Purpose of the project:

Maunalua Bay is a semi-enclosed coastal waterbody located on the southeast shore of the island of Oahu. As one of the five largest embayments in the State of Hawaiʻi, it is home to a diverse variety of aquatic habitat types, including open coastal waters, a barrier reef, reef crest, extensive reef flats, and boat access channels. Many local residents have strong recreational, cultural, and commercial ties to the bay: the bayfront is lined with Hawaiian outrigger canoe clubs, a boat ramp, public parks, and commercial ocean recreation operations (SCUBA, jet ski, kayak, parasail, etc).

Over the last 20 years, three species of non-native invasive benthic marine algae have expanded to cover significant portions of the reef flat and interior of the bay (these are: gorilla ogo [Gracilaria Salicornia]; leather mudweed [Avrainvillea amadelpha]; and prickly seaweed [Acanthopora spicifera], all of which are troublesome invasives in Oahu coastal waters). These fast-growing non-native algae outcompete and overgrow naturally-occurring native seaweeds and seagrasses.

Since 2007, the local environmental non-profit Mālama Maunalua has sustained an effort to remove the invasive algae and restore native benthic communities through community engagement. Known as the Huki (Hawaiian meaning ‘to pull’) Program, Mālama Maunalua has organized and led thousands of volunteers to remove invasive algae and restore native benthic seaweed and seagrasses on over 28 acres of reef flat. The organization has removed over 3.5 million pounds of invasive algae, which has been donated to area farms to be used as organic fertilizer. Mālama Maunalua has also worked with leading researchers and research institutions to test new and innovative ways to remove invasive algae, while promoting the return of native species.

The Hawaiʻi Fish Habitat Partnership is providing federal financial assistance (FY19 NFHP funds via FWS cooperative agreement) to Mālama Maunalua to 1) support algae removal community volunteer events, 2) retain four student interns, 3) clear ten acres of invasive algae using community volunteers, 4) and conduct monitoring on previously- cleared reef flat areas including metrics to evaluate invasive algae, native algae/seagrass, and fish abundance.

The work is important in a number of ways. One, the native algae that are being outcompeted is an important cultural species to the native Hawaiian community. In addition to being necessary for specific cultural practices, it is also a common food source. Two, the invasive species that are most prevalent, leather mudweed, significantly alters the local environment. Due to urban development surrounding Maunalua Bay, sedimentation and pollution are major problems. Mudweed traps and contains the pollution and sediment in the near-shore, degrading water quality, further impacting native habitat, and making the area virtually unusable for cultural and recreational practices. Three, Maunalua Bay will be the site of a large-scale coral restoration effort in 2020/2021. Corals that have shown an ability to survive warming waters will be housed on a coral platform in the bay, then be fragmented and placed throughout the bay to facilitate reef growth that will survive warming waters. Invasive algae are a serious threat to the survivability of young corals, and therefore need to be maintained to allow for the corals to have a chance. The coral planting effort is the only one in the state utilizing community support and will be the largest such effort in state history.

All restoration work is rigorously studied to track changes in the benthic community and determine program effectiveness. The bay has been mapped into 10x10m plots, with each plot’s center point assigned GPS coordinates to ensure consistent and repeatable scientific study. In 2019, over 414 plots were assessed. Each Huki event takes place in one of the 10x10m plots, with the plot being studied immediately before the event, and reassessed immediately after to identify changes in benthic cover and species coverage.
Mālama Maunalua has a data set that goes back close to a decade, as well as having data from partner organizations and researchers.

Human Interest/Community Benefit:

Maunalua Bay is adjacent to the residential neighborhoods of Hawaiʻi Kai, Portlock, and Niu Valley, which are contiguous with urban Honolulu. Over 50,000 people live in the area. Because the shoreline and reef flat are easily accessible, Maunalua Bay supports a number of popular recreational fishing opportunities. Salt-water fly-fishing is popular, as is spin casting, bait fishing, and spearfishing for jacks, bonefish, goatfish, and other locally important recreational target species. Mālama Maunalua has fostered a very active and highly visible community-based restoration effort that engages student groups, community members, native Hawaiians, and the recreational community.

In 2019 alone, Mālama Maunalua’s Huki Program saw the following outcomes:
• 2,934 volunteers;
• 2,230 of the 2,934 volunteers were students/youth;
• 71 organizations partnered to volunteer at an event;

• 64 schools or youth groups attended events;
• Over 41,000 square meters of habitat was maintained and scientifically assessed;
• 66,918 pounds of invasive algae were removed;
• 21 youth between the ages of middle school and graduate school served as interns.

Each Huki event begins with a lesson on the importance of the work they are doing, the issues surrounding invasive species, the ecology of the bay and region, and lessons on species identification. Educational Huki - those targeted specifically towards youth - begin with various lessons relevant to conservation, history, and culture. The youth also often undertake scientific lessons to provide real-world experience to what they are learning in the classroom. Several schools have ‘adopted’ 10x10m plots to use for species identification, water quality lessons, ecological studies, and to maintain and study on their own. Several students were inspired by their work with Mālama Maunalua and tailored their school science fair experiments to what they had learned at a Huki.

Further, Kapi‘olani Community College, Hawai‘i Pacific University, and the University of Hawai‘i all partner with Mālama Maunalua and conduct various studies to aid in Mālama Maunalua’s work, and to provide real-world opportunities for their students to learn. Mālama Maunalua refers to the bay as a living lab, and the various students, youth, and schools that partner with the organization to utilize it as such demonstrate the truth in that description.

Project Timeline:

October 2019 through September 2021

Economic Calculator results:

NFHAP Economic Impact Calculator
State: HI
Saltwater: Y
Administration/Technical
Services Expenditures: USD 71,130.00
Jobs: 1.344
Total Sales: USD 133,330.90 Value Added: USD 71,187.99 Income: USD 59,338.86

Partners:

(Funding partners:)
• Atherton Family Foundation
• Cooke Foundation
• Hawaiʻi Community Foundation
• Harold K. L. Castle Foundation
• Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority
• NOAA – Community-Based Restoration Program
• Omidyar Family Foundation
• City and County of Honolulu Grant-in-Aid

(Restoration partners:)
• Hawai‘i Pacific University
• Kapi‘olani Community College
• Niu Valley Middle School
• University of Hawai‘i
• Blue Zones Hawai‘i
• Lynker Technologies
• Kaiser High School
• Conservation International
• The Nature Conservancy