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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. 

 

Maui Now: Oyster Project Launched on Maui to Improve Water Quality

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An innovative pilot project that uses oysters to improve water quality at Maui’s Māʻalaea Harbor was launched on Friday by the Maui Nui Marine Resource Council.

“Today we’re starting with 518 oysters–is the final count. We have the Pacific Oyster–which is the common species that’s with us today. It was born and raised in Hilo… at the Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Center,” said Amy Hodges, Programs Manager for the Maui Nui Marine Resource Council.

Oysters are used around the world to help improve water clarity and quality, allowing for sunlight penetration, which is important for corals and other animals. Read the full article:

Oyster Pilot Project Launched on Maui to Improve Water Quality

Free Presentation on “Proposed Use of Oysters for Water Quality Improvement in Ma’alaea Harbor”

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The public is invited to a free presentation on a proposed plan to use oysters to improve ocean water quality in Ma’alaea Harbor during Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s monthly meeting on Wednesday, December 5, from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm.

The presentation will be offered by Rhiannon “Rae” Tereari‘i Chandler-‘Īao, Executive Director and O‘ahu Waterkeeper for Waiwai Ola Waterkeepers Hawaiian Islands. It will take place at Pacific Whale Foundation’s classrooms at the Ma’alaea Harbor Shops, 300 Ma’alaea Road. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.

Oysters are filter feeders that remove pollutants from the water column including sediment, bacteria, heavy metals, PCBs, oil, microplastics, oxybenzone, and other harmful sunscreen-related chemicals. Oysters also digest the type of bacteria that cause skin-borne illnesses such as Staph and MRSA. These oysters are for restoration, they cannot be consumed. Oysters for consumption are grown in clean water only.

Oysters are currently at work in harbor waters of New York and New Jersey, where Waterkeeper Alliance member projects have installed more than 42 million oysters to help clean the water and protect the coastline from wave action. Similar efforts are also being employed in Baltimore’s Chesapeake Bay to improve ocean water quality.

Pacific oysters, the type of oyster considered for the pilot project in Ma’alaea Harbor, were originally introduced by the State in the 1950’s and 1960’s and are found in locations throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Adult Pacific oysters can filter more than 50 gallons of water per day. The proposed pilot project would involve the installation of approximately 1,000 oysters in cages beneath the docks of Ma’alaea Harbor away from boat traffic. Trained staff and volunteers will monitor the oysters to evaluate survival rates and their success in improving water quality. At the end of one year, the pilot project will yield a report to help determine the feasibility of expanding the project within the harbor.

“In 2017, Hawai‘i’s Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) conducted a successful grow trial using Pacific oysters,” says Chandler-‘Īao “This DAR study, conducted in West Loch, demonstrated the oysters’ ability to remove various pollutants water column. We’re excited to see what is possible to improve conditions in Ma‘alaea Harbor.”

Maui Nui Marine Resource Council (MNMRC) is partnering with Waiwai Ola Waterkeepers Hawaiian Islands to conduct the one-year pilot oyster project in Ma’alaea Harbor. The project is part of MNMRC’s overall plan to address land-based impacts to water quality in Ma’alaea Bay.

Recently, MNMRC commissioned and funded a study of the watershed that drains into Ma’alaea Harbor. With the study in hand, the nonprofit is now evaluating recommendations for action steps, and will be selecting those that can be implemented in 2019 and beyond. “We are looking at ways we can work upslope to improve water quality throughout Ma’alaea Bay,” notes Amy Hodges, Programs Manager at Maui Nui Marine Resource Council, who has been meeting with local landowners, MECO, Hawai‘i’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Ma’alaea Community Association, and others to talk about ocean water quality in Ma’alaea.

“Ma’alaea Bay is home to a popular surf break, beaches, a sea turtle feeding area, fishing areas, and coral reefs both inside and outside the harbor,” says Hodges. “Improving water quality in the harbor will benefit recreational users of the area and help marine wildlife.”

At the meeting, MNMRC will provide information on new volunteer opportunities associated with this project, including helping MNMRC regularly monitor the oysters and clean the cages to remove excess algae.

Doors will open at 5 pm, with complimentary holiday-themed refreshments. The presentation will begin at 5:30 pm and will include time for questions and comments from the public. To learn more, visit www.mauireefs.org.

About our presenter:
Rhiannon “Rae” Tereari‘i Chandler-‘Īao serves as the Executive Director and O‘ahu Waterkeeper for Waiwai Ola Waterkeepers Hawaiian Islands. She earned a B.A. in Ethnic Studies from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa in 2004. After graduating from William S. Richardson School of Law in 2016 with certificates in both Native Hawaiian Rights Law and Environmental Law, she worked as a Post J.D. Research & Teaching Fellow at Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law. Prior to attending law school, Rhiannon served as the Executive Director of the environmental non-profit organization Community Work Day Program, d.b.a. Mālama Maui Nui. While on Maui, she served as a member of the Maui County Cultural Resources Commission, the Maui Nui Marine Resource Council, and the Steering Committee of Ka Ipu Kukui Fellows Leadership Program.

About Maui Nui Marine Resource Council:
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is a nonprofit organization based on Maui, dedicated to healthy coral reefs, clean ocean water and abundant native fish. Founded in 2007, Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is celebrating its 11th anniversary this year. Some of the organization’s accomplishments include:

• Formation of Maui Coral Reef Recovery Team and the Maui Coral Recovery Plan, the first of its kind in the state.

• Forming Community Managed Makai (CMMA) areas, in which local residents work together to manage their marine resources.

• Creating Hui O Ka Wai Ola in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and West Maui Ridge to Reef. This volunteer citizen-based ocean water quality testing program is now in its 2nd year of testing ocean water quality at 39 locations along Maui’s south and west shorelines every 3 weeks.

To learn more, visit www.mauireefs.org