(HONOLULU) – Today, the Board of Land and Natural Resources by a three-to-three tie reached an impasse in a decision to accept or reject the Revised Final Environmental Impact Statement (RFEIS) submitted by seven aquarium fish collectors for the West Hawai‘i Regional Fishery Management Area (WHRFMA). The law provides a 30-day time-period in which the board must reach a decision.
Fishing
(Kaua‘i) – Across the day, an occasional whoop and cheer went up along the banks of the Pu‘u Lua Reservoir at Kōkeʻe, when another fisher caught a rainbow trout. The annual trout fishing opening weekend was a bit different for a second year in a row, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
(HONOLULU) – The establishment of a Hawai‘i Ocean Stewardship Special Fund will provide more consistent and reliable support for the conservation, protection, restoration, and management of Hawai‘i’s precious and endangered marine resources.
(HONOLULU) – Today, Gov. David Ige signed House Bill 1023 into law. It establishes and requires a marine recreational fishing license for all non-Hawai‘i residents. Visitors will need to purchase this license in order to fish from the shoreline or a boat in Hawaiian waters.
(HONLULU) – Nine bills passed by the Hawai‘i State Legislature this year were signed into law this afternoon by Gov. David Ige. “On this World Oceans Day, Hawai‘i again shows great leadership in grappling with the threats and challenges our precious marine environments face. I deeply appreciate the legislature’s support of these measures which collectively advance protection, management, and stewardship of ocean resources well into the future,” Gov. Ige said.
(HONOLULU) – Community members reported a man taking ‘opihi (limpets) from shoreline rocks within the Pūpūkea Marine Life Conservation District (MLCD). Friday afternoon, a DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources (DOCARE) officer cited 55-year-old Roland Ching for violating Hawai‘i Administrative Rules relating to prohibited activities within the MLCD. He has no local address.
(HONOLULU) – Four Waipahu men were cited Sunday night after officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) received multiple complaints from local fishermen and residents about a group of men laying net at Paiko Lagoon in east O ‘ahu’s Maunalua Bay.
(Līhuʻe) – The fishing season for rainbow trout at Pu’u Lua Reservoir on Kaua‘i will begin June 21st. Due to COVID-19, the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) announce there will be a lottery system in place for opening weekend (June 19-20), then the season will open as usual on June 21 from 6 am to 6 pm through September 30. The lottery system will allow fishers to access the reservoir for one 4-hour session, either in the morning or afternoon, on Saturday or Sunday of opening weekend.
(Honolulu) – Recent heavy rain events have caused major flooding to many parts of the state and with that, debris is churned up and scattered. Staff from the DLNR Division of Aquatics Resources (DAR) are currently cleaning up Lake Wilson which has had tons of rubbish in its waters due to these rain events. If Lake Wilson is not cleaned up, it could impact fishing opportunities in the Lake, and the rubbish could end up in Kaiaka Bay and eventually the ocean.
(HONOLULU) – Today, the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) voted unanimously to fine two Hawai‘i island aquarium fishers $272,000 in civil fines for multiple violations of Hawai‘i Administrative Rules (HAR) related to an illegal aquarium fishing incident in Kona in 2020.