fields that have experienced noticeabledamage may be misdiagnosed. Misidentification ofpest problems leads to inappropriate controlmeasures which can be costly. The results of thisproject will provide the pineapple industry withinformation on the symphylid species and thedistribution of these symphylids so that controlmethods may be quickly developed.

Breeding and Selection for Hawaii Coffee withCupping Quality, Disease Resistance and High Yield($37,300) FY2002

This coffee breeding and selection program continuesto evaluate coffee hybrids for desirable characteristicssuch as enhanced flavor, increased yield and diseaseand pest resistance. Field trials are being conductedon Kauai and Oahu. This is the last year of a three-year project

Development of New Foliage Cultivars for the HawaiiCommercial Foliage Industry with Emphasis onDracaena ($25,000)

The main objective of this project is to introduce newcolors and leaf characteristics to the most importantcommercial cultivars of D. fragrans, D. deremensis,D. concinna, and D. marginata. This is the first year ofa three-year project that will introduce new cultivars tothe Hawaii commercial foliage industry.

Pest Management in Rambutan, Longan and Lychee($30,000)

The goal of this research is to develop pestmanagement information particularly during floweringand fruit set and during some critical periods ofvegetative growth which will enable growers toproduce crops more consistently in Hawaii. Currentlythere are no effective miticides for use in these crops.There are a few insecticides that are registered,however, the registered insecticides have not beenfully evaluated for efficacy in Hawaii conditions. Thisis the first year of a two-year project.

Anthurium Germplasm Maintenance ($20,000)FY2002

This is the final year of a three-year project that willdetermine industry desired anthurium cultivars andavailable species desired for collection in flask. Thiscollection of anthurium germplasm will be availableto the industry upon request.

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Genetic Resistance to Burrowing Nematode inAnthurium ($40,000) FY2002

Improvement of anthurium with genetic engineeringis an approach to incorporate nematode resistancewhich will address the crop loss, export andenvironmental safety issues. This is the last year of athree-year project that will incorporate proteaseinhibitors into anthurium to control the burrowingnematode.

Updating Macadamia Nutrient Recommendations:Implementing Crop Logging and Correcting theApparent Root Inefficiency ($25,000)

This is the fourth year of a four year project that willlead to more efficient use of applied nutrients byreducing the amounts of costs of fertilizer requiredand reducing the amounts of nutrients applied to thesurface and susceptible to surface runoff which couldbe detrimental to the receiving water bodies.

Culture Management Strategies Associated withMacadamia Varieties ($5,000)

Research on the culture-management practices fornew macadamia selections will be conducted toprovide industry with field production information onthe newest selections as well as established varieties.The information derived from this research will beuseful for growers when deciding which varieties theywould like to replace in their existing orchardsproduction in terms of nutrient requirements andharvest intervals.

Affinity-purification of Sugarcane Yellowleaf VirusAntibody ($79,906)

Sugarcane yellowleaf disease caused by a virus doesnot always show visible symptoms, although yieldloss occurs. For disease diagnosis, a rapidimmunology technique is used that requires anantibody to the virus. Two more antibodies wereproduced in 2003 because the supply will soon bedepleted. Both are active, but need additionalpurification and refinement for routine use. This projectwill evaluate three methods to further purify and refinethese antibodies for routine use.

Development of Commercial Hawaiian BananaVarieties Resistant to Banana Bunchy Top Virus($30,000)

Banana bunchy top is the most devastating viraldisease of bananas in Hawaii and many areas ofAsia, Africa and the South Pacific. Plants infected withBanana bunchy top virus (BBTV) do not producemarketable fruit, and spread of the virus throughoutplantations can lead to 100 percent yield reductions.The objectives of this project is to produce more BBTV-resistant transgenic banana plants in Hawaii andobtain federal and state permits for importation ofgenetically engineered banana from Australia andpermits and plot allocation for field trial.

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Administrative Services Office

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES OFFICE

Elaine AbeAdministrator

The goals of the Administrative Services Office are:

1) to meet the staff support needs of thedepartment’s programs and personnel by providingguidance, training, information, efficient equipmentand vehicles, and adequate facilities, and facilitatingthe processing of their requests in order to enhancemanagers’ decision making capabilities andemployee productivity; and

2) to meet the needs of the public by assistingthem in their requests or directing them to theappropriate entity to address their needs.

The following is a list of projects that have beencompleted:

Served as Department’s Alternate LegislativeCoordinator during part of the 2004 LegislativeSession.

Updated the Emergency Response TelephoneTrees, Listing of Disaster ResponseCoordinators and Workers, and Listing of FirstAid Certified Personnel and Kits.

Compiled a listing of Departmental Civil DefenseVolunteers with special skills who are willing toassist in state disaster emergencies.

Compiled listing of Departmental employeesliving in flood identified zones.

Assisted various programs in filling 42 positions(permanent/temporary and exempt).

Updated list of employees who have militarystatus.

Reviewed all employee records for HGEAemployees eligible for step movement pay raisesand processed payments.

Attended training and started implementation ofEarly Vacation Payout program.

Initiated/completed/placed 3 employees fromAnimal Quarantine Branch in first reduction-in-force.

Completed migration of the Agricultural ResourceManagement Information System andAdministrative Services applications from SpeedII to APPX.

Installed fiber connection to provide networkaccess to the Garage.

Replaced outdated server at the Main Office.

Replaced outdated server at Animal Industry.

Implemented corporate version of anti-virusprotection software.

Upgraded Lotus Notes to version 6.03.

Assisted DAGS with the implementationprocedures for the Procurement Card interfacewith FAMIS.

Implemented usage and in-house proceduresfor procurement cards for 21 departmentemployees.

Established procedures with personnel fromDepartment of Transportation, Plant QuarantineBranch, and Fiscal, as well as with DAGSAccounting Branch as to how expenditures wereto be treated from the Maui Risk/Alien Speciesprograms.

Worked with various branch personnel inestablishing procedures for the new federalprograms acquired.

Major projects still in progress are:

Working with consultants to design andimplement on-line system for Maui RiskAssessment.

Working with consultants to migrate AnimalQuarantine Station application from Speed II toAPPX.

Continuing network all Oahu and neighbor islandoffices to State’s NGN.

Continuing various capital improvement projectsto correct safety concerns and other deficienciesat Department facilities including upgrading ofelectrical and fire systems and re-roofing the mainbuildings at the King St. Complex, demolishingunused kennels and modifying the servicewindow at the Animal Quarantine Station andrenovating portions of the Department of Health’sState Laboratory Facility for use by the QualityAssurance Chemical Analysis Laboratory.

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Administrative Services Office

Continuing work on updating and implementingthe Department’s on-line telephone directory.

Implementing the HGEA Drug and Alcohol TestingProgram.

Continuing the recordation of fixed assets for theDepartment in accordance with GASB 34.

Participating in the reviewing of new personnelpolicies and procedures.

Monitoring the length of time to service variousprogram requests.

Implementing second reduction-in-force actionfor Animal Quarantine Branch.

Continuing expansion of the procurement carduse to other departmental employees.

Expanding usage of the procurement card toinclude equipment, and out-of-state travelexpenses, as well as purchases over $1,000.

Continuing work with programs that have appliedfor federal assistance.

Updating the department’s accounting manualto include the procurement card procedures, aswell as new travel procedures, and other changesto policies and procedures since the last revision.Future revisions include updating the contractsand payroll sections.

Continuing issuance of new Department IDs toall Plant Quarantine Inspectors.

Updating Department inventory procedures toinsure that all fixed assets are recorded.

Other future projects include surveying departmentalemployees to determine customer satisfaction andprogram needs, developing a Standard OperatingProcedures Manual for the department, implementing anew Plant Industry server to house Plant Pest Control andPesticide information, conducting a workshop for programmanagers on using the FAMIS reports, and implementingin-house printing capabilities for summary warrantvouchers.

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Agricultural Development Division

AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENTDIVISION

Matthew K. Loke, Ph.D.,Administrator

The Agricultural Development Division serves to promotethe economic viability of commercial agriculture inHawaii by sponsoring joint marketing programs foragricultural products with high revenue growthpotentials; facilitating the development and expansionof marketing opportunities for targeted agricultural andprocessed products; and providing timely, accurate anduseful statistics.

MARKET DEVELOPMENT BRANCHCalvin Lee, Manager

The mission of the Market Development Branch is tofacilitate the development of the agricultural industry,consisting of commodity groups of agricultural producersand food processors, through the expansion of new andexisting markets.

Major activities during FY 2004 were:

Matching Funds Promotional Contracts

This fiscal year the Branch implemented a new procedureto solicit and award matching funds marketing grants. Toinsure transparency, the procedure followed the State’sRFP (Request for Proposal) process that was posted onthe Web.

The applications fell into three predetermined categories:

1. Distribution Systems focusing on encouraging HawaiiAg-businesses to pool resources, at least fourcompanies, in order to improve efficiency intransportation/shipping, distribution, salesrepresentation, or consolidation issues. There werefive awards in this category.

2. Mainland and International Trade Shows focusing ona Hawaii-themed exhibit with a minimum of fourunrelated companies attending the trade show. Therewere five awards in this category.

3. Industry Education and Promotion of Agriculturefocusing on producer’s competitiveness and humancapital capacity building; and marketing effort orhosting events supportive of Hawaii’s agriculture.There were 11 awards in this category.

Local Market Promotions and Activities

Participated in agricultural trade and consumer fairsand exhibits such as the Lodging, Hospitality, andFoodservice Expo on Oahu and the Made in HawaiiFestival on Oahu.

Directory of Hawaii Agricultural and Food Producers –Continued updating the registration of localcompanies in the branch’s database (directory) thatgives Hawaii companies and global buyers the abilityto conduct business with each other.

Updated directory of farmers’ markets in Hawaii incooperation with the counties.

Assisted in organizing and coordinating theagricultural exhibit at the 2003 Hawaii State Farm Fair.

Sponsored a promotion of Hawaii grown agriculturalproducts from the North Shore of Oahu in cooperationwith Daiei.

Co-sponsored the Hawaii Agriculture 2003Conference in cooperation with the Hawaii FarmBureau Federation, University of Hawaii College ofTropical Agriculture and Human Resources, and theAgricultural Leadership Foundation.

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Updated the Calendar of Events of trade shows, fairs,and festivals that benefit agricultural and foodproducers and Ag-tourism companies.

Assisted with AgDay TV to produce several videosegments on Hawaii’s agricultural industry andproducts that were televised to Mainland audiences.

Mainland and International Market Promotions andActivities

Co-sponsored, coordinated, and implemented the fifthannual Governor’s Exporter of the Year program.

Coordinated and administered the Western UnitedStates Agricultural Trade Association (WUSATA) MarketAccess Program of the USDA, Foreign AgriculturalService (FAS) that consists of 1) a generic programthat included a reverse trade mission from Japan todevelop markets for tropical flower and nurseryproducts and a reverse trade mission from France toestablish markets for Hawaii agricultural, food, andtropical flower products; and 2) a branded programthat assisted Hawaii companies in developing specificexport markets for their products.

Assisted in coordinating a mini-tradeshow andagricultural producer tours featuring Hawaii valueadded food products in Honolulu for two separatefood buyer groups from Guangzhou, China that werebrought over by the Agricultural Trade Office inGuangzhou.

Partnered with DBEDT and other state agencies inthe Xintiandi, Shanghai, China “Hawaii Experience.”Valued added agricultural and food products fromHawaii were featured the Hawaii exhibits.

Participated in and provided in-kind support for a USDAEmerging Market grant to develop a market for value-added Hawaii products in China.

Fairgoers at the Hawaii State Farm Fair enjoy the Country Market sampling booth, manned by HDOA volunteersand family members.

Assisted in drafting and submitting a grant proposalentitled “Value Added Marketing and the Cruise LinePassenger Market” in partnership with the HawaiiFarm Bureau Federation (HFBF) to the USDA-RuralBusiness-Cooperative Service (RBS) value-addedagricultural product market development program.The grant application was successful and wasawarded $33,000.

Participated with an inter-division HDOA team tocoordinate the implementation of the “Seal of Quality”program for Hawaii agricultural products. Assisted incoordinating the development and redesign of theseal and participated in public outreaches on allmajor islands.

Coordinated twelve Mainland floral design shows forprofessional floral designers in cooperation with theHawaii Tropical Floral Council (HTFC) and other majornational florists associations.

Assisted in coordinating two mini-tradeshowsfeaturing Hawaii agricultural and value-added foodproducts in Honolulu and Hilo for the NorwegianCruise Lines.

Coordinated an exhibit of Hawaii fresh produce andflowers at the Produce Marketing Exposition inOrlando, Florida.

Participated in the planning of the 2004 AgriculturalConference that will be held in Honolulu inOctober 2004.

Attended a USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA)training conference in Kansas City, Missouri.

Provided contract management services for the USDASpecialty Crop funded projects.

Provided contract management services for the StateAgricultural Research funds.

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HAWAII AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS BRANCHDonald Martin, State Director (retired Sept. 2004)

The Hawaii Agricultural Statistics (HAS) Branch is acooperative effort between the Hawaii Department ofAgriculture and the National Agricultural Statistics Service,U.S. Department of Agriculture. This partnership, spanningfour decades, allows the efficient use of state and federalresources, while at the same time providing acomprehensive array of agricultural intelligence andreducing respondent burden.

Major activities of HAS included data collection, analysis,and timely publication of agricultural statistics for the State.The result of these efforts was a measure of total farm-gate estimated value of $550.2 million during 2003. Mostof HAS data collection efforts were in the diversifiedagriculture sector, which was valued at $382.9 millionin 2003.

Activities during FY 2004 included the following:

Completed Census of Agriculture for Hawaii

Made 15,500 individual contacts via personalinterviews, telephone, and mail questionnaires.

Published 130 reports.

Distributed more than 43,000 releases to farmers,other individuals, businesses, universities, andgovernments worldwide.

