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Public invited to free webinar on “Shark Research in Hawaii – With an Emphasis on Maui” by Dr. Kim Holland on Wednesday, March 3

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KIHEI, HI – Recent shark attacks that occurred off the coast of Maui in November (2020), December (2020) and January (2021), as well as an incident in February (2021) which involved a large shark biting a kayak, have many ocean users concerned and curious about the sharks found in our nearshore waters. The public is invited to learn more about our local sharks at a free Zoom presentation titled “Shark Research in Hawaii – With an Emphasis on Maui’ by Dr. Kim Holland. Dr. Holland is the Research Professor at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, (HIMB) at University of Hawaii at Manoa and the founder of the Shark Research Group at HIMB.

This free talk is hosted by Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” and will take place on Wednesday, March 3 at 5:30 pm via Zoom. The presentation is free, but advance reservations are required. To reserve your spot, please visit https://bit.ly/SharkWebinar

For over 40 years Dr. Holland’s research has focused on the biology and movement patterns of large marine fishes such as tuna, billfishes and sharks. He has been a pioneer in helping to develop and deploy cutting edge tracking technologies that allow unprecedented insight into the movement patterns of marine fishes.

His presentation will include a brief overview of tracking technologies with an emphasis on what has been learned about the movements of sharks around Maui Nui.

“While many Maui residents and visitors are fearful about sharks, it’s important to remember that sharks play an important role in maintaining Hawaii’s ocean ecosystems,” said Anne Rillero, Communications, Community Outreach and Development Manager at Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. “We’re looking forward to learning more about Dr. Holland’s findings and insights about Hawaii’s sharks.”

Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” events are held monthly via Zoom. Support for these events is provided by the County of Maui Mayor’s Office of Economic Development.

The emcee for this event is Darla Palmer-Ellingson, local radio show host of the public affairs program, Island Environment 360 Maui’s only commercially broadcast public affairs show on environmental and related Hawaiian cultural topics, aired on the stations of H-Hawaii Media.

To reserve your spot at this free Zoom webinar, please visit https://bit.ly/SharkWebinar

 

Experts tag a tiger shark with a tracking device in the waters off Maui. The satellite tag gets attached to the shark’s dorsal fin and sends a signal every time the fin surfaces the water. Photo Credit: HIMB

Monitoring study shows that 64,050 lbs. of soil likely washed into Māʻalaea Bay from just two “head cuts” during recent Jan. 18 rainstorm 

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After a rainstorm on January 18, 2021, the State of Hawaii Department of Health Clean Water Branch issued a Brown Water Advisory for all of Maui.

Māʻalaea Bay was one of the areas that experienced a significant brown water event as a result of this rainstorm.

Curious about how so much sediment ended up in Māʻalaea Bay?

A monitoring project of head cuts (severe erosional features) launched in 2020 by Maui Nui Marine Resource Council on unused agricultural land in the Pohakea watershed measured the loss of an estimated 64,050 pounds (or 32 tons) of soil from just two head cut locations as a result of the January 18 rains. The two head cuts are located on the mauka (upslope) side of the Honoapi’ilani Highway across from Maui Ocean Center. The lost soil was likely carried via the stormwater through culverts and box culverts under the highway and into the bay.

What is a head cut? Head cuts occur when the flow of a stream is constricted (in this case by a culvert) and the water’s force is directed downward. This creates a sheer bluff or cliff in the stream known as the knickpoint. As the water erodes the soil, the knickpoint migrates further upstream each time the stream flows and a larger area is exposed to stormwater erosion.

The monitoring was conducted by Maui Environmental Consulting (MEC) who installed arrays of erosion pins in the ground around the extent of the head cuts. By measuring the amount of soil lost between pins and the depth of the head cut observed, MEC was able to quantify the approximate amount of soil loss during the January 18 storm.

Sediment pollution is believed to be a significant cause of the coral reef decline in Māʻalaea Bay. This sediment, coming from legacy agricultural land, may also be transmitting excess nitrogen and other pollutants into the ocean.

While the two head cuts described here aren’t responsible for all of the sediment entering Māʻalaea Bay, repairing these two erosional sites can keep tons of sediment out of the ocean each year. That’s why Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is working to obtain funding to plan, design and implement repairs to to pull back and stabilize the now vertical or undermined walls of these two significant head cuts.

