Home » Latest News, Newsroom » DLNR NEWS RELEASE: POST-MORTEM EXAMS REVEAL TWO HAWAIIAN MONK SEALS LIKELY DROWNED IN LAY NETS
DLNR NEWS RELEASE: POST-MORTEM EXAMS REVEAL TWO HAWAIIAN MONK SEALS LIKELY DROWNED IN LAY NETS
Posted on Feb 3, 2021 in Latest News, Newsroom
Three Seals Found Dead in Anahola Area Late Last Year
(HONOLULU) – It’s believed drowning is the likely cause of death of at least two of three Hawaiian monk seals found dead on Kaua‘i last September, November, and December.
Constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic delayed completion of post-mortem examinations. However, considering recently received lab test results and information gathered by law enforcement officials, NOAA now believes the seals found in September and November likely died after becoming entangled in lay gill nets. The third seal was severely decomposed, making it difficult to determine the cause of death.
Home » Latest News, Newsroom » DLNR/USFWS JOINT NEWS RELEASE: ENDANGERED HAWAIIAN YELLOW-FACED BEES THREATENED BY INVASIVE ANTS
DLNR/USFWS JOINT NEWS RELEASE: ENDANGERED HAWAIIAN YELLOW-FACED BEES THREATENED BY INVASIVE ANTS
Posted on Jan 28, 2021 in Latest News, Newsroom
(Honolulu) – Researchers with the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Pacific Islands Coastal Program (USFWS) have discovered the endangered Hawaiian yellow-faced bee, (
Hylaeus anthracinus) is being threatened by invasive ants. These findings are the subject of a new paper being published in the open-access journal,
NeoBiota.
Invasive species such as ants have adverse, often catastrophic impacts on Hawaiian ecosystems and wildlife, including native insects like Hawaiian yellow-faced bees. This happens by way of direct predation and indirectly via competition. The USFWS Pacific Islands Coastal Program and DLNR are working collaboratively to understa
dgrossman@mauinews.com
Yellow tangs are popular fish taken by aquarium collectors. Environmental groups and marine wildlife advocates applaud a court ruling this week emphasizing and clarifying that all commercial aquarium fishing is now banned in Hawaii until the industry has completed the environmental review process. MEL MALINOWSKI photo
Environmental groups and marine wildlife advocates rejoiced after a court ruling this week made it clear that all commercial aquarium fishing is now banned in Hawaii without environmental review.
“There has been much relief and celebration amongst those who have long fought for this moment,” said Rene Umberger, founder and executive director of For The Fishes, a Kihei-based group that works to restore and protect fish populations and coral reef habitats. “Given the dire impacts of climate change on Hawaii’s reefs, with the majority of them projected to be lost within the next few decades, this is monumentally important.”
The Maui News
Wildlife officials are urging boaters and other oceangoers to keep an eye out for humpback whales and sea turtles to avoid collisions and injuries, especially with whale season in Hawaii underway.
Thousands of North Pacific humpback whales, about half of the population, journey to the state during the winter and spring. Whales will be around the islands to breed, give birth and nurse their young, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary reminded the public this week. While some whales have already arrived, the majority will be in Hawaii between January and March.
kcerizo@mauinews.com
Makawao resident Cole Christie, 22, catches air off the Akamai Track in the Kahakapao Recreational Area of Makawao Forest Reserve on Tuesday. Kahakapao mountain bikers said a recent state announcement on âillegal trailsâ built by area mountain bikers cast the riders in a poor light and they want to spotlight the positive work they have been doing. The Maui News / KEHAULANI CERIZO photos
MAKAWAO Mountain bikers who volunteer their time to maintain trails in the Makawao Forest Reserve said they’re not to blame for the illegal trails that have become an ongoing problem for state forestry officials.