State Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement officers Thursday cited a 39-year-old man in Waimanalo for violations of the use of a gill net, the Department of Land and Natural Resources said in a news release.
The officers responded to reports that a gill net had been laid in waters off Kaiona Beach Park.
A gill net is a wall of netting that hangs vertically in the water so that fish swimming into its mesh, which is designed to allow only their heads through but not their bodies, get caught. Their gills get caught when they try to back out.
DLNR said officers found John Edwards had laid the net overnight and retrieved it just before officers arrived.
The net was not registered and tagged as required, the DLNR said. Gill nets used in lay net fishing are required to be registered with DLNR and tagged.
It is also prohibited to lay a gill net between a half-hour before sunset and a half-hour before sunrise.
Edwards was cited for use of an unregistered gill net and for overnight use of the net. The violations require a court appearance, and the minimum fine for a first offense is $250.
“Irresponsible use of gill nets threatens our aquatic resources,” Deputy Enforcement Chief Jason Redulla said in a statement. “We remind fishers who use gill nets to comply with the state’s fishing regulations to prevent the indiscriminate killing of our precious marine life.”
To report natural-resources violations, call DOCARE at 643-DLNR. Callers can remain anonymous.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Beetles cited in fast spread of ohia disease
KAILUA-KONA >> Scientists say the rapid spread of the fungus that is threatening Hawaii island’s native forests might be caused by beetles that take over dead ohia trees.
The disease has killed hundreds of thousands of the island’s ohia trees, which are critical to Hawaii’s water supply and endangered native birds.
J.B. Friday, a University of Hawaii forester, said ambrosia beetles and the dust they spread could be why the disease known as rapid ohia death has managed to affect 35,000 acres of forest within a few years, West Hawaii Today reported Wednesday.
Researchers have urged hikers and forest workers to clean their clothing, tools and shoes when leaving the forests to prevent spreading the disease through sticky pores of the fungus. But controlling the plethora of beetles is more of a challenge, Friday said.
“That means it’s going to be harder to stop,” he said. “We can have some control of people going in and out of the forest, but we haven’t much control over what blows in the wind.”
Scientists have not yet pinpointed beetles as the exact cause of the spread, but are still urging property owners to cut down dead trees, contain the dust and cover wood, West Hawaii Today reported.
The disease, which has been found in Puna, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and other areas of Hawaii island, has shown no sign of slowing. The fungus kills up to 90 percent of infected ohia trees by invading the water circulation system in the trunk.