Learn more about the work that Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is doing to improve ocean water quality in Ma’alaea Bay. 

 

 

 

 

Public invited to free Zoom presentation about unique collaboration of 7 environmental projects funded by Maui CARES

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Program provided employment for more than 70 Maui and Molokai residents

“It’s like Maui County’s own version of the Civilian Conservation Corps”

KIHEI, HI – During the Great Depression, the government-sponsored Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) provided paychecks for 3 million unemployed young men and provided valuable labor for conservation projects across the country.

With unemployment at record levels due to COVID-19, a new program followed this historical CCC model and put more than 70 Maui and Molokai residents to work in November, providing seven local conservation nonprofits with needed labor to benefit coral reefs, cultural resources and the environment.

The public is invited to a free presentation on Weds. January 27 at 5:30 pm on Zoom to learn about this unique collaborative employment and workforce training program and the impact it had on our local environment. The presentation will include videos, photos and firsthand accounts of the projects and accomplishments, with information on how the projects incorporated traditional Hawaiian cultural practices and modern technology to prevent sediment pollution in the ocean and protect valuable cultural resources.

It’s free, but registration is required. To sign up, visit https://bit.ly/mauiCARES

This unique collaborative employment and workforce training program was made possible through the County of Maui Office of Economic Development’s Maui CARES program, which was funded by the Federal CARES Act. As the fiscal sponsor, Maui Nui Marine Resource Council oversaw the administration of the Maui CARES funding for the projects and managed the rapid employment of more than 70 new hires with the help of simplicityHR by ALTRES.

The workers participated in conservation and restoration projects in Olowalu, Waihe’e, Keanae, Kipahulu, Hana and Moloka’i. All of the projects were rooted in Hawaiian cultural practices and values which serve as the foundation of our community. Their work was filmed by Inflatable Film of Kula. The evening will include video premieres exclusively for webinar attendees.

“Through this presentation, attendees will be immersed in a virtual experience to feel the importance of Kuleana, ʻOhana, Kōkua, Aloha ʻAina, Mālama ʻAina, and Hānai ʻAina, said Ekolu Lindsey, President of Maui Cultural Lands and a principal organizer of this program. “Be inspired to follow in the footsteps of those who have come before us, as we share our legacies with you.”

The participating nonprofits include:

Ka Honua Momona on Molokai worked to restore two ancient fishponds, which will help trap sediment before it reaches the open ocean – with the benefit of also producing fish for local people.

Kipahulu ‘Ohana in East Maui improved a lo’i, or wetland taro farm. The taro plants will slow the flow of stormwater, allowing time for sediment in the water to settle, rather than flow out to sea.

Hawaiian Islands Land Trust in Waihe’e worked to remove invasive species along approximately 3,000 linear feet of Kalepa Stream to lower sediment loads in the nearshore waters off Waihe’e and protect offshore corals.

Ke Ao Hali‘i (KAH) in Hana worked on 27 acres of publicly owned land at Mokae/Kaholaiki and another ~2 acres of contiguous land, directly above Hamoa Beach. Their project included invasive plant removal and native habitat restoration for seabirds and insects, and a biological survey of ‘opihi as a baseline for a possible ‘opihi rest area in the future.

Kipuka Olowalu in West Maui reestablished washed out and damaged lo’i (taro fields), rebuilt vanished lo’i and prepared lo’i for planting in the Olowalu Cultural Reserve. Workers removed overgrowth, fire hazards and invasive plants; planted native plants and crops and repaired infrasturcture.

Na Moku ‘Aupuni O Ko‘olau Hui in East Maui worked on watershed management and stream maintenance, as well as stream and ditch monitoring in the East Maui Irrigation system to establish accurate data for stream and ditch flow and loss as a basis for making sound future management decisions related to this resource and delivery infrastructure.

Each of the nonprofits will be presenting their work and accomplishments through photos, video and stories from the field.

Na Mamo o Mu‘olea in East Maui focused on land and shoreline management on a county parcel (which Nā Mamo O Mū’olea has a 50 year lease). It included removal of invasive plants around a rock wall that is on the historic registry, and preparation for wall restorations, maintenance of two heiau on the property, installation of new fencing around an area designated for native trees and medicinal plants, and maintenance and repair of feral animal controls.