Answered more than 1,200 individual requests forinformation by mail, telephone, and office handouts.

Statistical reports are available on the HDOA website at:www.hawaiiag.org/hdoa/ or free e-mail subscriptions areavailable at www.usda.gov/sub-forms.htm

MARKET ANALYSIS AND NEWS BRANCH

Manager Position Vacant

The Market Analysis and News Branch (MANB) isresponsible for enhancing the effectiveness and efficiencyof agriculture by conducting economic, market andbusiness feasibility research, evaluating the efficiency andeffectiveness of market development programs, collectingdata on agricultural commodity shipments, supply andwholesale prices and disseminating information throughvarious media. Through these functions, MANB assiststhe State’s agricultural industry in its development andexpansion efforts and provides sound input for programplanning and policy making within and outside theDepartment.

MANB is tasked with two primary, yet distinct functions.The first involves research on all market aspects ofagricultural products. Towards this end, MANB conductssome ten research or program evaluation studies annually.The second function is carrying out the market newsprogram, jointly with the Market News Branch of theAgricultural Marketing Service, United States Departmentof Agriculture. This program provides up-to-dateinformation on current market conditions – wholesalemarket prices throughout the state, movement of freshfruits and vegetables, and supply and demand informationon different products.

Activities and accomplishments for FY 2004 included thefollowing:

MANB assisted in writing and submitting a grantproposal entitled “A Strategic Production andMarketing Plan for the Hawaii Beef Industry,” inpartnership with the Hawaii Cattle ProducersCooperative Association (HCPCA) and UH-CTAHRto the USDA-Rural Business-Cooperative Service(RBS) value-added agricultural product marketdevelopment program. The grant application wassuccessful and was awarded $320,000.

MANB assisted in writing and submitting a grantproposal entitled “A Risk Management EducationProgram for Agri-Entrepreneurs in Hawaii” to theUSDA Risk Management Agency. The grantapplication was successful and was awarded$51,800 for the project.

Completed three studies on market outlook for freshpapayas, potted orchids and coffee in Hawaii.

Continued to collaborate with the NationalAgricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and theNational Association of States Department ofAgriculture (NASDA) in enhancing the data collectionefforts of the MANB.

Continued to collect, compile, publish anddisseminate weekly reports on a timely basis withlimited personnel. The reports include:

√ Honolulu Wholesale Prices of Fresh Fruits andVegetables;

√ Neighbor Island Wholesale Prices of Fresh Fruitsand Vegetables;

√ Weekly Honolulu Arrivals of Fresh Fruits andVegetables;

√ Honolulu Barge Arrivals; and

√ Honolulu Wholesale Egg Market.

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Agricultural Loan Division

AGRICULTURAL LOAN DIVISION

Dean MatsukawaAdministrator

The Agricultural Loan Division’s primary objective is topromote the agricultural development of the State bystimulating, facilitating, and granting loans to qualifiedfarmers, aquaculturists and food manufacturers. TheDivision also serves as a safety net for agriculture andaquaculture by providing loans in times of emergency.The Division administers the Agricultural Loan Programand the Aquacultural Loan Program. The program, as alender of last resort meets the goal of agriculturaldevelopment by providing financial assistance to thosethat are unable to obtain financing fromconventional sources.

The program is self-sufficient, operating throughinterest collections, and is able to achieve its objectiveof growth, development and preservation of theagricultural and aquacultural industries withoutrequiring any taxpayer funding. Administration of theprogram requires a balance between providing financialassistance while ensuring that loans have a reasonableexpectation of repayment.

The Agricultural Loan Division is committed to the growth,development, and well being of the agricultural andaquacultural industries in Hawaii. For FY 04, the Divisionprovided $3,302,000 in financing for Hawaii farmers. Theloans assisted farm operations throughout the State fromKauai to the Big Island of Hawaii. The commodities thatwere financed varied from bananas, dairy, hogs,strawberries, nursery, orchids, and truck crops.

Diversified agriculture no longer encompasses only cropsthat were traditionally grown in the State but now includesnew crops such as lavender, vanilla orchids, mushrooms,and baby vegetables. In addition, the agriculture industryfaces challenges such as increased regulations, highcapital costs, tax, and theft issues. As the agricultural andaquacultural industries evolve, the Division mustconstantly adapt to the new markets, technologies andneeds of the farm community. The Division is optimisticthat the agricultural industry will continue to grow andprosper as Hawaii’s economy recovers.

The Division’s major concern is having sufficient fundingto meet the needs of the agricultural community andmaintaining sufficient reserves to serve as a safety net inthe event of emergencies. The legislature authorized thetransfer of $2,000,000 from the Division’s funds to theState general fund in FY 03. In FY 04, the transfer of anadditional $900,000 was authorized. The Division, overthe years, has returned significant sums back to the State’sgeneral fund, which has resulted in tightening of fundsavailable to assist farmers. To stretch its limited fundingthe Division has expanded its outreach effort to privatelenders, micro-lenders and other government lenders.The Division’s intent is to build a strong network of lendersthat will work together to provide joint funding foragricultural and aquacultural loans. The Division has beenseeing the results of its efforts and for FY 04 26 percent ofthe loans approved were done in conjunction withothers lenders.

The Division provided financingfor Kula Country Farms, LLC toexpand their strawberryoperation.

Shown at left are workersharvesting the fresh island-grown strawberries. Theoperation provides employmentfor approximately 20 Mauiresidents.

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Agricultural Loan Division

The Division remains supportive of agriculture and willcontinue to serve as a resource and safety net to theagricultural community. The Division will continue itsoutreach to the farming community to increase awarenessof the program.

Major activities and accomplishments of the program forFY 04 were as follows:

• Approved 23 loans for $3.302 million during FY04. The loans helped farm farmers retain orincrease farm acreage by 409 acres. Thedivision’s loans also helped to preserveemployment for 126 farm employees.

• The division’s portfolio as of June 30, 2004 wasvalued at $22.0 million with 211 loans booked.The loan breakdown by county is as follows:

1. Hawaii County $10.9 million2. Oahu County $4.4 million3. Maui County $3.9 million4. Kauai County $2.8 million

• Collected $3.444 million in FY 04. Of the amountcollected $895,131 was in interest and $2.549million was in principal.

• Modified 14 loans during FY 04 for a variety ofpurposes to assist farmers with cash flow,extensions of disbursements dates, exchangesand releases of collateral, and changes in use ofloan funds.

• The year 2004 was year of change for thedivision’s personnel. Due to personnel changesan internal reorganization was conducted toeffectively service the agricultural community.The Division has refocused its attention onoutreach and service, which required acceptanceof new responsibilities, procedures, and changein attitude for the division personnel.

See agricultural loan charts on page 50.

The Division in cooperation with Central Pacific Bankprovided financing to complete the Hawaii LivestockCooperative’s facility in Kalaeloa. The operation usesnew bio-technology to process wastewater intoreusable water for washing and irrigation.

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Agricultural Resource Management Division

The Agricultural Resource Management Division worksto ensure that the State has adequate and reliablesources of agricultural water, farmland, infrastructurefor farming and agricultural-related processingfacilities. The division provides administrative oversightover state agricultural park lots, processing facilitiesand several irrigation systems statewide.

By maintaining and operating abandoned plantationirrigation systems, the division supports andencourages the development and expansion ofdiversified agriculture on former mono-cropplantation lands.

Activities for FY 2004 included the following:

The Lower Hamakua Ditch Emergency BypassTunnel that was completed in 2003 has proven to bea great success. The project has received severalawards for its design and construction from theAmerican Public Works Association (state), AmericanCouncil of Engineering Companies (national), TheAssociated General Contractors of America (national),and the American Society of Civil Engineers (stateand national). The success of the project was due toa great team of dedicated partners with the commongoal to complete this challenging project safely andon schedule.

Approximately ten years ago, the concept of a newagricultural park in Kunia was developed. In an effortto ensure the longevity of agriculture in the ewa plains,a mandatory condition was created to dedicate anagricultural park in the area in order to obtain thezoning changes necessary to further develop the ewaplains. On February 23, 2004, the state received thedeed to 150 acres of agricultural land in Kunia.Currently, there are farmers on the land under arevocable permit and plans to develop the parcel intoa full agricultural park are pending appropriate funding.

AGRICULTURAL RESOURCEMANAGEMENT DIVISION

Brian Kau, P.E.Administrator/Chief Engineer

2004 has been a banner year in partnerships for thedepartment. Successful partnerships with the NaturalResources Conservation Service, U. S. Army Corpsof Engineers, U. S. Department of the Interior – Bureauof Reclamation, and the State of Hawaii Civil DefenseDepartment have provided an opportunity to expediteprojects by providing expertise and funding. This year,the department has received approximately $4 millionin additional funding that has been applied to therenovation of our irrigation infrastructure.

The Department of Agriculture has completed the firsttwo phases of the Hawaii Agricultural Water Use andDevelopment Plan (AWUDP). The AWUDP includesa master inventory of irrigation water systems, whichwill allow the department to ascertain and plan forfuture water demands, both state run and private. Italso provides a justification for future agricultural waterdemands and identifies the appropriate water sourcesto meet these demands such as supply sources,transmission and infrastructure, storage facilities,conservation programs, and direct and indirect useof reclaimed water. Although the AWUDP itself doesnot reserve water for future use, it will provide aquantitative projection of planned agriculturalactivities, associated water demands, and strategiesfor supplying such water, which may be used to justifyrequests for water reservation.

The agricultural park program continued to monitorand replace lessees who did not meet the program’sobjective and continued to re-award leases to qual-ified applicants. Staff continued to counsel and workwith lessees who were experiencing difficulty meetingtheir lease terms and conditions at older agriculturalparks in Pahoa, Keahole, Panaewa, Waimanalo, andWaianae. Farmers with new or recently granted leasesat Kahuku, Hamakua, Molokai, and Kalaeloa, startedtheir farming operations.

Rental re-openings for the Waimanalo AgriculturalPark, Phase I, was completed with lease rentals risingfrom $260 per acre per year to $598 per acre per year.These rates will remained fixed until 2011.

On Oahu, farmers experienced real property taxincreases of up to 500 percent even though they hadfarmed the same lands for over 10 years. They werenow required to submit a Petition to Dedicate Landfor Agricultural Use. The division assisted over threedozen lessees in applying for land dedications andencouraging the lessees to participate in the HawaiiFarm Bureau’s efforts to realize the passage ofBill 35 by the Honolulu City Council. Bill 35 providesfor a one-year exemption of real property taxassessments for the FY 2004-2005.

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Agricultural Resource Management Division

Capital Improvement Projects for FY 2004:

The following projects were completed on the Big Islandthis year:

Phase II Flume Improvements (Lower HamakuaDitch)

Lalamilo Distribution Pipeline Improvements(Waimea)

The following projects are ongoing on the Big Island:Phase III Flume Replacement - construction (LowerHamakua Ditch)Phase IV Flume Replacement - design (LowerHamakua Ditch)Intake Improvements - construction (Lower HamakuaDitch)

Paauilo Distribution Pipeline ImprovementsPhase II - design (Lower Hamakua Ditch)

Honomalino Watershed-planning (South Kona)

The following projects are ongoing on Maui:

Upcountry Phase II Main Line Extension - constructionUpcountry Phase III Main Line Extension - constructionUpcountry Kimo Road Lateral - designUpcountry Phase IV Main Line Extension - designUpcountry Phase V Pulehiki/KamehamehaikiLateral - designLower Kula Watershed Project - planning

Left: An orchid farm in theWaianae Agricultural Park,which consists of 150 acressubdivided into 17 lots.

The following projects are ongoing on Molokai:

Emergency Electrical System Improve-ments - construction

Molokai Irrigation System Reservoir Improvements -planning

The following projects are ongoing on Oahu:

Waianae Agricultural Park Drainage ImprovementsPhase II - design and construction

Waiahole Irrigation System Reservoir Improve-ments - design

The following projects are ongoing on Kauai:

East Kauai Irrigation System - design

Kokee Irrigation System Improvements - design

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Animal Industry Division

ANIMAL INDUSTRY DIVISION

James Foppoli, Ph.D.,DVMAdministrator/State Veterinarian

The mission of the Animal Industry Division is to protectHawaii’s livestock and poultry industries and publichealth by preventing disease introductions and detectingand controlling economically important diseases orpests within the State.

The Division conducts the following: animal diseasesurveillance, epidemiology and control; administrationof voluntary livestock and poultry disease certificationprograms; laboratory diagnostic services; dog and catquarantine to prevent rabies introduction; inspection ofall animals and birds entering the State; and livestockbrand registration. In recent years, the focus of thedivision is shifting from mandatory to voluntary diseasesurveillance and control programs and animal healthemergency management in support of thelivestock industry.

Public health and environmental programs aimed atpreventing the introduction of rabies virus and WestNile virus into the State are important ancillary functions.

Hawaii’s statuses for State-Federal Cooperative DiseaseControl Programs during FY 04:

Brucellosis Free, cattle and swinePseudorabies Free, Stage V

Bovine Tuberculosis, Accredited Free

Hawaii is also recognized as free of bluetongue virus andanaplasmosis, allowing the export of cattle from Hawaii toCanada without costly holding and testing procedures.Surveillance for anaplasmosis and bluetongue continueto insure that the free status is documentedand maintained.

Continuing activities relating to voluntary disease controlprograms include: scrapie in sheep and goats; chronicwasting disease in cervidae; and Johne’s disease in dairycattle. Surveillance for bovine spongiform encephalopathy(mad cow disease) is an important continuing State-Federal cooperative program. Mad cow disease hasadversely impacted the cattle industry in many countriesand may cause human disease. Import restrictionsplaced on birds continued through FY 04 in an effort toreduce the chances of West Nile virus introduction.

The Division received grants from the United StatesDepartment of Agriculture, Animal and Plant HealthInspection Service, totaling $294,537 during FY 2004. Thegrants supported the voluntary scrapie herd and flockcertification program, evaluation of waste feeding by swineproducers, foreign animal disease response, and Johne’sdisease surveillance and control. The division alsoreceived $53,705 as part of a Hawaii Department ofAgriculture Homeland Security grant ($133,705) for bio-terrorism/agro-terrorism response related activities.

