Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement

(KANEOHE) – The carcass of a three and a half ton Humpback whale that stranded on a reef just off of Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i (MCBH), was successfully removed today. It’s believe the carcass may be the same one spotted off Haleiwa earlier in the week.  In Kaneohe Bay the carcass split into two major pieces, with the whale’s skull sticking out of the water a short distance from the main carcass.

(HONOLULU) –  Each time a team of officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) flies into the Kalalau section of the Na Pali Coast State Wilderness Park, they find fewer illegal camps and write fewer arrest citations to people in the area without required permits. As Hawai‘i’s largest and most remote state park, it is in the best shape in decades, due to the concentrated efforts of DOCARE and the DLNR Division of State Parks, which manages it.

HONOLULU --  As summer draws to a close and Labor Day weekend beckons for outdoor activities, the Department of Land and Natural Resources wants to encourage everyone, especially those with pets, to practice safe fun in the sun. Help protect our natural environment and always properly dispose of any trash on land and sea.

(Honolulu) – Veteran DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) Officer James Ridzon has been selected as the first recipient of the DLNR/DOCARE Officer of the Year award.  Ridzon has been with DOCARE for more than eight years and has earned a reputation as an effective investigator and strong protector of Hawai‘i’s natural and cultural resources.

A three day operation last week in the Kalalau section of Kauai’s Napali Coast State Wilderness Park resulted in additional arrests and the dismantling of large, illegal camps in Kalalau Valley.

(Honolulu) – Last weekend a man sent DLNR Chair Suzanne Case photographs of two hammerhead sharks, left dead near the He‘eia Small Boat Harbor on Windward O‘ahu.  It’s impossible to determine how they died.  Were they hooked and discarded?  Were they caught up in a net?  Did someone kill them illegally?  This is exactly the kind of situation the DLNR hopes people will report immediately using its new DLNRTip app.

(Hilo)--The Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) is requesting the public's assistance in providing information related to a criminal investigation of Prohibited Activities in a Natural Area Reserve (NAR).

(Honolulu) – The DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) is recruiting candidates to fill approximately 25 (twenty-five) positions for Conservation Resources Enforcement Officers (CREO) II, III, and IV. DOCARE’s mission is to effectively uphold the laws that serve to protect, conserve and manage Hawaiʻi’s unique and limited natural, cultural and historic resources held in public trust for current and future generations of visitors and the people of Hawai’i nei.

A boat operator, who advertised his “Epic Boat After Party,” on social media, was cited by the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) on Easter Sunday for conducting commercial activities without a permit. Among the 15 passengers Adam Taylor carried on his boat to the Ahu o Laka sand bar in Kaneohe Bay, were undercover DOCARE officers who paid Taylor fees for a boat ride. All commercial activities conducted from State small boat harbors, facilities, and near shore waters require a permit from the DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation.

After wildlife biologists and veterinarians relocated a 10-month-old Hawaiian monk seal on March 30th from the Lihi Canal in Kapa‘a, to a beach on the island’s west side they’d hoped she would stay away from the canal. Two days ago the seal, identified as RH92, returned to the canal along with an adult seal (RK13). Together they’ve been seen feeding on small fish in the manmade waterway along with discarded fish parts. The return of RH92 to Lihi is prompting stepped-up public awareness and outreach and potentially enforcement of littering laws for fishermen who dispose of fish parts in the water.