The Regional Fishery Management Council is to be commended for its efforts to inform longline fishermen about ways to reduce their catch of albatross. Sincere though those efforts are, it is clear that the fishermen have yet to understand the seriousness of the problem. The killing of even one bird is prohibited by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which has no provision for incidental takes. And while it is unlikely that anyone will be prosecuted for killing a single bird in the course of fishing, the effect of continuing to kill them by the thousands could be punishing to everyone. Ripe for Reform Anyone familiar with the Department of Land and Natural Resources' management of its leases will hardly bat an eye at the most recent report of the state auditor.
Files are a jumble of documents in no particular order.
Land managers have no good way of keeping track of payments in a timely fashion. There's nothing approaching consistency in the manner in which delinquent lessees are treated. No ticker system exists to keep track of expiring insurance policies and surety bonds. The department's response is that it needs a new computer. Sorry, that doesn't cut it.