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Future of Kauai Trout Fishing Questioned! |
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9/15/18
Employees as well as private citizens are alarmed by what
they describe as an underhanded backdoor deal with the recent actions taken by
Hawaii State Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) to “kill or
abandon” its trout program on the Islands of Oahu and Kauai.
We are informed by various sources familiar with the
program, that without notifying the affected DAR staff, The DAR Acting
Administrator and others have secretly requested the DLNR Personnel Office to
process and transfer to Kauai a rewritten position description for the managing
biologist position currently assigned to manage the trout program at Anuenue
Fisheries Research Center (AFRC). This
position also maintains the other freshwater public fishing areas on Hawaii
Island and Oahu as well as Kauai. "AFRC
is situated on a 4.25-acre parcel on Sand Island, some six miles from downtown
Honolulu”.
We reached out to the DLNR to get the facts surrounding this
claim and were told by DLNR’s Senior Communications Manager, Dan Dennison
“There are no plans to relocate the trout hatchery from Oahu to Kauai. The DLNR
Division of Aquatic Resources staff will continue to utilize its Oahu staff to
continue the trout hatchery operation. A
vacant DAR biologist position is being moved to Kauai to oversee a newly
established monitoring team and will also be involved in the trout program.”
A number of employees wishing to remain anonymous because of
fear from retaliation say DLNR management has failed to be transparent in what
they describe as a reorganization of the Aquatics Division.
The employees provided information they say heighten and
confirm their fears of no transparency in the “DAR-Reorg” and cite a recent
email from Ms. Charissa Minato, a private contractor, stating she is working
under contract to help former Division of Aquatics Resources Administrator, Dr.
Bruce Anderson, and the Acting Division of Aquatics Resources Administrator, Brian
Nielsen, finalize the DAR Re-org.
We looked into this claim by Ms. Minato and were informed by
a number of sources that Dr. Anderson is actively involved with matters related
to operations of the DAR while he currently serves as Acting Director of the
Hawaii State Department of Health. This arrangement is sanctioned by Governor
David Ige and Chairwoman Suzanne Case.
It is also reported that, as part of this temporary assignment
of Dr. Anderson to the Hawaii State Department of Health, Dr. Anderson reserved
the right to return to his old position as the DAR Administrator.
While the DLNR is denying the Trout Hatchery will be moved
to the Island of Kauai. We still have a
number of questions regarding the actions taken, or those that will be taken,
that will negatively impact the Trout Program at the Anuenue Fisheries Research
Center in Honolulu and the Island of Kauai.
Here are few of the questions we hope to get answers to:
The other islands are much bigger than Kauai so why does
only Kauai get an extra Aquatic Biologist IV when there are more areas to
monitor on all the other islands?
Why do they need a new biologist to lead a monitoring team
when they already have a biologist on Kauai who has been the biologist there
for almost 40 years?
What's so special about Kauai compared to the other islands that
it especially needs an additional biologist for monitoring?
What about the other islands?
Dr. Anderson and Chairperson Suzanne Case asked for three
Aquatic Biologist III positions for monitoring work last Legislative session
and successfully got them approved. One
of these is for Kauai. So, the question
is, why is Kauai so special over all the other islands that they get an extra
upper level Aquatic Biologist IV to lead a monitoring team when Maui Nui (Maui,
Molokai and Lanai) and the Big Island don't get an extra biologist to lead a
monitoring team for them?
The Hawaii Trout Fisheries program is primarily funded by a
federal grant under the Wildlife & Sport Fish Restoration Program. The Sport Fish Restoration Program (SFR)
provides grant funds to the states, the District of Columbia and insular areas
fish and wildlife agencies for fisher projects, boating access and aquatic
education. The program is authorized by
the Sport Fish Restoration Act (Dingell-Johnson
DJ) of 1950. Rainbow trout eggs are shipped to Hawaii
where they are housed and hatched in the hatchery at the Anuenue Fisheries
Research Center and raised as fingerlings. They are removed from the hatchery
and delivered to the Island of Kauai, Hawaii, and released into the Pu’ Ulua
Reservoir Kokee Public Fishing Area. The
research center currently holds approximately fifty thousand fingerlings awaiting
delivery in a month or so, as the water in the reservoir cools down.
Anglers wishing to fish for trout must acquire a freshwater license for a fee. The DLNR should be more transparent regarding the actions it is taking to implement the “Re-Org”.
the public and civil service personnel have aright to know any actions taken by management that might adversely affect them. Consideration of the financial and economical impacts triggered by an abrupt cessation of the Trout program must not be ignored.
Things are made worse when employees report that management
and nonprofit contractors openly suggest the rainbow trout is an alien species,
and therefore, the program should be terminated.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact Carroll Cox
at 808-782-6627. We would like to apologize
in advance for relying on anonymous sources.
The current administration at DLNR aggressively seeks out informants, “leakers
and rats” to punish them, while leaving the State Health Department Directorship
vacant and relying on a temporary acting administrator who is simultaneously serving
as an absentee Director to the Division of Aquatic Resources until November 3,
2018, when he reportedly will resume his position as the Director of the Division
of Aquatic Resources.
Carroll...……..