HonoluluAdvertiser.com | Honolulu Man, Land & Sea Front

Ocean ecosystem (Oct 25, 2009)
One of my favorite activities is snorkeling — being able to see up close and breathe underwater as well as interact with the marine ecosystem thrills the little kid inside of me.

Living green (Oct 25, 2009)
I was born and raised in Hawaii and I cannot help but love the environment. We are at a point in this global economic crisis that we are going to have to work to keep our environment beautiful.

Island living (Oct 25, 2009)
Living on an island, you should already realize that we are surrounded by water and what that means.

Ocean resources (Oct 25, 2009)
Conserving Hawaii's ocean resources is of utmost importance and not only for the enjoyment of kamaaina or because of the tourism industry, but because it feeds us.

Protecting reefs (Oct 25, 2009)
For years, Hawaii has been known and recognized for its amazing reefs, which in the past were teeming with fish and coral species. But now our damaging habits such as overfishing, pollution, anchoring and walking on reefs have taken an extremely high toll.

Raise awareness (Oct 25, 2009)
As the Native Hawaiians believed, we must take care of the land because it takes care of us.The land is our home, and as with all other privileges, if we abuse it, we lose it. Most people don't give a thought about where natural resources such as water come from. But as time goes on, our reliance on the resources is growing, while supply is diminishing.

Care for the land (Oct 25, 2009)
"The American public just like your teenage kids, aren't acting in a way that they should act. " U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said, regarding greenhouse-gas emissions. Hawaii acts like a spoiled child when it comes to taking care of our oceans. We want our Daddy, Uncle Sam, to fix our problems.

Raise awareness (Oct 25, 2009)
Over the last few years, public awareness of the ocean has grown. New legislation has been passed to help further protect our reefs and to prevent overfishing. Unfortunately, this legislation is not perfect. So we must continue to allow laws to change, when concerns arise.

Protect our reefs (Oct 25, 2009)
Hawaii's beautiful coral reefs will soon be extinct if no action is taken to protect them. For years there have been warnings and messages given about the effects pollution will have on our oceans and reefs, but many have failed to heed that call. You don't have to be a marine biologist to know that after years of pollution, the reefs will be damaged, or even worse, completely dead. People have either been ignorant or too stubborn to do anything about the situation. We all tend to think that one person won't make a difference, when the truth is, he or she can.

Nine protected areas along the West Hawai'i coastline have been set aside to nurture new generations of yellow tangs, a popular aquarium fish.

Protecting yellow tang (Oct 18, 2009)
A network of nine protected areas along the West Hawaii coastline is nurturing new generations of yellow tang to stock local reefs and aquariums around the world.

Once-vibrant reefs are gone (Oct 18, 2009)
The best place to see vibrant coral reefs in Maalaea may be at the Maui Ocean Center. The popular aquarium displays an abundant range of marine life that no longer exists in the adjacent bay, which has experienced a total collapse of its underwater ecosystem in recent years, due largely to human impacts.

Several months after the October 2006 sedimentation event, biologists reported that reefs off Kohala Coast remained covered in silt.

Reef overwhelmed by land runoff (Oct 18, 2009)
State aquatic biologist Bill Walsh was conducting an underwater survey off the Kohala Coast of the Big Island three years ago when he came upon "a dead zone" where a thick blanket of brown muck had settled on centuries-old coral reef.

Turtle at Lae o Kuikui, Kaho'olawe. Since fishing is banned around the island, the area has become a nursery of the sea.

Replanting revives island's ecosystems (Oct 18, 2009)
A traditional mauka-to-makai approach to restoring the scarred landscape of Kahoolawe is reducing erosion and sedimentation in nearshore waters, clearing the way for new coral growth and a healthier marine environment.

Small community heeds hui's values (Oct 18, 2009)
If it's October, then the nenue can be expected to start spawning at Moomomi, according to the Pono Fishing Calendar, which guides the nearshore harvest at the remote bay on northwest Molokai.

Hawaii fishers at odds over what to do about declining catches (Sep 27, 2009)

Minimum size restrictions for three popular reef fish species is building on the mistrust between segments of the fishing community and scientists and conservationists concerned about the impacts of fishing on Hawai'i's reefs.

Visitors helped Aug. 15 at one of Hui Malama o Pupukea-Waimea's regular fish surveys at Shark's Cove, handing their results to volunteer staffer Drew Wheeler.

Community vital part of saving Hawaii reefs (Aug 23, 2009)

If Malama Maunalua succeeds in its grass-roots effort to restore the health of Maunalua Bay, the project is expected to serve as a general framework for other Hawaii communities trying to stem the deterioration of their coastal marine environments.

Cleanup efforts at Maunalua Bay, above, and Kaua'i's Ha'ena Beach, below.

Communities key to reef protection (Aug 23, 2009)
When Angie Hofmann started doing volunteer work for a marine conservation program in 2003, most tourists she talked to knew little or nothing about Hawai'i's reefs. Once she gave her pitch, though, the visitors usually got the message: The reefs are the foundation for the nearshore ecosystem and need protection from a variety of threats, most linked to human activities.

