Governor David Ige proclaimed June 15, 2016 as Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument Day in Hawaii. This is in recognition of the 10th anniversary of the designation of the Monument. Representatives from co-management agencies, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Hawaii Dept. of Land and Natural Resources, along with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs attended a ceremony at the Governor’s Office this morning.
Aquatic Resources
Summer is here and with it comes sea turtle nesting season! As a result, you may witness increased sea turtle activity, including mating in nearshore waters, as well as more basking (resting) on beaches. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA Fisheries, and the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources reminds everyone — locals and visitors alike — to respect our sea turtles, at all times of the year.
HILO) – At Sunday’s 13th annual Tokunaga Ulua Challenge Fishing Tournament weigh-in, you’d hear a call for “Mr. Barbless Hook.” That would be Kurt Kawamoto, a fisheries biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. Kawamoto earned the moniker as the driving force behind the NOAA and DLNR Barbless Circle Hook Project. Each time a fish caught with a barbless circle hook weighed in, Kawamoto stepped forward to slap a special sticker on it, and hopefully to see a new record. Since initiating the program more than a decade ago, ulua and other fish caught by shoreline fishermen with barbless hooks have weighed in at one hundred pounds or more; winning more than just a few tournaments.
PUAKŌ, HAWAII - An educational workshop is planned on Saturday, June 11, for interested community members who want to learn more about ongoing resource management and conservation in Puakō. Puakō Makai Watch will host, ‘'Ike Kai,” which is designed to inform and engage community members on how they can volunteer with the Puakō Makai Watch program.
(LAHAINA) - The chairmen of the senate and house legislative committees, that deal with environmental and conservation issues, encouraged their colleagues to become better educated about the degradation of Hawaii’s coral reefs. They made their comments during a special charter tour of West Maui Reefs on Friday. During the event, hosted by Trilogy Excursions and dubbed the “Boatload of Decision Makers,” Senate Land, Water, and Agriculture Chair Mike Gabbard and House Water and Land Chair Ryan Yamane said it’s important for lawmakers to take the time to get away from the Capitol, to see first-hand, how land-based pollutants and unsustainable fishing practices are killing coral reefs.
HONOLULU -- A fish with a lot of “fingers” will be hands-off starting June 1. The season for moi, or Pacific threadfin, will be closed from June through August in Hawaii waters.
(HONOLULU) – A spike in shark bites off Maui in 2012 and 2013 prompted the Dept. of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), with additional support and funding from the Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS), to commission a two-year-long study of shark spatial behavior on Maui. The research was conducted by a team from the University of Hawaii’s Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB).
(HONOLULU) – 19 year old Shylo Akuna of Eleele, Kauai was arrested this afternoon by officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) and NOAA Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) special agents in connection with the beating of a 17-year old pregnant monk seal on April 26, 2016.
HONOLULU – If you love your fresh-caught local lobster or Kona crab, you'd best catch it quick because the season closes this Sunday. The closed season for ula (spiny lobster), ula papapa (slipper lobster) and Kona crab runs from May 1 through the end of August. During that time it's illegal to take, possess, or sell these shellfish.
(HONOLULU) – David Cohen is a proud papa for good reason. He and his team, working at the Anuenue Fisheries Research Center on Oahu’s Sand Island, have now planted 300,000 Native Hawaiian collector urchins (Tripneustes gratilla)into Kaneohe Bay to control two species of invasive algae.