Research

Feed me! How examining larval diets could be a game-changer for aquaculture
by Cassie Kaʻapu-LyonsNext time you visit your local pet store, take a look at the fishes. Many of the freshwater fishes available to you have been bred and raised in captivity, but most marine fishes have been harvested from the ...

In the zone: How salinity research can aid native Hawaiian plants
by Anna H McCormickThe islands of Hawaiʻi are approximately 2,000 miles from the nearest continental landmass, making them some of the most isolated islands in the world. There are approximately 1,400 plant taxa that are considered native, with 90 percent ...

Must like long walks on the beach
Must like long walks on the beach by Marcus PengA day of surveying starts with arriving in Waikīkī early in the morning. As I sit down at the Starbucks Reserve store with a coffee, I start to plan out the ...

Tracing the Pollution Problem
by Shayla WaikiWho would have ever thought that the little girl who grew up playing in the waters around Hawaiʻi Island would soon be doing research along those very shorelines that were so influential to her? I was raised in ...

Research and education to support development of open-water restorative and production aquaculture in Hilo Bay
Research Projects 2022-2024 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Maria Haws Co-INVESTIGATORS: Karla J. McDermid Smith Research Track: Aquaculture The Hilo Bay Research and Training Farm is one of the few open-water, near-shore examples of mariculture in Hawaiʻi distinct from Hawaiian fishponds. Since its ...

Resolving the diet of marine fish larvae to increase aquaculture opportunities
Research Projects 2022-2024 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Brian Bowen Sea Grant Graduate Fellow: Cassie Kaʻapu-Lyons Research Track: Aquaculture The majority of the freshwater fishes in the pet store are raised in captivity on fish farms, while the vast majority of the marine ...

Working towards sustainability of Hawaiʻi’s nearshore fisheries through characterizing and modeling fisheries regulation effects
Research Projects 2022-2024 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Elizabeth Madin Co-INVESTIGATORS: Kirsten Oleson, Lisa McManus, Zack Rago, Annie Innes-Gold Research Track: Interdisciplinary Nearshore fisheries provide extremely important services for coastal communities. However, nearly 25 percent of these fisheries, globally, have collapsed from widespread ...

Using natural capital accounting to embed climate impacts into routine decision-making
Research Projects 2022-2024 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Kirsten Oleson Research Track: Interdisciplinary Traditional economic indicators underestimate the value of marine ecosystems, despite their importance to people as sources of food, livelihood, and recreation. This undervaluation often leads to coastal management decisions that ...

Resource habitat mapping and diet characterization of native and non-native mullet species to inform adaptive management in He‘eia Fishpond
Research Projects 2022-2024 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Shimi Rii Co-INVESTIGATORS: Rosanna Alegado, Kawika Winter Research Track: Aquaculture Moʻolelo (Hawaiian oral traditions) speak of Meheanu, the moʻo or reptilian freshwater guardian of Heʻeia Fishpond, who functioned as the bringer of abundance by moving ...

Next generation husbandry for resilient coral reef restoration in Hawaiʻi
Research Projects 2022-2024 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Crawford Drury Research Track: Aquaculture Coral reefs are important ecosystems that support marine diversity, but they are threatened by multiple stressors, including climate change. Among these stressors, increasing temperatures are particularly dangerous and lead to ...