SOS Coral Reef Resource Protection Project

Marine Managed Areas: Created by the Community, For the Community.  A proven way to insure fish stocks and resources for current and future generations.

Marine Managed Areas have MANY different designations, some are Community Based Subsistence Fishing Areas; Some are Fish Replenishment and Management Areas, where certain fish are left by fisherman and collectors to recover and “seed” other areas as ocean currents take the young of these animals and spread them around the islands. Some, like the tourist hot spot Hanauma Bay on Oahu, are Marine Life Conservation Districts and are completely protected areas only open to certain activities. There are even restrictions about fish feeding, litter, and suntan lotion.  

Management of Natural Marine Resources is Imperative!

In traditional Hawai'i, the Konohiki, or caretakers, managed natural resources on sections of land from the mountains to the open ocean referred to as an Ahupua'a. This wise conservation system prevented exploitation, pollution, and extinction of marine and terrestrial plants and animals. This also allowed a large population to take what they needed for sustenance without altering the islands ecological balance.

The focus research areas include:

Makua (Tunnels) to Ke’e, North Shore: Including the heavily tourist impacted Ke’e and Makua Beaches                

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.)Koloa Landing to Lawai Bay, South Shore: This naturally protected area is very close to the heavily tourist impacted areas of Poipu and Lawai Beach.

3.)  HANALEI

3.)  KALIHIWAI

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because of their limited access, the nearby costal ecosystems fronting these survey sites have remained relatively unspoiled as compared to the surrounding Kauai beaches.

Contemporary marine resource management promotes improved environmental, cultural, and economic well-being of these areas and their inhabitants. Community education and coral reef monitoring generates baseline information, raises local awareness of marine related issues, and stimulates an interest in traditional Polynesian sustainability techniques.  Many residents depend on the reef resources to sustain their daily meals. Native gathering rights must be preserved. It is up to us to get together and make Marine Managed Areas places that promote all reef activities!

 

Goals:

Research and Marine Monitoring

1. Synthesizing and Establishing baseline information about the coral, algal, fish and invertebrate species abundance and diversity of the research areas, as well as the nearby heavily impacted coral reefs in close proximity.  Coral reef monitoring and assessment protocols are based on University of Hawai’i QUEST (Quantitative Underwater Ecological Surveying Techniques), CRAMP (Coral Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program, SOS Ocean Pulse, REEF, & Reef Check.

2. Monitoring the green sea turtle populations with an analysis of food sources, turtle size, distribution, health (fibropapilloma tumors), and an analysis of the sites based upon the parameters used by green turtles in their selection of adequate nesting habitat.

3. Monitoring resident monk seal populations with NOAA/DLNR and community volunteers

4. Examining baseline data of zooxanthellae (symbiotic algae) types in conjunction with a Columbia University global warming study.

5. Utilizing the Sierra Clubs’ “Blue Water Task Force” protocol for Hands-on, measurable watershed approaches to reduce land-based pollution and sedimentation to adjacent coral reefs and associated habitats.

Community Outreach and Education

1. Providing a way for the community to invest in a sustainable future that links environmental protection, increased fish stocks, economic prosperity and community well-being.

2. Promoting awareness through community events about the importance of marine protected areas, watersheds and related ecosystem management.

3. Training volunteer residents and students with community based monitoring techniques to effectively monitor coral reefs, turtles, and monk seals.

4. Teaching residents to adopt positive proactive behaviors that have a positive impact on the environment surrounding them; and encouraging participation in public decisions

5. Promoting community, public, and private investments to enhance environmental quality by enabling sustainable community efforts to continue beyond the period of initial project funding.

Creative Educational Material

1. Placing educational marine signage at high traffic tourist areas. SO FAR WE HAVE HELPED PLACE OVER 10 SIGNS!

2. Documenting the entire project by digital video and producing an educational DVD for statewide community television, the internet, and other interested parties.

3. Expanding educational forums (newspaper, statewide community television, the SOS award-winning web page (www.SaveOurSeas.org), the Hawaii Coral Reef Network (www.coralreefnetwork.com), newsletters and the archives of the NTBG, Bishop Museum, and Kauai Public libraries) to serve as an outreach tools for the compilation and distribution of the projects findings to the community, resource managers, local resource groups and visitors.  This data will be utilized in the development of future management protocols.

4. Distributing outreach materials to local tour companies (tour boat, SCUBA, snorkeling and kayak operations) to facilitate a better understanding of coral reefs, green sea turtles, monk seals and the importance of these coastal areas as critical habitats. NEED OUTREACH and EDUCATION MATERIALS? CONTACT SOS!

SOS@SaveOurSeas.Org

Marine Conservation LINKS!

Ina malama kakou i ke kai, na ke kai e malama ia kakou.

If WE take care of the sea, the sea will take care of us.

Community Awareness about Marine Managed Areas on Kaua’i

MARINE PROTECTED AREA INFO from CORAL

Science of Protected Areas from Pew (PDF File)

Please Watch... SHIFTING BASELINES

Marine Protected Areas in Hawaii. Distributed March 9, 2005. Downloadable in two parts: Part 1: Main document (14 pages, PDF format, approx. 12.9 MB)
Part 2: Center-spread map (PDF format, approx. 2.2 MB)

Social Science Methods for Marine Protected Areas

An Overview for MPA Managers and Staff

 

NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS) is dedicated to creating innovative products that enlighten students

 

MPA News, the newsletter on planning and management of marine protected areas (MPAs). 

