Man gets jail time for illegal lay net fishing
A Kaneohe fisherman found guilty of two lay net fishing violations was sentenced earlier this month to seven days in jail, and his nets were seized in Kaneohe District Court.
Bryan Okawa, 53, was cited by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement on July 20 for using unregistered and illegal-sized lay nets in Kaneohe Bay waters. Okawa appeared in court Jan. 8.
Both violations are petty misdemeanors, each punishable with a fine of up to $1,000 and 30 days in jail.
The citation was issued after an anonymous caller reported a potential lay net violation in the area. Conservation and Resources Enforcement officers responded to the scene and observed Okawa laying net that appeared to exceed the legal length of 125 feet. Investigating officers found that Okawa had laid 1,550 feet of unregistered lay net in Kaneohe Bay.
Big Island sees increase in ahi
HILO » Hawaii island fishermen are hauling in unusually large amounts of yellowfin tuna for this time of year.
The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported Tuesday that Hilo food distributor Suisan Co. Ltd. is buying two to three times as much ahi as it usually does this time of year.
Suisan Co. Fish Division Manager Kyle Sumner says there’s a huge ahi run now.
The influx drove ahi prices down to $6.99 a pound Monday. But Sumner expected prices for sashimi and poke to increase from Tuesday.
Sumner says prices this time of year are normally about $15 a pound for poke and $20 a pound for sashimi.
Longtime fisherman Raymond Kawamoto says the current ahi run is the best he’s seen since the 1980s.
Learn to prepare for a disaster
The Maui Civil Defense Agency will conduct a training program in Lanai City to help people prepare to protect themselves and their family in case of a disaster.
The 28-hour Community Emergency Response Team training course is taught over several days and consists of classroom instruction and field exercises. CERT training is open to people age 18 and older; no previous experience is needed.
The schedule for Lanai classes:
» Saturday: Lanai High & Elementary School cafeteria, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
» Feb. 7: Lanai Senior Center, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.
» Feb. 14: Lanai High cafeteria, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.
» Feb. 21: Lanai High cafeteria, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.
To register, contact Maui Civil Defense at 270-7285 or email cert@mauicounty.gov.