“This presentation is a celebration of all that was accomplished and learned,” said Lindsey. “We encourage the public to attend to connect with these organizations and the workers who put heart and soul into these challenging and impactful projects.“

The emcees for this event are Ekolu Lindsey and Darla Palmer-Ellingson, local radio show host of the public affairs program, Island Environment 360 Maui’s only commercially broadcast public affairs show on environmental and related Hawaiian cultural topics, aired on the stations of H-Hawaii Media.

About Maui Nui Marine Resource Council

Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is a community-based nonprofit organization celebrating 13 years of working for healthy coral reefs, clean ocean water and abundant native fish throughout Maui County. Our work includes co-managing the Hui O Ka Wai Ola Ocean Water Quality Monitoring Program in South and West Maui, efforts to reduce pollution in Mā‘alaea Bay (through erosion-control efforts in the Pohakea watershed and using oysters to filter sediment and pollutants from ocean water), coral reef research, visitor education programs and more. Learn more at www.mauireefs.org.

Volunteers Needed to Assist with Pre-Rainy Season Mā’alaea Ditch Clean Up on Sunday, December 27

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MA’ALAEA, HI — Looking for ways to give back this holiday season? Maui Nui Marine Resource Council invites the public to help protect marine life and water quality in Mā’alaea Bay by participating in a clean-up of trash that has been accumulating in the Mā’alaea ditch by the Honoapi‘ilani Highway. The clean-up will take place on Sunday, December 27, from 8 am – 11 am. Now is the time to remove trash from the ditch before heavy rains arrive and cause the debris to wash into the ocean.

“Unless we act now, the trash will flow into the ocean when winter storms arrive, putting marine life and water quality in Mā’alaea Bay at risk,” says Tiara Stark, clean-up coordinator. “We’ll meet at the EV charging stations at the parking lot along the highway between Maui Ocean Center and Carl’s Jr.”

Trash bags, gloves, and facemasks will be provided.

“To ensure a fun and safe event, safety precautions such as mask wearing, social distancing, and limitations on the number of volunteers will be enforced,” notes Stark. “Please wear closed toed shoes and long pants; don’t forget your hat, sunscreen and water bottle.”

“It feels good to make a difference,” says Stark.

To volunteer for one or more one-hour time slots, please sign up through this link:
https://bit.ly/MaalaeaCleanUp

Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is a nonprofit organization working for healthy coral reefs, clean ocean water and abundant native fish. The organization is working to improve ocean water quality in Mā’alaea Bay through an oyster bioremediation project and a program to reduce sediment runoff from the adjoining Pohakea watershed. To learn more and to Adopt an Oyster to support this work, please visit www.mauireefs.org.

Free Webinar: “Exploring the Octopus: How to Learn from Animal Behavior”

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Photo courtesy Don Bloom

“Exploring the Octopus: How to Learn from Animal Behavior” is Topic of November 18 “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” Free Webinar

Octopuses explore the world around them with their flexible arms, which can touch — and actually taste — to help them quickly identify prey. Maui Nui Marine Resource Council invites the public to learn more about the specialized octopus cells that make this unique ability possible at a free Zoom webinar titled “Exploring the Octopus: How to Learn from Animal Behavior” on Wednesday, November 18 at 3 pm. This presentation is part of MNMRC’s monthly “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series.”

The guest speaker will be Peter Kilian, Research Assistant and Aquatic Animal Technician at the Bellono Lab at the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University. The lab studies how diverse organisms sense and respond to changes in their environment.

Peter will be sharing his work on a paper which he co-authored that was recently published in Cell titled, “Molecular Basis of Chemotactile Sensation in Octopus.” Stories about this report, which describes how octopus can both touch and taste with their arms, have appeared in numerous newspapers, magazines, tv news shows and online journals, including The New York Times, CNN, Smithsonian Magazine and others.

As a research assistant and aquatic animal technician at Bellono Lab, Peter spends most of his time working with fish, sharks, cephalopods, and various other marine invertebrates to try and learn how and why they behave the way they do.

