State Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation officials have tagged 80 to 100 canoes and catamarans without permits on Lanikai Beach today, giving owners 72 hours to remove them or risk having them impounded.

“Many of these boats have been illegally stored on the beach for years,” Meghan Statts, the division’s Oahu District Manager, said in a news release today. “Community members and area legislators have made it clear that ‘boat parking’ is taking up significant beach area at Lanikai.”

Division administrator Ed Underwood, Statts and two other DOBOR staff “walked from one end of Lanikai Beach and stopped at each boat to photograph it, check its registration and post the 72-hour removal notices,” according to the release.

“DOBOR has conducted similar operations at nearby Kailua Beach and is expected to do a posting sweep of that area in the coming weeks. Several local residents stopped the DOBOR team today to thank them for giving attention to the issue,” officials said.

DOBOR, part of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, said it will provide permits for overnight storage of vessels, particularly to canoe clubs.

The division said those with notices should contact the DOBOR Oahu District Office at (808) 832-3520.