Leatherbacks (Dermochelys coriacea) are the largest species of sea turtles. Adults may weigh up to 1,600 pounds and attain a length of six feet. They can dive as deep as 3,300 feet. Their diet consists of jellyfish and related creatures. … Continued
Just how depleted are leatherback populations? And will the injunction imposed on the Hawai’i longline fleet by U.S. District Judge David A. Ezra help leatherbacks at all? The first question is easier to answer. Pamela Plotkin is generally regarded as … Continued
In its recently issued 1998 report on pelagic fisheries regulated by the Western Pacific council, NMFS lists the numbers of each species of sea turtle it estimates to have been hooked that calendar year. The loggerhead turtles, federally listed as … Continued
The language in the biological opinion that the National Marine Fisheries Service issued that sets terms on the Hawai`i longline fishery couldn’t be clearer. If the fishery is to continue to operate, observers must be on board enough boats in … Continued
Ed Freitas didn’t know what hit him. In October 1997, he recalls, he saw the trucks and bulldozers pull onto the private road leading to his home in Nienie, just west of Honoka`a on the Big Island, and watched, aghast, … Continued
The Kaua`i population of `A`o, or Newell’s shearwaters (Puffinus auricularis newelli) is in a free-fall. Over the last seven years, numbers of the bird have declined 60 percent overall, with average annual declines of some 14 percent. The Newell’s shearwater, … Continued
The recent discovery of two Asian Longhorned Beetles (ALB) in packing material for a slate shipment illustrates how vulnerable Hawai`i is to the effects of travel and trade. If the bullet-shaped beetle were to ever become established here, Hawai`i’s native … Continued
Kaua`i Stairs to Shore Are Allowed to Remain Last year, Steven Cohen of New York built a stairway leading from his property in Kilauea, Kaua`i, across his neighbor’s property, down a rocky cliff, to Kaupea Beach, also known as Secret … Continued
The Transforming Power of Environmental Education In March, I talked about the feelings, views, and beliefs of the Hilo High School Paradise Pursuits team. Paradise Pursuits is a quiz show, sponsored by the Hawai`i Audubon Society, where high school students … Continued