Jaxbch.net

Read more http://www.ncwildlife.org/News-Archives/agency-seeks-nominations-for-nongame-wildlife-advisory-committee

SAILING VESSEL PRELUDE SET TO BE REMOVED FROM THE OCEAN OFF KAIMANA BEACH

Beach Goers & Ocean Users Advised to Exercise Caution During Salvage Operations

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(Honolulu) – Salvage teams from Parker Marine will be working today and possibly tomorrow in another attempt to free sailing vessel Prelude from shallow waters off Kaimana Beach on O‘ahu’s south shore. The boat grounded on a reef, about 300 feet off-shore, on Sunday.  An earlier attempt to free it wasn’t successful due to strong winds, the water depth, and the position of the boat on the reef.

The City and County of Honolulu’s Dept. of Parks and Recreation has issued a right-of-entry to the salvage company to access the boat from Kaimana Beach both Thursday and Friday. Mike Parker, the owner of the salvage company, said they hope to free the boat today but have Friday set aside as a backup. The company will be using an excavator to lift the boat out of the water once it’s moved close enough to shore.  Anyone in the area, on the beach, or in the ocean is being cautioned to give the salvage operation wide berth.

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Media Contact:

Dan Dennison
Senior Communications Manager
(808) 587-0396
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Read more http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/blog/2020/02/13/nr20-019/

Read more http://www.ncwildlife.org/News-Archives/three-meetings-added-to-discuss-sunday-hunting-on-game-lands

FEDERAL AND STATE LAW ENFORCEMENT INVESTIGATING O’AHU MONK SEAL HARASSMENT

(Honolulu) – Anyone who witnessed or has information on a case of Hawaiian monk seal harassment is encouraged to call the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) or NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement (OLE).

Reporting by the Mauinow.com website over the weekend said Instagram users were outraged by video of a man slapping a resting seal on a West O’ahu beach. 

“A shocking video of a man hitting a monk seal resting on an Oʻahu beach has garnered a slew of backlash on Instagram. The video, which was originally posted on TikTok by user Eric Mustevoy and reposted on the popular @hungryhunhgryhawaiian Instagram page, shows a man approaching the seal from behind and striking it while the song “Smack That” by Akon plays in the background. Mustevoy said he recorded the video over a month ago on a beach in West Oʻahu while he was visiting the island. That was not me that did that, Mustevoy told Maui Now.”

DOCARE and OLE officers are aware of the incident and the social media posting. The agencies cannot comment on an ongoing investigation. However, everyone is reminded that Hawaiian monk seals are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and Endangered Species Act. They are also protected under state law and harassment of a monk seal is a class C felony punishable by imprisonment and fines.  

It’s recommended everyone follow established viewing guidelines for monk seals and other marine wildlife. These guidelines have been developed to maximize human safety, seal safety, and legal compliance.

To report suspected monk seal protection violations or to provide information that may be relevant to an ongoing investigation, please call the NOAA OLE hotline at: ‪(800) 853-1964 or the DOCARE hotline at 643-DLNR or via the free DLNRTip app.

DOCARE Chief Jason Redulla said, “We encourage people to report violations immediately. Far too often we learn about these cases after they’ve been posted to social media, which compounds the difficulty of gathering evidence and witness statements in real time.”

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Hawai‘i wildlife viewing guidelines: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pacific-islands/marine-life-viewing-guidelines/viewing-marine-wildlife-hawaii

Read more http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/blog/2020/02/10/nr20-018/

HAZARD TREE REMOVAL SCHEDULED AT MAKAWAO AND WAIHOU SPRINGS

(Makawao) – Approximately a dozen pine and eucalyptus trees as tall as 70-feet in the Makawao State Forest Reserve on Maui will be assessed and flagged for removal from February 16-29, 2020. The trees surround the upper parking lot of the Kahakapao Recreation Area (KRA).

Land Prep LLC is the contractor for the project and the estimated cost is $19,500. The contractor will be responsible for falling and removing debris from the site. To ensure contractor and public safety and efficient operations, the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) will temporarily close the upper parking lot for the duration of the project. The rest of the forest reserve, including the lower parking lot and KRA will remain open for community access and use. Everyone is advised to stay away from the project area due to falling and moving debris from the site.

A supplemental hazardous tree removal project will also take place in the area, just to the south in the Waihou Springs State Forest Reserve. This involves the removal of approximately 30 pine and eucalyptus trees. These trees are located within the forest reserve and located near both Olinda and Piiholo roads. DOFAW plans to contract and complete this project by late spring 2020 to avoid the bat pupping season which occurs from June 1 to September 15.

There were two previous hazardous removal projects in the same area completed in the past two years that ended with the removal of approximately 40 trees. All these projects were and have been made possible by the strong support of the legislature and capital improvement appropriations. The anticipated cost for this project is between $35,000-55,000.

The Waihou Spring Forest Reserve was established by the Governor’s Proclamation in 1909 for protecting the resources of Waihou Spring, one of the few perennial springs on the west slope of Haleakalā.  At approximately 186 acres, Waihou Spring Forest Reserve is a small, but popular day-use area.

