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Fisheries

Illustration of three white birds sleeping in a bed with a dreamscape above their heads showing a rock wall, wooden lattice gate, and glowing fish jumping in the ocean beyond

The Three ‘Io Brothers and The Dream of Fish

by Keri Kodama One day, on the island of Oʻahu, the three ‘Io brothers were exploring an open market. There were colorful flowers, fresh fruits and vegetables, and many more exciting things for sale. They could hardly decide what to ...
2026 Grau Fellowship Final Presentations

2026 Grau Fellowship Final Presentations

Please join us for final presentations from our 2024-2026 E. Gordon Grau Coastal and Marine Resource Management and Policy Fellows, Kaleohano Farrant and Lauryn Hansen! Thursday, July 30th, 2026 8:45 - 10:00 AM At the Hawaiʻi Institute of Geophysics (HIG) ...
A dense accumulation of small, yellow, wagon-wheel-like creatures float just beneath the surface of shallow waters

Characterizing the ecological impacts, environmental drivers, and physiological tolerance of invasive upside-down jellyfish (Cassiopea spp.) in Heʻeia fishpond

 Research Projects 2026-2028 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Aimee Sato Co-INVESTIGATOR: Yoshimi Rii Graduate fellow: Jasmine Reighard Research Track: Aquaculture The invasive upside-down jellyfish (Cassiopea spp.) poses a major threat to the restoration and productivity of loko iʻa (traditional Hawaiian fishponds), necessitating extensive ...
A serene pond stretches between grass and tree-lined shorelines under a blue sky with clouds

A water quality monitoring framework for traditional Hawaiian fishponds to advance nature-based solutions in aquaculture production

 Research Projects 2026-2028 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Craig Nelson Co-INVESTIGATORS: Ann Nyambega, Kirsten Oleson Graduate fellow: Kacie Kajihara Research Track: Island Sustainability and Resilience Nature-based solutions (NbS) offer adaptive, cost-effective strategies by leveraging natural processes, but their foundational roots lie in the ...
Under a crystal blue sky, a beautiful stretch of ocean, turquoise near the beach and deep blue further from shore, reaches from a foreground white sandy beach to mounds of land on the other side of the bay

Optimizing fisheries regulations for a proposed Kailua Marine Managed Area

 Research Projects 2026-2028 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Elizabeth Madin Co-INVESTIGATOR: Annie Innes-Gold Graduate fellow: Andrew Petitt Research Track: Island Sustainability and Resilience This interdisciplinary project supports community-led efforts to establish a marine managed area (MMA) in Kailua Bay, Oʻahu, a region severely ...
Medium-sized silver fish with black fins and tails are stacked neatly in a rectangular green bin

Weaving reef health perspectives of generational lawaiʻa, marine researchers, and resource managers to strengthen collaborative caretaking of Kāneʻohe Bay

 Research Projects 2026-2028 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Rachel Dacks Co-INVESTIGATORS: Kawika Winter, Sarah Woo Graduate fellow: Kammie Tavares Research Track: Island Sustainability and Resilience This project proposes a framework for integrating Indigenous and Western knowledge systems to inform sustainable coral reef fisheries ...
Small school of about 65 oblong, blue reef fish, swims just under the surface above a rocky reef substrate

Reef Fish Contaminants

← Return to previous page PICCH Fisheries Projects How are contaminants ending up in reef fish? Contaminants appear in coral reefs through runoff, sedimentation, submarine groundwater discharge, and other mechanisms. Once present, they build up in reef fish and other ...
A plastic, blue, 4x7 grid tray holding resin-encased white thumb-pad-sized otolith samples

Reef Fish Life Histories

← Return to previous page PICCH Fisheries Projects What does Life History Mean? Species can be described by a wide range of traits, including behavioral patterns (e.g., diurnal activity, schooling size, preferred temperature in water column); morphological body types (e.g., ...
A low rocky walkway extends along one side of a waist-deep fishpond bounded by trees and built structures, with high volcanic mountains in the distance.

Harnessing local fisher knowledge to test hypotheses for estuarine fisheries decline and develop strategies for management and restoration in Hawaiʻi

 Research Projects 2024-2026 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Robert Toonen Sea Grant Graduate Fellow: Nākoa Goo Research Track: Aquaculture Hawaiian fishponds, or loko iʻa, are generally considered the most advanced of ancient aquaculture systems. By mimicking and enhancing ordinary processes, a strategy called ...
View looking at a rippled surface of semi-murky shallow waters with a school of medium-sized silvery fish amongst smaller red-tinged ones swimming near the surface.

The development of acclimation-based rearing strategies to optimize survival and growth in amaʻama or striped mullet, Mugil cephalus

 Research Projects 2024-2026 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Andre Seale Sea Grant Graduate Fellow: Reilly Merlo Research Track: Aquaculture Efforts to revitalize traditional Hawaiian fishponds aim to increase sustainable seafood generation and reduce Hawaiʻi’s reliance on importation. However, fish propagation has encountered challenges ...
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