Hawai‘i State Senate Urges Use of USGS Findings to Preserve Health of South Moloka‘i Coral Reef

May 2009

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Above: Cover of USGS report recently honored by a concurrent resolution of support by the Hawai‘i State Senate. [larger version]

The Hawai‘i State Senate has adopted a resolution "expressing support for the United States Geological Survey report, ‘The Coral Reef of South Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i: Portrait of a Sediment-Threatened Fringing Reef,' and encouraging Federal, State, and community cooperation to steward the South Moloka‘i fishery." The report, USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5101, has received numerous accolades since it was published November 2008.

The concurrent resolution was passed by the Hawai‘i State Senate on March 6, 2009, and is moving toward adoption in the State House of Representatives. Here are some excerpts:

"…In ancient times the people of the island of Moloka‘i were known for producing abundant quantities of food, so much so that the island and its surrounding waters were known as ‘Aina Momona,'meaning ‘abundant land.'…. The South Moloka‘i Reef has been a key resource for the maintenance of the island's wealth as a food producer, as evidenced by the 50-plus traditional Hawaiian fishponds that still mark its shoreline, as well as the enduring fishing traditions that continue to sustain the people of Moloka‘i…[but] modernization and abandonment of traditional resource management have led to a severe decline of Moloka‘i's fishery…and a century of cattle grazing, goat foraging, and other land-use practices have caused severe sedimentation that negatively impacts the South Moloka‘i Reef…. In 1999, the United States Geological Survey began an indepth study of the sedimentation crisis on the South Moloka‘i Reef…culminating in the 2008 publication of a report, ‘The Coral Reef of South Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i: Portrait of a Sediment-Threatened Fringing Reef.'

"…The Legislature expresses support of the use of the scientific findings as presented in the United States Geological Survey report…and traditional Hawaiian conservation practices to preserve the health of the South Moloka‘i Reef…. The Legislature expresses its appreciation for the efforts of the United States Geological Survey scientists, researchers, and others for their innovative study of the South Moloka‘i Reef over a decade."

The report is posted at URL http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2007/5101/, and also described in the January/February 2009 issue of Sound Waves (URL http://soundwaves.usgs.gov/2009/01/pubs.html).

Reversing Coral Reef Decline in Hawai‘i—a New Look at a Critical Problem January/February 2009

The Coral Reef of South Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i—Portrait of a Sediment-Threatened Fringing Reef - Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5101 USGS

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May 2009

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in this issue:

cover story:
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Shrinking Beaufort Sea Coastline

Rapid Disappearance of Antarctica's Ice Shelves

Effects of Climate Change on Infectious Diseases

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Science Fairs in Falmouth, MA

Coastal Erosion Workshop in Ghana

Findings Used to Preserve Coral Reef

Ted Melis Receives DOI Meritorious Service Award

High-Flow Experiment from Dam Leads to Awards

Researchers Receive DOI Meritorious Service Awards

Miles Receives Diversity Award

Group Honored for Research on Alaska

Government Communicators Award

Team Wins Silver in Curling Club Nationals

May 2009 Publications List