(HONOLULU) – Marine debris, ingested by a 56-foot-long sperm whale, is believed to be at least a contributing cause to its death. The whale washed up on the reef fronting Lydgate Park on Kaua‘i Friday night. On Saturday, heavy equipment was used to get it onto the beach where researchers from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Health and Stranding Lab, spent 15-hours trying to find clues about its death. Their initial examination of the whale was limited because of its immense size.
News Releases
(HONOLULU) – Today, Hawaiʻi Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey P. Crabtree lifted an injunction in a case filed by opponents of commercial aquarium fishing, prohibiting the issuance or renewal of aquarium fish permits to commercial collectors pursuant to Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) § 188-31 in the West Hawai‘i Regional Fishery Management Area (WHRFMA). An injunction concerning the issuance or renewal of aquarium fish permits in the rest of the State of Hawaiʻi remains in effect.
(WAILUKU) – Over the next two weeks, work is being done at Mākena State Park on Maui to remove large fallen trees and hazardous branches. Due to the large equipment that will be used for this project, the DLNR Division of State Parks (DSP) will be closing off sections of the park.
(HONOLULU) – The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Readiness and Environmental Integration Program (REPI) is awarding Hawai‘i $7,123,851 for restoration and recovery projects on O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, and Hawai‘i Island.
(KAPA‘A, KAUA‘I) - The cause of death of a 56-foot-long, 120,000-pound sperm whale, that appeared on the reef fronting Lydgate Park, won’t likely be determined for some time.
(Kīhei, Maui) – Drainage improvements to the Kīhei Boat Ramp wash down area on Maui will begin Feb. 6, 2023. The project contract was awarded to Global Specialty Contractors, Inc. by the DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR).
(HONOLULU) – Small invertebrates and microfauna, like endangered Hawaiian picture-winged flies, play an important role in providing balance to our natural ecosystems.
(Hanapēpē, Kaua‘i) - The Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project (KFBRP) is holding its annual Hawaiian blessing for the 2023 field season, which for at least two species of Hawaiian honeycreepers is a critical year.
(Lehua Islet) - After being declared rat-free in 2021, restoration and monitoring efforts continue on Lehua Islet (Lehua), a small, uninhabited island off the west coast of Kauaʻi. Monitoring of native seabird species breeding on the islet by the Kauaʻi Endangered Seabird Recovery Project (KESRP) and the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) indicates a success story, based on increased reproductive success following eradication of the rat population. Work on Lehua is now in the restoration phase. Lehua is a State Seabird Sanctuary managed by DOFAW.
(KAHULUI) – A female nēnē was struck and killed by a passenger truck on Haleakalā Highway near the Dairy Road/Keolani Place junction in Kahului last Tuesday. This outcome has become too familiar in recent years and the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) wants to bring awareness to Hawai‘i residents that these human-caused deaths are preventable.