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$100,000 fine after superyacht anchor damages coral reef in Hawaii

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superyacht anchor damages coral reef in Hawaii
superyacht anchor damages coral reef in Hawaii
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The owners of a 197-foot-long superyacht have been slapped with a $100,000 fine after damaging more than 11,000 square feet of coral with the vessel's anchor.

The damage in Kailua Bay occurred back in October 2018, and was a violation of Hawaii Administrative Rules, but the state's Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) said it would be difficult to prosecute the owners of the Formosa because the vessel – which is currently up for sale with a whopping price tag of $41 million – operated under a foreign flag (as many yachts do for tax purposes).

superyacht

However, in an announcement this week, the DLNR said that the owners – Formosa Wealth Management Group – had settled with the state for the amount of $100,000, which will help fund the restoration of the coral reefs in West Hawaii.

Nikki Smith, an aquatic biologist with the DLNR's Division of Aquatic Resources, commented that much of the damage came from the anchor's chain ‘swinging through the coral bed'. Biologists from the division did three dives to reposition more than 50 large colonies and stabilize more than 250 coral fragments.

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Mark Evans
Mark Evans
Scuba Diver's Editorial Director Mark Evans has been in the diving industry for nearly 25 years, and has been diving since he was just 12 years old. nearly 40-odd years later and he is still addicted to the underwater world.
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