Honolulu – Maui beaches, which had been closed for one mile in each direction from the location of yesterday’s fatal shark incident at Kanahena (Dumps) in the Ahihi Kinau Natural Area Reserve on Maui, were reopened as of 12 noon today.
Aquatic Resources
HONOLULU – Black Band disease was found at nearly half of the reef sites surveyed for the presence of the disease in near-shore waters on Kauai. These are the findings contained in a final report authored by the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB). Researcher Chris Runyon and her team surveyed 47 coral reef sites over the past year and found the disease in 23 (48%) of them. Runyon said, “A weak relationship was found between the abundance of the disease and water temperature. The lesions caused by black band disease become more active in the summer.” Previous work established the disease is affecting three species of Montipora, or rice, corals and also showed disease "hotspots" at Makua and Anini beaches.
MAKENA, MAUI -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) has closed Makena State Park and ocean waters from Big Beach to La Perouse light house to swimmers, divers, and other ocean users. This is in response to a fatal shark bite this morning in the Kanahena Cove area of Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve. DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement officers, Division of Aquatic Resources staff, and County lifeguards are on scene to investigate and warn the public. Shark warning signs are being posted. Further details about the incident are pending.
(Honolulu) – On March 25, two critically endangered Hawaiian monk seals (Neomonachus schauinslandi) were successfully returned to Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument after being rehabilitated at The Marine Mammal Center’s Ke Kai Ola Hawaiian Monk Seal Hospital in Kona. The seals were rescued last year in an emaciated state, one on Kure Atoll and another on Laysan Island, during NOAA Fisheries Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program’s field camp season.
HONOLULU – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) proposes to change the scope of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary by increasing its size, expanding from a sanctuary that manages only humpback whales to one that manages all natural and cultural resources within its boundaries, and changing its name. A news announcement was made yesterday.
DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCESNews Release DAVID Y. IGEGOVERNOR CARTY CHANGINTERIM CHAIRPERSON For Immediate News Release March 24, 2015 HUMPBACK WHALE CARCASS TOWED OUT TO SEA KAHULUI ...
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HONOLULU -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources and county lifeguards closed Hapuna Beach State Park today following an incident just before noon, in which a 58 year old male visitor was bit by a shark while snorkeling in the ocean near the south point of the park. He was taken to a local hospital.
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 20, 2015.
HISAW Kaneohe Bay Invasive Algae Control Project
HONOLULU – Two weeks after scientists announced that many coral colonies in Kaneohe Bay were showing signs of recovery from a fall 2014 bleaching event, reefs there are now facing a new threat. The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) and the US Geological Survey (USGS) are investigating the presence of a disease called Acute Montipora White Syndrome (aMWS). It was first detected on patch reefs in the bay within the past few weeks.
