TheHuki ProjectinMaunalua Bayisalarge-scalecoastalrestorationinitiativethatseekstoclearinvasivealienalgae(IAA)fromMaunalua Bay.Thisprojectisaresponsetotherecentstablestateshiftfromanativeseagrass(Halophila hawaiiana)andlimudominatedhabitattooneoverrunbyinvasivealgae.TheyaregenerallyconsideredharmfultoHawaiiannearshoreecosystems.However,theyprovidehabitatforcrustaceans,molluscs,andmarineworms,allofwhicharepreyforlargerinvertebratespeciesandpredatoryfishes.Fishesdependonavarietyofenvironmentalfactorscurrentlyprovidedbyinvasivealgaesuchaspreyavailabilityandshelterduringlarvalstages.Asprimaryusersofthebay,localfishermencanreadilyobservechangesinnearshoreecosystemsandthisknowledgehasonlyrecentlybeenincorporatedintoscientificstudiesofMaunalua Bay.Inordertounderstandchangesinthebay,measurementsoffishpopulationdiversity,abundance,andbiomassweretakenacrossthePaiko area,literatureofregionalseagrassandinvertebratecommunitieswereexamined,andfishermenperspectivesweresurveyed.Compositionalshiftsininvertebrateassemblagescorrelatedwithmudweed removalhavebeenobserved,evidencedbydistinctcommunitiesacrosshabitattypes.Fishbiomasswasverylow,withaveragebiomassat0.57g/m2duringdaytimeobservationsand0.64g/m2duringasinglenightobservation.Fishermenidentified‘o‘io andpapio asprimarytargetspecies.Mostfishermen(89%)thoughtthatfishpopulationsaredecreasing.Werecommendfurtherresearchintotheecologyoflocalmarinefloraandfauna,alongwithgreatercollaborationwiththefishingcommunityinMaunalua Bay.

EffectsofinvasivealgaeremovalinMaunalua Bay

JaredChar,CaseyChing,RylenNakama,PaulRiley,Genelle Watkins