Other stories:

DLNR introduces
CRVS



121.5 EPIRBS
now obsolete



Kahala traverses
island chain



Wanted:
Papio tags

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Do you fish offshore?
Registration Required for Hawaii's Marine Recreational Fisherman in 2010

Who Needs to Register?
Hawaii fishermen who fish or spear fish in Federal waters more than 3 miles from the ocean shore.

Who Is Exempt?
Fishermen will NOT need to register if they are under 16; only fish on licensed charter boats; fish only within 3 miles from shore; hold a valid commercial marine license; or are out-of-state fishermen already registered with NOAA.

How Do I Register?
Beginning January 1, 2010, log onto www.countmyfish.noaa.gov and click on the Angler Registry link, or call the toll-free registration line at 888-MRIP-411, or 888-674-7411. You will need to provide your name, date of birth, address, and telephone number and will receive a registration number. Within 30 days, a registration card will arrive in the mail.

Why Register?
Registration is the law, and it helps NOAA and marine recreational fishermen work together to gather better catch data to help ensure the future of saltwater fishing.

Emergency Beacons: Making Sure You Get Home Safely
There have been a lot of stories of lost boaters lately. Please don't become another statistic.

With 21st-Century technology, getting rescued has become a lot easier. But you still need to be properly prepared. Here's the basics on a must-have item: the Personal Locator Beacon.

DLNR revamps handling of minor civil violations

The State Dept. of Land and Natural Resources will begin a new system of handling certain types of violations to help make the process fair, fast and cost-effective. The new system will apply to what the DLNR defines as "minor civil violations" according to Cynthia Thielen, DLNR chairperson.

The new procedure will violators to resolve their case by paying a small fine by mail and avoid having to appear in court or before the Land Board. The Civil Resource Violations System, or CRVS, will at first be applied to monthly commercial fishing catch reports and to boating registration and mooring laws.

Along the way, certain boating law violations will be decriminalized. This includes expired vessel registrations, unauthorized vessel moorings and boating facility use permit violations.

Eventually the CRVS will be phased into all divisions of the DLNR to cover commercial activities on public land, State Parks permits, trail use, entry into wildlife sanctuaries and more.

Older EPIRBS become obsolete:
121.5 & 243 beacons now illegal

The Coast Guard is warning boaters and others using older emergency locator beacons that as of Feb. 1, 2009, 121.5 MHz and 243 MHz frequencies will no longer be monitored for emergency beacon signals. Personal locator beacons (PLB's) and other emergency beacons must operate on the 406 MHz frequency.

The use of 121.5/243 MHz beacons were prohibited as of Jan. 1, 2007, although the frequencies were still being monitored for possible signals from emergency beacons. This latest notice reminds boaters that those frequencies will no longer be monitored for any distress beacons. Using these older emergency beacons will also be illegal. Short-range, man-overboard systems are not prohibited under these regulations.

The 121.5 MHz frequency will continue to be the emergency voice communication frequency for aviators. And marine VHF channel 16 will always be monitored for voice distress calls.

The newer 406 MHz locator beacons communicate directly with a search-and-rescue satellite system which can provide life-saving location information to emergency personnel in a matter of minutes. This fast-response system saved 68 lives in 2008 including three in Hawaii.

A 15-foot boat with three persons aboard capsized offshore Kauai in 20-knot winds and seven-foot seas about 9 a.m. Sunday, Jul. 11, 2008. One of the victims activated a personal locator beacon which automatically provided critical location information along with its distress signal.

Chief Petty Officer Seth Haynes said the Coast Guard immediately dispatched a rescue helicopter, arriving about 90 minutes after the PLB's activation. The PLB also provided a precise location which meant search-and-rescue could proceed directly to the victims, rather than having to search a large area for hours or days. All three persons were rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter at 11:27 a.m.

For more information: http://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/phaseout.html




Rainbow Bay Marina, Pearl Harbor (Military)
57 Arizona Memorial Dr., Slip 101
Honolulu




Igloo announces product recall

A product recall has been announced for certain models of Igloo's Marine Elite Coolers.

These coolers feature stainless steel latches. There have been eight reports of users getting lacerations from sharp edges on the latches, and Igloo is offering free latch replacement kits.

This recall involves Marine Elite coolers sold through West Marine. The coolers are white with stainless steel latches and were sold in four sizes: 72 quart, 94 quart, 128 quart and 162 quart.

Consumers are advised to stop using the cooler immediately and contact Igloo Products Corp. to receive a free latch replacement kit: Igloo Products toll-free at (888) 257-0934 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.igloocoolers.com/safetyalert

Kahala sets distance record

A kahala (greater amberjack) caught by Capt. Jeff Rogers on Oct. 17, 2008 was determined to have traveled about 1,007 miles over a period of 8 years.

Clay Tam, an assistant with the Department of Aquatic Resources' Ulua Tagging Project, said the kahala had gone the longest and farthest of all the fish recorded in their tagging programs.

It was originally caught and tagged by Guy Ohara aboard the f/v "Kaimi Kai" on Sept. 25, 2000 at Maro Reef (more than halfway to Midway from Oahu) at a depth of 67 fathoms. The fish measured 21".

When Capt. Rogers recorded the tag on Oct. 17, 2008, it was offshore Keahole Point in Kona, and the fish measured 51". Capt. Rogers added a second tag and released the fish immediately after recording the data.

When asked if someone finding a fish with two tags means a reward of two t-shirts, he chuckled and said, "only if they make it a point to ask."

Federal registration to be required
for bottom fishing in federal waters

For the first time non-commercial bottomfish fishermen, operating in Federal waters extending from 3 to 200 miles offshore, will be required to register and turn in catch reports.

This new requirement started in June of 2008 and is part of the 2008-2009 bottomfishing season for the Main Hawaiian Islands, according to a press release from the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council
(WPRFMC).

Findings of a stock assessment by the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center indicated that the current condition of the bottomfish stock in the Main Hawaiian Islands is better than previously believed.

The WPRFMC recommended a 35 percent increase in the total allowable catch of seven species of deep-water bottomfish in the Main Hawaiian Islands for the 2008 - 2009 bottomfishing season. The recommendation calls for a total catch limit of 241,000 pounds, compared to 178,000 pounds in 2007. This is still less than the 254,000 pounds recommended by the WPRFMC's Scientific and Statistical Committee.

The total allowed catch limit will be based upon commercial catches and does not include fish taken by non-commercial bottomfish fishermen. However, all non-commercial bottomfish fishermen fishing in federal waters in a zone extending from 3 to 200 miles offshore will be required to obtain a permit and turn in catch reports.

The 2008 - 2009 bottomfish season begins Nov. 15, 2008.

For information on permits, reporting and regulations:
NMFS Sustainable Fisheries Division
1601 Kapiolani Blvd., Suite 1110
Honolulu, HI 96814-4700
Phone: 808-944-2275
Email: PIRO-permits@noaa.gov

Papio and ulua tags If you caught a fish with what looks like hard yellow spaghetti stuck beneath it's dorsal fin, you have a fish with a tag in it. It's one of thousands of papio and ulua that are being tagged by fishermen in Hawaii. Whenever one is caught, the simple information that's reported provides valuable insight into the lifecycle of this popular game fish, as well as the condition of the resource. If you catch one, here's what you should do (Click on this link). For information on the tagging project, call (808) 587-0593 or email uluatagging@hawaii.gov.