“So many of us on Maui are fascinated with octopuses, especially after ‘My Octopus Teacher’ launched on Netflix,” says Meredith Beeson, Project and Research Coordinator at Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. “We are excited to host this presentation by Peter Kilian, which will describe how Harvard researchers looked at the octopus at the molecular level to learn how the nervous system in the octopus’ arms — which operate largely independently from its centralized brain — allows these animals to both touch and taste their prey.”

The guest emcee will be Darla Palmer-Ellingson, local radio show host of the public affairs program, Island Environment 360 Maui’s only commercially broadcast public affairs show on environmental and related Hawaiian cultural topics. Her  program is made possible by H-Hawaii Media.

Maui Nui Marine Resource Council offers its monthly “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” via Zoom, usually on the first Wednesday of the month. This month’s presentation was delayed due to Election Day and Veteran’s Day. Please note that this event will start at 3 pm, earlier than other “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” talks, because the speaker is located in Massachusetts. If you wish to view the presentation, but cannot attend at 3 pm, please email [email protected] to receive emailed information about where and how to view the presentation later in the day.

To make a reservation for the live Zoom presentation, please visit https://bit.ly/OctopusTalk

The “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” is made possible with support from the County of Maui Mayorʻs Office of Economic Development.

About our speaker:
Peter Kilian, Research Assistant and Aquatic Animal Technician at the Bellono Lab at the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard, has been interested in the mystery of animal behavior since a young age. His drive to work with animals originates from countless trips to the local zoo and aquarium when he was growing up. This curiosity continued to evolve in college, where Peter dove into his passion for animal work. While in college he spent time working as a beekeeper, a penguin aquarist at the New England Aquarium, and a pygmy octopus husbandry specialist in the mariculture lab at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. He has since graduated from college, and now works full time in the Bellono Lab at Harvard as a research assistant and aquatic animal technician. He spends most of his time working with fish, sharks, cephalopods, and various other marine invertebrates to try and learn how and why they behave the way they do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maui Nui Marine Resource Council Wins $3,000 Award in Hogan/American Savings Bank Nonprofit Business Plan Competition

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MĀ‘ALAEA, HI – The nonprofit Maui Nui Marine Resource Council (MNMRC) was awarded a $3,000 prize in the 2020 Hogan/American Savings Bank Nonprofit Business Plan Competition for a business plan titled, “Vision for Pohakea.”

“The goal of our Vision for Pohakea plan is to reduce sediment and pollutants in Māʻalaea Bay and Māʻalaea Harbor,” explains Amy Hodges, Programs and Operations Manager at Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. “Pohakea is the name of the 4,000+ acre watershed upslope from Māʻalaea Bay. Pohakea watershed has several gulches that all discharge into Māʻalaea Bay and the harbor. “

MNMRC’s business plan was one of only 8 plans selected as finalists from more than 40 other Hawai‘i nonprofit business plans submitted. Finalists were invited to present their plans to a panel of judges via Zoom, at a Chamindade University event held on October 14. MNMRC’s plan was presented by Amy Hodges, MNMRC’s Programs and Operations Manager, and Ekolu Lindsey, MNMRC Board Member.

MNMRC was awarded 4th place overall and a $3,000 prize, which it will use to help fund the “Vision for Pohakea” plan.

The plan explains that Māʻalaea Bay is a community resource — a place where people surf, fish, swim, paddle, whalewatch and embark on ocean adventures. “Unfortunately, the water quality in Mā‘alaea Bay is compromised by storm water and sediment run-off, as well as other pollution originating from land,” notes the plan. “This nearshore ocean pollution adversely impacts areas in Māʻalaea Bay that are important for recreation, and also undermines the health of coral reefs and sea turtle feeding areas just outside the harbor.”

To improve Māʻalaea Bay’s deteriorating ocean water quality, MNMRC is installing caged oysters in the bay. Oysters are natural filter feeders, with a single oyster capable of filtering 40 to 60 gallons of water per day, removing sediment and other pollutants. The first oysters were installed in early 2020, with new oysters added throughout the year. They are monitored every two weeks and are found to be thriving.

The second part of the project takes place in the Pohakea Watershed, implementing projects outlined in the Pohakea Stormwater Management Plan, which MNMRC commissioned Maui Environmental Consulting to produce in 2018.

