|
Newswatch
Star-Bulletin staff and wire service
|
Federal agency cuts off fishing for isle swordfish
Hawaii-based longline fishing boats cannot fish for swordfish for the rest of 2006, a federal agency announced yesterday.
Since January the 30 longline vessels fishing for swordfish have met their limit of 17 interactions with threatened loggerhead turtles per fishing year, said a release from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Service.
The cap on interactions, regardless of whether the turtle was killed from being hooked by the longline fishers, was set in 2004 as a condition of allowing Hawaii-based fishers to target swordfish again.
The Hawaii longline swordfishing industry had been closed since 2001 because its "shallow-set" longlines appeared to be catching more threatened and endangered sea turtles than the deeper-set lines of tuna fishers.
In 2004 the industry was allowed to resume fishing but with restrictions. All boats pursuing swordfish are required to use a new "circle" type hook that is supposed to reduce the chances of catching turtles. Each boat also has a federal observer on board, who accounts for any interactions between the fishing lines and loggerhead or leatherback sea turtles.
The swordfishing industry operated in 2004 and 2005 without reaching the allowable 17 interactions with endangered loggerheads or 16 interactions with leatherbacks, a NOAA Fisheries Service release said. Observer reports from the 2005 fishing year show that all sea turtles were released alive, the service said.
TAKING NOTICE
Elementary students in national contest
A team of four second-graders from
Aina Haina School is among 24 winning teams in a regional contest for its proposal for a fruit-picking robot.
Maddy Bernstein, Paige Chang, Emily Lung and Logan Uyeda are members of the team, which took part in the 14th annual Toshiba/ National Science Teachers ExploraVision Awards program in Arlington, Va.
According to a March 14 release from one of the largest science and technology competitions, the Hawaii team was one of 24 teams chosen from 4,503 entries.
Their winning project, titled the "Robo Fruit Picker," proposes a robot that uses sensors to find and pick ripe fruit in a tree. The students were asked to envision a broad range of technological innovations to improve the quality of life in the future.
Under the coaching of teacher Carolyn Acoba, the Aina Haina students envisioned a robot that could locate ripe fruit, reach into the high branches of a tree and pick it. The fruit would be funneled to the ground to cushion its descent. Productivity and safety would increase over fruit-picking by humans, the team reasoned.
For the next phase of the competition, regional winners will create working Web sites to convey their ideas. Eight teams will be selected in May, with four teams winning first-place prizes of $10,000 U.S. Savings Bonds and four second place teams receiving $5,000 savings bonds.
Award ceremonies will be held in June in Washington, D.C.
"Taking Notice" also runs on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
|
Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff
|
HONOLULU
Kalihi man dies in fatal crash on H-1
A 47-year-old Kalihi man was killed Tuesday night when a car crashed into his car on the H-1 freeway near Likelike Highway. A 39-year-old Big Island man who was driving the other car was not seriously injured.
Police said the man was driving toward Waianae in a 2006 four-door Dodge Stratus near the Likelike Highway overpass when he suddenly swerved to avoid a 2005 Toyota Camry that was stopped in his lane.
Police said he hit the car that was stopped, careened into the right guardrail, then bounced back across the freeway and hit the barrier.
The man was wearing a seat belt, police said. He died less than an hour later at the Queen's Medical Center, police said.
The driver of the Camry suffered minor shoulder injuries, police said.
Driver dies after crash into highway sign
A 27-year-old Pearl City man was killed early yesterday when he lost control of his car and crashed into an electronic highway sign, police said.
The man was driving a silver 2005 Toyota Camry Waianae-bound on the Moanalua Freeway just before the merge with the H-1 at about 12:30 a.m. when he lost control of the car and swerved onto the shoulder and hit the sign, police said.
The man was traveling at a high rate of speed in rainy conditions, police said.
The man was pinned in the car and died at the scene, police said.
A 19-year-old man sitting in the front seat of the car was in good condition at the Queen's Medical Center.
A 20-year-old man in the back seat of the car walked away and was later taken to Queen's by someone else, police said. His condition was not available.
LEEWARD OAHU
Man allegedly abuses girlfriend in Nanakuli
Police arrested a 35-year-old man for allegedly abusing his girlfriend with a two-by-four piece of wood and shooting her with a pellet gun.
Police said that about 6 a.m. Monday, the girlfriend, 26, was visiting a friend on the beach near Farrington Highway and Hakimo Road in Nanakuli when the boyfriend showed up.
Police said the boyfriend became angry and hit his girlfriend. He then threatened her with a knife, hit her with a two-by-four and shot her in the stomach with a pellet rifle.
The woman was treated at a hospital where she reported the incident. Police found the boyfriend early Tuesday and arrested him for investigation of abuse of a household member, second-degree assault and first-degree terroristic threatening.
WEST OAHU
Waipahu man arrested in abuse of his father
A 22-year-old was arrested yesterday after head-butting his father last Thursday at their Waipahu home, police said.
The suspect was arrested for second-degree assault and abuse of a household member.
The 47-year-old victim suffered fractures to his face after the altercation. Police said the incident happened at about 6 p.m. last Thursday. The suspect fled from the scene but was located yesterday and arrested.
|
CORRECTION
Saturday, March 25, 2006
» A 47-year-old Kalihi man was killed Tuesday night when a car crashed into his car on the H-1 freeway near Likelike Highway. A 39-year-old Big Island man who was driving the other car was not seriously injured. A "Police/Fire" brief on Page A5 in Wednesday's afternoon edition and on Page A4 in Thursday's morning edition incorrectly said the Big Island resident was killed.
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Editor Frank Bridgewater at 529-4791 or email him at corrections@starbulletin.com. |
|
|