JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii –The Navy is actively working to stop the spread of two aquatic invasive species that pose a threat to the local maritime ecosystem.
Since last summer, the Navy has cleared more than 33,850 square feet – nearly three-fourths of the area of a football field – of fast growing soft corals, known as octocorals, which were first observed near Bishop Point at the mouth of the channel to the base.
Working with federal and state agencies, the Navy is finding success with two methods to remove these harmful octocorals from the environment.
The two octocoral species that were discovered, Unomia stolonifera and Capnella spicata, are not native to Hawaii waters but are considered by subject matter experts to be popular with aquarium enthusiasts. However, the pulsating soft corals are not legal to own in home aquariums in Hawaii.
“As reef-building corals become more stressed from ocean temperature rise, they become more vulnerable and less able to compete with non-native introduced species like the fast growing, predator-free octocorals,” explained Nicole Olmsted, Navy Region Hawaii conservation manager.
Since last summer, Navy divers have removed by hand about 19,956 square feet, or just under half an acre, of invasive soft coral. According to Olmsted, the challenge with this method is the divers must be very careful not to allow broken pieces of the octocoral to drift into another location because they can easily start growing again.
The Navy has also cleared about 13,900 square feet of octocoral by laying a tarp over the impacted water area to prevent nutrients and oxygen from reaching the invasive coral.
Natural resource managers and conservation specialists began posting orange signs during the summer of 2023 advising the public that fishing is no longer permitted at several piers and accessible waterways located around the southwestern side of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam due to the invasive species.
“We saw pieces of octocoral from neighboring areas drift in and start to reattach in the cleared areas within a couple days,” said Olmsted.
The Navy continues to encourage residents not to illegally dump aquatic species from their aquariums and to support Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) “Don’t Let it Loose” campaign, aimed at everyone, including the public who have access to Pearl Harbor.
DLNR has more information on how to protect the environment and native ecosystems. If you would like to learn more about reporting aquatic invasive species go to: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/ais/report-an-aquatic-invasive-species.
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| Date Taken: | 03.22.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 03.22.2024 22:08 |
| Story ID: | 466926 |
| Location: | HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 327 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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