“Men and women do not live by fish alone. If opakapaka or even akule were to go up to 25 cents a pound, so what? Are we gonna die? The Northwest Hawaiian Islands is the last Hawaiian place. Not Hana.” … Continued
Tradewinds Partners With Energy Firm, Negotiates New Timber License Terms “My question for the last year has been: Do we have the right project?” With that remark, Tim Johns of the state Board of Land and Natural Resources voiced his … Continued
The years-long free-for-all for control over natural resources in the Northwestern Hawaiian Island archipelago took another twist recently, when the acting regional administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Southwest Region rejected an important section of the Western Pacific Regional … Continued
Geothermal Wells to be Plugged: It’s been two decades since they were drilled, but at long last, two geothermal wells in the Big Island district of Puna are going to be plugged. One of them, the 6500-foot-deep SOH-4 well, is an … Continued
Ever since the state Legislature created the ‘aha kiole advisory committee in 2007 to lay the groundwork for an indigenous knowledge-based natural resource management system, the committee and its community coordinator have been hounded by controversy. Critics first alleged (and … Continued
Aha Moments: The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council’s sponsorship of the Aha Ki`ole/Aha Moku movement is apparently back in full swing after a one-year hiatus when the council-backed initiative enjoyed the support of state government. Now that state funds are long … Continued
They may be the spitting image of their distant cousins found in warm waters across the globe, but the false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) that live around the Main Hawaiian Islands are so different that they constitute a so-called “distinct … Continued
How long does it take to respond to a request for records under the federal Freedom of Information Act? In the case of a request filed more than two years ago by Environment Hawai`i,seeking travel records for Kitty Simonds, the executive … Continued
When Congress passed and President George Bush approved the 2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act, no one seemed to notice that language appropriating $6.7 million in compensation to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands commercial bottomfish and lobster fishers didn’t really jibe with reality. … Continued
Final Bigeye Rule: The National Marine Fisheries Service has issued a final rule to implement a quota on bigeye tuna caught in the western Pacific by the Hawai`i longline fleet. The rule, published in the December 7, 2009, Federal Register, took effect December … Continued