Department of Land and Natural Resources

(Kihei, Maui) – A 61-year-old woman, swimming 120-yards off Charlie Young beach in Kihei encountered what she believes was a shark at around 11:00 this morning. She said she did not see a shark but just felt a bite.  She was transported to Maui Memorial Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. It is not known at this time where the woman is from. 

(Honolulu) – To mirror the County of Hawaiʻiʻs latest Emergency Order closing all county beach parks, the DLNR Division of State Parks is also continuing the closures of all Big Island coastal and beach park areas that has been effective since Friday, September 4 continuing through September 30. This effort is aimed at preventing large unauthorized gatherings and suppressing the increasing spread of COVID-19. At all affected parks, gates will remain locked and parking lots will be closed.   

(Honolulu) – With the popular Ahu O Laka sandbar inKāne'ohe Bay currently closed due to COVID-19 restrictions, recreational boaters have moved away from anchoring at the sand bar. 

(Honolulu) – Seven Honolulu men face multiple charges after officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources (DOCARE) received a call reporting illegal fishing in the Waikīkī Marine Life Conservation District (MLCD) and the adjoining Waikīkī Fisheries Management Area (FMA). 

(HONOLULU) – Calling the illegal actions “outrageous,” DLNR Chair Suzanne Case praised the Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) arrest yesterday of a West Hawai‘i aquarium fish collector. 57-year-old Steve Howard of Kailua-Kona, a well-known aquarium fisher, was arrested after a bizarre series of events that included a search and rescue operation. Howard was observed launching his boat at DLNR’s Honokohau Small Boat Harbor. When DOCARE officers were alerted, they mobilized, and followed the boat to the Kailua-Kona pier, where Howard picked up two women. 

(LĪHU‘E) – A wildland fire in Waimea Canyon on Kaua‘i is the focus of a joint response from the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) and the Kaua‘i Fire Department. As of 1:00 p.m. today, the fire covered one acre near mile marker 11 on Highway 550. The DOFAW Kaua’i Branch dispatched two fire engines along with a crew of ten wildland firefighters to assist with the effort. This fire is in a co-response zone that is shared state and countyresponsibility. DOFAW as the primary responder for wildland fires. 

(Lāhainā) – Kāʻanapali Beach has been negatively impacted by chronic erosion and extreme seasonal erosion over the previous four decades.  Sand loss is expected to continue and even accelerate with sea level rise. The DLNR Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands (OCCL) will be holding an informational meeting regarding this sand replenishment project on Maui.

(Lānaʻi City) - The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) regretfully announces the cancellation of the 2021 Lāna‘i Axis Deer season due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. DOFAW has determined that cancellation of the hunt is in the best interest of public safety.

(Honolulu) – The DLNR Division of State Parks (DSP) is preparing for the reopening of Polihale State Park on Kaua‘i, although no firm date has yet been set. Due to overuse and abuse, the popular beach and camping area was shut down. One weekend, an estimated 1,000 people camped illegally. Reopening will likely happen within weeks, however, if park users do not comply with park rules, it will be closed again. 

STATE AND FEDERAL AUTHORITIES SEEK INFORMATION ON MONK SEAL DEATH  (Līhuʻe, Kaua‘i) – Law enforcement officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and  Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) and the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) are investigating the death of a juvenile Hawaiian monk seal on Kaua‘i. This was reported on Thursday in the Anahola area and the cause of death of this seal is currently unknown.