Tuesday, June 14, 2022

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Tuesday, June 14, 2022

Yessah Fishing documents drone fishing from South Point in Ka'ū. Image from Yessah Fishing

HAWAIʻI COULD BECOME ONE OF THE FEW STATES TO OUTLAW DRONE FISHING. Fishers who come to South Point in Kaʻū and those who live here are awaiting Gov. David Ige's decision to sign, not sign or veto the 2022 Hawaiʻi Legislature's SB 2065 bill to ban fishing with the use of drones. The penalty for breaking the fishing drone ban would be a fine of up to $10,000 and a year in jail.
    Drones are popular for locating fish and for carrying bait, hook and line out to sea and dropping them close to the prey, but opponents say that fishing line and equipment can be lost, can endanger wildlife, including turtles and monk seals, and that Hawaiian waters are already overfished. Supporters say fishing drones improve accuracy and save fuel and pollution from boaters driving around looking for fish. They also say less fishing tackle is likely to be lost at sea. The law is written to allow the use of drones to find fish but prohibits the drones from carrying the fishing line and bait. Use of drones, even for looking for fish, would require a license from the state Department of Land & Natural Resources.
    The drone fishing ban was passed in the last few days of the 2022 Hawaiʻi Legislature. If the governor signs the bill by July 12, it becomes law. It he neither signs nor vetoes it by July 12, it becomes law without the governor's signature. If the governor intends to veto the bill, he must notify the Legislature by June 27 and deliver the veto by July 12. It the governor vetoes the bill, the Legislature can override the veto with a special session and a two-thirds vote in the Senate and House. Another state with a drone fishing ban is North Carolina.

SwellPro promotes the saving of fuel and lessening
of pollution by using drones. Photo from SwellPro
    South Point is one of the popular drone fishing sites in Hawaiʻi. See Yessah Fishing at https://www.youtube.com/c/YessahFishing, which produced numerous Youtube productions that show launching drones from South Point carrying the bait and the successful reeling in of numerous types of fish. In one fishing show, Yessah Fishing Collaborative explains how to land more wahoo from the rocks at South Point Park. Another drone Youtube fishing show is from TBD Fishing. It takes viewers to drone fishing at what it calls called Suicide Rock at South Point. See on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TViKklvrSwQ

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Fish Aggregating Devices will be modernized with a funding bill signed last week by the governor.
Images from state Department of Land & Natural Resources

LONGER-LASTING FISH AGGREGATING DEVICES ARE THE FOCUS OF NEW FUNDING. Gov. David Ige signed state Senate Bill 2767 last week, providing $350,000 to the state program for updating FAD equipment.
    From the waters off Miloliʻi, around South Point to the waters below Volcano, Fish Aggregation Devices are deployed. The buoys last for a couple of years, start to fail or go missing and have a replacement cost of about $12,000. Last October the FAD named TT was redeployed off Kaneaʻa Point, 4.6 miles out to sea from Miloliʻi and 6.3 miles from Kauna Point.  The FAD named C was also redeployed farther north, 13.2 miles from Miloliʻi, 4.6 miles from Loa Point and 6 miles from Kealakekua Bay. 

    Off Punalu'u is the FAD named SS. It is 9.5 miles from Apua Point and 15.5 miles from Punaluʻu. It was redeployed in the summer of 2020. Also brought back to life in August 2020 was RN, the FAD 17.7 miles from Apua Point and 7 miles from Ninole Cove. 

    FADs attract fish to aggregate around the floating buoys. Young fish and smaller adult fish use FADs for refuge, which attracts ahi and other larger fish. With all the fish gathering around the buoys, FADs also attract fishermen.

    Hawaiʻi Island state Senator Lorraine Inouye co-introduced the funding into the 2022 Hawaiʻi Legislature. She said, “The FAD program is also an important tool to reduce fishing pressure on Hawaiʻi’s nearshore fishing resources. A lack of funding for the FAD program has decreased the frequency of FAD deployment in recent years. The current FADs have a two-year life expectancy. Keeping up on FAD turnover is labor intensive and expensive. Trying to modernize the gear with funding from SB 2767 will allow the FAD program to deploy longer- lasting FADs, which will have approximately a 30% to 50% longer life expectancy than the current FADs.”

 To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/04/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html

EIGHTEEN MOTORISTS WERE ARRESTED FOR DUI during the week of June 6 through June 12. Hawai‘i Island police made the arrests for driving under the influence of an intoxicant. One of the drivers was involved in a traffic accident. One of the drivers was under the age of 21.
    So far this year, there have been 479 DUI arrests compared with 542 during the same period last year, a
decrease of 11.6 percent. There have been 339 major accidents so far this year compared with 350 during the same period last year, a decrease of 3.1 percent.
    To date, there were 14 fatal crashes (one fatal crash reclassified on 5/30/22 due to a medical condition) resulting in 16 fatalities (one of which had multiple deaths, and one of which was reclassified due to a medical condition), compared with 11 fatal crashes, resulting in 11 fatalities for the same time last year. This represents is an increase of 27.3 percent for fatal crashes, and 45.5 percent for fatalities.
     Police promise that DUI roadblocks and patrols will continue island wide.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/04/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html

VOLCANO VILLAGE FOURTH OF JULY PARADE welcomes walking and riding groups and individuals. It is sponsored by Volcano Community Association in Volcano Village from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Monday, July 4 parade starts at the Post Office at 9 a.m. and ends at Cooper Center on Wright Rd., followed by Cooper Center’s Independence Day celebration packed with live entertainment, craft and food vendors, keiki games and a large silent auction from 9 a.m.to 11:30 a.m. Parking maps can be found at www.thecoopercenter.org. (No parking at Cooper Center except handicap permitted vehicles with prior reservation.)



SPONSOR A BUCKLE,
VOTE FOR RODEO QUEEN
ahead of the Saturday,
July 9 Rodeo sponsored by
Kaʻū Roping & Riding Association
and ʻO Kaʻū Kākou. Event to
be held on the rodeo grounds
behind Nāʻālehu Park.
Call 808-854-7917.

BECOME A VENDOR AT THE 3RD ANNUAL EXPERIENCE VOLCANO FESTIVAL 
on Saturday, July 30th and Sunday, July 31st from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Last year, over 2,500 visitors attended and over 40 events were featured during the EVH festival. All vendor spaces are $50 for both days of the festival. Sign up as a vendor or a sponsor at experiencevolcano.com
If you have questions, contact experiencevolcano@gmail.com.

SIGN UP FOR KAʻŪ COFFEE TRAIL RUNS with a change of date from July 3 to Sept. 17. Registration deadline for the annual event is Sept. 14. Organized by Hawaiʻi Island Racers, the 50K begins at 6 a.m., Half Marathon at 7 a.m., and 5K at 7:15 a.m., all starting from Kaʻū Coffee Mill at 96-2696 Wood Valley Road in Pāhala. Proceeds go to support ʻO Kaʻū Kakou. For more details on the event and registration fees, visit https://www.kaucoffeetrailruns.com/.

  See The Kaʻū Calendar June Edition at www.kaucalendar.com
See The Kaʻū Calendar June edition at 
on newsstands and in the mail.