DLNR seeks public input on fishponds

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources is seeking public comment on a proposal to streamline the permitting process for traditional Hawaiian fishponds.

The comment period on the proposal’s draft environmental assessment, published April 23 in The Environmental Notice, will run through May 23.

The proposal calls for a single application process for restoration, repair, maintenance and reconstruction of the ponds statewide.

As a part of an initiative to restore the fishponds called “Hoala Loko Ia,” DLNR representatives are available to meet with fishpond practitioners to review the proposal.

Comments can be submitted via the Honua Consulting’s website at www.honuaconsulting.com/lokoia/.

Copies of the assessment and other related documents also can be found at Honua’s website, as well as at hawaii.gov/dlnr/occl/manuals-reports.

For more information, call Michael Cain, staff planner with the Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands, at 783-2501 or email him at michael.cain@hawaii.gov.