(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.
Announcements
(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.”
HONOLULU -- A large quantity of copper wire was located today at Ke‘ehi lagoon area today by enforcement officers of the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
(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 -- Beginning in October 2016 on O‘ahu, the Department of Land and Natural Resources Hunter Education Program will expand certification options for the public by offering a Hybrid Hunter Education Course which can be partially completed online. This Hybrid course will consist of two parts: (1) online course and (2) a one-day In-person conclusion course with final exam.
(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.
DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES News Release DAVID Y. IGE GOVERNOR SUZANNE D. CASE CHAIRPERSON For Immediate News Release August 3, 2016 SCOFFLAW SHRIMP BOAT CAPTAIN FINED $600 FOR BLACK CORAL, BOATING VIOLATIONS HONOLULU — Hawai‘i Environmental Court Judge Randal Shintani has imposed a fine of $600 upon Ming Ren Yan, captain ...
Read More Scofflaw Shrimp Boat Captain Fined 0 for Black Coral, Boating Violations
HONOLULU -- Environmental Court Judge Linda Luke in Honolulu District Court imposed a fine of $205 on July 8, upon a defendant who was apprehended taking undersize papio. The case stems from September 2015, when a Division of Conservation and Resource Enforcement (DOCARE) officer observed the defendant, Konsida Pelep, taking an undersized papio while fishing with a handline in the Diamond Head area. Upon making contact and inspecting Pelep’s catch, the DOCARE officer discovered six (6) undersized papio. Papio is the Hawaiian term used to identify juvenile phase ulua, which can grow to over 150 pounds. The largest of Pelep’s six fish measured nine inches, weighing less than two pounds.
HONOLULU -- An overturned boat that has been spotted from the air several times since three fishermen were reportedoverdue northwest of Oahu, on Monday July 4, has been found on a remote beach on Kauai’s north shore.