REMOVAL OF 3 GROUNDED VESSELS ON MALA SHORELINE CONCLUDES

LAHAINA — DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation Lahaina harbor office is concluding the removals of three grounded vessels that broke up into pieces along the shore near Mala Wharf due to high surf Friday and Saturday. Marine salvage company Parker Marine was hired to remove boat debris from the shoreline and began work over the weekend.

Current status today:

1. 30’ fiberglass sailboat “Best Revenge” — smaller pieces of this vessel were removed quickly on Saturday thanks to the crew of the Old Lahaina Luau who took quick action to clear the beach. Only two large pieces of the hull remain, and a keel, which will be floated out tomorrow by Parker Marine to a better location for removal to the central Maui landfill.

 

2. 30’ sailing vessel “Caribou III” — most of the broken pieces were quickly removed except for the mast and the mooring gear (ball and chain) which will be removed by Parker Marine when the surf subsides. The beach area is now clear.

3. 38’ trimaran “Triple Play” – pieces of the boat and foam were scattered along a half-mile stretch along the Mala shoreline. Area residents have been picking up pieces and placing them up on the shore. Removal of this vessel is now being handled by Parker Marine. Two of the three hulls have been removed. The forward half of the main center hull is stored at a private residence and will be removed tomorrow. A major cleanup will be needed to remove foam pieces on the beach.

 

 

# # #

Deborah Ward
Hawaii Dept. of Land and Natural Resources
Information Specialist
(808) 587-0320
fax (808) 587-0390

MAUI DOBOR WORKS TO REMOVE 3 GROUNDED VESSELS
FROM MALA SHORE

LAHAINA — DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation Lahaina harbor office is working to address removals of three vessels moored off the shore near Mala Wharf which went aground today due to high surf between six to ten feet. Witnesses said the vessels broke loose from their moorings during a large set of five waves. High surf is also forecast for Saturday. No rescues of boaters were required.

1. 30’ fiberglass sailboat “Best Revenge” which broke off its mooring. Staff are working to obtain a bid from a salvage company to remove this vessel.

2. 30’ sailing vessel “Caribou III” which went aground also near Mala rocky shoreline due to high surf. The vessel had completely broken up by this afternoon. Staff are working to contact the vessel’s owner who has insurance and determine a removal plan. A marine salvage company is expected to begin removal work on Saturday, ocean conditions allowing.

3. 38’ trimaran “Triple Play” also aground at the Mala shoreline. This vessel does not have insurance. Staff are working to obtain a bid for emergency salvage removal of the vessel.

Photos courtesy DLNR Maui district boating office

 

 

 

# # #

For more information news media may contact:
Deborah Ward
DLNR Public Information Specialist
Phone: (808) 587-0320

 

 

DLNR ANNOUNCES GOAT HUNTING TO OPEN ON KAUA‘I

LIHU‘E — The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) announces the opening of archery, muzzleloading rifle, and high-powered rifle hunting seasons for feral goats on the island of Kaua‘i. Pursuant to Title 13, Chapter 123 “Rules Regulating Game Mammal Hunting,” the following rules and conditions will be in effect for the hunt:

No permit or tag fees will be assessed during the 2013 Kaua‘i goat hunting season.

ARCHERY ONLY SEASON: Kaua‘i archers must present their 2013-14 Hawai‘i Hunting License in order to obtain their permits starting Monday, June 24, 2013 in the Lihu‘e Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) office at 3060 ‘Eiwa St., Room 306. Another person may pick up your permit, but must present your license. Neighbor island archers may pick up an application form now at the DOFAW office on their island and mail it to the Lihu‘e DOFAW office. Specific instructions are on the application form. The first available weekend for archery hunting will be July 20, 2013, ending October 26-27, 2013. Validated archery permits will be mailed to each hunter after application has been received. Unit K bow hunters must sign-in and sign-out at either the Waimea Heights or the Koke‘e Hunter Checking Station. Unit G bow hunters must obtain a Unit G-Archery Pass from the Lihu‘e DOFAW office. Each pass is good for three (3) consecutive days and is free of charge.

Unit A Muzzleloader Season will be closed due to high fire danger closure declaration, per HRS 185-3 (1), in Hunting Units A.

REGULAR RIFLE SEASON: Applications for the 2013 Kaua‘i Goat Rifle season in Units B, E and H are now available at all participating hunting license vendors on Kaua‘i and all DOFAW offices. A maximum of eight (8) hunters may apply together as a hunting group (no exceptions). Rifle hunters will be assigned two weekends: One weekend in Hunting Unit H on the Na Pali Coast and another weekend in Hunting Units B and E of Waimea Canyon. The season duration is July 13th to September 1nd on weekends only. Specific information may be obtained on the application form. The deadline for submitting applications for the regular rifle hunt is 4:00 p.m., Friday, June 7, 2013. The public drawing to assign hunting dates will be held in the Lihu‘e State Office Building Conference Room at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, June 12, 2013.