From pristine reefs to coral wastelands (Jul 26, 2009)

The scientific projections are ominous. If substantial steps aren't taken globally to counter the effects of climate change, reefs in Hawai'i and around the world eventually could become coral wastelands, decimated by increasingly acidic and warming ocean

Enforcing conservation rules a challenge (Jun 28, 2009)
The 120 or so state officers charged with protecting and policing Hawai'i's natural resources face a daunting challenge. Their kuleana is vast — more than 750 miles of coastline (fourth longest in the U.S.) and millions of acres of ocean, land and coral reefs.

A state Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement patrol boat prepares to inspect a small fishing boat. DOCARE officers on patrol regularly conduct safety inspections.

Few patrol vast area to protect Isle waters (Jun 28, 2009)

A team of four state conservation and resource enforcement officers waited to board a 36-foot rigid-hull inflatable vessel as it eased off a trailer into the brown, soupy water of the Ma'alaea Small Boat Harbor for a routine patrol off the coast of South Maui.

Runoff and sediment are destroying Moloka'i's reef. This is what the South Moloka'i shoreline looked like in December 2007, after a heavy rainstorm.

Moloka'i's reef is choking to death (Jun 01, 2009)

It also is a vital marine and cultural resource. Experts say South Moloka'i's reef flat —the wide, shallow section closest to shore — probably is the most productive in the main Islands for harvesting of reef fish and invertebrates.

Lance Otsubo, left, and Jason Hijirida checked a roi's weight at yesterday's tournament, which collected 319 invasive fish.

Divers target invasive species (Jun 01, 2009)

Spear fishermen bagged more than 300 fish during yesterday's Roi Round-up Dive Tournament targeting three invasive species that threaten the health of Maui's reefs.

Protecting ocean reefs requires effort on land (May 31, 2009)
Before East Honolulu was paved over to build houses, stormwater runoff from the Ko'olau mountains would be absorbed by marshlands before reaching the ocean. Now much of that water, falling on pavement and channeled by concrete storm drains and hardened stream beds, runs directly into Maunalua Bay.

Gerry Davis, a National Marine Fisheries Service official, talks about how practices on land have damaged Maunalua Bay, background, where University of Hawai'i marine biologist Robert Richmond prepares to collect a soil sample.

'Sediment is the death that keeps on killing' our reefs (May 31, 2009)

After a heavy rainstorm in December, the water at the foot of a concrete-lined stream emptying into Maunalua Bay turned an ugly chocolate color. Over several hours, an estimated 20 tons of sediment and other pollutants washed into the East Honolulu bay, and the brownish-red plume extended seaward about the length of two football fields.

On the slopes of Haleakala, severe erosion is the result of wild goats eating away grassy ground cover.
Leeward Haleakala Watershed Restoration Partnership.

Ancient tradition may be way to save reefs (May 31, 2009)
The ancient Hawaiians had it right. They knew that what happened on land affected the sea — one of the underlying principles of their land division system.

Day-use moorings are touted as a way to help protect Hawai'i's coral, as seen at

Island reefs await extra protection (Apr 27, 2009)
Reef-protection groups are awaiting approval of federal permits to install 52 day-use mooring buoys in a continuing effort to reduce the damage caused when boat anchors crush fragile coral colonies and destroy large swaths of underwater habitat.

More than 200 kinds of sea animals have been seen in Hanauma Bay, where reefs are showing signs of regeneration.

Strict regulations benefiting Hanauma Bay preserve (Apr 27, 2009)
Before a ban on fish-feeding at Hanauma Bay took effect in 1999, a half-ton of bread was being dumped in the marine preserve's waters every day by snorkelers hoping to whip up a feeding frenzy.

This reef in Kona, seen in 2006, is considered healthy.

Hawaii reefs showing strain of overuse, lack of protection (Apr 26, 2009)
The degradation of reefs has been so dramatic in some spots off heavily developed sections of Oahu and Maui that much of the coral has died and the fish stock is largely wiped out.

Previous headlines

A diver inspects coral that was damaged by the grounding of the USS Port Royal earlier this year.

Port Royal left 'scar' in reef (Apr 02, 2009)

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources yesterday released, for the first time, underwater photos of the "substantial" reef damage it says was caused by the 3 1/2-day grounding of the guided missile cruiser USS Port Royal in February.

The Pisces V's manipulator arm takes a sample from the

7 new species of coral identified (Mar 06, 2009)
Scientists yesterday announced they have identified seven new species of bamboo coral in the deep waters of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. The discoveries resulted from a NOAA-funded research mission to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands that also found a 5-foot-tall yellow bamboo coral tree that had never been described before, new beds of deep-water coral and sponges, and a giant sponge scientists dubbed the "cauldron sponge" that is approximately 3 feet tall and 3 feet across.

The Hawai'i chapter of The Nature Conservancy co-manages Palmyra Atoll in one of the new marine national monuments.

Hawaii will have role in managing Pacific's newest monuments (Jan 07, 2009)
The selection of three Pacific areas as marine national monuments has special meaning for Hawai'i.

Divers spear 218 invasive reef fish (Dec 08, 2008)
Three species of invasive reef fish were targeted in a recent spearfishing tournament held in conjunction with the International Year of the Reef.

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