October 2017 PDF
October 2017
Native Hawaiians, Conservationists Balk At Reserving Stream Water for HC&S Plan
Over the past year, Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. went from cultivating tens of thousands of acres of one of the thirstiest crops, sugarcane, to raising cattle, experimenting with biofuel crops on a tiny fraction of that land, and working … Continued
New Stock Assessment Models Suggest Bigeye Tuna May No Longer Be Overfished
Every year, the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) holds its annual meeting in December mainly to hash out how to best manage tuna stocks that have been depleted over the years by purse seiners and longline vessels. … Continued
Revised Shoreline Setback Ordinance Is a Step Backward, Says Kaua‘i Activist
Did the 2014 amendments to Kaua‘i County’s shoreline setback ordinance weaken what was once considered to be one of the strongest laws of its kind in the state? Unlike O‘ahu, where shoreline setbacks are 40 feet from the certified shoreline, … Continued
Fish Collectors, Claiming Property Rights, Now Ask Court to Let Them Intervene
Five years after the Department of Land and Natural Resources was sued over its practice of indiscriminately awarding permits for aquarium fish collection, four years after the lower court ruling was challenged in the Intermediate Court of Appeals, and more … Continued
Supreme Court Definitively Rejects Lower Court Rulings in Aquarium Case
Scathing. That may be the single best word to describe the Hawai‘i Supreme Court’s characterization of arguments put forward by the Department of Land and Natural Resources in defense of the department’s position that the commercial collection of aquarium fish … Continued
Whatever Happened To … The Ha‘ena Sandbag Revetment?
In short, it’s still there, blanketed in naupaka, just as the abutting landowners want it to be. Efforts to clean up the legal morass surrounding its existence are in limbo. In August 2015, Environment Hawai‘i published a cover story on … Continued
New & Noteworthy: American Samoa, Waiea Tract, Correction
American Samoa Wins: The government of American Samoa has prevailed in a federal court challenge to the National Marine Fisheries Service and Western Pacific Fishery Management Council executive director Kitty Simonds, among others. The case involved the decision by the … Continued