Board Talk
Land Board Raps Mo`omomi Hui for Unpermitted Shoreline Slab “No treat me like one criminal. No treat me like I did something wrong…. I did something that is good for the community. And I think I better stop myself before … Continued
New & Noteworthy: A Water Plan, a New NARS, and a Turtle Book
A Watershed Achievement: On August 28, the state Commission on Water Resource Management adopted the 2008 Water Resources Protection Plan, which is perhaps the most important of the six plans that collectively make up the Hawai`i Water Plan as it … Continued
Water Commission Amends Standards for Six Streams in East Maui
The hearing began on a gray, rainy September morning that brightened as the day unfolded. From their seats in the Haiku Community Center, members of the state Commission on Water Resource Management faced a sea of some 200 people, some … Continued
Stream-By-Stream Standards
Here are the interim instream flow standards approved by the Water Commission for six East Maui streams: Honopou: A minimum flow of 2 cubic feet per second (1.29 mgd) at the 383 ft. elevation of lower Honopou Stream is intended … Continued
Varroa Mite Control Efforts Face Financial, Technical Roadblocks
Neil Reimer, head of the state Department of Agriculture’s Plant Pest Control Branch, is confident that his staff’s emergency efforts over the past few months have halted the spread of Varroa destructor, a parasitic bee mite, on the island of … Continued
Longliner in California Seeks Experimental Permit
The operator of a longline fishing vessel operating out of California is seeking permission from the National Marine Fisheries Service to fish for swordfish using shallow-set lines within the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone off the West Coast. According to Mark … Continued
Is Fishery Council Violating Law by Lobbying? Complaint Says So
For the last year, the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council has been paying Leimana DaMate to organize a series of meetings, called puwalu, that bring together Native Hawaiians to discuss approaches to managing Hawai`i’s ocean resources. But has the process, … Continued
Council Plan for Bottomfish Takes Little Heed of State Efforts
In the last analysis, the state of Hawai`i didn’t have much of a chance. Its bottomfish management plan had been designed to achieve at least a 15 percent reduction in the overall annual catch of these prized fish whose populations … Continued
Hawai`i Gets Special Treatment in Revised Magnuson-Stevens Act
When the nation’s overarching law governing fishing in federal waters was overhauled late last year, the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council received special attention. Enforcement funds: From the council’s standpoint, one of the most significant measures in the reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens … Continued
From Grave to Cradle: In West Hawai`i, a Forest Rises from Cemetery Grounds
The white vans began pulling up to the West Hawai`i Veterans Cemetery shortly after 8 on a recent startlingly clear Saturday morning. The passengers debarked quickly, laughing and chatting. One began to strum an ‘ukulele and softly sing along; several … Continued