RABIES QUARANTINE BRANCHIsaac M. Maeda, D.V.M., Program Manager

June 30, 2004, marked the end of the first year of operationfor the five-day-or-less rabies quarantine program. Thefive-day-or-less program dramatically changed both theworkload and nature of duties for the different sections inthe branch, in addition to the numbers of animalsin quarantine.

In contrast to the 120-day program, the reduced five-day-or-less program relies heavily on staff and computerizeddata base(s) to monitor and verify information relevant toqualification. The dramatic increase in pets qualifying forthe five-day-or-less program substantially increased theduties for the clerical, veterinary and inspection sections.In addition, the program receives assistance fromLivestock Disease Control inspectors to process dogsand cats released at the airport seven days a week.

The Department also maintains an interactive websitededicated to Hawaii’s rabies quarantine program thatcontains all of the information and forms relating toquarantine and the importation of cats and dogs. Petowners may access pre-arrival rabies test results, 30-dayand five-day-or-less quarantine-eligible dates, as well asdownload relevant forms and information at this DOAwebsite. Checklists for both the 30-day and five-day-or-less programs are at the site to assist pet owners withpreparing their pets to qualify for these reducedquarantine options.

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Under the five-day-or-less program, pets may bereleased at Honolulu International Airport if theycomplete pre-arrival requirements that include:

√ Two rabies vaccinations, with the last vaccinationadministered no more than 12 months prior toarrival if it was a one-year vaccine, or no morethan 18 months prior to arrival if it was a three-year vaccine. (The two vaccinations may not beadministered within 90 days of each other; andthe last vaccine must be administered no lessthan 90 days prior to the pet’s entry into the state)

√ Microchip implantation for identification purposes

√ OIE-FAVN rabies blood serum test results withsufficient level of rabies antibodies

√ 120-day pre-arrival waiting period between thetime the lab receives the blood sample and theearliest date the pet may enter the State underthe new program. (The pre-arrival waiting periodis necessary due to the long and variable lengthof rabies incubation, where the virus may hide inan animal before clinical signs of the diseasebecome apparent.)

√ Pet owners must also submit required paperworkat least 10 days prior to the pet’s arrival

√ Pet owners that do not submit the requireddocuments have their pets held in quarantine forup to five days or until all requirements arecompleted and documents submitted.

On February 12, 2004, rules were implemented thatallowed more pets that meet specific pre-arrivalrequirements to qualify for five-day-or-less quarantine.

For animals unable to complete the required 120-daywaiting period for qualification but meet all other five-day-or-less requirements, the quarantine period isdetermined by the number of days the animal arrivesbefore its 120-day eligibility date. These animals areeventually able to qualify for five-day-or-less quarantineby remaining in quarantine until completing the “120-day waiting period.”

The 30-day and 120-day programs remain in effect forpets that do not qualify for the 5-day-or-less program.Fees for the five-day-or-less program remain at $165 ifthe pet qualifies for direct release from the airport and$224 if the pet is held for up to five days in quarantine.

Pets that arrive before completing the required 120-daywaiting period are assessed a daily fee of $14.30 andthe five-day-or-less fee of $224 when the pet qualifiesfor the five-day-or-less option. The cost of the 30-dayand the 120-day quarantine programs was unchangedat $655 and $1,080, respectively.

Other modifications in February 2004 made it easierfor Hawaii residents to travel with their pets and returnto the state without quarantine. A key difference forresident Hawaii pet requirements is the timing of themost recent rabies vaccination and the OIE-FAVN rabiesserological test. For Hawaii’s resident dogs, that rabiesvaccine and qualifying blood test may be done no lessthan 14 days before leaving the state. This is incomparison to pets arriving from rabies-endemic areasthat must have the most recent rabies vaccineadministered no less than 90 days before arrival andpass the rabies serological test no less than 120 daysbefore arriving. However, due to the variable length oftime the laboratories take to complete the serologicaltest, pet owners are advised to make sure their petpassed the test before departing Hawaii as pets withoutpassing titers will be quarantined on return.

The total number of animals entering Hawaii throughthe rabies quarantine program increased dramaticallyfrom 4,548 dogs and cats in FY 03 to 6,834 animals inFY 04. In addition, approximately 79 percent (5,447)of arriving dogs and cats have qualified for the program.Furthermore, of the 5,447 pets that qualified, 5,276 pets(96 percent) qualified for direct release upon arrival atHonolulu International Airport. In addition to the 6,834animals completing quarantine, more than 300 dogsand cats spent varying lengths of time at the quarantinestation while transiting to other destinations.

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LIVESTOCK DISEASE CONTROL BRANCH

Jason D. Moniz, D.V.M., Manager

The Livestock Disease Control Branch prevents,investigates, conducts surveillance, controls anderadicates animal diseases that may have seriouseconomic impacts on the state and nation’s livestock andpoultry industries, some of which impact public health.The branch inspects animals entering the state andinsures compliance with division rules and laws pertainingto the control and eradication of animal diseases.

West Nile Virus (WNV)West Nile virus continued its westward spread acrossNorth America having reached epizootic levels fromAugust through October 2003. The epidemic areawas focused on the eastern foothills of the Rockies.Spring 2004 saw WNV reach Arizona and SouthernCalifornia. With the infection reaching the West Coast,Hawaii is at higher risk than previous years.

Entry requirements related to WNV were implementedin 2002 to reduce the probability of virus entry.Susceptible species of birds are required to beisolated in a mosquito-proof environment for sevendays, under veterinary supervision, immediately priorto entry, and all bird shipments must be accompaniedby an entry permit stating that pre-arrival requirementshave been met.

The department, as well as the Animal IndustryDivision continues to participate in the WNV workinggroup that also includes representatives from theDepartment of Health, Department of Land and NaturalResources, US Fish and Wildlife Service, USGeological Survey and the University of Hawaii. Inaddition, the Livestock Disease Control Branchcontinues to work with the US Postal Service to preventthe movement of birds through the mail, therebyallowing inspection of all shipments enteringthe state.

Bovine TuberculosisBovine Tuberculosis free status maintainedBovine tuberculosis (BTB) a chronic, debilitatingdisease of cattle, bison, goats, cervids and otheranimals that can also cause a serious disease inman, is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium bovis.

The State of Hawaii continues to maintain a “BovineTuberculosis Free Status;” however, state and federalveterinarians routinely monitor cattle herds and wildlifeon eastern Molokai, where bovine tuberculosis hasbeen a recurrent problem for the past 60 years. Thelast BTB infected cattle herd, located on easternMolokai, was depopulated without further spread in1997 and no new cases of BTB in cattle havebeen found.

The following are quarantine statistics for cats anddogs arriving between July 1, 2003 and June 30,2004 (FY 2004):

PROGRAM NUMBER PERCENT

120-day 788 11.5

30-Day 599 9

5-Day-Or-Less 171 2.5

Airport Release 5,276 77

Total 6,834 100

During FY04, the portion of quarantined dogs and catsundergoing 30-day quarantine decreased toapproximately nine percent compared to 69 percent inFY 03. The effect of these combined changes resultedin the daily population of animals occupying the animalquarantine station at any given time during FY 04 torange between 232 and 537 animals. In contrast, thefluctuation in daily animal population at the station variedbetween 443 to 738 dogs and cats in FY 03.

In addition to rabies exclusion, the quarantine programcontinues to monitor dogs carefully for ticks exotic toHawaii. One species Dermacentor variables wasdiscovered and eliminated from a dog during FY 04.This species has been reported to potentially serve asa vector for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Tularemiaand other rickettsial and bacterial diseases of medicalimportance. Rhipicephalus sanguineus, the brown dogtick, is currently the only tick established in Hawaiiassociated with dogs.

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A hunter assisted survey for BTB in wildlife began in1998 on Molokai to monitor the prevalence of infectionin axis deer, feral swine, feral goats and mongoose.Six feral swine have been found infected, the mostrecent from Mapalehu in May 2004. To date, allinfected feral swine have been caught at or adjacentto Ualapue, where the 1997 infected cow was found.

Wildlife Surveillance for Bovine Tuberculosis(1998 to date)

Animal Number Sampled Infected

Feral swine 454 6

Axis deer 446 0

Feral goat 72 0

Mongoose 915 (61 pools of 15) 0

Captive wildlife 15 0

To prevent the potential spread of bovine tuberculosisfrom eastern Molokai, all cattle east of Kamalo arerequired to have an annual negative BTB test or testnegative within 30 days prior to movement out of thearea. All herds are in compliance with establishedtesting and movement requirements. In addition, feralswine movement out of areas east of Kamalo hasbeen prohibited.

During FY04, LDC in conjunction with USDA, APHIS,evaluated feral swine disease data and developed aplan to reduce the potential for feral swine to transmitBTB to cattle. The ultimate goal is eradication of BTBin feral swine on eastern Molokai.

Bovine BrucellosisBovine Brucellosis class free status maintainedBovine brucellosis is an infectious disease of cattle,bison and elk, caused by the bacteria Brucella abortus.Brucellosis can also infect man. Hawaii has beenofficially classified free of bovine brucellosissince 1983.

During the fiscal year, 7,800 cattle were tested forbrucellosis which resulted in two (2) suspects beingidentified. Supplemental testing, epidemiologicalinvestigations, and herd tests found no evidence ofherds infected with Brucella abortus. Infrequentsuspects and reactors have been caused by Brucellasuis which causes brucellosis in swine; however, thisorganism in cattle rarely causes disease. The twosuspect cattle originated in areas with known infectedferal swine. Due to the self-limiting nature of Brucellasuis in cattle, no quarantines or other control actionswere necessary. Gastrointestinal infections withYersinia enterocolitica also may cause false positivereactions to Brucella abortus.

Swine Brucellosis & PseudorabiesHawaii maintains free statuses for SwineBrucellosis and Pseudorabies

BrucellosisBrucellosis in swine is caused by the bacteria Brucellasuis. Infected swine experience reproductiveproblems including abortion and infertility. Brucellasuis can cause serious infections in man. Hawaiiretained its free status for swine brucellosis duringFY04.

No swine brucellosis infected domestic swine herdswere found during FY04; however, two transitionalherds (herds that commingle feral and domesticswine) adjacent to each other were found infected inKeauhou on the island of Hawaii. The two herds wereplaced under quarantine and a “test and removal”herd plan implemented to rid the herds of infection.On-farm surveillance detected a suspect animal on adomestic pig farm in the Waianae area of Oahu;however, the infection has not been confirmed.

Feral swine in Kona, Hamakua (Hawaii), Kahakuloa(Maui), Ft. Shafter westward through Waianae, theNorth Shore and Windward (Oahu) are known to beinfected with swine brucellosis.

In addition to annual testing of all sows and boarsover six months of age at slaughter, 25 percent of theherds in the state are randomly selected for testing todetermine their brucellosis status. Surveillance forFY04 included 958 domestic swine and 111 feralswine. No domestic swine herds tested positive forbrucellosis; however, 3.6 percent of feral swinesamples tested positive.

PseudorabiesPseudorabies (PRV), a viral infection of swine, causesrespiratory disease and reproductive failure.Pseudorabies infection of other species (such asdogs) is typically fatal but humans are not susceptible.

Pseudorabies surveillance testing of 962 swineduring fiscal year 2004 found no infected domesticswine. An additional 111 feral swine were tested with24 percent testing positive for PRV. Feral swine onthe island of Hawaii, Maui and Oahu are known to bePRV-infected. Infected feral swine are a constantthreat to domestic swine herds. A statewidequarantine order prohibits the commingling of feraland domestic swine as well as inter-island movementof feral swine.

Historically in Hawaii, all domestic herds infected withpseudorabies or swine brucellosis have been tracedto exposure to infected feral swine.

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Transmissible Spongiform EncephlopathiesScrapieScrapie is a transmissible, insidious, neuro-degenerative disease affecting the central nervoussystem of sheep and goats. Scrapie has not beendiagnosed in goat or sheep flocks in Hawaii.

Hawaii continues to be recognized as consistent withthe USDA Voluntary Scrapie Certification ProgramStandards. The Hawaii Scrapie Certification Board isin place to oversee the program which certifies goatand sheep flocks participating in a national voluntaryscrapie eradication program. Whenever possible,surveillance sampling of culled sheep in carried outby Branch veterinarians. Thus far, all samplescollected have tested negative for scrapie.

Bovine Spongiform Ecephalopathy (BSE)During FY04, 75 BSE samples were collected with nopositive test results. Hawaii is participating in theenhanced national BSE surveillance efforts thatstarted June 1, 2004.

Voluntary Johne’s Disease Herd CertificationProgram (VJDHCP)A USDA grant was used to conduct Johne’s testing ofdairy and beef herds during the fiscal year. In addition,herd risk assessments were funded and conductedon dairies and ranches by private veterinariansthrough the grant. During FY 04, 7,392 cattle weretested for Johne’s disease. The VJDHCP goal is toimplement disease control measures to reduce oreliminate Johne’s disease from cattle herds andconduct annual surveillance to verify a herd’s status.

Importation/Exportation of Livestock, Poultry andOther AnimalsAn embargo on the movement of poultry and otherbirds into Hawaii through the US Postal Service wasimplemented in September 2002. The embargoremains in place to prevent the entry of West Nilevirus through infected birds.

Inspected and approved for entry into the state:21,190 head of livestock (primarily pigs);12,567 poultry and other birds;365,117 day-old chicks;5,009 cases of hatching eggs;9,362 dogs and cats; and10,737 other animals.

The Branch staff conducted 44 complianceinvestigations resulting in eight citations being issued,255 written warnings, and 178 animals refused entry.

Additional statistical data available on page 53.

