(HONOLULU) – When 7-year-old Malia Rillamas first spotted the bird, she pointed it out to her dad Jonathan. The family, from Haleiwa, pulled off the country road on O‘ahu’s north shore on the afternoon of Jan. 15, 2017 to see if they could help. A short time later Brian Smith of Wahiawa also pulled over. Together the trio watched as the pueo (Hawaiian short-eared owl), hopped across the road and ultimately into a deep roadside ditch. They discussed what to do and who to call and eventually called 9-1-1 which put them in touch with the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE).
DOCARE
(Kahului, Maui) – Shoreline access to the ocean at the ‘Ahihi Kina’u Natural Area Reserve on Maui is again open. Access was restricted for nearly two weeks after a Humpback whale carcass washed onto shore on December 30, 2016.
(Honolulu) – DLNR Chair Suzanne Case has announced that Robert Farrell begins work on Jan. 17, 2017 as the new Enforcement Chief for the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE). Case said, “We are fortunate to have a leader who has extensive conservation enforcement experience both within our own agency and with other organizations tasked with protecting natural and cultural resources. In addition, Bob’s close ties to Hawai’i, its people and as a respected DOCARE officer make him the perfect fit to lead the division.”
(Kahului, Maui) – Shoreline access at ‘Ahihi Kinau Natural Area Reserve on Maui has been closed due to a whale carcass on shore. Carcasses often attract sharks, thus the reason for the placement of beach warning signs by Maui County lifeguards and officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE).
(HONOLULU) – They’re fast and stable; and given Hawai‘i’s frequently rough waters, the two new Sea Blade 23 law enforcement vessels acquired the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE), fit the bill. Today one of the 23-foot long, aluminum, center-control console boats, the Malama Kai II, was blessed during a ceremony at the Keehi Small Boat Harbor. It will be based on Oahu and used by DOCARE’s Marine Enforcement Unit. The other vessel has been in service at Kona on Hawai‘i Island for several months and will be blessed at a later date. Officers are using it there to enforce rules associated with swimming with dolphins and other marine animals, as well as for general law enforcement purposes.
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.
(Honolulu) – Maintaining and caring for (to malama) a remote wilderness park is a daunting, expensive, and labor-intensive task. When the leadership of the Hawai’i Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) elected this year to put renewed emphasis on the spectacular Napali Coast State Wilderness Park on Kaua’i, they knew that many years of unpermitted activity, an often-times unforgiving environment and unprepared or unwary visitors would continue to create a special set of challenges and opportunities.
(Kahului, Maui) – The three DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources (DOCARE) officers, assigned to the North Maui Community Fisheries Enforcement Unit (CFEU) are all Maui natives. They have a real and special connection to the 17-miles of state-controlled ocean water on Maui’s north shore. The CFEU, a partnership between the state with initial funding from Conservation International and the Harold C.K. Castle Foundation, was established to put sharp focus on a heavily used area; both by people recreating and by fishers. It’s those who fish that Officers Jeffrey Kinores, Nathan Hillen, and Joshua Rezentes focus their efforts on. In the three years since the establishment of this special unit, they’ve been able to shift their attention from enforcement to outreach and education. Also, while the first two years efforts were focused on illegal netting, the favorable weather conditions this past year saw officers shift to monitoring diving activity. In CFEU’s first year of operations (2013-2014), officers issued 41 total citations; 22 were for net violations. For the period beginning in 2015 and continuing until today, they issued 31 citations, including seven for netting violations and 14 for diving violations. That includes illegal take of lobster and undersized fish or exceeding bag limits.
HONOLULU -- Hawai‘i Environmental Court Judge Randal Shintani has imposed a fine of $600 upon Ming Ren Yan, captain and owner of the shrimp fishing vessel Da Opailolo II. The case stems from fall 2015, when Da Opailolo II was illegally mooring in Wai‘anae Small Boat Harbor.
HONOLULU -- Environmental Court Judge Linda Luke on Friday imposed a fine of $250 upon a defendant who was apprehended using an illegal throw net to catch oama. Additionally, the defendant’s net was ordered for destruction as contraband fishing gear. The case stems from October 2015, when an off-duty Division of Conservation and Resource Enforcement (DOCARE) officer observed the defendant, Keith Sonoda, catching oama with an illegal throw net at Maunalua Bay Beach Park.