Posted on: Sunday, June 1, 2003

COMMENTARY
Underwater show of natural beauty better than fish tank

By Emerson Burnett
An avid diver and student of marine biology

According to Ko Olina developer Jeff Stone, the new "world-class" aquarium that will be built at his resort, thanks to a $75 million tax credit, will start sharing half its net revenues with the state after 17 years.

That's smart because after 17 years of sea slaughter, all will be fished out for this artificial tank and it won't be producing any revenues.

So Ko Olina will have to turn to another attraction.

Perhaps gambling?

Rather than granting a special tax exemption for another fish tank, Ko Olina could have applied under the high-tech Act 221 for tax credits for an advanced technology business — what I call U-Sea.

U-Sea is a high-tech underwater observatory where visitors can watch sea creatures in their natural element. It could grow over time to become an underwater hotel, where guests could sleep and dine beneath the sea.

O'ahu has long suffered from its artificial tanks, imprisoning and killing thousands of our most treasured marine animals before their time.

Right now, O'ahu has four artificial tanks, charging admission to the public and imprisoning hundreds or even thousands of creatures. Why would the governor grant beautiful Ko Olina a $75 million tax break to build yet another of these tanks?

Why not U-Sea?

U-Sea is natural, it will not imprison marine animals, it will not require taxpayer support and it will be something new for Hawai'i.

Not long ago, Mayor Jeremy Harris convened a conference of distinguished scientists and business leaders to discuss how O'ahu can develop a sustainable environment and economy.

U-Sea fits into this perfectly; another aquarium does not.

Since 9-11, Hawai'i's visitor industry has been struggling. One major reason is that the Japanese have not returned in any great numbers. And part of the reason is that they want to know there is something new to see before they come back.

That's where a spectacular attraction such as U-Sea comes in.

In San Francisco, Pier 39 is a tremendous attraction and it is not because it features an artificial aquarium. The credit goes to huge San Francisco Bay seals that haul out onto the floating piers and bray loudly, to the delight of visitors who flock to see the Great Seal Show.

And it's all natural! That's what we need here.

Surely, these are the most beautiful islands in the world. We need to honor that beauty and do something different. But we're not.

So, good luck to Ko Olina, but it has simply opted for more of the Same Old Stuff.