Kaua‘i Whale Death Update
■ According to Kristi West of the University of Hawai‘i, Manoa, Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology, who helped with the necropsy, the five pilot whales that recently died in Kalapaki Bay, Kaua‘i, were not diseased and died with full stomachs. During this stranding, 17 pilot whales beached themselves, causing three male and two female whale deaths. Twelve survivors swam to open ocean. Rep. Chris Lee (Kailua, Waimanalo), chair of the Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection, and Rep. Kaniela Ing (Kihei, Wailea, Makena), chair of the Committee on Ocean, Marine Resources, and Hawaiian Affairs, held a Legislative briefing on the deaths. The lawmakers are not ruling out U.S. Navy sonar, a potential cause, though the U.S. Navy denies using sonar within 5 miles and 24 hours…