Kona Blue Water Farms dismissed as unwarranted the claim by Food and Water Watch and the Kanaka Council Moku O Keawe that the company's open-ocean fish farm off the Kona Coast has caused negative cultural impacts.

The company also expressed support for Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program in ranking Kona Blue Water Farms' yellowtail (sold under the name Kona Kampachi) as a Good Alternative, in its system that looks at environmental impacts and feed efficiencies.

Food and Water Watch, an anti-aquaculture activist organization based in Washington, D.C., and the Kanaka Council are calling for removal of U.S.-farmed yellowtail from the Seafood Watch card, saying they have concerns about cultural impacts, fish feed, and impacts on wild fish populations.

Kona Blue officials said sensitivity to cultural issues has been a priority for the company since its inception, and that cultural concerns have been repeatedly addressed throughout extensive environmental assessments.

WILCOX NURSES APPROVE CONTRACT

Unionized nurses at Wilcox Memorial Hospital on Kaua'i ratified a new three-year contract that maintains a provision for workers and management to review and assess nurse-to-patient ratios.

"The employer's goal was clearly to get a concessionary contract out of our nurses at Wilcox Memorial, and the negotiating team fought long and hard to keep their contractual language intact," said HNA executive director Patt Gibbs.

About 80 percent of the hospital's 130 nurses approved ratifying the contract, in voting that concluded yesterday. The agreement retroactively takes effect June 1.

Provisions in the contract maintain the status quo on wages and a healthcare plan that includes vision and dental coverage.

The contract also continues the Patient Classification System, which is used to determine staffing levels. The PCS will be reviewed and assessed within four months, with recommendations being made to the hospital's chief executive officer.

MARISCO CITED ON HAZARDOUS WASTE

The Hawai'i state Department of Health filed a Notice of Violation and Order against Marisco Ltd. for multiple violations of the state's hazardous-waste rules.

Located at Barbers Point Harbor, Marisco maintains ships by sand and water blasting, painting, vessel cleaning and equipment maintenance.

DOH inspected the facility on Oct. 1 and 10, and said it found Marisco storing more than 48 drums of ignitable hazardous waste and used oil. The drums were not properly labeled as hazardous waste or used oil, and some had been stored for longer than 400 days without a permit, the department said.

Marisco was cited for four counts of storage of hazardous waste without a permit. The company was also cited for one count of treatment of hazardous waste without a permit, one count of failure to make a hazardous waste determination and one count of failure to label used oil properly.

Marisco faces a total penalty of $169,100.