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Mutiny for the Bounty
Humans can't live under water, so we tend to overlook the fact that most life on this planet exists not on land but in the oceans. Half the world's population lives within fifty miles of a coastline; going to the beach is the number-one outdoor recreational activity for Americans. Homo sapiens could not survive without oceans, but you wouldn't know it from how we have been treating them.
Herbivore Enhancement Area to strengthen reef
At a Fish Identification Network event at Kakekili Beach in Ka'anapali in October, "finnies" learned that what they were seeing in their fish counts was evidence of how fish diversity suffers when invasive algal species take the place of endemic species in a coral reef.
"The alien algae problem can be a symptom and a cause of reef degradation," explains Darla White, a marine biologist who works with community groups to develop volunteer monitoring protocols derived from Department of Aquatic Resources (DAR) data sets.
"An Herbivore Enhancement Area (HEA) is not going to work for every reef," she explains. The health of the reef differs from site to site for different reasons." However, in some areas, enhancing the herbivore population can curtail the growth of invasive algal and restore the health of the reef, she said.
Reef woes, injuries tied to fish feeding
Until only recently, it was not uncommon for snorkelers or scuba divers to bring a can of Easy Cheese, pizza crust or peas with them on an underwater adventure. The fish would come in swarms to eat out of the swimmers' hands. But after decades of hand-feeding fish, environmentalists and charter operators said something went wrong: The fish became habituated or addicted to getting the food. Sometimes the fish were so well fed that they refused to graze off of the reefs' natural algae and seaweed.
At Waihe'e beach, healing begins at the bottom of the food chain
The Waihe'e Limu Restoration Project is the story of a dedicated Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) inspiring her community to restore a reef she came to know through the stories of her tutu wahine. Not a native of Maui herself, Barrows raised her children at Waihe'e Beach and saw what happens to the herbivorous fish population when a major food source-limu-becomes scarce. Opportunistic fish in the food chain, including sharks, fill the niche that the herbivores once occupied.
The Drowning of Hawaii
Warmer waters. Melting ice caps. Disappearing glaciers. They are all expected to raise ocean levels by 39 inches in the next century, forever reshaping Hawaii. That's using the projection of one meter, or 39 inches, of sea level rise, a figure many scientists and planners who have reviewed global climate change predictions say is likely for Hawaii.
Superferry ordered to do environmental assessment
The Hawai'i Supreme Court this afternoon ruled that the state should have conducted an environmental study on its improvements to island harbors for the Hawaii Superferry operation scheduled to start next week. The decision is a major legal setback for the Superferry, but Superferry lawyers were not immediately available for comment as to whether the operations will start as scheduled on Tuesday.
Hawaii wants study on cruise industry impact
Two state agencies are looking to hire a consultant to conduct a comprehensive study of the impact of the cruise industry on Hawai'i. The Hawai'i Tourism Authority and the Department of Transportation will pay for the study, working in collaboration with the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, and the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Sound Effects
Activists say sonar kills whales. The Navy isn't listening.
On March 16, Marsha Green, founder of the Ocean Mammal Institute and the International Ocean Noise Coalition, led a protest in Kahului against what she calls the Navy's "lawlessness." Her flyers display beached whales bathed in blood. Any arguments questioning the lethality of active sonar lost their credibility in March 2000, she says, when 17 beaked whales in the Bahamas beached themselves and died after being exposed to 150 to 160 decibel sonar.
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 Kahului Harbor Master Plan 2030
The Harbors Division is undertaking the Kahului Commercial Harbor 2030 Master Plan concurrent with its Environmental Impact Statement. These concurrent efforts will enable the master plan task force's consideration of any potential environmental impacts while planning Kahului Commercial Harbor's 2030 improvements.
Senate weakens fishermen-backed bill
A state Senate committee has gutted a fishery management bill. The new Senate version of House Bill 1848 House Draft 2 "emphasizes community participation in marine managed areas," said its author Sen. Russell Kokubun (D, Kalapana-Volcano). But that community input would not take away the state Department of Land and Natural Resources primary responsibility for managing fishing rules in state waters, the Senate version of the bill makes clear.
- Sudden ban meant to help 7 bottomfish species recover
An emergency ban on catching seven bottomfish species in the main Hawaiian Islands will take effect for five months beginning May 1. The May-September seasonal closure is supposed to help onaga, ehu, gindai, opakapaka, kalekale, lehi and hapuupuu stocks recover from overfishing, its supporters say. Both commercial and recreational fishing will be banned. During those months, the onaga or opakapaka on restaurant menus and in stores will have to come from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands or be imported.
- Climate change brews ocean trouble
Scientists tie global warming to increased upwelling of deep ocean water, which can create crippling aquatic dead zones. Evidence is starting to accumulate that global warming may contribute to – or even trigger – troubling ecological changes taking place in these key regions of coastal upwelling, where some of the world's richest fisheries exist.