VETERINARY LABORATORY BRANCHCrane H. Hahn, D.V.M., Program Manager

The Veterinary Laboratory provides timely and accuratedisease surveillance and diagnostic activity to supportthe Division (Livestock Disease Control Branch andAnimal Quarantine Branch) as well as other governmentagencies responsible for the animal diseasecontrol programs.

Ongoing local and national cooperative programs includelaboratory diagnoses and surveillance testing for livestockand poultry diseases of economic importance, such asbrucellosis, Johne’s disease, bluetongue, anaplasmosis,pseudorabies, and porcine reproductive and respiratorysyndrome (PRRS). The laboratory also actively participatesin providing tests or specimen collection for animaldiseases of public health importance and/orbioterrorism potential.

During the fiscal year 2003-2004, the laboratory testedapproximately 24,000 samples, of which 7,243 (26 percent)were for Johne’s disease, 8,947 (32 percent) forbrucellosis, 3,945 (14 percent) for anaplasmosis, and1,167 (4 percent) for pseudorabies.

The laboratory’s clinical pathology section conductedapproximately 3,600 tests on samples from imported dogsand cats (primarily internal and external parasites) and689 tests on blood samples collected from importedhorses (Equine Infectious Anemia) during fiscal year 2004.Other diagnostic services included necropsy (275 cases)and histopathology (299 slides) for livestock, poultry, andimported pets.

Currently, four microbiologists, one chemist and oneveterinary medical officer are certified in one or more areasof immuno-serological test methods and interpretation bythe National Veterinary Services Laboratory.

Statistical data on the activities of the Veterinary Lab areavailable on page 53.

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Aquaculture Development Program

AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENTPROGRAM

John CorbinManager

The Aquaculture Development Program (ADP) providesessential support services to encourage further growthand diversification of the aquaculture industry. ADP is aplanning, development, and problem-solvingorganization whose goals are to assist in the start-up ofproduction and service businesses, and to contributeto their success. Specific activities include planningand policy formulation, new business development,permit facilitation, marketing assistance, diseasediagnosis and prevention assistance, and co-funding ofstatewide technical extension.

The mission of ADP is to: prepare and implement stateaquaculture plans and policies for the expansion ofaquatic farming, and research and technology transferbusiness; coordinate statewide development activities;and directly assist both public and private sectorinterests in achieving their aquaculture-related goals,so as to create jobs and diversify the economies ofall islands.

Major activities for FY 2004 were:

Briefed U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka on State plansand initiatives for aquaculture development anddiscussed federal assistance.

Continued the joint implementation with theDepartment of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR)of the amended Chapter 190D, HRS, Ocean andSubmerged Lands Leasing law by facilitating theapproval process for authorization of one additionallease (three currently authorized) and documentpreparation for five additional aquaculture leases onvarious islands. Prepared a joint report to the statelegislature on status of the ocean leasing law.

Served as a Team Member for a study managed bythe University of Delaware, Center for Study of MarinePolicy that produced a report for Congress entitled,Operational Guidelines for Aquaculture Leasing in theU.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Provided inputinto proposed Federal legislation to allow aquacultureleasing in federal waters. Cooperated with GrassrootInstitute study of Hawaii offshore aquaculture.

Participated in the governing boards and advisorycommittees of: Pacific Aquaculture and CoastalResources Center at UH Hilo, Center for Tropical andSubtropical Aquaculture, National Association of StateAquaculture Coordinators, Natural Energy Laboratoryof Hawaii Authority, Marine and Coastal ZoneManagement Advisory Group, Commodity AdvisoryGroup for Agriculture, University of Hawaii Sea GrantCollege Program, Hawaii Aquaculture Association,and Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force.

Assisted with permits for species importation andfarm siting for farmers on Oahu, Kauai, Mauiand Hawaii.

Co-chaired the Marine Ornamentals 2004 ConferenceOrganizing Committee, as well as Finance Program,Marketing and Publications Committees. Thisinternational conference, the third in a seriesoriginating in Hawaii, was held March 1-4, 2004 at theHawaii Convention Center and was attended by morethan 250 people from 20 states and 21 countries andisland groups.

A landmark stop on the North Shore of Oahu, Romy’sKahuku Prawns and Shrimp sells “just harvested”shrimp and prawns from its roadside stand right next totheir farm. The shrimp stand is very popular with bothlocals and tourists and has attracted competition to thearea in recent years.

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Aquaculture Development Program

Assisted with the World Aquaculture Society’sAquaculture 2004 conference from March 1-5, 2004at the Hawaii Convention Center, attended by over3,500 delegates from over 90 countries. Organized alarge trade show “Hawaii pavilion” to feature localcompanies and promote new business development.

Promoted the consumption of aquaculture productsby participating in buyers meeting Norwegian CruiseLines, the State Farm Fair, Made in Hawaii Exposition,Maui Moi Festival, Sam Choy’s Poke Contest, HawaiiLodging, Hospitality and Food Service Expo, and theTaste of Waipahu. Worked with various internet,television, radio and print media to place stories andpromote the industry. Also, worked with industryassociation to implement a grant to develop apromotional video. Continued electronic bi-monthlynewsletter, Aquaflashes.

Carried out for aquatic animal health managementmore than 100 field trips and analyzed 300 casesubmissions, and provided animal healthconsultation services to producers and researchorganizations, statewide, including conductingworkshops on disease diagnosis and prevention.

Lei Yamasaki, Aquaculture Development Program’slaboratory assistant, prepares a fish sample for testingand disease diagnosis. ADP’s disease managementprogram handles hundreds of cases a year and is criticalto the success of the aquaculture industry.

Received a continuation grant from the USDA forresearch and technical assistance in diseasemanagement for the Hawaii aquaculture industry.Provided reviews of proposed Federal protocols forshipping live Hawaii broodstock shrimp to Japan andlive shrimp importation protocols for New Caledonia.

Co-funded statewide technical extension services tothe aquaculture industry, in cooperation with the UHSea Grant Extension Service leveraging over$400,000 in matching funds through the project. Also,advised UH on the establishment of an MS/Ph.DProgram in Tropical Aquaculture.

Provided technical reviews of research proposals tothe UH Sea Grant College Program, U.S. Departmentof Commerce, U.S. Department of Agriculture, thePacific Tropical Ornamental Fish Program (PTOFP)and the Biosystems Technology Program. Alsoassisted in organizing the proposal solicitation andreview process for the fourth year of thePTOFP program.

Served on the Board of Directors and provided majorassistance to the Hawaii Aquaculture Association(HAA) to host the Aquaculture 2004 conference.Members organized three field trips and three oralpresentation sessions of eighteen papers to putHawaii aquaculture on display. Hawaii aquacultureproducts were featured in two conference reception.

Served on the University of Hawaii Search Committeefor the Director of the Waikiki Aquarium.

Michael Buchal, President of Big Island AbaloneCorporation (BIA), accepts the 2003 Governor’s Exporterof the Year Award from Governor Linda Lingle. BIA,located at the Hawaii Ocean Sciences and TechnologyPark/NELHA, is now one of the largest abalone farmsin the world and has plans to produce upward of 100tons of abalone per year. The majority of their abaloneis shipped live to Japan.

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Plant Industry Division

PLANT INDUSTRY DIVISION

Lyle Wong, Ph.D.Administrator

PESTICIDES BRANCHRobert A. Boesch, Manager

The Pesticide Program regulates the distribution and useof pesticides through a program of licensing, testing thecompetency of restricted-use pesticide applicators, andeducating and monitoring pesticides distributors andapplicators. This is to ensure the efficient, effective andsafe use of pesticides to minimize adverse effects on theenvironment.

Three of the major activities of the program in FY 2004were as follows:

Emergency Request to Use Hydrated Lime to ControlCoqui Frogs Submitted to the EPAThe program initiated tests and forwarded anapplication to the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) to enable the use calcium hydroxide (hydratedlime) to control Caribbean tree frogs. After reviewingthe request, EPA approved the the request inApril 2005.

The Plant Industry Division consists of three branches,the Pesticides Branch, the Plant Pest Control Branchand the Plant Quarantine Branch. Together, the brancheswork to protect Hawaii’s agricultural industries by pre-venting the entry and establishment of detrimental in-sects, weeds and other pests and by assuring the safeand efficient use of pesticides in Hawaii. The divisionalso works with growers, exporters, and other govern-ment agencies to resolve quarantine restrictions in or-der to allow export of Hawaii’s fresh fruits, vegetables,flowers and foliage products to markets worldwide.

Pesticides Rules Under ReviewThe Advisory Committee on Pesticides andSubcommittees on Ground Water Review andNotification met during FY04 and maderecommendations on revising the pesticides rules(Title 4, Subtitle 6, Chapter 66, Hawaii AdministrativeRules or 4-6-66, HAR), including:

√ 4-66-32, HAR, concerning restricted usepesticides, changes are proposed to add criteriafor restricted-use classification, includingcontamination of ground water and pesticideuses authorized by an emergency exemptionissued by EPA.

The pesticides proposed for restricted-use are:Alachlor, Atrazine, Bromacil, Chlorine Gas,Chloropicrin (including its use as a warning agentwhen used with any pesticide), cyanazine,hexazinone, metolachlor and its isomers,paraquat, picloram and simazine. Manypesticides are being removed from the list, mostof which are no longer being manufactured.

√ 4-66-52, HAR, concerning restricted use pesticidedealers proposals are to require dealers to notifythe department when changes in personnelresponsible for restricted use pesticides salesoccur, and to have the license for personnelresponsible for restricted use pesticides salesexpire in five years, with renewal by examination.

√ 4-66-53, HAR, concerning dealer’s records andreports changes are proposed to track alltransactions effecting the inventory of restricteduse pesticides, not just sales.

√ 4-66-55, HAR, concerning disposal of pesticidescontainers is being revised to refer to theDepartment of Health’s requirements concerningmanagement of solid and hazardous wastes andto eliminate burial on-site as an optionfor disposal.

√ 4-66-57 and 58, HAR, concerning general andspecific standards for certification of applicators,changes are proposed to establish a minimumage for certification at 18 years old and makeother amendments for consistency withother sections.

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√ 4-66-60, HAR, concerning certif icationprocedures is proposed to be amended to bemore comprehensive in including the preciseprocedures for certification and recertification,including the number of hours of education creditthat must be earned in the five (5) year certificationperiod to be renewed without examination. Thissection also establishes procedures for approvalof classes for certification credit and issuingreplacement certificates.

√ 4-66-62, HAR, concerning certified pesticideapplicator record keeping requirements havebeen amended to require commercial and privateapplicator records to be kept and to requirecommercial applicators to provide agriculturalemployers with information required by the EPA’sWorker Protection Standard.

A new section is proposed on enforcement penaltyguidelines on license and certificate suspension andmonetary penalties.

School Integrated Pest Management ProgramLaunchedThe Pesticides Program has been working withfacilities management staff at the Department ofEducation on an integrated pest managementprogram for schools. Seminars have been conductedon Oahu and Kauai and are planned for Maui and BigIsland to provide custodial and administrative staff atschools with information on selecting pestmanagement measures that will control pests thatare safe and effective. Methods to control commonpests such as ants, roaches, and rats are discussedat these seminars.

Biotechnology Field Experiments to be MonitoredThe pesticides program has agreed to conductinspections of experimental use permits issued byEPA for plant-incorporated protectants, which involvegene transfer from species with pesticidecharacteristics to crops. In recent years, EPAinspectors have conducted the inspections andpesticide program staff accompanied and observedthe procedures use by EPA. The pesticides programwill use EPA authority to conduct the inspections andprovide all information collected to the EPA fortheir review.

PLANT PEST CONTROL BRANCHLarry M. Nakahara, Manager (retired December 2004)

The Plant Pest Control Branch (PPC) consists of two sec-tions, Biological Control and the Chemical/MechanicalControl Sections. Both sections work on developing effi-cient methods to manage and reduce populations of plantpests that cause significant damage to agriculture and theenvironment. Plant pests include destructive insects, ver-tebrates (such as coqui frogs), invertebrates (such as snailsand slugs), noxious weeds, plant diseases and any otherorganism harmful to plants.

The Biological Control Section seeks out natural enemiesof the pests. Many times, this requires exploratory ento-mologists to travel around the world to the native area ofthe pest to find a possible bio-control agent. Those foundmust be held under strict quarantine protocol and testedon native and beneficial plants and insects to assure thatthe bio-control agent only attacks that particular pest be-fore it may be released.

The Chemical/Mechanical Control Section works on find-ing effective pesticides and manual removal methods tocontrol pests. In many instances a combination of biologi-cal control and chemical/mechanical methods may be usedin an integrated pest management program.

Some of the activities of the Branch during FY 2004included the following:

New Pest Detection and Identification

Identified 673 samples of insects and otherorganisms from which 96 specimens wereprocessed and added to the Branch’s ZoologicalReference Collection. The collection now containsapproximately 166,000 specimens. In addition, 258samples of insect specimens intercepted by the PlantQuarantine Branch were identified and 281 callsregarding various pests were received from thegeneral public and processed.

Recorded 6 new immigrant insects and one diseaseorganism in Hawaii during FY 2004. The followingare considered to be of potential significance as plantpests if not successfully eradicated or subsequentlysuppressed by biocontrol agents:

Pickleworm, Diaphania nitidalis Cramer(Lepidoptera: Crambidae). Larval specimens of thepickleworm were first found in November 2003 in fruitsof cucumber, zucchini, and kabocha at farms in centralOahu at Kunia, Poamoho, and Ewa, respectively byUH-CTAHR researchers conducting Area-Wide FruitFly Suppression activities. Immature caterpillarsusually feed on the blossoms of various cucurbitsand, later, burrow into the fruit, causing small holesthrough which frass exudes, making the fruitunmarketable.

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Chrysanthemum white rust (CWR), Puccinia horianaP. Henn. (Uredinales: Pucciniaceae). This rustdisease was first discovered infectingchrysanthemum plants in a commercial ornamentalplant nursery at Mountain View on the island of Hawaiiin January 2004.

