HILO » The Hawaii County Council passed a bill last night making researching or growing genetically engineered coffee or taro on the island a criminal violation. The vote was 9-0.

The bill imposes a fine of up to $1,000 but no jail time. It was introduced by Kona Councilman Angel Pilago, a candidate for mayor.

Bill opponent, Barbara Hastings of the Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce, said, “;This bill is just the beginning of an anti-science agenda and will see attempts to add other crops.”;

Bill supporters said permitting genetic engineering could lead to a drop in the value of Kona coffee, a specialty crop which gets its high value from the perception that it is not like mass produced coffee.

“;It was coffee that people were really unsure about,”; said councilman Dominic Yagong.

Yagong's staff polled 89 coffee growers, of which 73 supported the outright ban. Another 14 said they favored genetic research, but only in a laboratory. Only two also supported field testing in open air, Yagong said.

More than 100 people in Hilo, Kona, and Waimea signed up to testify on the measure, some by video link, pushing the vote into the night.

Some opponents warned of “;genetic drift”; from engineered plants to nonengineered plants. That takes place through pollination. Taro is grown from cut stalks, not pollinated seeds, and genetic drift would be almost impossible for that crop, said University of Hawaii researcher Susan Miyasaka.

Because coffee does grow from pollinated seeds, another university researcher, Hector Valenzuela, urged caution with that crop.

In contrast, representatives of the papaya industry noted that genetically engineered papaya saved them from devastation more than a decade ago. Representatives of the ornamental plant industry testified that they may also benefit from genetic engineering.

Regarding taro, researcher Miyasaka said a fungus has already wiped out 95 percent of the taro in the Solomon Islands. Other sources have said the fungus has nearly wiped out taro in Samoa.

The same could happen in Hawaii, but Miyasaka performed genetic engineering only on a variety of Chinese taro, not on any Hawaiian taro. The research consists of inserting wheat, rice, and grape genes, which block the fungus.

Mayor Harry Kim took a middle position in testimony to the Council, saying the concerns of opponents of genetic engineering are “;very valid,”; but the bill itself is “;causing dissension and divisiveness.”;

He suggested the bill could halt some research at the federal Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center, which opened in Hilo last year with the protection of food supplies as one of its goals.

Kim called for an organization sponsored by the University of Hawaii at Hilo to study the issues involved.