Sustaining Hawaii’s Coral Restoration Nursery to save our coral reefs

by Erin Roh | June 10, 2019

Hawaii is home to rare and endemic coral species that are different from most around the world.

You may not know that Hawaii is home to rare and endemic coral species that are different than most corals around the world. Corals are living animals that eat, grow and reproduce. A big difference between Hawaiian coral and most other species is the slow growth rate and limited amount of coral reef space. So new coral is important in maintaining the fragile living reef environment that surrounds the Hawaiian Islands.

The Hawaii Coral Restoration Nursery on Sand Island helps protect, conserve, and nurture our rare and fragile coral reef species.

To protect both planned and unplanned impact events on Hawaiian coral reefs, the Hawaii Coral Restoration Nursery, located at the Anuenue Fisheries Research Center in Sand Island, is a state initiative under the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Aquatic Resources that helps mitigate both planned and unplanned impact events on Hawaiian coral reefs.

June 1 marks World Reef Day and the entire month of June is designated as World Oceans Month to spread awareness of the importance of coral reefs, their declining health, and what we must do to help keep our oceans sustainable.

As a part of its sustainability efforts, the Coral Nursery reached out to Hawaiian Electric to explore options to create a more energy-sustainable research center, such as using photovoltaic (PV) systems to provide energy to the multiple offices, work stations and nursery equipment. Since the coral needs to be maintained 24/7 in their tanks and nurseries, efficient energy from reliable power sources is vital. Our employees from distributed energy resources, renewable acquisition and corporate relations headed over to share more information on different programs and processes for photovoltaic systems.

Coral species are kept under special lights to help them grow.

I was fortunate to visit the nursery and, since it’s World Oceans Month, I would like to share more information on the important work that takes place at the Coral Restoration Nursery. The nursery’s program is not well-known and some of the research conducted at this facility uses groundbreaking technology and systems to help restore corals worldwide.

Being slow growers, a lot of these rare Hawaiian coral are housed in the facility to allow it to grow naturally without exposure to outside threats.

Visiting the nursery, I was excited to see some of the rare corals and local Hawaiian corals that exist. Coral in Hawaii naturally grows at an average of 1–2 centimeters a year, making them among the slowest growing corals on the planet. At the nursery, specialists utilize a fast-growth protocol that grows small fragments of coral colonies at rates of 2–3 centimeters per year. They then recombine them into larger colonies to be transplanted into the ocean in a fraction of the time it would take to grow naturally.

As we toured the nursery, I got to see a variety of coral and learn some amazing facts about the coral species native to our islands. One of my favorite parts of the tour was seeing the rare Hawaiian coral ark project. This project was designed to maintain living specimens of native and endemic coral species to serve as insurance against catastrophic events such as wide-scale bleaching, which could threaten endemic species from affected islands. Inside the tank were many different types of corals and even newly discovered corals that were so new they had not yet been given names.

Coral sticks to all kinds of surfaces, which includes rusted steel.

Through this experience, I realized the impact that energy sustainability could have on our ecological system and our ocean. Without facilities like the Hawaii Coral Restoration Nursery, our environment wouldn’t have protection against coastal development, dredging activities, vessel groundings and pollution spills.

Mahalo to this wonderful team for the tour, and for protecting our coral reefs.

As our tour came to an end, I reflected on the site visit and contemplated how we could partner with the teams of experts in Hawaii who dedicate their time to saving our environment.

It doesn’t take much to do our part. We can start by using reef-safe sunscreen. In May 2018, Hawaii became the first state in the nation to pass the “Sunscreen Law” — passing legislation that bans sunscreens containing the chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate. You can learn more about the Division of Aquatic Resources at http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dar/.

Erin Roh is a digital communications and social media specialist at Hawaiian Electric Company.