Aquatic Resources

(HONOLULU) – Mariners are being cautioned to avoid the Sampan Channel area of Kāne'ohe Bay tomorrow during a U.S. Navy treatment operation to remove two unexploded munitions believed to be 50 or more years-old. They’re resting in approximately 13-feet of water. 

 (Kahului, Maui) – A 60-year-old Georgia man, visiting Ka‘anapali, said he “was very sorry” for lifting a sea turtle out of the water by its shell, last week. He told DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources (DOCARE) officers he didn’t know his actions were against the law. 

(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) - A 27-year-old man was cited for harvesting 345 undersized ‘opihi from the shoreline at Onekahakaha Beach Park.

(HONOLULU) – First and foremost, Debbie Herrera the Volunteer and Education Coordinator for Malama na Honu, believes we need to shift the narrative.  “The vast majority of people who come to Laniakea, on O‘ahu’s north shore, pay attention to the signs put up by volunteers from the group. We’re trying to focus on people behaving in pono ways, rather than those very few who refuse, despite dozens of cautionary signs or warnings from volunteers, to give green sea turtles on the beach or in the ocean wide berth,” she said. 

(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.

(HONOLULU) – State lawmakers and DLNR leaders believe the 2021 legislative session was the most productive and effective for natural and cultural resources protection and support of any in recent decades. 

 (Kahului, Maui) – A statewide online public hearing will be held on proposed amendments of Hawai’i Administrative Rules (HAR) relating to the Kahului Harbor Fisheries Management Area (FMA) and rules regulating the take and possession of ‘oama on the island of Maui.

(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.