 

We have general information about marine protected areas available from the Information and Tools section. (http://www.mpa.gov/information_tools/fact_sheets.html)  The User's Guide to Marine Protected Areas and Claifying Misconceptions about MPAs are very useful as an overview of what MPAs are and are not.  We also have fact sheets, including MPA Cultural and Historic Resources and the MPA Virtual Library, that will be of general interest. 

If you'll be giving any formal presentations, the website provides annotated presentations that you can either use or adapt for your needs.  (http://www.mpa.gov/information_tools/education_workshop.html)

Management of Kaua’i’s Natural Marine Resources is Imperative!

Further Writings on MPAs and the like...

07/12/06 Where have all the big fish gone, the ones that the Kupuna talk about that they caught 10 and 20 years ago…or 20 or 30 years ago. There are areas on the other main islands that have protected zones where fish can grow big and spillover into other areas.  Why are there none of these areas on Kaua'i?

I remember spear fishing and lobster harvesting on the Kona coast right next to some protected areas and the fish and lobster were both huge! 

In the old days there was someone to watch over seasonal closures of fish in an Ahupua'a, unfortunately the Konohiki are gone and we do not have an agency that can staff someone to do this either. It is up to us now to protect us from ourselves.

If we have some areas that we do not harvest that are close to our favorite fishing spots, these areas will produce bigger fish that swim out and into the zones we fish in.

If we can come together as a community to figure out where the best spots to protect are, the state and feds will help us to manage these spots…We get to decide where these spots are, and how they are protected!

Some good spots to start might be where the tourists have already taken over and we do not fish much already.

Protecting areas works. Fish will get bigger and our catches will increase. It has been proven all over the world to work from Pacific island nations to the Mainland US.  Research if you can’t believe it, or e-mail us and we can get you some good info.

It does take some time for the reefs to recover; but it's worth the wait, and we aren't going anywhere… Let's show our kids that we care so that they and their families have big fish to brag about when they are Kupuna! If you have some good ideas about marine managed areas please let us know. 

 

There are cruise ships on Kauai 6-7 days a week.  The Super Ferry will bring over fishers from the other islands to pillage our reefs.  Gill nets with illegal mesh sizes take small fish off the reef, and spearing fish with SCUBA gear at night can take the big ones…Changes must be made soon before it's too late. Protected areas can help both fishers and the tourist industry though education and awareness. 

 

 

How many times and how many ways can people keep saying the same thing about the ocean? Journalists have been writing about it for years...over and over again, trying new and creative ways of writing so they don't bore readers. News articles for the last 10 years all echo each other. Our ocean ecosystems are in trouble! The world's marine resources are in crisis. We all want the best for our seas, yet there is obvious and blatant disregard for the environment.

 

There is less forest, less fish, and less clean water. The land and the sea have changed; ask a Kupuna, a Hawaiian elder, if you don't believe it.  Our reefs must be cared for and regulated. Where are the Konohiki, the ancient Hawaiian caretakers of the land? Someone must be responsible for managing our resources. Areas must be set aside for young fish to grow. Areas must be set aside for subsistence fishing.

Luckily, it's not too late...yet!

 

We must act now (They also said that 10 years ago )! It all comes down to us preserving, protecting and restoring our resources for future generations.  All these resources are renewable. The wildlife all will come back if we nurture it. We must insure the health of our reefs. A living reef gives our islands life.

 

Reef ecosystems already have natural stress to deal with, which makes the reduction of human impacts incredibly important. Our Oceans cannot handle a buildup of toxic compounds made by humans, like PCB’s, herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers. Our Oceans cannot withstand harvesting fish faster than they can replenish.  Coastal residents and businesses must monitor and regulate their own water pollution, which will also help with effective management of the marine environment. Alien species must be monitored and controlled, and all efforts must be made to halt the introduction of further species, which could upset the delicate balance on our reefs.

 

 If we want to continue using the ocean for our sustenance, we must be efficient in our use of it's resources for our long-term survival. We must prepare ocean communities for a time when they may be forced to utilize the coral reef to it's greatest potential.

 

Many current management practices restrict fishing, and focus on particular species or small groups of species. These strategies do not address the overall habitat associated with these species and are not appropriate for the long-term sustainability of resources.

 

Marine Managed areas are scientifically proven and culturally acceptable ways that we as a community can decide the fate of our resources. The framework is already in place and  has been tested across the globe.

 

People who use the ocean for sustenance decide and have the final say in the locations and sizes of these zones of protection.

 

Conservation of fisheries habitats are critical to sustain fisheries production. The fish and lobsters will return if we let them; bigger and more abundant. Diverse and extensive ocean habitats greatly influence the distribution and abundance of fish. Complex undisturbed habitats provide safe zones that allow interactions between many species and produce numerous and much larger fish.

 

The long term health of our families and our community is at stake. It is up to each one of us to make sure that our resources are plentiful.  Save Our Seas.

Note: You will hear this again and again until a change is made.  One person can make a difference.

Be aware. Be responsible. Be respectful.

 

If you or your organization would like to help the community design an effective Marine Managed Area please contact SOS.

 SOS@SaveOurSeas.Org