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 (Hilo) – 129 anglers, or all ages, registered for the week-long Wailoa River Tilapia Fishing Tournament, staged by the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) and other partners. It wrapped up yesterday with an awards and outreach event at the Wailoa Art Center.

(Honolulu) – Salvage teams from Parker Marine will be working today and possibly tomorrow in another attempt to free sailing vessel Prelude from shallow waters off Kaimana Beach on O‘ahu’s south shore. The boat grounded on a reef, about 300 feet off-shore, on Sunday.  An earlier attempt to free it wasn’t successful due to strong winds, the water depth, and the position of the boat on the reef.

(Honolulu) - Anyone who witnessed or has information on a case of Hawaiian monk seal harassment is encouraged to call the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) or NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement (OLE).

(Makawao) - Approximately a dozen pine and eucalyptus trees as tall as 70-feet in the Makawao State Forest Reserve on Maui will be assessed and flagged for removal from February 16-29, 2020. The trees surround the upper parking lot of the Kahakapao Recreation Area (KRA).

(Honolulu) – People are being cautioned to stay out of the ocean between Keawakapu Beach and White Rock Beach in the Wailea district on Maui after several sharks were spotted this morning.

(Waialua, O‘ahu) – The moment a 250-pound Green Sea Turtle hit the shoreline, it was a beeline back to the ocean.  The turtle, marked as 1036, was released on a beach here yesterday, after having its right front flipper amputated almost three weeks ago.

 (Hilo) – Following the latest mass coral bleaching event in Hawaiian waters last fall, the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) elected to use an equipment rich, aerial platform to map and access the health of reefs along the more than 700 miles of shoreline in the Main Hawaiian Islands.

 (Honolulu) – A critical parcel of land for protecting an important watershed on Moloka‘i’s east side has been acquired by the State. Pua‘ahala was previously owned by K&H Horizons Hawai‘i. It comprises 800 acres of an entire ahupua‘a from the top of the mountain to the ocean. It will protect the island’s remaining watershed forests and cultural resources, as well as safeguard freshwater resources that sustain the people of Moloka‘i.  

 (Honolulu) – A new law passed during the 2019 legislative session requires that all applicable vessels have insurance with a minimum of $100,000 in coverage that will cover the removal and salvage of a grounded vessel.

 (Līhuʻe) - Nearly 40 years ago an intergovernmental treaty was signed that provided the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. World Wetlands Day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2, 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. Each year since 1997, government agencies and community organizations have offered programs aimed at raising awareness about the values and benefits of wetlands.