Because this rust has been designated a quarantinepest for the United States, personnel of the UnitedStates Department of Agriculture, Animal and PlantHealth Inspection Service, Plant Protection andQuarantine (USDA-APHIS-PPQ) worked cooperativelywith State personnel in an eradication attempt. Withinthree days of its discovery, CWR was successfullyeradicated from the nursery through the efforts ofpersonnel from the nursery, UH-CTAHR, USDA-APHIS-PPQ, Big Island Invasive Species Committee,and HDOA.

The one-half acre planting of infected mums wasdestroyed by roguing, bagging, burning, and burying.No evidence of this rust has reappeared, thus far.CWR originated in eastern Asia and is nowestablished in Europe, Africa, Australia, and Centraland South America. Outbreaks in the U.S. have beeneradicated in each instance. This disease can bemanaged with the careful and thorough disposal ofinfected plants and weekly fungicide sprays.

Cardin’s whitefly, Metaleurodicus cardini (Back)(Homoptera: Aleyrodidae). Specimens of this whiteflywere first collected in December 2003 from fiddlewood(Citharexylum spinosum) trees planted in parking lotsin Hilo on the island of Hawaii. The copious honeydewexcretions that fall like microscopic raindrops andabundant white, waxy filaments produced by the

Multi-agency effort to eradicatechrysanthemum white rust (CWR) ata Big Island plant nursery inMountain View.Inset: chrysanthemum leaf withtypical CWR pustules.Photos by A. Hara (CTAHR)

whitefly nymphs that are blown by winds can result inmajor nuisance problems under the canopy of theseheavily-infested trees. Fortunately, the activities ofseveral locally-established whitefly predators andparasitoids have limited the density and dispersal ofthis whitefly. This whitefly can easily be distinguishedfrom the other 33 species of whiteflies presentlyestablished in Hawaii by a distinct black spot on eachof the wings of the adult. Its current distributionincludes Florida, Bermuda, Cuba, and Jamaica.Recorded hosts include guava, mountain apple,paperbark, allspice, golden dewdrop, citrus, plumeria,and numerous others.

Glassywinged sharpshooter (GWSS), Homalodiscacoagulata (Say) (Homoptera: Cicadellidae).Specimens of this leafhopper were first collected onOahu in a residential area of Waiau, near Pearl City,in May 2004. It is a large leafhopper species that isnative to the southeastern United States and is knownto be one of the main vectors of the bacterium Xylellafastidiosa, a plant pathogen that causes a variety ofplant diseases, including phony peach disease ofpeach and Pierce’s disease of grape.

The GWSS is usually not a serious pest in its nativerange, but it recently became established in southernCalifornia, where it has become a serious threat toviticulture because of its ability to vector Pierce’sdisease. Although there is no evidence of thebacterium occurring in Hawaii, another potentialproblem posed by infestations of this leafhopper itthat of “leafhopper rain,” which is the excretion ofcopious amounts of liquid as they feed in the waterconducting tissue (xylem) of plants. The GWSS has avery wide host range with a list of more than 200species of plants.

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Papaya mealybug (PM), Paracoccus marginatusWill iams and Granara de Will ink (Homoptera:Pseudococcidae). Specimens of this mealybug werefirst observed infesting papaya plants in central Mauiin early May 2004 by UH-CTAHR-CES and HDOApersonnel. This mealybug has a wide host rangewith its favorite hosts in Hawaii being papaya,plumeria, hibiscus, and jatropha. As it feeds, a toxinis injected which results in yellowing, stunting,deformation, and dropping of leaves and fruits. Heavyinfestations may even kill plants.

The PM was first described in 1955 from specimenscollected on cassava in Mexico. Interestingly, it isbelieved to be native to Central America, where it wasreported only recently. It spread to the Caribbean inthe early 1990’s and recently to the Virgin Islands,Puerto Rico, Florida, the northern part of SouthAmerica, and Guam. In addition to papaya and theother hosts reported previously, other common hostsinclude soursop, sugar apple, mango, plum, guava,Surinam cherry, eggplant, peppers, sweet potato,avocado, tomato, pigeon peas, allamanda, oleander,ixora, and many other crops, fruit trees, ornamentals,and even weeds.

Projects of the Branch’s Biological Control Sectionincluded the following during FY 2004:

Yellow Sugarcane Aphid [Sipha flava (Forbes)]. Inmid-July 2003, production of the yellow sugarcaneaphid (YSA) biocontrol agent, Lysiphlebus ambiguus(Haliday) (Pakistan biotype), in the Hilo Insectary wasterminated. This aphid parasitoid was introducedfrom Pakistan through a cooperative agreementbetween the State of Hawaii and the InternationalInstitute of Biological Control (IIBC, CABIInternational), headquartered at Silwood Park,England, United Kingdom.

From FY 1998 through FY 2003, a grand total of519,784 L. ambiguus (Pakistan biotype) adults werereleased in pastures on the islands of Hawaii andMaui and in fields of young sugarcane on Kauai. Mostof the adults released were reared in Hilo. Final L.ambiguus emergence in the Hilo Insectary during thefirst half of July 2003 totaled 5,300 adults, 4,500 ofwhich were sent to Molokai for release at two ranches.These releases represent the culmination of the YSABiocontrol Project that began with the initial discoveryof the YSA at Hualalai Ranch in North Kona inNovember 1988.

By June 2004, surveys confirm the establishment ofthis biocontrol agent on Maui as well as on Hawaii.For the present, the YSA Biocontrol Project will be puton hold until further clues surface to provide viableleads to additional natural enemies that would beworthwhile to pursue.

Heavy infestation of papaya mealybug on trunk of

papaya tree on Maui.

Nettle Caterpillar [Darna pallivitta Moore]. Propagationand studies of the nettle caterpillar continued in theHDOA Insect Quarantine Facility in Honolulu, as wellas in the Hilo Insectary. Periodic disease infectionshave hampered production at both facilities soemphasis has been placed on sanitation and keepingminimum numbers in each container to avoidovercrowding.

In June 2004, many dead late instar larvae were foundat a Waiakea site on the leaves of hono hono(Commelina diffusa). Specimens sent to UC Daviswere confirmed to be infected with a virus, which iscommon in many wild moths and much more lethalin lab colonies. It is apparent that the virus has someimpact on nettle caterpillar field populations.

The Hilo colony is being maintained to produce eggsand larvae that will be set out in the field to detectparasitoid activity. The colony in the HDOA InsectQuarantine Facility on Oahu is being maintained foruse in colonizing and testing potential bio-control agents.

The nettle caterpillar has now expanded its rangefrom Panaewa into the lower Waiakea Subdivision.New infestations have been reported and confirmedin Panaewa and Waiakea.

A parasitoid, Trichogramma papilionis Nagarkatti,collected at a Panaewa infestation site is beingmonitored for its affect on nettle caterpillar eggs. Asignificant detection was made in early November

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routine monitoring was terminated on Oahu. On theneighbor islands, the parasitic wasp was also foundto be established on Kauai and in Hilo. Also, the bio-control agent was also found in Pukalani, Maui, wherethe initial GtWF detection was logged in May 2004.

The GtWF Biocontrol Project is a supreme exampleof the effective and permanent control of a potentiallyserious pest insect that can be achieved in a relativelyshort period of time with the minimum expenditure offunds. Statewide control was secured so quickly, justtwo years after the initial detection of the pest, that themajority of residents were not even aware of theproblem.

Cardin’s Whitefly [Metaleurodicus cardini (Back)]. Anew state record was made on December 19, 2003when this species was discovered on fiddlewoodtrees in Hilo on the island of Hawaii. There are now33 whitefly species established in Hawaii, none ofwhich are native. The infestation was heavy andhoneydew was falling on the cars parked under thetrees. Follow-up surveys in the area during the nextfew months disclosed continued heavy infestationlevels, associated defoliation, and honeydew excretiononto cars. Beginning in January 2004, coccinellidbeetles were observed on the underside of infestedleaves. A sample of the beetles collected and sent toHonolulu for identification revealed the presence ofthe coccinellid species Nephaspis bicolor Gordon,N. indus Gordon, and Delphastus catalinae (Horn).All three species had been introduced from Trinidadin 1979-1980 for biocontrol of the spiraling whitefly.However, very few nymphs of the whitefly wereparasitized. A very low rate of parasitism by a parasiticwasp, believed to be Encarsia sp. poss. transvena(Timberlake), was observed at that time.

In February, a totally unexpected recovery of a parasiticwasp was made when a single specimen of Encarsiahispida De Santis emerged from a sample of infestedfiddlewood leaves that had been collected from treesat the drugstore site and sent to the Oahu Insectary toevaluate parasitism. This whitefly parasitoid wasintroduced into Hawaii in 1998 from Brazil along withanother species and two others from Egypt aspotential biocontrol agents to suppress silverleafwhitefly infestations. By April, the infestation at thesite had decreased dramatically following the upsurgein the population densities of the ladybugs.

Clidemia [Clidemia hirta (L.) D. Don]. Field collectionsof clidemia berries, infested by the clidemia fruit-feeding caterpillar, Mompha trithalama Meyrick, andalso by the clidemia flower-feeding caterpillar,Carposina bullata Meyrick, continued to be conductedin East Hawaii periodically. During nettle caterpillar

2003 when five sets of sorghum plants with nettlecaterpillar eggs were set out at three sites inPanaewa. At the commercial nursery site, where threesets of sentinel plants with a total of 383 eggs wereplaced on three nearly consecutive days within a week,324 of them were parasitized after two to three days ofexposure for an average parasitism rate of 84.6%.More remarkably, all 67 eggs set out on November 5were parasitized.

Perhaps, this may be a reason for the slow dispersalof this species since it was first discovered atPanaewa in September 2001. However, it appearsthat parasitism by T. papilionis is highly variablethroughout the year as other surveys have detect muchlower incidents of parasitism.

Giant Whitefly [Aleurodicus dugesii Cockerell].Infestations of the giant whitefly (GtWF) on Oahu haddispersed eastward to Hawaii Kai by mid-July 2003and the Kaneohe infestations, mainly on fiddlewoodtrees, continued to be severe. Later in the month,initial detections were made on Kauai in Kapaa andon Hawaii in Hilo, both on Chinese red hibiscusplants. Samples collected at both neighbor islandsites did not reveal the presence of the parasitic waspIdioporus affinis LaSalle and Polaszek, which wasnow well established on Oahu as a result of fortuitousbiocontrol, most likely via shipments of GtWF-infestedplant material from California.

The only parasitoid found attacking GtWF nymphsduring early surveys was the aphelinid wasp Encarsiaguadeloupae Viggiani that was introduced fromTrinidad in 1980 as a biocontrol agent of the spiralingwhitefly, A. dispersus (a very closely related species).

During July 2003, a total of 16,900 I. affinis adults thatemerged in the Oahu Insectary from field-collectedGtWF-infested leaves were released on heavily-infested plants at sites in East Oahu (Moanalua, Kalihi,McCully, Waikiki, Hawaii Kai, and Kaneohe). Thefollowing month, two shipments totaling 3,900 adultswere sent to Kauai and released in Kapaa, whileanother shipment of 300 adults was sent to Hilo forrelease amid the incipient infestation at a shoppingmall. On Oahu, two releases totaling 500 adults werealso made in August at two sites in Kaneohe.Amazingly, these 14 augmentative releases in FY 2004were all that was required to supplement the initialreleases of this pteromalid wasp made in FY 2003 inorder to gain complete control of the GtWF statewide.

From September 2003, routine surveys began todetect significantly increased rates of parasitism anda decline in GtWF population densities. By January2004, GtWF infestations were not readily detected so

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surveys in February 2004, M. trithalama larvae werediscovered in the berries of clidemia plants at theUH-CTAHR Experiment Station in Waiakea and at acommercial ornamental plant nursery in Panaewa.The former is more than a mile from the originalrelease site of this moth, while the latter is more thantwo miles away. These detections were encouragingindicators that this clidemia biocontrol agent issteadily dispersing.

Gorse [Ulex europaeus L.]. The HDOA cooperativeproject with Manaaki Whenua Landcare ResearchNew Zealand to introduce an additional biocontrolagent, Cydia succedana Denis and Schiffermuller,commonly known as the gorse pod moth, into Hawaiifor further suppression of gorse infestations iscontinuing on the island of Hawaii and in New Zealand.As of July 2003, host specificity testing had beencompleted and a report had been received fromLandcare Research. However, an additional field testin New Zealand with one species of native Hawaiianplant was sti l l needed to complete the work.Exploration for new gorse natural enemies in WesternEurope was funded by the Bio-systems TechnologyProgram and a report by cooperators was completed.

On the Big Island, all of the data collected during thetwelve original experiments provided a betterunderstanding of the longevity, including seed bankdensity and survival, and the spread of gorse. Thedata also showed the potential for expansion of gorseinfestations if not properly managed. The formulatedmodel resulting from this study of gorse will facilitatethe building of a template management plan forHumuula and for its future land development.

Ivy Gourd [Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt]. Propagationof the ivy gourd gall weevil, Acythopeus burkhartorumO’Brien, continued in the HDOA Insect PropagationFacility on Oahu throughout FY 2004. This biocontrolagent has been extremely impressive in the lab buthas yet to become well established and widespreadin the field. This may be due to predation, probably bybirds and ants, as a result of its long life cycle andvulnerable pupal stage on the ground. Also, labproduction has been retarded by low fecundity. A totalof 19 field releases during FY 2004 from July 2003through April 2004 only amounted to a total of 614adults being liberated at release sites in Moanalua,Waimanalo, Haleiwa, and Waimalu.

