Maui Men Face Charges After DLNR Officer Discovers Dead Honu

Two Maui residents, a father and his son, are charged with the take and possession of a green sea turtle.

A DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) officer discovered the turtle on Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021, at 6:50 a.m. while on a routine patrol along a shoreline area known as Round Tables in the Waiehu area of Maui’s north shore.

According to a DLNR press release, the officer saw the men, later identified as 57-year-old Randall Del Castillo Sr. and 33-year-old Randall Del Castillo Jr., both of Wailuku, retrieving a lobster net. When he contacted the pair, the officer found a dead turtle entangled in a fishing net.

“It had been placed in a metal tub, which was attached to an inner tube,” the press release stated. “The turtle and all the physical items involved were taken as evidence and NOAA was informed of the incident.”

The men were cited for the take and possession of a green sea turtle, which is a prohibited activity under Hawai‘i Administrative Rules as the animal is a protected species.

Castillo Sr. and Castillo Jr. are scheduled to appear in Maui District Court on Nov. 18, 2021.