Did it fall short, or go too far? The National Marine Fisheries Service’s recently completed biological opinion (BiOp) for the Hawai‘i swordfish longline fishery would allow individual vessels to hook more endangered loggerhead and leather back sea turtles in a … Continued
On July 25, the state Endangered Species Recovery Committee ap- proved an amended Habitat Conservation Plan for Auwahi Wind Energy, LLC’s 24-megawatt wind farm at Ulupalakua Ranch on Maui. If the plan also receives approval from the Board of Land … Continued
Kawailoa Wind, LLC is near the end of a four-year effort to amend its Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) so that it allows the additional take of endangered Hawaiian hoary bats. In the course of that effort, it also became clear … Continued
At the state Endangered Species Recovery Committee (ESRC) meeting last month, members debated the best way to mitigate the effects wind farms have on endangered Hawaiian hoary bats, which are being killed at a rate much higher than expected when … Continued
“We’re not happy,” Lisa Spain told the room after casting the deciding vote to approve an amended Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) that would allow the state’s largest wind farm to kill 160 more endangered bats than the 60 it was … Continued
How does the middle of the Pacific Ocean, an area that’s practically a desert when it comes to the nutrients that lie at the very heart of the marine food chain, manage to support some of the largest life forms … Continued
A recent rapid assessment of 83 marine species from throughout the Pacific found that sharks — including the threatened oceanic whitetip — sea cucumbers, urchins and clams are highly vulnerable to expected climate change effects over the next few decades. … Continued
Nearly nine years ago, responding to a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity, the National Marine Fisheries Service determined that the insular population of false killer whales around the Main Hawaiian Islands constituted a distinct population segment and merited … Continued
Hu Honua in the News: On June 6, Judge Greg K. Nakamura of the 3rd Circuit Court in Hilo denied several motions to dismiss a lawsuit against Hu Honua and state agencies brought by Claudia Rohr, owner of a Hilo … Continued