It's pretty tough to overlook three truckloads of stream rocks. That's one reason why the attempt by three Superferry passengers to bring them home to O'ahu made such a splash in court this week.

Of course, that's no reason to conclude that the Superferry service would cause routine pillaging of natural resources. For starters, the Superferry's inspection procedures were likely to spot such an obvious cheat; the looters of the 'Iao Valley streambed never even got a chance to try, because the court stopped ferry service on Day 1.

But it does suggest that the inspection of vehicles and cargo is an issue that the environmental assessment process should help clear up.

On the subject of that assessment, state officials should be granted the go-ahead to shorten the usual procurement process so that the study could be completed within eight months. The conventional bidding process isn't something to be circumvented casually, but in this case — with the state already having issued an exemption, initially with support from the lower court — expediting the process is a reasonable accommodation to make.

However, the study itself needs to be thorough, and the episode does underscore the need to pay attention to the risks of illicit trafficking through the vehicle/cargo hold.

Superferry officials have said in the past that they'll closely inspect all boarding vehicles and turn away dirty ones that could be transporting exotic species. The company also has promised to provide educational material about invasive species throughout the state and on board its ships; with the rock-transport attempt, training inspectors to recognize possible conservation violations would be equally essential.

Although many prospective passengers say they enjoy the lessened security rigors of ferry travel, clearly the need for oversight remains.

But other states served by ferries have found ways of enabling water travel without jettisoning resource-protection and security concerns. There is a middle course that will manage risks for Hawai'i as well, and it's up to our leaders to find it.