(HONOLULU) – Today the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) approved the re-opening of the remaining eight BFRAs, which were closed to fishing since 2007. The re-opening’s are effective immediately.
Fishing
(Līhuʻe) - The DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) will hold an online community meeting for the 5-year evaluation of the Hā‘ena Community-Based Subsistence Fishing Area (CBSFA). The meeting will feature presentations from DAR staff, researchers from University of Hawaii, and Hui Makaainana O Makana.
(HONOLULU) – Beginning Jan. 1, 2022, it will be illegal to knowingly capture, entangle, or kill any species of shark in State marine waters. Act 51 (House Bill 533) passed in the last legislative session.
(HONOLULU) - Coral reefs are intricate, sensitive ecosystems that are facing numerous threats on both the local and global scale. Healthy coral reefs are critical to the economy, as a natural and cultural resource, and as a sustainable source of food. One study estimated the nearshore fishery provides more than 7 million meals each year to Hawai‘i families.
(Kahului) – Rules pertaining to the Kahului Harbor Fisheries Management Area (FMA) and the take and possession of ‘oama on the island of Maui have been updated and take effect beginning tomorrow.
(HONOLULU) – Night divers are required to have illuminated diver’s flags and are supposed to know fishing regulations. Last night, a dozen Honolulu men were cited by officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) for not having required equipment and/or possession of under-sized fish.
(HONOLULU) – Two Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) officers, responding to an anonymous call Saturday night, ended up citing a Honolulu man for two violations.
(HONOLULU) - The Pūpūkea Marine Life Conservation District (MLCD) on O‘ahu’s North Shore has expanded to include the Kapo‘o tide pools, also known as the Old Quarry tide pools. When the Pūpūkea MLCD was first designated in 1983, the intent was to include the tidepool area. However, an executive order which established the county beach park back in 1956 led to uncertainty as to who owned the tide pools.
(Honolulu) – The DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) will begin hosting virtual talk story sessions for interested fishers next week. These sessions, which are already underway on Kaua’i, will now be expanded to include the other islands. The sessions provide an opportunity for fishers and DAR staff to exchange information, concerns, and ideas.
(HILO) – Today, was a typical Saturday for DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) reserve officer John Kahiapo. At a back-to-school keiki fishing tournament at Laupāhoehoe Point Beach Park on Hawai‘i Island he was in his element talking with young fishers about pono practices, answering their questions about life in the ocean, and spreading the messages of conservation and protection of natural resources.