(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.
Fishing
(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.
(HONOLULU) – Restoration of a widely-used boat ramp at Pohoiki Bay, in the Puna District of Hawai‘i island, blocked by new sand during the 2018 Puna lava eruption is estimated to take between nine months and six or more years, and cost between $2.5 and $28 million, the State Land of Board and Natural Resources heard during a briefing today.
(HONOLULU) – Tyron and Kacie Terazono of Kealakekua have agreed to pay a large fine for the illegal harvest of aquarium fish, offshore of Kawaihae in Hawai‘i County, in February 2020. Acting on tips, officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) conducted a commercial fishing gear and catch inspection of the couple’s boat, Masako, when it returned to the Kawaihae Small Boat Harbor on Feb. 20, 2020. The inspection found 550 live tropical fish, of ten species, in the vessel’s hold, along with aquarium fishing gear, including a small mesh net.
(HONOLULU) – Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Crabtree ruled today that all commercial aquarium fishing is completely banned in the State of Hawaiʻi, unless and until the aquarium fishing industry has completed the Chapter 343 environmental review process. The ruling was made in response to a request by aquarium fishing opponents.
(Honolulu) – The Waikīkī-Diamond Head Shoreline Fisheries Management Area (SFMA), O‘ahu, will be closed to fishing for one year, from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2021. The SFMA encompasses the nearshore waters between the ‘Ewa wall of the Waikīkī War Memorial Natatorium and the Diamond Head Lighthouse, from the high-water mark on shore to a minimum seaward distance of 500 yards, or to the edge of the fringing reef if one occurs beyond 500 yards. The area is closed to fishing during odd-numbered years.