City takeover of Kakaako parks makes sense

Perhaps the members of the Honolulu City Council have a point in the complaint they have lodged: The Council should have been consulted about the Kakaako Makai park lands transfer. Yes, conveying the parks to the city, which can better maintain them and ward off homeless encampments there, ultimately represents a sizable budget item.

However, the Council unanimously approved a resolution asking the administration to consider taking over the land under the Hawaii Children’s Discovery Center as well. There seems, in the end, no winning argument to make against the state-to-city transfer.

Loggerhead sea turtles catch a break

First reef fish, and now loggerhead sea turtles. Nearshore marine species are picking up court-ordered protections.

In a settlement reached last week — following a federal ruling against a move to double the number of loggerheads that can be snagged incidentally each year to 34 — Hawaii’s swordfish fishery will close, and a new biological assessment will set the limit for next year. It’s apparent that it should be lowered as the species was placed on the endangered list six years ago.

As for reef fish, the Hawaii Supreme Court has imposed a ban on “aquarium fish” collection pending study as required by the Hawaii Environmental Policy Act.