Senate committee backs pilot bounty, agencies urge caution as CRB spreads

Senators on Feb. 12 advanced a bill establishing a two‑year pilot program that would pay community members to collect and submit coconut rhinoceros beetles (CRB) and larvae, a proposal supporters said would mobilize local effort as the pest moves through previously unaffected areas.

Senator testimony noted recent spread and damage in multiple agricultural crops and ornamentals. “This community based bounty program to get rid of beetles is something that our community wants,” the bill sponsor said on the floor.

Department of Land and Natural Resources and Department of Agriculture witnesses urged caution. Rob Hoff of DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife said biocontrol — introducing a pathogen or natural enemy — remains the most promising long‑term solution, and that research and regulatory steps are underway to test a virus in controlled lab settings. “We absolutely support biocontrol. That’s what’s gonna manage this pest in the long term,” Hoff said.

Agencies raised specific operational concerns about an incentivized bounty: existing detection traps could be emptied and remove monitoring data, and financial incentives can create perverse outcomes in which people manipulate detection or collection sites. OPSD and DLNR officials described the practical tradeoffs of a bounty pilot and recommended designing safeguards if the Legislature moves forward.

Supporters, including farmers and residents, responded that local collection could yield faster detection and suppression at community scale while research proceeds. Waimanalo residents described tree‑treatment costs and neighborhood incursions.

Committees adopted amendments to pilot design and approved the measure to move forward, while recording agency requests to prioritize research and program safeguards. Testimony and agency comments recommend pairing short‑term removal efforts with continued investment in research and a long‑term biocontrol strategy.