Aquaculture-Hawaii Aquaculture Collaborative
PI: Carmella Vizza
Wetland restoration in Hawaiʻi combines traditional Hawaiian practices, conservation, agriculture, and aquaculture, and requires public involvement and complementary research efforts for success. This project will create a place-based research program and collection of practitioners at Kalou, O‘ahu with the North Shore Community Land Trust, delivering new insight on water quality, fish populations, and ecosystem output.
Wetland restoration in Hawaiʻi combines traditional Hawaiian practices, conservation, agriculture, and aquaculture, and requires public involvement and complementary research efforts for success. This project will create a place-based research program and collection of practitioners at Kalou, O‘ahu with the North Shore Community Land Trust, delivering new insight on water quality, fish populations, and ecosystem output.
PI: Robert Toonen
Hawaiian fishpond baitfish populations have plummeted over decades, but causes are uncertain because Hawaiian estuaries are impacted by a range of threats including invasive species, habitat degradation, and global warming. This project investigates decline causes by documenting historical management knowledge, exploring state-wide fish abundance changes, and testing hypotheses related to habitat degradation and invasive competition.
Hawaiian fishpond baitfish populations have plummeted over decades, but causes are uncertain because Hawaiian estuaries are impacted by a range of threats including invasive species, habitat degradation, and global warming. This project investigates decline causes by documenting historical management knowledge, exploring state-wide fish abundance changes, and testing hypotheses related to habitat degradation and invasive competition.
PI: Andre Seale
Efforts to repopulate Hawaiian fishponds have encountered challenges, as ordinary recruitment of juvenile ʻamaʻama (striped mullet) has become unreliable and direct introduction of hatchery-raised fry has proven unsuccessful. This project tests adjusting the hatchery environment to precondition ʻamaʻama, improve their environmental tolerance, and optimize their survival and growth once introduced to the fishpond setting.
Efforts to repopulate Hawaiian fishponds have encountered challenges, as ordinary recruitment of juvenile ʻamaʻama (striped mullet) has become unreliable and direct introduction of hatchery-raised fry has proven unsuccessful. This project tests adjusting the hatchery environment to precondition ʻamaʻama, improve their environmental tolerance, and optimize their survival and growth once introduced to the fishpond setting.
PI: Andre Seale
Sea cucumbers, including the native Hawaiian sea cucumber Stichopus horrens, have become increasingly important economically, with the rise in aquaculture efforts, but the lack of reliable breeding techniques present a bottleneck in its propagation. This research aims to improve sea cucumber propagation by developing and testing hormones specific to S. horrens in controlling its spawning.
Sea cucumbers, including the native Hawaiian sea cucumber Stichopus horrens, have become increasingly important economically, with the rise in aquaculture efforts, but the lack of reliable breeding techniques present a bottleneck in its propagation. This research aims to improve sea cucumber propagation by developing and testing hormones specific to S. horrens in controlling its spawning.
PI: Lisa McManus
Recent loko iʻa (Hawaiian fishpond) restoration projects aim to rebuild their previously large role in an integrated agroecology system, increasing local fish stocks inside ponds and via beneficial spillover effects in adjacent estuaries and bays. However, with the specter of global warming, this work explores possible detrimental effects on restoration efforts and fishpond ecosystem yields.
Recent loko iʻa (Hawaiian fishpond) restoration projects aim to rebuild their previously large role in an integrated agroecology system, increasing local fish stocks inside ponds and via beneficial spillover effects in adjacent estuaries and bays. However, with the specter of global warming, this work explores possible detrimental effects on restoration efforts and fishpond ecosystem yields.