MNMRC has been writing grants and raising funds to enact this plan over a multi-year period. Maui Nui Marine Resource Council applied for and received a $300,000 Resilient Communities Grant in 2019, made possible by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and the Wells Fargo Foundation, to enhance forest reserve resiliency through fuels management in the Pohakea watershed.

With funds from this grant, Maui Nui Marine Resource Council will establish and improve fuel breaks in strategically placed corridors to mitigate the pervasive cycle of wildfire and protect 3,414 acres of Forest Reserve in Māʻalaea,  part of the Pohakea watershed. That work is slated to begin later this year.

Additional funding for this project is provided by Hawaiʻi Tourism through the Aloha ʻĀina program and the County of Maui Mayor’s Office of Economic Development.

 

Ocean water quality is measured at several shoreline sites along Mā‘alaea Bay through the Hui O Ka Wai Ola citizen-based water quality monitoring program, co-founded and co-managed by Maui Nui Marine Resource Council, The Nature Conservancy and West Maui Ridge to Reef Initiative, working closely with the State of Hawai‘i Department of Health Clean Water Branch.

To gather baseline data about current ocean water quality throughout Māʻalaea Bay, MNMRC is also conducting regular kayak-based ocean water monitoring throughout the bay, using an electronic monitoring probe that provides a stream of data in real-time. The probe was purchased thanks to a generous grant from Lush Cosmetics Charity Pot.

Other support for implementing the “Vision for Pohakea” plan comes from a grant from the County of Maui Mayor’s Office of Economic Development.

To learn more about the Vision for Pohakea plan and how you can support it, please visit www.mauireefs.org.

 

Caption:
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s team takes a break from their work with the oysters at Māʻalaea Bay to display their award from the 2020 Hogan/American Savings Bank Nonprofit Business Plan Competition. From left to right: Grace Silver, Amy Hodges and Meredith Beeson.

 

Please note: The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. Government or the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and its funding sources. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Government, or the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation or its funding sources.

“A Closer Look at Hawaiʻi’s Sea Turtles” is Topic of Sept. 9 “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” Webinar

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A free Zoom webinar offering “A Closer Look at Hawaiʻiʻs Sea Turtles” will be presented on Wednesday, September 9 from 5:30 to 7 pm Hawaii Standard Time as part of Maui Nui Marine Resource Councilʻs  monthly “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series.” It will also air via Facebook Live at facebook.com/mnmrc, the Facebook page of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council.

The talk will feature presentations by Dr. Camryn Allen, a NOAA wildlife endocrinologist,  and Shandell Brunson, NOAA’s sea turtle stranding coordinator for Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Islands region.

Dr. Allen is the Supervisory Marine Biological Researcher (JIMAR) at the Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research at NOAA Fisheries Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center in the Protected Species Division. She created a sea turtle endocrinology laboratory to examine sex ratios of sea turtles in the wild.  Her talk will present findings on the ratio of male vs. female turtles at foraging grounds — and what that means for the potential impacts of climate change on our sea turtle populations.

Shandell Brunson is a biological sciences technician with the Marine Turtle Biology and Assessment Program and is NOAA’s sea turtle stranding coordinator for Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Islands region. She will share findings from sea turtle strandings in Hawai’i, including what’s being learned about threats from strandings, rehabilitations and deaths.

Our guest emcee is Darla Palmer-Ellingson, local radio show host of the public affairs program, Island Environment 360 Maui’s only commercially broadcast public affairs show on environmental and related Hawaiian cultural topics. The program is made possible by H-Hawaii Media.

This free online event is part of Maui Nui Marine Resource Councilʻs “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” and is made possible with support from the County of Maui Mayorʻs Office of Economic Development.

Advance reservations are for the Zoom webinar.  To make your free reservation, please visit https://bit.ly/HawaiiSeaTurtles.

The talk will also be presented on Maui Nui Marine Resource Councilʻs Facebook Live page at https://www.facebook.com/MNMRC.

Questions will be accepted from the audience on both Zoom and Facebook.

 

Photos at left: Dr. Camryn Allen at work in the field.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo below: Shandell Brunson at a training with Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute (MOCMI) last November.

