April 2013 PDF
April 2013
Change in Catch of Hawai`i Longline Fleet: More than One-Third of Haul Is Discarded
Bigeye tuna, false killer whales, green turtles, and an expanded marine sanctuary in American Samoa. Those topics were among the more controversial ones discussed at the meeting of the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, held last month in American Samoa. … Continued
Symposium Looks at History of, Threats to, and Hopes for Hawai`i's Remnant Dry Forests
Peter Vitousek didn’t mince words: “Everything we’ve lost, and everything we will lose, is because of human activity. We’re responsible for that change.” Vitousek, a professor of biological sciences at Stanford University, made the comments as the opening speaker at … Continued
Simonds and Allies Criticize Rules, Expansion of American Samoa Sanctuary
The most heated discussions during the three-day meeting of the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council last month concerned the reach of the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa. For years, council executive director Kitty Simonds has made no secret of … Continued
New & Noteworthy: A Tighter FIT; Kona Kampachi Cage Test
A Tighter FIT: Two years after launching a feed-in-tariff program, which guarantees renewable energy producers grid interconnection and fixed rates and terms for their power, the Hawaiian Electric Companies want to tweak a few things. In its March 4 reexamination … Continued
Congress Gives $3 Million to Help Hawai`i Longliners Deal with Quotas
After a ban on congressional earmarks, many thought the practice of members of Congress setting aside special funds for favored projects may have ended. Not so fast. Nowadays, expenditures for pet projects not included in the proposed budgets of federal … Continued
DOT Assesses Climate Change Impacts for Honolulu Harbor, Airport Projects
The state Department of Transportation has had fair warning that its most critical transportation facilities on O`ahu are highly vulnerable to climate change. And while potential climate change impacts don’t have to be evaluated in environmental assessments or impact statements … Continued