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DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES News Release LINDA LINGLE GOVERNOR _________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ALLAN A. SMITH, INTERIM 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’ Division of Aquatic Resources Maui office recently purchased a black and silver Yamaha Waverunner Jet-ski, which will be used as part of a new monitoring program designed to assess nearshore marine resources in waters surrounding Maui. “The public will be seeing DLNR personnel using this jet-ski in shallow nearshore locations to do fish surveys around North Kihei, Makena, Olowalu, North Ka‘anapali, Honokowai, Kahana, Waihe‘e, Waiehu, Kahului, and Pa‘ia,” said Allan Smith, DLNR interim chairperson. Surveys have begun at the ten established survey sites and will be conducted four times a year at each location into the future. All of these areas are ocean resource management areas (ORMA) where public use of jet-skis near shore is not generally allowed. The division’s survey jet-ski will be clearly identified with “DLNR Research,” and will be operated with great care when in these ORMA locations. According to John Mitchell, DLNR’s new Maui habitat and fish monitoring coordinator, “Shallow water inshore areas are very difficult locations in which to do fish surveys. In order to safely and efficiently conduct these new surveys, two-person snorkel assessments will be done, and the survey team will be utilizing the jet-ski.” Dan Polhemus, Division of Aquatic Resources administrator, noted that "We are pleased to have this new tool at our disposal, which will allow staff to access nearshore areas in which we might otherwise be hesitant to operate using our larger vessels. The jet-ski will extend our presence along the coastline of Maui, allowing more effective marine resource management." "These fish and habitat surveys will allow us to better manage nearshore resources, and will continue to be an important part of our assessments. We also expect to utilize the jetski for other future resource assessment surveys -- such as for opihi and coral -- in more remote areas," said Polhemus. Other divisions within DLNR also use jet-skis. The Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) Maui branch uses one for enforcement of ocean laws. The Division of Forestry and Wildlife also has one that will be used by resource rangers within the Ahihi-Kinau natural area reserve. DLNR is inviting the public to assist in protecting Hawai‘i’s valuable natural resources by reporting all suspected natural resource and/or ocean recreation violations to the Division of Conservation and Resource Enforcement (DOCARE) at 643-DLNR. # # #
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DLNR Maui Habitat and Fish Monitoring technician, Kristy Wong shown on the new survey jet-ski. Photo courtesy Division of Aquatic Resources. # # #
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