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Media contact:

AJ McWhorter
Communications Specialist
Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
808-587-0396 (Communications Office)

Read more http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/blog/2020/02/10/nr20-017/

Read more http://www.ncwildlife.org/News-Archives/wildlife-commission-postpones-trout-stockings-in-cane-river

OCEAN USERS ADVISED TO STEER CLEAR OF MAUI BEACH DUE TO SHARK SIGHTINGS

(Honolulu) – People are being cautioned to stay out of the ocean between Keawakapu Beach and White Rock Beach in the Wailea district on Maui after several sharks were spotted this morning.

Maui Fire Dept. Ocean Safety units were dispatched to the area at 9:44 this morning after a stand-up paddle boarder called 9-1-1 to report a 10-foot tiger shark in the water fronting the Andaz Wailea Resort. Ocean Safety officers put two jet skis into the water and they report the possible sighting of three tiger sharks of at least ten feet in length. They also report that at least one shark had been aggressively following a group of stand-up paddle boarders who attempted to fend it off with their paddles.

No one has been hurt, though a shark did bite a paddle board. Ocean safety officers, along with DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources (DOCARE) officers and personnel from the Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) have been cautioning people to stay out of the ocean in the area and are putting up shark warning signs.

Standard protocols call for warnings and signs to continue until at least noon tomorrow, after authorities survey the area to ensure no further shark activity.

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Photo Courtesy Maui Fire Department

Media Contact:

Dan Dennison
Senior Communications Manager
(808) 587-0396

Read more http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/blog/2020/02/05/nr20-016/

Read more http://www.ncwildlife.org/News-Archives/wildlife-commission-holds-public-meetings-to-gather-input-on-sunday-hunting-on-game-lands

MINUS ONE FLIPPER – TURTLE 1036 RETURNS HOME

Caught up in Monofilament Fishing Line

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(Waialua, O‘ahu) – The moment a 250-pound Green Sea Turtle hit the shoreline, it was a beeline back to the ocean.  The turtle, marked as 1036, was released on a beach here yesterday, after having its right front flipper amputated almost three weeks ago.

The injury was reported to the NOAA (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration) statewide marine animal response hotline.  Volunteers & staff from Hawai‘i Marine Animal Response (HMAR) responded to the injured turtle and transported it to the NOAA Daniel K. Inouye Regional Center on Ford Island, where veterinarians decided the best course of action was to remove the damaged flipper.

Thursday afternoon, a large group of staff and volunteers from partner organizations (NOAA Fisheries, DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources, HMAR), watched as 1036 returned home.  The turtle was hurt after getting entangled in monofilament fishing line.

Dr. Summer Martin, the leader of the NOAA Marine Turtle Biology Assessment Program confirmed that fishing gear related injuries and deaths continue to increase.  “Our program has been monitoring the population since 1982 and monofilament line entanglement from coastal hook-and-line fisheries is currently the primary threat observed in sea turtle stranding’s in Hawai‘i,” Martin explained.

Positive outcomes, like that of 1036’s, are relatively rare.  Irene Kelly, NOAA’s Sea Turtle Recovery Coordinator for the Pacific Islands Region, watched as the large turtle was carted down a beach access path. Once on the beach, a towel was lifted off the animal, and four people lifted it up and out of its carrier. Within seconds it scooted to the water’s edge and then immediately swam away. An HMAR volunteer was on hand to provide a pule.

Kelly said, “Despite everything, turtles are pretty resilient. 1036 swam away quickly and strongly. He appeared to wobble briefly as he compensated for his missing front fin. Unfortunately, most turtles caught up in monofilament or braided nylon fishing line are either dead when we’re notified or have to be put down because their injuries are too severe.”

While many people think fish hooks cause the most turtle injuries and deaths, Kelly compares hooking’s to piercings. “With turtles, a hook can be left in and it will eventually rust out. Monofilament and braided nylon line on the other hand is a much greater threat. Fortunately, fisher education over the past decade appears to be making a difference.  On Maui for instance, over the past two years we’ve seen a reduction in the numbers of entangled turtles, but state-wide entanglement in gear from hook-and-line fisheries continues to increase and is our primary threat to turtles,” Kelly explained.

“It’s not the hook that kills turtles, it’s the fishing line that’s more dangerous. They can live usually with the hooks in them. In addition to entanglement if they ingest the fishing line, foods binds-up to it and cause blockage,” said Nicolas Lopez, HMAR’s Field Manager. Turtles can also get caught up in lost or abandoned fishing gear. Education and outreach efforts focus on teaching fishers how to safely remove fishing line from a live, entangled turtle, as well as providing information about how to reach stranding program personnel and volunteers for help. They’re also encouraged to use only barbless hooks.

Turtle 1036 now has a second chance for a good, long life.  The only downside is, because of the loss of his flipper, he’ll no longer be able to breed because males need both front flippers to hold on to a female when mating. Turtles tend to be creatures of habit, so there’s a pretty good chance Waialua residents and visitors will see 1036 swimming around. If people see him, they’re encouraged to report any sightings, so NOAA can keep track of his healing progress.

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To report marine animal emergencies, including turtles, seals, and whales statewide:

(888) 256-9840

Non-emergency reports and sightings:

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

To report violations:

DLNR Division of Conservation & Resources Enforcement:
(808) 643-DLNR (3567) or DLNRTip app
NOAA Office of Law Enforcement:
(800) 853-1964

Media Contact:

Dan Dennison
Senior Communications Manager
(808) 587-0396
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Read more http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/blog/2020/01/31/nr20-015/

Read more http://www.ncwildlife.org/News-Archives/national-archery-in-schools-program-tournament-returns-to-winston-salem