- Cohesive fish policy is needed
State officials hope to increase public fishing opportunities off 'Ewa by building an artificial reef of at least 50 acres near Kalaeloa, while marine researchers are suggesting that the most important way to improve the number of marine species is simply to stop fishing in some areas by creating permanent marine reserves.
- How you can promote our oceans' sustainability and health
"The ocean is giving us so much. It's only right that we give back." So says marine biologist Hannah Bernard, co-founder in 1996 of Hawaii Wildlife Fund. Whether you're surfing, paddling, diving, fishing or just gazing at the deep blue horizon, the ocean gives us more than we give back. In fact, scientific studies locally and worldwide indicate our oceans and nearshore waters are in grave danger.
- Study considers Kahului Harbor alternatives
The Harbors Division has sketched out its alternatives to build a Kahului Harbor capable of providing for a Maui population with an estimated 200,000 residents by 2030. One version moves cruise and interisland ferry piers to the almost-unused west breakwater. The other develops the west breakwater for cargo but keeps the Hawaii Superferry at Pier 2 and cruise ships at Pier 1. Both versions call for extensions of both breakwaters and dredging to widen the turning basin and improve the entrance.
Refuting the Myths: Hawaii Superferry facts add clarity to the murky debate
by Ron Sturtz, President of Maui Tomorrow Foundation, Inc
Many people have asked that I provide a factual overview of the potential environmental impacts of the Hawaii Superferry, and the status of current legal challenges. I hope that the following facts - in response to a few well-intentioned and passionate, but misinformed letters, editorials and news reports – will be helpful to the discussion.
- Hawai‘i Fishing Groups Charge Federal Agency With Improper And Dishonest Conduct
Charges Include "Improper and Illegal Congressional Effort To Ease Fishing Restrictions In Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Monument"
- Healthy reefs may help shield against tsunami damage
Nature may be best at reef repair
Read two articles that point out the importance to all island residents of healthy offshore reef systems.
- Sand Castle
Many of Maui's beaches are disappearing at an alarming rate. Can we stop the erosion before our economy and way of life crumble into the sea?
- Energy from the motion of the ocean
If you wanted to choose the perfect location for capturing the ocean's energy, you couldn't do much better than the Oregon coast. Waves arrive there with immense power, having traveled across thousands of miles of open water with few barrier islands, reefs or other obstructions to slow them down. Starting in 2007, those massive, ceaseless waves will help light homes and businesses along the West Coast, thanks to an entrepreneur named George Taylor.
- Open Arctic Sea in Summers? Arctic Sea Ice "Faces Rapid Melt"
Read two recent articles that indicate there is trouble brewing in the Far North that has implications for coastal residents across the planet.
- Trail will ease access to ocean
A recent Hawai'i Supreme Court ruling reiterated the state's commitment to retaining as much of the shoreline as possible for use by the public.
The game is over for shoreline developers
The Hawai‘i Supreme Court has issued a ruling strongly reaffirming that the shoreline in Hawai‘i, which marks the boundary between public beach and private land, extends to the highest wash of the waves, and rejecting the use of artificially planted vegetation to determine the shoreline.
- Shark-protection efforts struggle to gain support
About 100 million sharks and their close relatives are killed each year, either deliberately or as fishermen's bycatch, according to the Shark Alliance, a five-month-old international coalition of advocacy and ocean-recreation groups.
- Troubled Seas
One report after another over the last decade has documented the degradation of the world's oceans and predicted a catastrophic decline in important fish species. But in terms of sheer gloom none compares to a recent study in the journal Science. It asserts that the progressive unraveling of entire marine ecosystems up and down the food chain could lead to the "collapse" of all commercial species, possibly by the middle of this century.
- Choosing Seafood for Healthier Oceans
Get to know where your fish comes from and how it’s caught. Seafood guides, like the ones put out by Maui's own Pacific Whale Foundation, the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Blue Ocean Institute often include this information. Avoid seafood caught using large-scale indiscriminate techniques, such as long-lines (tuna and swordfish) or bottom trawling (shrimp and cod).
- Scientists Call for Deep-Sea Trawling Ban
Scientists have called for a worldwide ban on deep-sea trawling following a major UN-backed report on the damage it is causing to vulnerable deep-sea corals. The study will provide ammunition for countries calling for a moratorium on the fishing practice on the high seas. The latest round of negotiations on the issue will begin at the UN general assembly on Friday.
- Panel approves Maui gill net ban
The state Board of Land and Natural Resources has approved a rule to ban use of lay gill nets around Maui island, although some sections of the proposed rule affecting Molokai and other islands will be subject to further public hearings.
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