(a) The department is authorized to conduct investigations on any species of aquatic life, wildlife, and land plants in order to develop information relating to their biology, ecology, population, status, distribution, habitat needs, and other limiting factors to determine conservation measures necessary for their continued ability to sustain themselves successfully.

Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 195D-3

  • Aquatic life: means any type of species of mammal, fish, amphibian, reptile, mollusk, crustacean, arthropod, invertebrate, coral, or other animals that inhabit the freshwater or marine environment, and includes any part, product, egg, or offspring thereof, or freshwater or marine plants, including seeds, roots, and other parts thereof. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 195D-2
  • Department: means department of land and natural resources. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 195D-2
  • Land plant: means any member of the plant kingdom, including seeds, roots and other parts thereof, except freshwater or marine plants. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 195D-2
  • Person: means an individual, corporation, partnership, trust, association, or any other private entity, or any officer, employee, agent, department, or instrumentality of the federal government, of any state or political subdivision thereof, or of any foreign government. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 195D-2
  • Species: means and shall include any subspecies or lower taxa of aquatic life, wildlife, or land plants. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 195D-2
  • Take: means to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect endangered or threatened species of aquatic life or wildlife, or to cut, collect, uproot, destroy, injure, or possess endangered or threatened species of aquatic life or land plants, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 195D-2
  • Wildlife: means any nondomesticated member of the animal kingdom, whether reared in captivity or not, including any part, product, egg, or offspring thereof, except aquatic life as defined in this section. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 195D-2
(b) The department is authorized to adopt pursuant to chapter 91, rules relating to the taking, possession, transportation, transplantation, importation, exportation, processing, selling, offering for sale, or shipment of any species of aquatic life, wildlife, and land plant for the purpose of conserving the same.
(c) Except as permitted by rules adopted by the department, it shall be unlawful for any person to take, possess, transport, transplant, export, process, sell, offer for sale, or ship any species of aquatic life, wildlife, or land plants deemed by the department to be in need of conservation pursuant to this section.