Department of Land and Natural Resources

HONOLULU -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources Divisions of Aquatic Resources (DAR), State Historic Preservation (SHPD), and Engineering offices on Maui will close next week, starting Monday December 5-9, as staff move out of their current location at 130 Mahalani Street in Wailuku, and set up at a temporary location in the Māʻalaea Small Boat Harbor.

HONOLULU — Spawning season is here for ‘ama‘ama (striped mullet), which puts the popular nearshore fish off-limits from December through March. “‘Ama‘ama are about to enter their peak spawning season, which increases their vulnerability to fishing pressure,” said Bruce Anderson, DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources administrator. “The annual winter closure is designed to help the fish reproduce successfully and protect the species from overfishing.”

HONOLULU -- The existing path and stairway to the Waianapanapa State Park black sand beach and bay will be closed for about 3 weeks, beginning on Monday, November 7, 2016, as a part of the DLNR Division of State Parks’ ongoing capital improvement project on the pedestrian pathways throughout the park. Pailoa Beach will not be accessible during the construction of a new concrete pathway with steps at that location.

HOOKIPA, MAUI - Shortly after 5 p.m. today Maui Police Department notified DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) of a shark bite at Hookipa beach park. The male victim was surfing at a point at Hookipa.

KIHEI, MAUI – Shark warning signs were posted this morning by Maui County Ocean Safety lifeguards and Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) staff on the Kihei coastline from Kalama Park to Kamaole Beach Park III. This was in response to a report received just before 10 a.m. today that a female snorkeler was bitten by a shark while in waters 40 feet from shore and seven feet deep fronting Charlie Young beach. Ocean conditions were calm, but somewhat murky. The victim, a part-time Maui resident, was transported to a hospital with injuries to her lower left leg.

(Honolulu) - The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) is aware of and concerned about allegations regarding working conditions on commercial fishing vessels. DLNR is also aware of efforts by various government agencies and the industry itself to investigate these allegations and take appropriate actions.

HONOLULU -- For centuries, traditional Hawaiian chants have warned about an increased risk of shark bites in the fall, when the wiliwili tree blooms. According to the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR), that warning is still appropriate.

(Wai‘anae) – Some 150 residents of a large homeless encampment on DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) land on the Wai‘anae Coast met with a variety of providers on Friday, in the first state-sponsored Community Resource Fair. More than a dozen service providers tallied 467 visits, from homeless people, looking for help with housing, employment, and basic needs.

KAILUA-KONA, HAWAI‘I – A public information meeting will be held this Saturday to discuss new, proposed rules for the Makako Bay and Keauhou manta ray viewing sites in Kona. The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Boating and Ocean Recreation Division (DOBOR) has scheduled the meeting on September 24, 2016 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Palamanui Campus of Windward Community College, 73-4255 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Room B-126, in Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i. The meeting was rescheduled from Sept. 3 due to severe weather forecasts earlier this month.

(Honolulu) -- Following severe coral bleaching events in 2014 and 2015 within Hawai‘i’s ocean waters, the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) has been working to identify management actions that can be taken to promote post-coral bleaching recovery and resiliency in Hawai‘i’s coral reefs.