Announcements
Link to DAR Public Notices and Draft Rules.
Link to official DLNR News Releases.
Commercial Fishing Report Online System now available
Licensed commercial fishers are now able to submit their monthly Commercial Fishing Report online. The link is available at the DAR commercial fishing web page. Commercial fishers may use the online system to submit their fishing reports starting with the February 2010 monthly report. Some of the benefits of the Online Fishing Report system that licensed commercial fishers will realize include:
- Ability to view report submission status
- Easy to submit "Did Not Fish" report for month in which a fisher had no activity
- Drop down windows for area fish code, buoy, gear, landing port and species to facilitate report completion
- An option to save data entries for each individual fishing trip until a fisher is ready to submit their report at end of the month
- Ability to print copy of the monthly report for the fisher's business records
- Option to download an extract of the fishing report record for import into the fisher's favorite software so they can analyze their own fishing performance
- A link to Online Commercial Marine Licensing System that allows renew of a Commercial Marine License online
- Web-site security through the State of Hawai'i's internet portal - eHawaii.gov
During the initial phase of this online project, only the Fishing Report form can be submitted online. Other report forms, including the commercial Aquarium Catch, Deep-sea Handline Trip, Tuna Handline Trip, Net/Trap/Dive & Activity Reports, will be available for online reporting in the near future.
DLNR is providing this new online system as an alternative method of submitting mandatory monthly commercial fishing reports, which are required by law. It is DLNR's goal to facilitate the collection of fishing reports, which provide invaluable data for both State and Federal government agencies who co-manage the fisheries in Hawaiian waters. By submitting complete and accurate fishing reports every month before the reporting deadline (the 10th day of the following month), commercial fishers will avoid license renewal refusal, or fines administered by the Civil Resources Violation System.
Commercial fishers who require assistance in using the new online system may contact the Statistical Unit in Honolulu at (808) 587-0108, or 587-0595, or 587-0084, or 587-0594 from Monday through Friday, 7:45 AM - 4:30 PM, except Holidays and Furlough Fridays. They may also e-mail questions to the Fishing Report hotline.
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Public hearings on proposed changes to fishing rules
The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) will hold Statewide public hearings to receive testimony on proposed amendments to Hawaii Administrative Rules (HAR) Chapter 13-74, License and Permit Provisions and Fees for Fishing, Fish, and Fish Products, by adding new definitions for bottomfish fishing activity, and trip, requiring fishing reports by trip if needed, and requiring commercial bottomfish fishers to report bottomfish catches by trip, but other non-bottomfish species by monthly report. The proposed changes would also amend Chapter 13-94, Bottomfish Management, by amending/adding definitions for Board and Kona crab net, amend descriptions for affected species, exempt Kona crab nets as being unlawful to possess on a boat with bottomfish, amend the daily bag limit for recreational fishers; remove the requirement for evaluating the effectiveness of closed areas, amend the requirement for identifying bottomfishing vessels to be performed annually, to authorize the Department to declare a bottomfish closed (to fishing and sale) season, to provide for exemptions for possession or sale of imported bottomfish or bottomfish caught in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands federal waters.
The purposes of these proposed rule amendments are to 1) make state laws more consistent with existing federal laws, 2) provide more timely fisheries information, and 3) improve management of the bottomfish fishery in the Main Hawaiian Islands. An informational meeting will be held one half-hour prior to each hearing. The meetings will begin at 6:00 PM and the hearings will begin at 6:30 P.M. at the following dates and locations in March 2010:
O'ahu
March 16, Tuesday, Stevenson Middle School; 1202 Prospect Street; Honolulu
March 19, Friday, Ben Parker Elementary School; 45-259 Waikalua Road; Kane'ohe
Big Island
March 16, Tuesday, Kealakehe High School; 74-5000 Puohulihuli Street; Kailua-Kona
March 22, Monday, Aupuni Conference Room; 101 Pauahi Street; Hilo
Lana'i
March 18, Thursday, Lana'i High School and Elementary School; 555 Fraser Avenue, Lana'i City
Maui
March 22, Monday, Maui Waena Elementary School; 795 Onehee St.; Kahului
Moloka'i
March 23, Tuesday, Mitchell Pauole Center; 90 Ainoa Street; Kaunakakai
Kaua'i
March 23, Tuesday, Wilcox Elementary School; 4319 Hardy Street; Lihue
All interested persons are urged to attend the public hearing to present relevant information and individual opinion for the DLNR to consider. Persons unable to attend or wishing to present additional comments, may mail written testimony by Friday, April 9, 2010 to the Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR), 1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 330, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813.
