Editorial
Return the Water to Waiahole When Amfac announced three years ago that it would be closing down its last sugar plantation on O`ahu, it set the stage for what has to be one of the greatest battles over water fought … Continued
Benefits to Waiahole Stream Life Are Seen Following Restored Flows
Around 24 million gallons a day of water are trapped by the windward tunnels that feed into the Waiahole Ditch. Until December 1994, all of this water was taken to the leeward side of the island. Following an agreement negotiated … Continued
Public Trust Resources At Issue In Dispute Over Waiahole Water
Among the most important — but also most subtle — of the arguments made in support of increased flow to the windward side is that natural flows in streams are part of the public trust. As such, the argument continues, … Continued
State's Position on Waiahole Was Made Over Objections of OSP
In a policy decision made at the highest levels of state government, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and the state Department of Agriculture allied themselves with the interests of the leeward parties in the Waiahole contested case … Continued
Since Blasting of Waiahole Tunnel, Natural Flows May Never Be Restored
Before construction of the Waiahole ditch system, the stretch of the Ko`olau mountain range from Kahana to Waiahole could be thought of as an enormous reservoir. Water entered the mountains when rain, released from clouds snagged by the mountain peaks, … Continued
WIC, Leeward Farmers Contract For Provision of Waiahole Water
What would happen if, at the end of the contested case hearing, the Water Commission allows continued flows in the Waiahole Ditch? The Waiahole Irrigation Company, in anticipation of this, has established a formal mechanism for distributing water to various … Continued
NMFS Reviewing Once More Impact Of Longliners on Turtle Populations
The National Marine Fisheries Service has begun to re-examine the limits it has established for the incidental takings of sea turtles by the Hawai`i-based longline fishing fleet. The action was prompted by pressure from a conservation group and by NMFS’ … Continued
Workshop on Albatross Hookings Explains Avoidance Techniques
To address the problem of albatross being hooked by Honolulu longliners, a workshop for fishermen was held September 18, 1996. There, a handful of longline fishermen were told about techniques and equipment — nearly all of which involved minimal cost … Continued
State Wrestles with New Rules As Bottomfish Decline Continues
News that the most popular species of bottomfish in Hawai`i are overfished is hardly news at all anymore. For years, populations of snappers have declining. As an indication of just how scarce the fish have become, in 1995, it was … Continued
Shark Finning Doubles in One Year; Honolulu Exports Fins Worth $750,000
In 1995, the Hawai`i-based longline fishing fleet caught 101,773 sharks. Roughly a third of them were finned — a process that often involves cutting fins off sharks and then returning the animals, still alive, to the ocean. Unable to navigate, … Continued