1,000 Feet of Illegal Lay Net Confiscated

April 20, 2019, 8:55 AM HST
* Updated April 20, 9:20 AM

Listen to this Article
1 minuteLoading Audio... Article will play after ad...

Nearly 1,000 feet of suspected illegal lay net was confiscated by officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement on Friday, April 19, 2019.

SWIPE LEFT OR RIGHT

A DOCARE officer on routine patrol on the shoreline adjacent to the La Mariana Sailing Club Restaurant on Sand Island off O‘ahu spotted a man tending several large bags at around 6:30 a.m. The officer suspected the bags were filled with what appeared to be lay nets.

A team of DOCARE officers inspected seven bags and found that four of them contained an estimated 100 undersized fish, as well as live coral. The fish species include papio, kala and moi.

The four nets with the illegal take were seized and 47-year-old Gary Shigematshu of Salt Lake was issued approximately 10 citations.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

DOCARE officers want to remind the public about responsible and legal netting and protecting and conserving Hawai‘i’s natural resources. The public can report suspicious activity via the free DLNRTip application of by calling the statewide hotline at (808) 643-DLNR (3567).