Anyone with a hearing impairment who desires to attend the public hearing may request assistance of a sign language interpreter. The request may be made in writing (to the DAR address in the preceding paragraph), or by calling 587-0100 (voice or TDD) in Honolulu. The request will need to be received at least 7 days before the hearing is scheduled to start.
Download a pdf version of the draft rules.
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Fisheries data from Oahu presentations available for download
The Division of Aquatic Resources conducted two seminar-type presentations on Oahu September 10 and 15, in which the analysis of commercial fishery data was presented. These presentations were meant to augment or support the evaluation of existing rules, and provided the basis for possible changes to regulations for certain marine fishes.
The following pdf documents are provided for downloading (all files less than 180 KB):
How fish count per trip trend plots were made
How size frequency plots are mad
How trip and harvest frequency per bag plots are made
Oahu data presented
Oahu kumu
Oahu moano inshore handline
Oahu moano kali inshore handline
Oahu moano trap (misc.)
Oahu red weke gill net
Oahu red weke seine
Oahu weke nono handline gears
Oahu weke nono trap gears
Oahu white weke gill net
Oahu white weke seine
Oahu omilu handline
Oahu ulua (misc.) handline
Oahu white ulua handline
Oahu uhu 2002 to 2009
Oahu uhu spearing
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Public meetings on possible changes to regulations for certain marine fishes
From January through March 2009, the Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) conducted eleven public meetings statewide to discuss size limits and their use as a fisheries management tool. We asked the public their thoughts about size limits, whether they supported size limits, which species should have size limits, whether there should be separate regulations for commercial and non-commercial fishers, etc.
Discussions focused on three main marine fish groups - goatfishes, parrotfishes, and jacks, asking specific questions about current regulations, potential changes to minimum size regulations, including both currently regulated and non-regulated species. The neighbor island meetings began discussions on bag limits and other regulations.
During these discussions, DAR gave presentations and other information. We also received comments in the form of meeting notes, written surveys, and comments outside of the meetings. These meetings did not follow a standard format.
The following pdf documents are provided for downloading:
Summary of statewide public meetings (172 KB)
Presentation given on Maui (49.3 MB)
Public comments received from the Maui meeting (3.9 MB)
Presentation given in Kailua-Kona (20.5 MB)
Public comments received from the Kailua-Kona meeting (1.2 MB)
Kailua-Kona written survey results (136 KB)
Presentation given on Oahu (4.8 MB)
Public comments received from the Oahu meetings (100 KB)
Oahu written survey results (136 KB)
Digital copies of the above documents are also available at DAR offices statewide.
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Waikiki-Diamond Head Shoreline FMA open to fishing January 1, 2010.
The Waikiki-Diamond Head Shoreline Fisheries Management Area is open to
fishing during the calendar year 2010. This area is closed to fishing on
alternate years to help restore fish populations.
Location
The Waikiki-Diamond Head Shoreline Fisheries Management Area extends
from the ewa wall of the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium to the Diamond
Head Lighthouse, from the highwater mark out to a minimum seaward
distance of 500 yards, or to the seaward edge of the fringing reef if
one occurs beyond 500 yards.
Fishing periods
"Open to fishing" from January 1 to December 31 of even-numbered years (2010, 2012, etc. ).
"Closed to fishing" from January 1 to December 31 of odd-numbered years (2009, 2011, etc. ).
Permitted
To fish for, take or possess any legal size marine life in season
during the "open to fishing" period, provided that only hook-and-line,
thrownet, handnet to land hooked fish, and spear fishing and hand
harvesting methods are employed.
With a permit to engage in activities otherwise prohibited by law for scientific, propagation or other purposes.
Prohibited
To fish for, take or injure any marine life (including eggs), or to
possess in the water any fishing gear during the "closed to fishing"
period.
To use any spear between the hours of 6:00 pm to 6:00 am, or have or
possess in the water any trap or net except thrownet or handnet to land
hooked fish during the "open to fishing" period.
Download a pdf copy of the administrative rule and illustrative map of the Waikiki-Diamond Head Shoreline FMA.
NOTE: The Waikiki-Diamond Head Shoreline FMA is adjacent to the Waikiki Marine Life Conservation District where fishing is prohibited. Please see the DAR Fishing Regulations page or the Marine Life Conservation District pages for more information.