Experts gather
to plan coral
reef protection

The isles' coral reefs are
second only to fresh water
as a vital resource

By Helen Altonn
Star-Bulletin

Experts from around the world are here to help Hawaii develop a plan to protect its 410,000 acres of coral reefs.

They rank second only to fresh water as the state's most critical environmental resource, says William S. Devick, Division of Aquatic Resources acting administrator, state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

"Our entire (marine) system depends on it," he said, pointing out that coral reefs provide a home and food for fish, help prevent coastal erosion and are a major tourist attraction.

Coral experts from the mainland and other countries have joined local marine scientists and ocean resource managers at a three-day international coral workshop. It opened Tuesday at the East-West Center.

Participants are discussing ways to measure changes within the reefs and to protect and maintain the resources.

If procedures carried out here are successful, it's hoped they will be applied to coral reefs elsewhere, said James E. Maragos, senior fellow in the center's environment program and conference co-chairman with Devick.

One goal is to establish techniques to find out exactly how much of Hawaii's coral is endangered, Maragos said.

Devick said it's estimated that about 90 percent of the reefs are in good shape. The other 10 percent are in the state's most popular and frequented areas, he said.

While that's "the best professional guess," Maragos said, "I personally feel more than 10 percent is degraded here."

The main threats, he said, are overfishing and pollution from sewage or other sources.

In Florida, about $1 million was spent to develop coral reef sanctuaries in the Florida Keys, said James Bohnsack, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration research fishery biologist in Miami.

"We're talking pennies on the dollar to protect our revenue strength," he said, pointing out that more than $1 billion is generated in tourist revenue annually in the Keys.

"It's just part of doing business," he said. "We have to convince legislators that we have to monitor our resources."

The economic value of Hawaii's coral reefs is estimated at more than $400 million annually, not including fisheries revenue, Devick said.

He said the Department of Land and Natural Resources has about $200,000 to begin a monitoring system.

Maragos said monitoring is being done by different people, "but the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing."

The department has identified 25 natural resource hot spots, including nine with coral reefs.

They are: Na Pali Coast and Hanalei Bay, Kauai; Kaneohe Bay, Hanauma Bay and Waikiki, Oahu; Kaanapali shore waters, the South Maui shoreline and Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve, Maui; and the Big Island's Kona coast.

Concerns include introduction of alien species, overcollections of aquarium fish, boating, coastal developments with runoff and loss of nursery grounds, diver damage, introduction of foreign substances (runoff, diseases, algae blooms), overfishing and illegal fishing and pollution and sedimentation.