Off the News: An app for buying aquarium fish

They have an app for that: aquarium fish-shopping.

For the Fishes, (forthefishes.org) is a Kihei-based nonprofit that has been tracking what’s now a lawsuit Earthjustice filed over the state’s management of the aquarium fishery business. Meanwhile the Maui group has launched an app, Tank Watch, to acquaint the public with which fish to avoid buying (they’re aware of a bug affecting the iPhone version, by the way). The app subtitle: Good Fish/Bad Fish. Environmentally-conscious buyer, beware.

Protecting the aquifers with a utility

Honolulu Hale is weighing whether to create a stormwater utility to help ensure aquifers are prepared for possible bouts of drought, increased development and population growth. Among the utility’s aims would be to offer programs that incentivize residents to capture and reuse stormwater on their property, rather than allowing it to flow into storm drains.

There’s wisdom in such a conservation tactic. The city’s Board of Water Supply already advocates for rain barrel water catchment systems, and offers workshops throughout the year at the Halawa Xeriscape Garden. Whether it’s wise to create a new utility, is debatable.