For decades, Maui County has been pressured to seek a Clean Water Act permit for discharges of partly treated effluent from its Lahaina sewage treatment plant into nearshore waters. The effluent is pumped into injection wells deep into the ground, where … Continued
On the occasion of completing 30 years of continuous publication – a mile- stone that will be attained in June – Environment Hawai‘i will be reprinting from time to time articles that we believe display the breadth and the depth of the … Continued
COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts Spur DLNR To Consider Rent Deferrals, Fee Waivers Surf schools, concessionaires, and other businesses that pay rent or fees to the Department of Land and Natural Resources have pleaded for leniency, as government orders issued to control … Continued
Several million dollars have been spent over the past few years on research, habitat restoration, and land acquisition to mitigate the unexpectedly high number of endangered Hawaiian hoary bats being killed by wind farms across the state. Last month at … Continued
Where on O‘ahu are endangered Hawaiian hoary bats most active? According to an acoustic monitoring study launched in 2017, “by far and way, the bulk of activity is on northern part of the island,” said Joel Thompson of the Oregon-based … Continued
At the council’s March meeting, University of California at Santa Barbara professor Douglas McCauley briefed members on the potential threat deep sea mining poses to Hawai‘i’s pelagic fisheries. McCauley, who runs a website called Deep Sea Mining Watch, said mining could start occurring … Continued
Whether Hawai‘i longliners are fishing for bigeye tuna or swordfish, they must limit their interactions with federally protected species or face a partial or complete closure. False killer whales and loggerhead and leatherback sea turtles have been the main species of concern over … Continued
Last year, the number of longline sets targeting swordfish hit a record low of 300, according to Russell Ito of the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. Only 14 of the 150 longline vessels fishing around Hawai‘i last year were shallow-set vessels, he … Continued
The Hawai‘i population of green sea turtles is federally listed as threatened and in 2018, Hurricane Walaka destroyed much of the turtles’ preferred nesting habitat in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI). But according to T. Todd Jones of the Pacific Islands Fisheries … Continued