Oyster Spat Collected to Raise Next Generation of Oysters for Māʻalaea Ocean Water Improvement Project

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A small bag of 100 tiny Hawaiian oysters, gathered in mid-August under State of Hawai‘i permit by staff of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council (MNMRC), represents the “next generation” in the nonprofit organization’s work to use oysters to filter and clean ocean water in Māʻalaea Bay. The project to improve ocean water quality in Māʻalaea is supported by the County of Maui Mayorʻs Office of Economic Development.

What’s amazing is that the tiny oysters appeared to have “volunteered” for the job.

Months ago, Maui Nui Marine Resource Council Programs and Operations Manager Amy Hodges was amazed to see that floating oyster larvae from native Hawaiian oysters (Dendostrea sandvicensis) had begun to voluntarily attach themselves to the outside of oyster cages that the organization had installed in Māʻalaea Harbor. Over a period of months, they grew into tiny oysters called “spat.”

“It was MNMRC’s goal to incorporate using Hawaiian oysters, which are native to Hawaiʻi, for this project starting in December 2020. And here they were, appearing on our cages,” noted Hodges. “These baby oysters were truly a gift from nature.”

MNMRC coordinated with the Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Center (PACRC) in Hilo, a project of the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, to follow the right protocol to safely collect and ship these oysters to PACRC for spawning and propagation. The State of Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture office on Maui inspected the oysters before they were shipped.

The tiny oysters will be well-fed and protected at PACRC, where they will spawn and their progeny will grow larger more quickly than those in the wild. They will be shipped back to Maui in December to be raised in cages as part of MNMRC’s oyster bioremediation project.

MNMRC expects to receive about 3,000 mature Hawaiian oysters from PACRC by the end of 2020.

Hodges explains that oysters are extremely effective natural filter feeders, with each oyster capable of filtering 40 to 60 gallons of water per day, removing sediment and other pollutants. “Our goal is to use the oysters to improve the ocean water quality to Māʻalaea Bay, to provide cleaner, healthier water for the coral reefs and local fish populations,” says Hodges. “The goal is to make Māʻalaea Bay a better place for fishing, paddling, surfing, swimming and beach days for the entire community. We’re glad to have the oysters ‘volunteering’ to help us reach that goal.”

When MNMRC launched its project in early 2020, the team installed cages of Pacific oysters, which are commonly found throughout Hawai‘i, but are not native. The Pacific oysters are larger than Hawaiian oysters and are triploids, meaning they are sterile and cannot reproduce. After seeing that the Pacific oysters survived the polluted water in which they were placed, and the Hawaiian oysters appeared on the oyster cages,  MNMRC’s team decided to go forward with including smaller native Hawaiian oysters in the project, using oyster spat gathered from Māʻalaea Bay. “We believe that these oysters are well suited to the unique conditions of this area,” said Hodges.

All of the oysters are being used to clean polluted water and are unsafe to eat. The oysters may carry Vibrio bacteria which can cause watery diarrhea, often accompanied by abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills. Vibrio is a naturally occurring bacteria and can be found in warm coastal waters and harbors, where it infects oysters.

The cages housing the oysters are clearly marked with warning tags stating, “Toxic. Do Not Eat. Research in Progress. Do Not Remove. Maui Nui Marine Resource Council.”

It is illegal to catch, take, kill, possess, remove, sell, or offer for sale oysters or clams from the waters of the state of Hawai‘i according to fishing regulations HAR 13-83 and HAR 13-85. Violators shall be punished as provided by law. Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is permitted through the State of Hawai‘i for its oyster project.

Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is a community-based nonprofit organization celebrating 12 years of working for healthy coral reefs, clean ocean water and abundant native fish throughout Maui County. MNMRC’s work includes co-managing the Hui O Ka Wai Ola Ocean Water Quality Monitoring Program in South and West Maui, efforts to reduce pollution in Mā‘alaea Bay through erosion-control efforts in the Pōhākea watershed, coral reef research, visitor education programs and more. Learn more at www.mauireefs.org.

Support for this project was provided by Hawaii Tourism through the Aloha ʻĀina program and the County of Maui Mayorʻs Office of Economic Development. 