The ivy gourd vine borer, Melittia oedipus Oberthur,and the ivy gourd leafmining weevil, A. cocciniae, arewell established throughout the island of Oahu andalso in Kailua-Kona on the island of Hawaii and aredoing an excellent job of reducing the aggressivenessof ivy gourd to a level where it no longer is the most

dominant plant in the natural landscape that it hadbeen in the past. In drier leeward Oahu coastal areasand areas such as the slopes of Punchbowl Craterwhere it once shrouded all vegetation, ivy gourd hasbecome difficult to find. Even in some of its mostfavored localities like Waimanalo in East Oahu, otherinvasive plants are displacing it. One such plant,Neonotonia (=Glycine) wightii, may be consideredmore favorable than ivy gourd because, being alegume, it fixes nitrogen, is used for fodder, and doesnot climb vertically.

In April 2004, a survey was conducted in the Kailua-Kona area of West Hawaii in response to the captureof an adult specimen of M. oedipus by a student at theold Kona Airport in March. The airport is more than 4miles from the only site on the island where tworeleases of this biocontrol agent were made, one inApril and the other in September of 2001. Aninspection of ivy gourd vines in the area disclosedsigns of the moth, either larvae or empty pupal cases,indicating that it had dispersed well throughout therange of ivy gourd in this area. Ivy gourd leaves hadlarval mines and adult feeding damage made by theleafmining weevil. Both biocontrol agents were wellestablished in Kailua-Kona. In May, UOG researchersand assistants visited the area to collect ivy gourdstems infested with M. oedipus larvae. They werehighly successful and returned to Guam with manylarvae, which they planned to rear to adults to establishanother colony in quarantine to replace the originalcolony that was lost in the aftermath of a recenthurricane. In comparison, they experienced difficultyin finding M. oedipus larvae on Oahu.

Oahu Insectary Entomologist Juliana Yalemar collectingpickleworm caterpillars from a zucchini fruit at a farmin Ewa.

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Fireweed [Senecio madagascariensis Poiret]. Duringexploration for fireweed natural enemies in SouthAfrica and Madagascar in 1999, the HDOA ExploratoryEntomologist collected eleven phytophagous insects.After colonization and host specificity testing in theInsect Quarantine Facility in Honolulu, only twospecies still remained as viable candidates forfireweed biocontrol.

The most promising species, Secusio extensa(Butler), is an arctiid moth whose larvae defoliatefireweed. The colony was established from one lot ofabout 100 larvae collected from fireweed at Ft.Dauphin, Evatra, Madagascar. Additional testing anda report of the bionomics and host range of thisspecies were completed during the year.

A final report is being prepared as a prelude to arequest for release of this species from quarantine.The other potential fireweed biocontrol agent,Sphenella sp. poss. austrina, is a tephritid fly, whoselarvae feed on the flower heads of S.madagascariensis. This fly was colonized throughthe receipt of two shipments from South Africa, eachcontaining hundreds of fireweed flower heads infestedby two tephritid species.

The host specificity study for this tephritid fly is nearingcompletion. Thus far, it has not had a negative effecton any other Asteraceae species, other than thetargeted fireweed and another noxious weed in thesame tribe, commonly known as Cape ivy or Germanivy (Delairea odorata; formerly Senecio mikanioides).

Miconia [Miconia calvescens DC]. The miconiabiocontrol pathogen, Colletotrichum gloeosporioidesf. sp. miconiae (Cgm), is very well established amidthe major infestations on the islands of Hawaii andMaui. No release of the fungus was made during thepast year. Invasive species committees on the twoislands were advised to limit their eradication work tomature trees so that the younger growth may serveas reservoirs for the Cgm. Research continued in acollaborative project with the USDA Forest ServiceInvasive Species Unit on assessing the effect of theCgm on miconia plants.

HDOA’s Plant Pathologist attended two seminars onmiconia biocontrol and went on two field trips in Tahitiin February 2004. Heavy rainfall and hazardous drivingconditions hampered the field trips. Nevertheless,the tour group was able to observe the diseasedmiconia plants along the roadsides. This tripconcluded the release phase of the cooperativeproject in French Polynesia.

Maile Pilau [Paederia foetida L.]. The Skunk VineBiocontrol Project, a collaborative effort between theHDOA Plant Pest Control Branch and the USDA-ARSInvasive Plant Research Laboratory (IPRL) in Ft.Lauderdale, Florida, continued in FY 2004 but activitieswere very limited. One shipment of the chrysomelidbeetle, Trachyaphthona sp., was received fromKyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan, on June 20, 2003.The package contained 100 (87 alive, 13 dead) adultsthat were collected on skunk vine at Mt. Unzen-dakein Nagasaki Prefecture. They were placed in cagescontaining potted skunk vine in the HDOA InsectQuarantine Facility. Thereafter, a total of nineexposures of potted skunk vine were made with thebeetles, but only one adult emerged. As a result ofthe extreme difficulty of rearing this species inquarantine in Hawaii, the decision was made to havethe Kyushu University graduate students, who did thecollections, conduct life cycle studies and developrearing techniques for these beetles. Current reportsindicate that they have successfully obtained eggsfrom the captured beetles and have reared the larvaeon the fine roots of skunk vine to the third instar stage.Shipments of other promising candidates from Nepaland Thailand are anticipated during the following year.

Fountaingrass [Pennisetum setaceum (Forssk.)Chiov.]. Fountaingrass, a bunchy, erect perennialnative to northern Africa, has now been introduced tomany regions of the world as an ornamental. InHawaii, it was cultivated and is naturalized in dry, open

Oahu Insectary Supervisor Renato Bautista (left) con-ducting orientation on the glassywinged sharpshooter(GWSS) during the PPC Annual Meeting at the PearlCity Urban Garden Center. To the right of Bautista isentomologist Juliana Yalamar, insect taxonomistBernarr Kumashiro and Hilo Pest Control TechnicianClyde Hirayama. Inset: GWSS adult.

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places, including barren lava flows and cinder fields.It grows well in rocky, shallow soils and can withstandlong periods of drought. Fountaingrass seedsprofusely and spreads rapidly. It is a very seriouspest in dry areas, especially along the western coastof the island of Hawaii. Records indicate that it wasfirst collected on Lanai in 1914 and is now alsoestablished on Kauai, Oahu, and Hawaii. It is anextremely aggressive colonizer so it outcompetesmost native species for establishment. It is fire-adapted, its dry biomass burns swiftly, causingextensive damage to associated dry forest species,and then quickly reestablishes after fires.

A cooperative project was launched with plantpathologists at Mansoura University for the conductof explorations in Egypt to obtain natural enemies offountaingrass to suppress infestations in Hawaii.Funding is being provided by the United States/EgyptJoint Scientific and Technology Board, whose missionis to promote international cooperation in a scientificendeavor between the two countries.

In Hawaii, the collection of native and economicallyimportant grasses for the host specificity testing ofpotential biocontrol agents was initiated in July 2003.

The HDOA’s Exploratory Entomologist visited Egyptin early-September to mid-October 2003 to conduct apreliminary exploration for fountaingrass naturalenemies and to coordinate project activities with theEgyptian collaborators. The trip was of great valuebecause the collaborators had targeted P. glaucuminstead of P. setaceum. In addition to targeting theproper species, he advised the collaborators on thepreferred way to collect, rear, and ship the biocontrolcandidates. On his return to Hawaii, he hand-carriedtwo potential biocontrol pathogens to the PlantPathology Quarantine Facility in Honolulu. Thesewere a rust fungus collected from P. glaucum to attackthe foliage and a smut collected from Imperatacylindrica to attack the inflorescence. Because rustsand smuts are highly specific, they may not attack P.setaceum. Nevertheless, inoculations of both fungionto P. setaceum were done in Hawaii and Egypt, butproved to be unsuccessful. An interesting note is thatI. cylindrica (cogon grass) is on the State and Federalnoxious weed lists and is known to be a serious weedproblem in the southeastern United States.

Projects of the Branch’s Chemical/Mechanical ControlSection included the following during the FY 2004:

Banana Bunchy Top (BBTV)On April 12, 2004, BBTV was confirmed in fields ofcavendish and apple bananas in a majorcommercial banana farm in Keaau, Hawaii. Thismarked the first sighting of the disease outside ofthe only known infections in North Kona, west Hawaii.BBTV now seriously threatens the state’s majorbanana production areas found in east Hawaii whichtogether Oahu, had a statewide value of $9.2 millionin 2003.

Surveys estimated that BBTV had gone undetectedon the farm for at least a year and had spread tobananas in surrounding commercial and residentialproperties up to 3.5 miles south at Orchidland, andto Panaewa, one mile to the north of the infectedfarm. A total of 11 commercial banana farms wereidentified with BBTV. Subsequent island widesurveys also identified previously unknown BBTDinfections in roadside bananas in North Kohala atHawi, Kapaau, and Halaula. A cooperative controlprogram to suppress BBTV in Keaau andsurrounding areas was initiated and a total of 87mats, 348 banana plants from 26 sites (farms,residential properties, and unattended bananas)were destroyed.

To assist in BBTV control, commercial growersreceived a Crisis Exemption Supplemental Labelallowing the use of Provado 1.5 Flowable Insecticidefor banana aphid control. In North Kona, surveysdetected four residential lots with BBTV and effortswill continue to suppress BBTV in the 10 square-mile area of the Post-Phase II Project EradicationProgram.

The University of Hawaii’s College of TropicalAgriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service startedthe Banana Action Group, to provide extensive BBTVwebsite information to commercial growers andhome gardeners on BBTV identification and control.

On Maui, BBTV was detected in 10 residential homegardens in Pukalani and Makawao. A total of 21 matsinfected bananas were destroyed. The sighting ofBBTV in Makawao on May 4, 2004 was the first findingof BBTV outside of the Pukalani core area, where thedisease was initially discovered at a privateresidence on December 21, 2002 by a departmententomologist. The implementation of surveys andchemical control measures have to date discoveredBBTV on 39 residential lots and no farms were foundwith the disease. A total of 176 mats of infectedbanana plants have been destroyed in FY 2003-2004. Surveys on Molokai confirm no BBTV duringthis fiscal year.

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Continued to provide early BBTV disease detectionassistance to Kauai commercial banana growersas part of the department’s Long RangeManagement Control Program. During this fiscalyear, BBTV was detected in farm lots and residentialareas on Kauai in Lawai, Poipu, Koloa, Omao,Numila, Lihue, Kawaihae, and Kapaa. A total of 110mats and 19 mats infected bananas were destroyed,respectively from farms and residential areas. BBTVwas detected in Kapahi in April 2000. This was afteran earlier eradication effort was unsuccessful afterBBTV was initially discovered at Kilauea Town inOctober 1997.

Continued surveillance on agricultural lands on Oahuwhere BBTV is widespread. A total of 1,885 matsbananas infected with BBTV were tagged fordestruction by growers in the early disease detectionprogram provided to commercial growers impactedby the virus. Commercial growers were urged tocontinue to manage the virus on their farms bycontrolling the insect vector and chemically treatingdiseased plants by herbicide injection.

Hilo PPC staff initiated a cooperative effort withfederal/state/private/volunteer assistance toeradicate Chrysanthemum White Rust (CWR),Puccinia horiana, which was reported by acommercial grower in Mountain View, Hawaii onJanuary 6, 2004. The disease was confirmed by Dr.R. Hara, CTAHR-CES, and confirmed by ADSC-CTAHR. The disease outbreak was significant asCWR is not known to occur in the U.S. A three-weekeffort, from January 9-30, 2004, succeeded indestroying two acres of 157,850 imbeddedgreenhouse plants, worth $552,476, with the use of489 man-hours. The project proceeded quicklybecause of the voluntary consent of the grower, whoreceived no compensation. The USDA-APHIS-PPQNational Management Plant for Exclusion andEradication of CWR protocol was followed. In March2004, post-eradication surveys at the farm detectedno traces of CWR. Trace forwards also did not detectfurther source of the pathogen and CWR wasdeclared eradicated in Hawaii.

Papaya Ringspot Virus (PRV)Continued to assist papaya growers on Hawaii byidentifying PRV in commercial field plantings. A totalof 52,070 infected plants were tagged for destructionby growers this fiscal year, an 18.5 percent increaseover last fiscal year’s total of 43,947 plants taggedon over 277 farm lots in the Puna and HamakuaDistricts on Hawaii.

MiconiaContinued to collaborate with Invasive SpeciesCommittee staff on Kauai and Oahu involved withcontrolling miconia (Miconia calvescens).


GlorybushSuccessfully removed 97 glorybush, Tibouchinaurvilleana, plants from Mililani Mauka Lehiwa Ridgesubdivision roadway plantings in November 2003with cooperation of the land developer, Castle &Cooke Homes.

Coqui FrogContinued research on chemical toxicants to controlcoqui frog infestations found on Hawaii, Maui, Oahuand Kauai. A Section 18 request for QuarantineExemption of FIFRA was sent to EPA by the PesticidesBranch to allow use of hydrated lime to control thecoqui. If approved by EPA, applications under certainconditions would allow use in outdoor plants, plantnurseries and residential areas, parks, hotels andresorts, and forest habitats as a dust, soil drench orfoliar application with ground application equipment.

The department’s Sprayer Loan Program, initiatedon Hawaii last fiscal year, resulted in 115 loans toresidents from community associations, allowingthem to spray citric acid for coqui frog control. A Stateof Emergency over the coqui frog invasion wasdeclared by the Mayor of Hawaii County. Following aHawaii County plan implemented in June 2004,HDOA would assist in a certification program to trainusers of the department’s 100-gallon sprayer anduse of citric acid.

Continued efforts to work cooperatively with theDepartment of Land & Natural Resources, OahuInvasive Species Committee, and U.S. ArmyEnvironmental Division to control the coqui frog onOahu. At Wahiawa East Range and gullies, wildcoqui frog populations were treated with 2,293 lbs.citric acid (est. 2,982 gallons) from August 2003 –July 2004. While the earlier efforts helped tosignificantly reduce coqui populations, re-treatmentof the areas were necessary as remnant frogs andmaturing new hatchlings began calling in increasingnumbers from April 2004.

Continued involvement with the Coqui Frog WorkingGroup on Hawaii led to the successful completion ofthe beautification of the Lava Tree State Park throughhabitat modification (removal of under-story weeds,havens as frog breeding sites) and replanting withnative plants by volunteer civic groups.

