(Honolulu) -The U.S. Coast Guard Barbers Point Air Station provided space on a low-flying C-130 plane to DLNR representatives today to look for any green sea turtles that could be trapped by lava flowing into the ocean on the coast near Kapoho Bay and the Pohoiki Boat Ramp.
Aquatic Resources
(Honolulu) – Recent social media posts have shown photos and expressions of concern for sea turtles reportedly trapped or affected by the East Rift Zone Eruption on Hawai‘i island, in the Kapoho and Pohoiki areas. DLNR and NOAA Fisheries are aware of these postings but so far there has been little actionable information.
(Honolulu) A juvenile whale shark with heavy gauge line wrapped around its mid-section was spotted a second time this week. Initial reports of the entangled whale shark were received on Sunday off Olowalu and then on Thursday several commercial snorkel/dive tour companies reported the shark on the backside of Molokini, off Maui’s south shore.
(Honolulu) – When it comes to food Hawaiian monk seals behave much like dogs. Feed them once and they’ll come back for more. That’s one of the messages the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) and NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is relaying to fishers who frequent the small bay adjacent to the Kahe Power Plant on O‘ahu’s Wai‘anae coast.
(Honolulu) - Access to the Honolua Bay Marine Life Conservation District on Maui has been reopened after having been closed since Tuesday afternoon, June 26. The closure had been prompted by the continued presence of sharks in the bay, apparently attracted to dead fish.
(KAILUA-KONA) -- Celebrate the third annual World Oceans Day, “Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planet” at Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area on June 8, 2018 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is free to the public, except for a $5 parking fee at Hapuna Beach for non-Hawai‘i residents.
(HILO) – Officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) are seeking information about the person or persons who butchered a 250-pound green sea turtle at Onekahakaha County Beach Park in South Hilo. A DOCARE officer estimates the turtle’s shell as at least 80 centimeters in size. Officers report that the turtle’s front two flippers were amputated and it appeared the suspect(s) was interrupted and left the scene without the turtle.
LIHU‘E – The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) announces an open fishing season for rainbow trout in the Koke‘e Public Fishing Area (PFA) on Kaua‘i, beginning Saturday, June 16, 2018.
(HONOLULU) – More than two years ago, workers from the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources’ Ānuenue Coral Restoration Nursery on Sand Island Access Road embarked on a novel, first-of-its-kind endeavor, to “fast-grow” what are typically slow growing species of native Hawaiian coral species.
(HONOLULU) – Had it been something other than a sharp fishing knife perhaps the video would have been endearing? A Hawaiian monk seal pup named Manu‘iwa recently weaned from its mother on a Hawai‘i Island beach. Staff from Ke Kai Ola, a hospital operated by The Marine Mammal Center at Kailua-Kona and officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) have been monitoring the pup’s health and growth.