All hunters who participate in the rifle season must have a valid 2013-14 Hawai‘i State hunting license on their person while they are hunting. Hunters will have the option of using a conventional rifle, muzzleloader rifle, handgun or archery equipment on their assigned hunting weekend, but may carry only one means of take while actually hunting. Hunters will also be allowed to take pigs on their assigned hunting weekend and the bag limit will be one pig per hunter per day. Permit-tags are non-transferable between hunters. Hunters must immediately tag their animal upon taking it. Boning of game will be permitted, but the unskinned tail must be left attached to the carcass. Each firearm hunter is required to wear a blaze-orange shirt or vest, sign-in and out at a designated hunter checking station, observe legal hunting hours and safety zones and the lawful carriage of firearms during the goat hunting season Hunters are reminded to review Title 13, Chapter 123 “Rules Regulating Game Mammal Hunting,” prior to hunting.

Hunters may call the following DOFAW offices for more information:
Kauai 274-3433
Oahu 587-0166
Kamuela 887-6063
Maui 984-8100
Molokai 553-4515
Lanai 565-7916
Hilo 974-4221

# # #
For more information news media may contact:
Deborah Ward
DLNR Public Information Specialist
Phone: (808) 587-0320

 

 

KAUA‘I HUNTING UNIT J ARCHERY AREA TO OPEN IN JUNE

LIHU‘E — The Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) announces the opening of feral pig archery hunting in Hunting Unit J Archery Area on the island of Kaua‘i. Hunting Unit J will be open during the month of June only on weekends and on King Kamehameha day – Tuesday, June 11, 2013.

Access into Unit J will be limited this year due to the July 2012 Koke‘e fire declaration closure which is still in effect. Hunters may access Unit J from Koke‘e Road – Hwy. 550, Trail 2 upper Papa‘alai ridge road and Trail 3 – upper Ha‘ele‘ele ridge road to the Pu‘u Lua Reservoir.

Trail 1 – Koke‘e ditch line road, Trail 4 – Polihale, Trail 5 – Ka‘aweiki and Trail 6 – Kauhao gates will be closed, however hunters will be allowed to park and enter the hunting area on foot only. There will be no exceptions. No motorized or non-motorized vehicles will be permitted beyond the closed gates and along the 3,000 foot elevation contour road and ditch line roads.

No permits will be required however hunters must sign-in and sign-out at the Koke‘e Hunter Checking Station located on Highway 550 at the 8.75 mile marker. The bag limit will be one pig per hunter per hunting day.

All requirements contained in Chapter 123, “Rules Regulating Game Mammal Hunting” shall apply including legal archery equipment and camouflage garment. For further information, please call the Lihu‘e Division of Forestry and Wildlife office at (808) 274-3433 on regular working days from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

# # #
Deborah Ward
DLNR Public Information Specialist
Phone: (808) 587-0320

 

COMMUNITY’S HELP SOUGHT TO FIND HOOKED MONK SEAL
Fisherman’s Timely Reporting Triggers Cooperative Response Action

OLOWALU, MAUI – The timely reporting of a hooking by a local fisherman may help save the life of a highly endangered Hawaiian monk seal known as RL06 that frequents the Olowalu area on the island of Maui. A female, it was born last July at Kalaupapa.

“I would like to commend this fisherman for calling in the incident. This is exactly the type of cooperation we need from the community. I applaud his leadership,” said William J. Aila, Jr., chairman of the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

While ulua fishing from shore in the early morning hours of Saturday, May 11, 2013, a local fisherman caught on his line what he believed to be a very large ulua. As the catch got closer to shore, a head popped out of the water and the fisherman realized he had unintentionally hooked a Hawaiian monk seal instead of the intended ulua.

Unfortunately, the line broke and the monk seal fled before the fisherman could call authorities to remove the hook.

The fisherman called in the incident on Monday to the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary office in Kihei. The Sanctuary is co-managed by the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.

“In addition, several watchful tour boats were also extremely helpful in calling reports of this hooked seal. We now need the community to help us locate this seal so we can send a response team out to assess if the seal is still hooked. A quick report with its current location is the best thing that can happen at this point,” said Aila.

Failure to report monk seal hookings or distressed seals have proven devastating for the endangered animals in past months. In January, delayed response to a hooking resulted in the death of a young seal on Hawaii Island. Last year, another seal was severely injured from a hooking; her injuries were exacerbated because her condition was not reported when she first became distressed.