Thorny KiaweContinued chemical and mechanical control fordesignated noxious weeds such as thorny kiawe(Prosopis juliflora) on Oahu and Kauai; miconia(Miconia calvescens) on Kauai and Oahu,fountaingrass (Pennisetum setaceum) on Maui, Lanaiand Oahu; ivy gourd, (Coccinia grandis) on Kauai,

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gorse (Ulex europaeus) on Hawaii, and fireweed(Senecio madagascariensis) at Schofield Barracks,Oahu. Continued eradication efforts resulted inreducing fireweed populations by 85 percent at Half-way Bridge on Kauai.

Little Fire AntContinued to conduct surveys to delineate the spreadof the little fire ant (LFA), Wasmania auropunctata,and apply suitable ant baits for control on Hawaiiand Kauai. On Hawaii, where LFA was first known inMarch 1999, LFA has now been found in the majorareas along the Hamakua coastline fromLaupahoehoe, Pepeekeo/Papaikou, and Hilo toKeaau, Kurtistown, Hawaiian Acres, Kaloli, Makuu,Kapoho, Opihikao, Kahena, and Kalapana; a total of129 sites, 321 acres were found infested with LFA,and as surveys increase, more sites of infestationsare expected to be found. On Kauai, where LFA wasdetected in October 6, 1999, and was thought to havebeen eradicated, the ant resurfaced in September2003 where it infests 0.4 acres of the original twoproperties in Kalihiwai. Populations are beingsuccessfully contained using ant bait treatments.

FountaingrassContinued to establish a working relationship withOISC (formerly known as the Fountaingrass WorkingGroup) composed of U.S. Army, Federal, State,University of Hawaii and various other non-profitagencies whose goals are to detect and controlinvasive alien species that are deleterious toHawaii’s agriculture and natural resources.

Seed InspectionConducted routine surveys of agricultural andvegetable seed vendors to ensure the quality andproper labeling of seed sold to consumers.Germination tests were also performed oncommercially sold vegetable and agricultural seedlots to ensure that minimum germination standardswere met.

Examined incoming foreign seeds for noxious weedseeds under a cooperative agreement with USDA-APHIS-PPQ. Eight seed lots were rejected becauseof corn import regulations that prohibit the entry offoreign millet seeds in U.S. seed imports.

Completed the transfer of the Hawaii SeedCertification Program to the Commodities Branch inthe Quality Assurance Division in December 2003,and continued to train new field inspectors. Thistransfer allows the Plant Pest Control Branch toconcentrate on agricultural that affect the agriculturalindustry and environmental pests to protect Hawaii’snatural resources.

PLANT QUARANTINE BRANCHNeil Reimer, Manager

The branch administers Hawaii’s plant and non-domesticanimal quarantine program by preventing the introductionof harmful pests and diseases into the State and byfacilitating plant exports. This is done through:

(1) permit reviews;(2) air and sea ports-of-entry inspections,(3) interisland inspections,(4) investigating and enforcing State quarantine

laws and regulations,(5) educating travelers and the public, and(6) inspecting and certifying plants for export.

Plant Quarantine Branch statistics may be found onpage 56.

FY 2004 Highlights

A total of 299 containers of Christmas trees wereshipped to Hawaii from Oregon and Washington. Inaccord with the HDOA protocol, Washington andOregon Departments of Agriculture witnessed theshaking and cleaning of 100 percent of the trees in92 percent of the containers. The other 8 percent ofthe containers were spot checked by the two mainlandagriculture departments. No containers were foundby HDOA inspectors to be infested with yellowjacketwasps. Two containers were held and treated andreleased for infestations of midges not known to occurin Hawaii.

In FY04, 99 animal reports were investigated by PQpersonnel, which concerned 157 animals andincluded 34 veiled chameleons (Chamaeleocalyptratus) captured in a Makawao, Maui subdivisionand 13 Madagascar giant day geckos (Phelsumamadagascarensis grandis) captured within aresidential block in Manoa, Oahu.

A search warrant was served at a Hawaii Kairesidence and PQB personnel with assistance frominvestigators from the Office of the Attorney Generalseized an albino kingsnake (Lampropeltis sp.) and acollared lizard (Crotaphytus sp.) from a 22-year-oldHonolulu man. The man was later issued twocitations at $1,000 per animal.

Brown Treesnake Rapid Response training sessionswere conducted on Guam for a three-week periodfrom March 30 thru April 16. Three PQB personnelfrom Oahu (Keevin Minami and Nathan Paracuelles)and Maui (Kyle Yagi) received training in the detection,trapping and handling of brown treesnakes. A one-week refresher course was later conducted in mid-May for PQB Inspector Domingo Cravalho.

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After the year-long Kahului Airport Pest RiskAssessment (KARA) was completed in July 2001,HDOA decided to further evaluate the effectiveness ofthe PQB program. This was done in an effort toimprove quarantine services to Kahului Airport and atports-of-entry statewide through the implementationof the Quality Control program. This Quality Controlprogram, which is funded by FAA through DOT, usedthe methodology of pest risk assessment knownas KARA.

Two pest risk assessments were conducted in thisfiscal year. Both risk assessments continued thetracking of seasonality in regards to intercepted pests.The assessment in November 2003 focused onintegrating the new Invicta database system andevaluating new technology including the use oflaptops, pda’s (personal digital assistant), andwireless network. The second assessment wasconducted in May 2004. The assessment focusedon pest risks associated with interisland movementof agricultural goods.

The Invicta database system was released in October2003. This system, which was funded by FAA throughDOT, was developed to assist PQB in the interdictionof invasive species through Kahului Airport to fulfillthe requirements of the Kahului Airport Alien SpeciesAction Plan (ASAP). Invicta allows PQB to input dataon flights, inspections, interceptions, and permitinformation. In addition, reports and forms can begenerated directly off the system. The new databaseis based on Microsoft’s dot.net technology and allowscomputers with internet access to run the applicationusing an internet browser.

Maui PQ staff met and cleared 7,671 nonstop flightsfrom the U.S. Mainland which brought in 1,375,642

passengers. They rejected 565 individual air freightshipments which were either insect infested ordiseased. These shipments consisted of 2,229parcels of 29,376 pounds produce, 79 parcels of 4,603plants; and 91 parcels of cut flowers which were eitherdestroyed or returned to origin.

With the assistance of the U.S. Postal Service, theMaui PQ Maui staff was able to intercept a parcel fromTexas which was heavily infested with immaturetermites.These subterranean termites, Reticulitermessp., are not known to occur in Hawaii. The infestedbox was destroyed by freezing and incineration. Thehealth supplement contents were released.

A United Airlines employee found a partial body of asnake in the right back tire assembly of Flight 49 fromSan Francisco. It was caught between the tires andwas found hanging. The body appeared to have beenstretched, loosing the head. Part of the body appearedto be smashed. It was about 14 inches long withoutthe head. And about one inch in diameter.

Staff submitted 1590 insect interceptions to the PlantQuarantine entomologist for identification. Of these,42 percent were not known to occur in Hawaii, 39percent were known to occur in Hawaii, and 19 percentwere unidentifiable. Based on these identifications,the dispositions of these shipments were as follows:53 percent had the pest removed and were releasedto the importer, 14 percent were refused entry andreturned to the port of origin, 34 percent were treatedand destroyed, and one percent were treated andreleased.

There was a 23 percent increase in flight arrivalsinspected from Guam and other high risk brown treesnake areas during FY 04 as compared to FY03.

Plant Quarantine Land Vertebrate Spe-cialist, Keevin Minami, inspects enclo-sures for visiting tigers at the 50thState Fair to assure compliance withpermit conditions.

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There was a 31 percent increase in the number ofinspected plant and animals parcels imported intothe State through Honolulu International Airport aspassenger baggage, cargo, and mail during FY04 ascompared to FY03.

An iguana was caught by a homeowner in Kalihi,Oahu. The homeowner said that she saw two moreiguanas in her yard. The iguana was picked up byInspectors from the Airport Plant Quarantine Office,and it was sent to the Plant Inspection Officefor safekeeping.

A light brown, approximately two-foot snake skin wasfound by a maintenance worker at MartinWarehousing, Honolulu. The snake skin was foundagainst the chain link fence on the ewa side of thewarehouse. No live snakes were found.

During an investigation of a possible homicide at aManoa home, detectives found a Tegu Lizard(Tupinambis teguixin) in the home. Inspectors fromthe Plant Quarantine Airport Office were called toretrieve the animal, as well as a large aquarium whichhoused the lizard. Another larger aquarium waspresent in the same room, but no animals were in it.The owner was arrested by police officers as asuspect in the murder case.

In September, two gold dust day geckos were pickedup from areas near the Honolulu International Airportby inspectors from the Plant Quarantine Airport Office.One was caught by an employee from the AirportGroup International, whose office is at the diamondhead end of the terminal, and one was caught by anemployee at the Duty Free Shoppers Warehouse onKoapaka Street near the airport.

Two greenhouse frogs were turned in to the AirportPlant Quarantine Office by a USDA inspector whobrought in the frogs for his neighbor, who lives atMariners Cove, Hawaii Kai. A report was called in bythe resident earlier, thinking that the chirping soundswere that of coqui frogs.

A Molokai resident arrived from Portland with a NandayConure. Because the Nanday Conure is on theRestricted A list of birds, the owners were given theopportunity to ship the bird out of the state to a personof their choice. If not, the Department was preparedto ship it to a bird sanctuary on the mainland. Theowners finally decided to ship the bird to a friend inPortland, Oregon. The bird was sent out via HawaiianAirlines cargo.

Two Jungle Runner Lizards (Ameiva ameiva) wereconfiscated from a shipment destined to go to aHonolulu resident. The consignee did not have an

import permit for the lizards, and the carton was notlabeled properly. The shipment arrived via FederalExpress from San Diego, California. The owner wascited $1,000 for illegal importation of a restrictedanimal without an import permit.

A Crestview resident caught a large iguana in thegulch behind his home. The iguana was picked upby an inspector from the Airport Plant Quarantine Officeand taken to the Plant Inspection Office.

Four common mynah birds (Acridotheres tristis) wereimported by a couple moving to Waianae fromCalifornia. The mynahs were brought in under apermit for Indian Hill Mynahs (Gracula religiosa), whichis on the conditionally approved list of birds. Thecommon mynah is on the prohibited list of birds. Themynahs were originally from Hawaii, but brought toCalifornia as pets, and the owners were going to moveback to Waianae with their birds to take care of theirelderly mother. Because the birds could not be broughtback in to Hawaii, they decided to go back to Californiato live with their birds instead. The birds and theowners returned to California on March 9th.

An iguana was dropped off at the Hawaiian HumaneSociety in Honolulu. The iguana was picked up by aninspector from the Honolulu International Airport PlantQuarantine Office, and later brought to the PlantInspection Office for safekeeping.

A four-foot-long corn snake and a one-foot-long kingsnake were left in a box at a Honolulu Zoo employee’shome. The snakes were picked up by inspectorsfrom the Plant Quarantine Branch’s Airport Sectionand sent to the Plant Inspection Office for safekeeping.

A Manoa resident called the Honolulu InternationalAirport Plant Quarantine Office to report that she sawthe same types of lizards that were shown in an articlein the newspaper. Inspectors sent to the addresscaught two juvenile Madagascar Day Geckos.

Although established in some areas on Oahu,iguanas are illegal to possess or transportto Hawaii.

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Quality Assurance Division

COMMODITIES BRANCH

Vacant, Manager

The Mission of the Commodities Branch is to “Set TheStandards” and provide assurance that standardized, highquality, safe, and authentic Hawaii agricultural productscan be showcased in Hawaii as well as throughout theworld market through a fair and just agriculturalbusiness climate.

The Commodities Branch enhances the economic stabilityof Hawaii’s agricultural industries by maintaining gradestandards for locally produced fruits and vegetables, nuts,coffee, flowers and foliage, processed foods and otheragricultural products. The Branch provides unbiased,professional, and timely service-for-fee grade, condition,and origin certification and food safety audits, to add valueand desirability to agricultural products. Under federal-state cooperative agreements, the Branch provides federalcertification for fresh and processed fruits and vegetables,eggs, seafood and meat, which may not otherwise beavailable to local clients, as well as state certification fororigin and quality of green coffee, and origin ofercertain products.

The Branch provides just and unbiased enforcement toassure safety and fair business dealings in agriculturalproducts, to protect the agricultural community as well asthe general public. The Branch administers laws andrules pertaining to fresh fruit, vegetable, and egg labeling

Samuel CampAdministrator(retired 9/04)

The Quality Assurance Division consists of two branches,the Commodities Branch and the Measurement Stan-dards Branch. The branches provide services and en-force laws that help to improve the market quality ofagricultural commodities, promote fair trade and honestbusiness practices, and maintain stability in the dairyindustry.

QUALITY ASSURANCE DIVISIONand advertising; minimum export quality; licensing ofdealers in agricultural products; prevention of agriculturaltheft; and sampling and testing of animal feed for labelguarantee and adulteration.

The Branch’s Milk Control Section regulates the dairyindustry in the Honolulu and Hawaii milk sheds bylicensing producers and distributors of milk, establishingmilk production quotas, setting minimum Class 1 pricepaid to dairy producers, and conducting retail milk surveysand inspections. This special funded section is entirelyself-funded through license fees assessed to milkproducers and processors.

The Commodities Branch’s Chemical Analysis LaboratorySection provides chemical analysis services for the FeedProgram as well as the Pesticides Branch. Animal feedsamples are analyzed for adulteration from agri-chemicalsand mycotoxins; environmental samples are analyzed forcontamination from agri-chemical and other substances;and pesticides are tested for ingredients. The ChemicalAnalysis Laboratory Section, under an inter-departmentalagreement, is located in the State Department of Health’sState Laboratories Division in Pearl City, Oahu.

Listed below are brief overviews of developments that haveimpacted the Branch’s activities. See page 57 for adetailed table of activities.

