KAHULUI — The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 to discuss proposed fishing rule changes (Hawaii Administrative Rules Chapter 13-51) for Kahului Harbor, Maui. The hearing will be held at Lihikai Elementary School, 335 South Papa Avenue, in Kahului. The pre-hearing information presentation will begin at 6 p.m., with the public hearing to follow from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

The main changes proposed are to generally restrict net use; establish a daily bag limit of 50 specimens per person; prohibit snagging; limit pole fishing to two poles per person; and require persons fishing to sign in and out and fill out fishing reports when leaving. “These rules are the result of years of discussions with various groups to address the many different activities and uses that occur within the harbor,” said Laura H. Thielen, DLNR chairperson.

“We are hopeful that these rules will address everyone’s concerns, including public safety and protection of the harbor’s natural resources. The rules will also allow us to better monitor the fishing activities in the harbor by providing more detailed information for future management,” said Thielen.

All interested persons are urged to attend this public hearing to present relevant information and individual opinions for the DLNR to consider. Persons unable to attend or wishing to present additional testimony may mail written testimony by Friday, May 30, 2008 to the Division of Aquatic Resources, 1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 330, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813.

Anyone with a hearing impairment who desires to attend the public meeting 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 should be received at least 72 hours before the hearing is scheduled to start. A summary of the proposed changes will be mailed at no charge upon receipt of verbal or written request made to a Division of Aquatic Resources office. Both the draft rule and rule summary may also be viewed at the DLNR website at www.state.hi.us/dlnr or at the Division of Aquatic Resources website at www.state.hi.us/dlnr/dar. These documents may also be viewed at the following locations:

Division of Aquatic Resources Maui office
130 Mahalani Street
Wailuku, Maui, Hawai‘i 96793
Phone: (808) 243-5294

Division of Aquatic Resources Honolulu office
1151 Punchbowl Street, Rm. 330
Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96813
Phone: (808) 587-0092

For more information news media may contact:
Deborah Ward
DLNR Public information specialist
Phone: (808) 587-0320