 

 

 

Hawaiian oysters collected under permit in Mā‘alaea Harbor by Maui Nui Marine Resource Council will be propagated at the Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Center in Hilo, and their progeny returned to Maui as part of an oyster bioremediation project to help improve ocean water quality in Mā‘alaea Bay. Photo credit: Maui Nui Marine Resource Council

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The tiny Hawaiian oysters first appeared as spat (baby oysters) on the outside of cages that Maui Nui Marine Resource Council had installed in the harbor. “It almost seems like they were ʻvolunteeringʻ to be part of our project,” says Amy Hodges, Programs and Operations Manager at Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. Photo credit: Maui Nui Marine Resource Council.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 A bag of 100 tiny oysters was collected under State of Hawai‘i permit, then inspected by the Department of Agriculture on Maui, before shipment to the Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Center in Hilo, to be raised under ideal conditions for spawning and propagation. Photo credit: Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. 

 

Scientists to Study “Molokini Without Tourists”

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Maui Nui Marine Resource Council Helping to Raise Funds
 to Support This Once-in-a-Lifetime Research Opportunity

According to a 2007 report published in the scientific journal Ecological Applications, Molokini Marine Life Conservation District was considered the most effective marine protected area in Hawaiʻi1,2. However, during the past decade, Molokini’s ecosystem health has declined, likely related to pressures from intensive tourism at this mid-ocean reef system3,4.

During this time of COVI D-19, when tourism is switched off and there are no tour boats or snorkelers at Molokini, there is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study how human activity impacts marine life in the Molokini Marine Life Conservation District.

The question: now that there is no tourism, is the wildlife changing how it uses the reserve?

“Molokini Crater is one of the most dramatic natural areas in the main Hawaiian Islands, and harbors coral reefs as well as fishes, sharks, manta rays and other wildlife,” says Maui resident Russell Sparks, Aquatic Biologist, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources on Maui. “Under normal conditions, tourism activity is very high at Molokini, with diving and snorkeling boats visiting continually. Now, there is no tourism.”

“How have important species changed their use of Molokini’s reef habitats in the absence of tourism?” asks Sparks. “We now have the opportunity to find out.”

Led by Sparks, a small team of scientists with expertise in animal tracking, underwater survey methods, wildlife ecology and past Molokini research experience is hoping to answer this question.

The team of Hawaiʻi-based scientists has extensive experience with coral reef ecology and animal movement studies in the Hawaiian Islands: Kevin Weng, Associate Professor at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science; Alan Friedlander, Chief Scientist, Pristine Seas, National Geographic Society, and director of the Fisheries Ecology Research Lab at the University of Hawaiʻi; and Whitney Goodell, National Geographic Fellow and marine ecologist with the Fisheries Ecology Research Lab, University of Hawaiʻi.

Friedlander has studied Molokini extensively and is the co-author of five research publications on Molokini conducted in collaboration with the Maui Division of Aquatic Resources.

The scientists plan to work at Molokini this summer (May and June) to conduct diver surveys of fishes and other wildlife. They will install a network of tracking receivers and tag animals with telemetry devices. Vessel activity will be counted using a time-lapse camera. This builds on previous work conducted by Friedlander’s lab in collaboration with the Maui Division of Aquatic Resources1,2,3,4 and offers a unique opportunity to compare current conditions with a robust, existing baseline.

The local nonprofit Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is raising funds for the team of scientists to conduct this study. The organization has set up a GoFundMe page for this project at gofundme.com/f/molokini-during-covid-19-research-study.

“Molokini is normally visited by 1,000 tourists every day and is one of the most visited marine protected areas in the world,” reports Robin Newbold, Co-founder and Chair of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. “Many Maui residents are wondering what’s happening there now that the tourists are gone. We’re excited that these scientists have stepped forward to collect data relating to this important question.”

Newbold explains that the scientists are donating their time and resources for this study and have organized some parts of the expedition. However, they require support in a number of areas, since the urgent nature of the project has prevented the normal routes of science funding and planning.

The scientists have permits to travel and go to work at Molokini. They have a boat and captain, science equipment and telemetry tags ready to go.

As of July 15, they are seeking the use of a car or rental car, and a place to park an 18 foot boat overnight and when not in use. If you can help, please email [email protected].