Inspected and certified over 1.4 million cases ofcanned pineapple from Maui Pineapple Company,which continues to receive large federal governmentcontracts and assessed over $258,000 in fees.

Continued the fee-for-service papaya non-transgenictesting program and established and conducted anew “Identity Preservation Protocol” program for tightercontrol of non-transgenic papayas that are exportedto Japan. More than five million pounds of papayaswere checked and $27,118 in fees were assessedover the year.

Assisted the Measurement Standards Branch inestablishing a taximeter testing course on Kauai.Commodities inspectors were cross-trained toconduct taximeter inspections, as there is noMeasurement Standards inspector on that island.

Through the enactment of Act 49, SLH 2003 the Branchhired seven Agricultural Commodities Aids to:1) provide auditing and certification services for foodsafety, food security and product traceability; 2) providetemporary help in various programs under onecertification services revolving fund; and 3) conductthe seed certif ication inspection, previouslyperformed by the Plant Pest Control Branch, PlantIndustry Division. With current fiscal constraints,reduced full-time staff, and changing demands in theagricultural community, this act allowed the Branch toaddress new demands, and cross-utilize temporarystaff to assist where needed, for better efficiency.

page 35


Staff attended papaya, coffee, and cattle industrymeetings and conferences; and Hawaii MarketingAlliance meetings for a “Seal of program.

Staff participated in planning a pilot project to educatewholesalers, farmers market vendors and retailersin East Hawaii regarding Chapter 145, part II, HRS,which requires a certif icate upon transport orcommercial sale of agricultural products. Staff carriedout preliminary outreach efforts to farmers’ marketvendors in conjunction with county police officers andprosecutors for greater effect. Educational flyers werealso distributed to various processors, wholesalers,shippers, truckers, and airlines. Wholesalers havereported an increase in compliance with the lawfollowing this effort.

Attended mainland training sessions andconferences, which included: USDA/AMS sponsoredFresh Products Branch Terminal Market Class,Processed Products Branch National Supervisor’sConference, and a Plant System Auditor’s Workshop;EPA sponsored Pesticide Analytical Workshop onCommercial Formulation End Product Analysis; andthe International Association of Milk Control Agenciesannual conference. The costs to attend theseconferences were mostly paid by federal agenciesand the milk special fund, at minimal or no cost tothe state.

Hosted supervisory visits by USDA officials from AMS-Processed Products Branch, Fresh Products Branch,and Poultry Division. Met with visiting officials fromUSDA Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Act.

Hosted USDA, Fresh Products Branch instructors ona weeklong training of Good Agricultural Practices/Good Handling Practices. All fourteen staff participantssuccessfully completed the training.

Participated in a Fed-State agreement to distribute upto $40,000 under a USDA Organic Certification Cost-Share Program, to qualified organic producers andhandlers in Hawaii for the period 10/01/02 through09/30/04.

The Chemical Analysis Laboratory was credited foranalysis performed in a research paper presented byDr. Chittaranjan Ray, associate professor, Departmentof Civil and Environmental Engineering and WaterResources Research Center, University of Hawaii,Manoa on evaluating the transport of pesticides intropical soils in Hawaii.

Through EPA and Pesticides Branch funding, theChemical Analysis Laboratory continued to analyzesoil samples for a soil leaching project. This projectis geared to help farmers find an easy method topurge their soil of persistent pesticides.

Proof of ownership is the first step in establishing a paper trail to help to deter agricultural theft. If an inspector or law enforcement officer has probable cause to believe agricultural commodities are in unlawful possession, the inspector or law enforcement officer may request proof of ownership of the commodities.

PROTECT

YOURSELF

PROTECT

YOURSELF

HELP TO DETER

AGRICULTURAL THEFT

HELP TO DETER

AGRICULTURAL THEFT

Chapter 145, Part II, Hawaii Revised Statutes

Ownership and Movement of Agricultural Commodities

Chapter 145, Part II, Hawaii Revised Statutes

Ownership and Movement of Agricultural Commodities

What is required on the certificate? The name of the seller, owner, buyer or consignee. The origin of the product (the name and address of the farm). The destination of the product (the name and address of the buyer or receiver).

For more information contact the Department of AgricultureDealer Licensing Unit at phone 832-0700 or fax 832-0683

Requires Proof of Ownership - It’s the LAW! (see reverse side)

Why is this required??

1. AR ABC F MS of Maui 2 , i. Kula Mau .t o3. Sold o XYZ St re.4 5 n s. 00 lbs Ba ana .

5 3 s ay. 50 lb . Pap as

ER I IC E OF OW E SH

C T F ATN R IPo. 555 5

N005

If you sell any amount of an agricultural commoditythat is to be marketed for commercial purposes; or transportagricultural commodities and the weight is over 200 poundsor the value is $100.00 or more, a certificate of ownership is required. Two copies of the certificate mustaccompany the shipment and one copy is to be retainedby the person completing the certificate.

An Invoice, Receipt, Bill of Lading or similar documentcan serve the purpose of the certificate of ownership, provided that it contains the required information.

04/03

Branch fee assessments and penalties collectedtotaled $606,254; about 22 percent more thanlast year.

MEASUREMENT STANDARDS BRANCHWilliam Pierpont, Manager

The Measurement Standards Branch works to protectconsumers, businesses, and manufacturers from unfairpractices, which are based on a measurement processor subject to a standard of quality. The goal is to minimizelosses and inaccuracies due to incorrect or fraudulentcommercial measuring equipment, processes, orsubstandard products.

The Standards and Technical Services Section assuresthat State measurement Standards conform to nationalstandards. It performs metrological calibration of theenforcement standards used by the Branch and the fieldstandards used by registered service agencies in repairingcommercial devices.

The Standards and Trade Practices Enforcement Sectionhas the responsibility of assuring the consumer thattransactions involving measuring instruments, labeling,content of packaged commodities, and pricing are accurateand fair to all parties.

page 36

Listed below are brief overviews of developments that haveimpacted the branch’s activities See page 57 for a detailedtable of activities.

The State Metrologist received advanced training andcertification from the National Institute of Standardsand Technology (NIST).

The metrology laboratory received re-certification bythe National Institute of Standards and Technology.

The metrology laboratory inspected and calibrated93 mass test standards, 672 mass enforcementstandards, and 499 field standards for serviceagencies conducting business in the State of Hawaii.

The metrology laboratory inspected and calibrated 11volumetric test standards, 33 volumetric enforcementstandards, and 40 volumetric field standards forservice agencies conducting business in the Stateof Hawaii.

The Branch received and investigated over 28odometer complaints, a significant increase from the18 investigations done in 2003. In conjunction withthe Attorney Generals office the investigationscompleted by the Branch have led to indictments,arrests, and prosecutions.

The compliance rate for stores inspected for priceverification was 98 percent.

The Branch identified and certified a two-mile taxicourse in Captain Cook, on the Big Island. The Branchwas also able to provide taximeter inspection serviceson Kauai, Oahu, Maui and the Big Island.


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Agribusiness Development Corporation

Alfredo LeeExecutive Director

AGRIBUSINESS DEVELOPMENTCORPORATION

The Agribusiness Development Corporation (ADC) wasestablished pursuant to Act 264, SLH 1994 to coordinatethe development of Hawaii’s agricultural industry and tofacilitate its transition from a dual-crop (sugar andpineapple) industry to a diversified, multi-crop and animalindustry. More specifically, ADC is responsible fordevising means by which arable sugar and pineapplelands and their production infrastructure can be usedagain by a diversified agricultural industry and forproviding marketing assistance that can lead to thedevelopment of local, national, and international marketsfor Hawaii-grown products. For administrativepurposes, ADC is attached to the Hawaii Departmentof Agriculture.

Mission Statement: The Agribusiness DevelopmentCorporation is a vehicle and process to make the optimaluse of agricultural assets for the economic,environmental, and social benefit of the people of Hawaii.It is a risk-taking advocate for agriculture.

Board Members: Larry Jefts (Chair), Yukio Kitagawa(Vice-Chair), Bert Hatton, Denis Kam, Chris Kanazawa,Wayne Katayama, Teena Rasmussen, Eric Weinert,Sandra Kunimoto (Ex-Officio), Ted Liu (Ex-Officio), andPeter Young (Ex-Officio).

The following are highlights of ADC’s activity duringFY 2004:

Kekaha Agricultural LandsIn September, pursuant to Executive Order No. 4007,the Department of Land and Natural Resources(DLNR) officially transferred 12,500 acres ofagricultural lands to ADC. To facilitate a smoothtransition, ADC honored existing tenants’ revocablepermits and applicable rents.

A coalition of tenants formally organized the KekahaAgricultural Association (Coop) to manage commoninfrastructure vacated by Amfac/JMB. These includetwo irrigation systems, an extensive drainage systemwith two pump stations, an electrical system with twohydroelectric plants, and roadways. ADC’s KekahaCommittee and the Coop are in discussion regardingrental areas, long-term licenses, and maintenanceof common areas and infrastructure.

Navy Phase II and Phase III projects, totaling $4.46million, are continuing with termination dates inDecember 2004 and March 2005, respectively. A majormilestone was accomplished when the design of therepair/replacement of the Kawaiele and Nohili pumpstations was completed. This undertaking includesreplacing six drainage pumps, strengthening thepump station structure, replacing transformers andimproving the drainage channel. The infrastructureis critical in controlling the flood plain in Kekaha.

The Navy also successfully obtained a 270-acre leaseand an agricultural restrictive use easement for theMana plain from the Department of Land and NaturalResources in May 2004.

The Waimea (Mauka) hydroelectric plant, sincebecoming fully operational in November 2002, hascontinued to produce most of the electricity neededfor the pump stations and for farming.

Kekaha ag lands near the old mill

Kekaha main canal

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Waiahole Water System (WWS)Weather patterns drastically affected water use thisfiscal year. In contrast to the near drought conditionsduring the first half of the fiscal year, the second halfbrought stormy weather and flooding in some areas.Total water usage for FY04 decreased from FY03 byabout 223 million gallons.

Rainy weather on Oahu’s windward side also causeda few landslides, making an access road inaccessiblefor maintenance vehicles. Continuous rainyconditions deterred efforts to perform repairs and cleardebris from the development and main transmissiontunnels. Water from the rain also increased total waterdevelopment in the tunnels, consequently increasingthe amount of system loss.

Due to reduced federal matching funds to Stateagencies, ADC’s agreement with the U.S. GeologicalSurvey (USGS) to monitor gauging stations at NorthPortal, Gate 31 and Adit 8 terminated in September2003. WWS purchased, installed and calibrated newelectronic dataloggers for the three stations. Our goalis to convert the remaining gauging stations from theuse of mechanical recorders to digital dataloggers inthe next few years.

During its regular session in 2003, the HawaiiLegislature determined that the WWS Revolving Fundwas in excess of $400,000. This money was thentransferred into the General Fund in FY04 to balance

the state budget. This move threatens the revolvingfund’s long-term solvency and its sufficiency to re-payour debt service for the general obligation bondsissued to purchase the water systemin 1999.

In June 2004, the Hawaii Supreme Court issued aremand on the Commission on Water ResourceManagement’s (CWRM) Decision and Order on theWaiahole Water Contested Case Hearing. TheSupreme Court requested further findings andconclusion regarding: (1) the designation of interiminstream flow standards for windward streams; (2)the 2.2 mgd of unpermitted water; (3) the practicabilityof The Estate of James Campbell and Puu Makakilousing alternative groundwater resources; (4) the actualneeds of Field Nos. 115, 116, 145 and of 229 acres inField No. 146; and (5) ADC’s permit for system losses.

East Kauai Irrigation SystemIn a continuing effort to transition the East KauaiIrrigation System from sugarcane irrigation todiversified agricultural use, ADC contracted outservices to operate and maintain the water system.The system is currently managed by the East KauaiWater Users Cooperative, providing irrigation waterto about 738 acres of land in the upper Kapaa area,and is reportedly in better shape than it has been overthe past decade.

Aerial view of Kekahaagricultural lands with thePacific Missile Range Facil-ity in the foreground.


page 39

Hamakua Agricultural SubdivisionA formal planning session among communitymembers was held to discuss development of theagricultural subdivision project in Hamakua. Itappears that community interest has evolved intodeveloping a community-based agricultural plan topreserve future agricultural activity on agriculturallands in the Hamakua region.

Marketing of Maui Produce and ProductsTo fulfill its cooperative agreement with ADC, theUniversity of Hawaii, College of Tropical Agricultureand Human Resources (CTAHR), began to: (1)perform preliminary studies on the potential of a teaindustry in Hawaii; (2) conduct a preliminaryassessment to brand the Maui onion and assist theMaui Coop with record keeping and marketing issues,and (3) provide assistance to bolster KauaiCommunity College’s entrepreneur program.

State of Hawaii, Twenty-third Legislature, 2004House Bill 2341 was introduced to stagger terms forADC board members and was signed into law as Act29. This will preserve continuity of policy and decision-making within the corporation.

Act 216 was signed into law to reform stateprocurement, a part of which will discontinue ADC’sprocurement exemption, effective January 1, 2005.


Other Ongoing Activities

The Environmental Protection Agency awarded ADCa grant to provide pesticide usage training to Koreanfarmers on the island of Hawaii. Various brochuresand posters have been translated into the Koreanlanguage and Korean farmers are attending pesticideusage training classes.

Lease negotiations between ADC and the Universityof Hawaii (UH) continue for Kauai’s Tropical FruitDisinfestation facility. The 2004 Hawaii StateLegislature approved capital improvement projectfunding for the facility.

ADC participated with the Agricultural Working Group’s(AWG) concerted effort of a broad group of 70+representatives of public, private, and corporateorganizations and farmers, to propose legislation topreserve important agricultural lands.

Documents

Message from the Chairperson - hawaii.gov · page 1 Message from the Chairperson Aloha! I am pleased to submit the Hawaii Department of Agriculture’s Annual Report for the Fiscal