“NOAA Fisheries has received reports of this seal being fed by humans and interacting with them. These interactions may have predisposed it to becoming hooked,” explained David Schofield of NOAA Fisheries. “The public is encouraged not to feed or interact with monk seals to prevent situations like this one from happening.”

“Community leadership is critical, not only for monk seal issues but for conservation issues in Hawaii,” explains Trisha Kehaulani Watson of Honua Consulting who represents Marine Conservation Institute in Hawaii. “We want fishermen and ocean users to see that their fears about reporting interactions are unfounded. We hope that people hear about this fisherman stepping forward and realize that reporting hookings and other monk seal interactions is the best way to ensure that both monk seals and community livelihoods are protected.”

From the fisherman’s report, the seal was hooked with a 2.5-inch barbed circle hook, up to 5 feet of wire and some fishing line. A commercial scuba videographer took a photo of the seal and hook on Saturday at Olowalu and sent the photo (see link to image) to NMFS. Anyone spotting this seal should immediately contact Nicole Davis from the National Marine Fisheries Stranding Program at (808) 292-2372 or call the Monk Seal Hotline at 1-888-256-9840.

# # #
For more information news media may contact:
Deborah Ward
DLNR Public Information Specialist
Phone: (808) 587-0320

 

Links to:
1 Photo of hooked seal, RL06, taken on Saturday May 11 at Olowalu dive site by Harold Giger. Permission to use image NOAA permit # 932-1905.

AND 2 Photos of emaciated seal on Molokai now being sought. Please call Monk Seal Hotline if you spot this animal. NOAA photo.

 

 

DLNR CLOSES NUALOLO CLIFF TRAIL ON KAUAI
DUE TO UNSAFE TRAIL CONDITIONS

 

LIHUE — Effective May 9, the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) will close for an indefinite period the 2.1 mile long Nualolo Cliff hiking trail in the Na Pali-Kona Forest Reserve on the north-west coast of Kauai. The trail closure is due to unsafe trail conditions including washed out and eroded trail near the 1.5 and 1.75 mile markers. The trail tread is only six inches wide in some places.

DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife Na Ala Hele Trails program staff will post trail closure signage and install temporary barriers for public safety. The public is advised to heed the warning signs and barriers and stop using the trail.

The Nualolo Cliff trail starts near the 3 mile point on the Awaawapuhi Trail in the Na Pali-Kona Forest Reserve and meets the Nualolo Trail between the 3 mile and 3.25 mile markers. The trail skirts the upper rim of the precipitous Nualolo Valley and permits a “loop” route from the Awaawapuhi Trail to Kokee Park Headquarters or vice versa.

# # #

For more information, news media may contact:

Deborah Ward
DLNR Public Information Specialist
Phone: (808) 587-0320

 

PUBLIC INVITED TO SECOND DLNR MEETING
ON BUOY PLACEMENT IN HILO WATERS

 

HILO —The Department of and Natural Resources (DLNR) is hosting the second of two public meetings to seek input on where day use mooring buoys should be placed in the waters in and around Hilo Bay, as part of a coral mitigation plan for Hilo Harbor that the Army Corps of Engineers permitted for the dredging of the Hilo harbor channel by the state Department of Transportation (DOT).

DLNR is working to implement the mitigation plan, and the meeting will cover the purpose of the day use mooring program, the modified draft list of day use mooring buoy locations, and public feedback to develop a priority ranking for these sites.

The meeting will take place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 14, in the Aupuni State Building first floor conference rooms A and B, 75 Aupuni St., Hilo.  A previous meeting was held on April 18, 2013.

To install a series of day use moorings in Hilo, a draft list of appropriate sites will be developed based upon the advice of a core group of fishermen and professionals familiar with the waters off of Hilo.

Boaters, fishers, commercial dive operators and other ocean users who frequent Hilo Bay and especially Blonde Reef, and are interested in preserving this resource, are urged to consider attending.

Previously, the need for day use mooring buoys in the Hilo area was not recognized, primarily because there was no overt request from charter boats for their deployment.

During surveys of Blonde Reef for the artificial reef initially proposed as mitigation for the project, a variety of abandoned anchors was seen littering the bottom and coral cover was much higher than anticipated.  The need for buoys to offset damage from recreational users over this reef is apparent but has not been documented.

Because Hilo Bay has multiple user groups (cruising sailboat moorings, sailing, canoe, paddling, jet skis, free diving, Scuba, and bottom fishing), it is imperative to coordinate the location of day use mooring buoys to serve multiple purposes appropriate with multiple user types.

# # #

For more information, news media may contact:

Deborah Ward
DLNR Public Information Specialist
Phone: (808) 587-0320