Last March, residents of Kihei, Maui, witnessed a gruesome spectacle. In the waters fronting their homes, a young, emaciated humpback whale, dragging more than 120 feet of nylon rope, was being eaten alive by a pack of hungry tiger sharks. … Continued
The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council has approved changes to its rules for lobster fishing that run smack against the state’s rules for fishing lobsters in waters under Hawai`i territorial jurisdiction. The changes may make sense for the harvesting … Continued
In November, the state Commission on Water Resource Management will open the contested case to decide who will ultimately obtain rights to use the water in the Waiahole Ditch, a system of tunnels and ditches that carries millions of gallons … Continued
Land Commission Rejects Plan to Put Laupahoehoe Streams in Conservation On October 10, 1995, the state Land Use Commission voted 7 to 1 to deny a petition to place into the Conservation District state-owned land along three streams along the … Continued
Half a Million Dollars Later, The Pu`u Anahulu Well Goes Bust The long saga of the Pu`u Anahulu well appears to be coming to a close. Environment Hawai`i reported in June 1994 that the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ … Continued
The owner of the largest lease issued by the state at Ke`ehi Lagoon is hundreds of thousands of dollars behind in its lease payments. The debt has been accumulating for the more than two years. On December 28, 1994, the … Continued
The Lower Hamakua Ditch has outlived sugar, but many of the parties who have designs on the former cane land don’t want to see the ditch die. Despite the interests of several large landowners (including, first and foremost, Kamehameha Schools/Bishop … Continued
The “Monthly Ditch Reports” of DeRego Services to the state indicate some of the difficulties encountered in routine ditch maintenance. In November, December, and January, the maintenance teams visited intake grates at the back of Waipi`o Valley. “Every time we … Continued