Aquarium Permits: On January 30, Environmental Court Judge Jeffrey Crabtree granted a motion filed last year by the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) to amend a statewide ban on the issuance of aquarium collecting permits that had been in … Continued
Last month, the Environmental Court opened the door to the Board of Land and Natural Resources considering up to seven permits for aquarium species collection in the West Hawaiʻi Regional Fishery Management Area. When it does, opponents will be there. … Continued
Hawaiʻi Housing Scandal: Federal court schedules concerning the criminal conspiracy to defraud the Hawaiʻi County Office of Housing and Community Development have been set, cancelled, and set again. On November 2, U.S. Magistrate Judge Rom Trader approved a request to … Continued
On November 10, the state Board of Land and Natural Resources approved a settlement over an unauthorized seawall built by James and Denise O’Shea in 2017 after the one that had fronted their Sunset Beach home for decades collapsed. The … Continued
By Patricia Tummons Heʻeia Estuary: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is asking for public comment on a revision of the management plan for the Heʻeia National Estuarine Research Reserve. As described by NOAA, “this draft revised management plan is … Continued
“Council Offended by Removal of Last Vestiges of US Ocean Waters Open to Fishing.” That was the headline on a press release issued June 23 by the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council. Members of the panel, the presser stated, were … Continued
A week before Western Pacific Fishery Management Council members railed against a proposal to expand the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, a member of the council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) suggested that there was at least one aspect … Continued
A huge area of the open ocean lying between Hawai`i and Mexico could be open to the mining of metallic nodules found on the seafloor as early as the middle of next year. And, at this time, it’s an open … Continued
Locals have long complained about over-tourism in Hawaiʻi — that vacation rentals are transforming their neighborhoods, that tour helicopters are constantly buzzing over their homes, that their once-favorite hiking trials are now clogged with throngs of visitors wielding selfie-sticks … … Continued
Kihei High Update: “While construction of the two classroom buildings, administration building, and locker rooms is proceeding at a brisk pace, due to some unavoidable construction and material delays, we have been informed that completion of these new facilities will … Continued