Hope for Hawai'i's coral reefs

The reefs circling the main Hawaiian islands are known for the abundance and variety of fish, not for their coral, which lack the color and variety of, say, the Caribbean. The coral is also in a sorry state, thanks to decades of overuse and overexploitation by a growing population, wastewater and industrial pollution, marine invasive species, disease, and bleaching. In most of my photos, the coral is dead, as in this background to a Christmas Wrasse (right): 

In this photo taken at Ke'e Beach on Kaua'i's north shore (below), you can see new coral growing on the left side, as a slow-moving durgon (in the triggerfish family) floats by. There are islands of new coral growth even inside the reef at Hanauma Bay that look much like this, and similar signs of recovery at Shark's Cove and Three Tables on O'ahu's north shore.

Marine researchers recently claimed that there is still hope for Hawai'i's coral reefs to revive, if all ocean users--snorkelers and divers, fishers, boaters, surfers, paddlers, and the companies that support them--take comprehensive steps. Researchers base evidence of area coral's ability to recover on history: after being heavily exploited after Polynesians settled about 1300, coral reefs flourished from 1400 to 1820 because Hawaiian communities used conservation strategies to protect the reef, and as they depended more and more on domesticated animals for food, reef fish--and the reefs--got a respite. Another example: the reefs of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands rebounded when the military abandoned the area after World War II (one of these islands is Midway, where a turning-point battle was fought with Japan). Everyone else left, too, and conservation initiatives and minimal  commercial activities (especially now that the area is a protected national marine monument) has led to "one of the most diverse and abundant coral reef ecosystems in the world," according to the  Honolulu Star-Advertiser ("Researchers float hope for Hawaii's coral reefs," Oct. 7, 2011--subscription required)  The lead author of the study says that this time it will take an ambitious "collaborative marine ecosystem stewardship" to restore the reef, involving no-take reserves and protection of various habitat types. 


Read the press release that announced the study's publication in an online marine science journal here.