Man Charged in 'Bizarre' Case of Illegal Aquarium Fishing - Big Island Now
Man Charged in 'Bizarre' Case of Illegal Aquarium Fishing - Big Island Now |
| Man Charged in 'Bizarre' Case of Illegal Aquarium Fishing - Big Island Now Posted: 16 Sep 2020 12:00 AM PDT
 
Authorities have arrested a man on several charges involving illegal aquarium fishing in West Hawai'i waters, after what the state Department of Land and Natural Resources described as a "bizarre series of events" that ended with a search and rescue operation for two women apparently abandoned at sea. 57-year-old Steve Howard of Kailua-Kona, a well-known aquarium fisher, was observed launching his boat at DLNR's Honokohau Small Boat Harbor on Tuesday. DOCARE officers were notified and pursued Howard, who later stopped at the Kailua Pier and brought two women aboard his vessel. "Our officers observed Howard's vessel heading out to the ocean and by this time we were able to deploy our own boat," said DOCARE Chief Jason Redulla. "Officers intercepted Howard in South Kona off Pebble Beach near Ho'okena. He was questioned about the whereabouts of the women who were no longer on the boat. Officers report Howard was uncooperative as they tried to determine the location of the women. His voyage was terminated due to equipment violations, and he was escorted back to Honokohau." At that point, several agencies including Big Island police, fire personnel, the US Coast Guard, DOCARE, and NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement launched a search and rescue mission. Sometime later, a call was placed to authorities saying that two women in full diving equipment had been spotted at a gas station in South Kona. SPONSORED VIDEO Authorities confirmed that the two women were, in fact, the two who had boarded Howard's boat at the pier. They said he'd dropped them off to go scuba diving. At some point after, Howard apparently abandoned the women in the water. "Whether they swam or had other assistance, at this point that remains under investigation," Redulla said of how the women made it safely to shore. Their role in the incident also remains under investigation. Howard was subsequently charged with five petty misdemeanors: possession of aquarium collection gear, expired safety equipment, no boater certificate, resisting arrest, and reckless endangerment in the second degree. Typically, possession of illegal take of aquarium fish carries penalties including jail time of up to 30 days and a fine of up to $1,000, along with administrative fees. More charges could follow, Redulla added. A NOAA vessel located nets and other equipment used for aquarium collection on the shore and then found the 10 different species of fish in the basket in the ocean.
With the assistance of staff from the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR), the underwater cage and the captured fish were recovered. After an accounting of the numbers of fish and species type for evidence, all of the fish were returned to the ocean. The fish had an estimated value of $17,000, said Brian Neilson, DAR administrator. The use of fine mesh nets in aquarium fishing is banned across the state. While the practice of aquarium fishing itself remains allowed in East Hawai'i waters and those waters off of O'ahu, no aquarium collection is allowed off the coast of West Hawai'i. "Everyone knows the rules and the industry is under a microscope legally, procedurally, and physically," said DLNR Chair Suzanne Case. "Why would anyone blatantly flaunt the law to continue to fish illegally for aquarium fish in Kona is beyond me. It's absolutely wrong." Howard's arrest was the third such police action effected in West Hawai'i waters this year, pointing to a potentially larger problem. "We do track commercial sales and commercial catch of legally caught fish, but the problem when they're illegally caught (is) those numbers aren't recorded, those sales aren't recorded," Nielson said. "So it turns into a black box of unrecord catch. Tracking catch after it leaves that state can also be a challenge." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 19 Sep 2020 09:05 AM PDT Chattanooga State Community College has reeled in two prize catches for its next Writers@Work program. Daniel Wallace was the first trophy. The author of the 1998 best-seller "Big Fish," popularized by director Tim Burton's 2003 film adaptation, had agreed to a weeklong campus visit in April to culminate the two semesters in which students had studied his work. When the coronavirus wiped spring schedules clean, Wallace's visit was postponed until this month. But the same challenges were present for fall. Rather than canceling, organizers converted live events to virtual ones, to be presented free of charge Sept. 21-25. The schedule is still rich in programming. The only one that got away was the chance to see the author of "Big Fish" speak at the Tennessee Aquarium. But the COVID restrictions also meant that organizers could cast a wider net, just as they did for last week's virtual YA-hoo Fest, which drew participants "from across the country and from, literally, around the world" in celebration of young-adult literature, says English professor Joel Henderson, Humanities Department chairman. "In addition to opening the doors to a larger audience, the move to virtual has allowed us to expand our programming in ways that would prove cost-prohibitive if we tried to make it happen in person," he says. "So, once we decided to go virtual, we started to brainstorm. That's how we ended up with Andrew Lippa. Lippa is the lyricist and composer of the musical version of "Big Fish," which played on Broadway in 2013 and has toured nationally and internationally since. "Though we wouldn't have been able to afford to bring him to Chattanooga for an interview, he was gracious enough to agree to a live Zoom interview, offering attendees the chance to look into the process of transforming Wallace's novel into an award-winning Broadway musical," Henderson says.  ABOUT THE AUTHORDaniel Wallace is the author of six novels. His first, "Big Fish," was made into a motion picture of the same name by Tim Burton in 2003 and into a musical version on Broadway in 2013. He is a contributing editor to Garden & Gun magazine and is the J. Ross MacDonald Distinguished Professor of English at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he teaches and directs the Creative Writing Program. "Big Fish," which is subtitled "A Novel of Mythic Proportions," is about a young man (William Bloom) trying to reconcile the fantastical tales told to him by his father (Edward Bloom) as his father lies dying. William believes his father has never told the truth, until he begins to investigate the stories. Four main events are scheduled for Writers@Work: an interview with Wallace about his novel and craft; a multimedia interview with the author about the film version of his book; an interview with Lippa; and a livestream of selections from the musical. "Back in the spring semester, our Fine Arts Department was on the cusp of performing the full version of 'Big Fish: The Musical.' COVID restrictions made that impossible, but all the hours of rehearsal won't go to waste since the performers will be offering socially distanced selections via Zoom," Henderson says. Writers@Work was founded in 2011 as a way to enhance literary analysis from the college's Composition II classes through the reading of a common novel focused on Southern culture and people. It has since grown into an annual arts experience in which participants have been able to interact with a who's who of authors. Previous guest artists have included Terry Kay, Ishmael Reed, Jill McCorkle and Rick Bragg. The 2021 featured author will be Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Jericho Brown. To register for any of this year's events, go to https://www.chattbigread.com/. SCHEDULE› Monday, Sept. 21: "Inside the Mind of Daniel Wallace: The Behind-the-Writer Interview," 7-8:30 p.m. The author talks about writing, "Big Fish" and life in the South. › Tuesday, Sept. 22: "From the Page to the Stage: A Discussion of Big Fish: The Musical with composer/lyricist Andrew Lippa, noon-1:30 p.m. A look at what it took to transform Wallace's dreamy novel into a celebrated musical production. › Wednesday, Sept. 23: Seventh annual KLIC Edible Book Festival awards show, noon-1 p.m. Campus contest for edible creations inspired by literature takes place in Kolwyck Library and Information Commons. › Thursday, Sept. 24: ChattState Chautauqua: "Fish Out of Water — Translating Fantasy to Film," 7-8:30 p.m. Wallace shares his thoughts on the movie business and how "Big Fish" made it to the screen. › Friday, Sept. 25: "Big Fish: The Musical," 7:30-9 p.m. A virtual night at the theater with a livestream production of selections from the musical and interviews with the actors. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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