“On behalf of the scientists, we are asking for help from the community for this project,” says Newbold. “Perhaps you have a car that’s not being used that you could share with the researchers.”

“We also welcome cash donations,” says Newbold. “100% of the donations collected by Maui Nui Marine Resource Council for this project will go directly to this research.” To donate, visit GoFundMe at gofundme.com/f/molokini-during-covid-19-research-study.

Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization working for healthy coral reefs and clean ocean water for Maui’s nearshore areas. To learn more, visit www.mauireefs.org.
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1 Friedlander AM, Brown EK, Monaco ME. 2007. Coupling ecology and GIS to evaluate efficacy of marine protected areas in Hawaii. Ecological Applications 17:715-730.

2 Friedlander AM, Donovan MK, Koike H, Murakawa P, Goodell W. 2019. Characteristics of effective Marine Protected Areas in Hawai‘i. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. Aquatic Conservation, 29(S2):103-117. DOI: 10.1002/aqc.3043

3 Filous, A., Friedlander, A.M., Koike, H., Lammers, M., Wong, A., Stone, K. and Sparks, R.T., 2017. Displacement effects of heavy human use on coral reef predators within the Molokini Marine Life Conservation District. Marine Pollution Bulletin 121:274-281.

4 Filous A, Friedlander A, Wolfe B, Sparks R. 2017. Movement patterns of reef predators in a small isolated Marine Protected Area with implications for resource management. Marine Biology, 164(1). DOI: 10.1007/s00227-016-3043-3

Photo credit:
 Molokini photographed by Bossfrog, 4 December 2015, under Creative Commons, via Wikipedia.

Free Oct. 7 Webinar by Daniel Amato, Ph.D. on “Sewage Impacts on Hawaiʻi’s Coastlines: Past, Present and Future”

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What will determine the future impacts of sewage on Hawai’i’s nearshore ecosystems and public health? Learn more at a free Zoom webinar titled “Sewage Impacts on Hawaiʻi’s Coastlines: Past, Present and Future” by Daniel Amato, Ph.D., which will include recent research and latest information on Hawaiʻi’s wastewater saga. The webinar will take place on Wednesday October 7 at 5:30 pm and is free and open to the public. It is presented by Maui Nui Marine Resource Council as part of their monthly “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series.” Advance reservations are recommended as the Zoom webinar is limited to 100 attendees. Make your free reservation at https://bit.ly/MauiSewage

“My talk will share reports on how injection wells and cesspools continue to pollute Hawaiʻi’s waters, with an emphasis on recent Maui studies,” says Dr. Amato. ”I will also present recent decisions from the Hawaiʻi State Legislature and the current status of their effort to phase out cesspools.”

Dr. Amato will also discuss the current situation with sewage pollution in Hawai’i, and will present community efforts and new technological developments in sewage detection that show promise for the future.

A water quality specialist, Dr. Amato’s professional work focuses on the detection and impacts of land-based pollution in the Pacific Ocean and the development of new technology to assist in detecting the DNA of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) in the water.Dr. Amato is a Marine Research Specialist at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa, an Environmental Scientist at Element Environmental LLC, and serves as the coordinator for Surfrider-Oahu’s Blue Water Task Force.

“We are offering this webinar by Dr. Amato to share important information about sewage and its impact on Maui’s coastlines, including ocean water quality and our nearshore coral reefs,” says Amy Hodges, Programs and Operations Manager at Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. “It’s a critically important topic, at a time when our coral reefs need the benefit of clean ocean water, to survive the impacts of climate change and warming water.”

“We thank the County of Maui Mayorʻs Office of Economic Development for supporting our Know Your Ocean Speaker Series,” says Hodges.

For reservations for this talk, visit https://bit.ly/MauiSewage.

About Maui Nui Marine Resource Council:
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is a community-based nonprofit organization celebrating 12 years of working for healthy coral reefs, clean ocean water and abundant native fish throughout Maui County. Our work includes co-managing the Hui O Ka Wai Ola Ocean Water Quality Monitoring Program in South and West Maui, efforts to reduce pollution in Mā‘alaea Bay (through erosion-control efforts in the Pohakea watershed and using oysters to filter sediment and pollutants from ocean water), coral reef research, visitor education programs and more. Learn more at www.mauireefs.org.