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DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES News Release LINDA LINGLE GOVERNOR _________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PETER T. YOUNG, CHAIRPERSON
Phone: (808) 587-0401
Fax: (808) 587-0390
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For Immediate Release:
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| HONOLULU— The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) has named Dr. Dan A. Polhemus as new administrator of its Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR). “Dr. Polhemus is highly regarded both within and outside Hawaii for his excellence as a researcher on freshwater and marine aquatic ecosystems. As a leader, he brings a broad range of experience to the Aquatic Resources Administrator position, that we feel will strengthen our work as a resources management agency,” said Peter Young, DLNR chairperson. As one of DLNR’s major natural resources divisions, Aquatic Resources is charged with managing freshwater and marine resources, including 410,000 acres of coral reef. More than 80 percent of the coral reefs located within the United States are found in Hawaii. DLNR’s Aquatic Resources three main program areas include: commercial fisheries management; the protection of native and indigenous aquatic species and their habitats; and providing facilities and opportunities for recreational fishing. “The State of Hawaii is in a critical position to guide and shape both our local, national and international ocean and coastal policy into the future. The background and leadership of DLNR’s aquatic resources director, and the support of its staff, will play a key role in improving the ways we take care of our marine and freshwater resources,” said Young. Polhemus received his B.S. (1980) in Entomology from Colorado State University and Ph.D. (1984) in Biology from the University of Utah. Since 1983, he has conducted research on aquatic ecosystems in countries
throughout the Pacific region, including Indonesia, Australia, East
Timor, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, and French Polynesia.
He has received particular recognition for his work on the evolution
and conservation of native Hawaiian damselflies. Dr. Polhemus has published more than 130 peer-reviewed articles in scientific books and journals, and has been the recipient of more than 25 research grant and contract awards totaling over $4 million. In the course of his research he has described and named over 400 new species, including 63 from Hawaii. He is currently a member of the adjunct graduate faculty at both the University of Hawaii-Manoa and the University of Connecticut, and an Associate in Science at the Bishop Museum. In 2004 he served as a United States representative on freshwater ecosystems to the Global Invasive Species Program, chartered by the United Nations under the Convention for Biodiversity. He is currently involved with ongoing aquatic biodiversity research projects in Fiji, French Polynesia and the Solomon Islands, funded by both the National Science Foundation and Conservation International, and has also worked closely with the latter organization in the design of an integrated marine and freshwater conservation program in eastern Papua New Guinea. Among the many issues that the Division of Aquatic Resources is currently working on are: gill net use and regulation; management of aquatic alien and invasive species; responding to threats of overfishing of certain species, especially Hawaii bottomfish, development of a marine managed areas conceptual framework, incidental take permits for threatened and endangered marine species; marine protected areas community-based management, and community meetings on sustainable resources.
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