An additional 6,000 hatchery-raised sea urchins were recently placed in Kaneohe Bay on Oahu by Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources Aquatic Invasive Species team divers in the battle against invasive seaweeds that threaten to smother coral patch reefs.
An additional 6,000 hatchery-raised sea urchins were recently placed in Kaneohe Bay on Oahu by Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources Aquatic Invasive Species team divers in the battle against invasive seaweeds that threaten to smother coral patch reefs.
“This batch brings our total to more than 250,000 hatchery reared urchins released so far,” said Brian Neilson, DLNR aquatic invasive species coordinator. As a result of the urchins, “we are seeing reduction of invasive alien seaweeds in the targeted areas.”
Alien invasive seaweed has plagued Kaneohe Bay for more than three decades. In 2005, DLNR, The Nature Conservancy, and the University of Hawaii developed a two-tiered approach to the problem utilizing an ocean-going vacuum Super Sucker to remove seaweed from affected coral reefs and then introducing the native Hawaiian collector urchins (Tripneustes gratilla) to serve as a natural control measure.
DLNR since 2009 has raised the sea urchins in hatcheries at the Department’s Anuenue Fisheries Research Center on Sand Island.
“These native, herbivorous urchins maintain the areas like ocean gardeners or little goats of the sea. They keep the seaweed in check and give the corals a chance to recover,” said David Cohen, DLNR sea urchin hatchery manager.
The first release of urchins was conducted early in 2011. Urchins have been successfully released on a regular basis since.