Coastal Services Center

Left unchecked, coral disease can spread at an alarming rate, potentially devastating entire coral colonies. The consequences of major coral disease events can include lost tourism revenue, communities left more vulnerable to coastal storms, and less seafood for people to eat.

To ensure a rapid response to coral bleaching and disease and other threats, coastal resource managers in Hawaii have developed a volunteer network to help alert researchers to potential problems in the islands’ extensive reefs.

The Eyes of the Reef Network was developed three years ago to increase public awareness and engage communities in the monitoring and reporting of coral bleaching and disease, marine invasive species, and outbreaks of the crown-of-thorn sea star, which is a large sea star that preys on coral polyps and can cause widespread reef destruction.

The network has attracted coral reef enthusiasts from throughout Hawaii to monitor and report on the conditions of reefs they visit regularly. “The more we know about coral reef threats and how they spread, the better we’ll be at making recommendations to decrease mortality,” says Greta Aeby, an assistant researcher at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology and the founder and coordinator of Eyes of the Reef.

Vitally Important

Reef die-off or collapse is caused when ecosystem stressors such as pollution, poor land-use practices, or impacts from climate change affect a reef’s delicate ecosystem balance. Reef fish feed on the crab and shrimp that live in the coral, so reef damage or collapse can have devastating effects up and down the marine food chain.

The health of coral reefs is also essential for the livelihoods of many Hawaiians, both through tourism and commercial fishing. Coral reefs protect coastal infrastructure, tourist beaches, and communities from storm damage, erosion, and flooding because they absorb wave energy from the ocean.

Both Hawaii and other U.S. economies significantly benefit from coral reefs. A recent study commissioned by the NOAA Coastal Ocean Program found the average annual benefits from the Hawaiian coral reefs to be $385 million. About 45 million tourists visit U.S. coral reefs every year, generating $17 billion in income, and U.S. reefs generate $247 million from commercial fishing. About 85 percent of the potential reef area of the U.S. is within the Hawaiian Archipelago.

In addition, coral reefs have traditionally played an important spiritual and cultural role in Hawaii.

Following Protocol

Because Hawaii’s reefs cover such a vast area—2.1 million acres of potential reef area in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and 410,000 acres around the Main Hawaiian Islands—researchers can personally monitor just a small fraction.

“It’s important to locate outbreaks of coral disease and other threats early on, so action can be taken to minimize the damage, which can be surprisingly rapid and virulent,” Aeby says.

To get more eyes on the reef, the Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources and the multi-partner Climate Change and Marine Disease Local Action Strategy developed the network as the first tier of a rapid response protocol. The network is implemented through the nonprofit organization Reef Check Hawaii.

Local businesses and scientists are actively involved in the network, as are agencies and organizations at the local, state, and federal levels.

Rapid Response

Aeby has had great success attracting volunteers to help with the Eyes of the Reef Network by giving short presentations at places where people are already excited about coral reefs, such as local dive shops, meetings for snorkeling enthusiasts or tourism operators, and events for coral researchers and marine biology students.

Network volunteers take on a variety of tasks. Some help to develop the brochures, websites, and training materials. Others coordinate activities on the Big Island, Kauai, and Maui, and they offer free training where community members learn to identify different corals and varying threats. Documents for monitoring and reporting changes can be downloaded from the network website.

When reports of significant damage come in, the network’s trained primary responders investigate and photograph the alleged problem.

“Scientists need this data so we can distinguish temporary coral bleaching, like the type that happens in springtime when waters warm up, from the permanent changes we need to worry about,” notes Aeby.

Crisis Response

The Eyes of the Reef Network’s effectiveness was highlighted in Oahu’s Kaneohe Bay in 2010 when Bob Tangaro, a network member and a boat driver at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, discovered a severe outbreak of acute Montipora white syndrome, a disease that causes significant tissue loss in reef corals.

He alerted Aeby, and Hawaii’s multiagency rapid response team was called in to track the location and spread of the disease. At the same time, network members were asked to visit reefs in other locations to see whether the outbreak was spreading.

Unfortunately, another outbreak of acute Montipora white syndrome occurred in Kaneohe Bay in December 2011, where hundreds of coral colonies were damaged.

Wish List

The rapid growth and success of the network has brought inevitable challenges and growing pains. “The nature of volunteering is that people are able to do it in fits and starts, so progress is slower than it would be if paid workers devoted their time,” says Aeby.

Her goal is to locate funding for a part-time employee who could ease the administrative load and pursue grant opportunities.

Aeby also plans to expand outreach to middle school and high school students. “Sometimes the kids think the coral can be treated just like rocks, because they haven’t been told anything different. I’d like to help them understand the fragile nature of reefs and the importance of protecting them.”

For more information on the Eyes of the Reef Network, go to www.reefcheckhawaii.org/eyesofthereef.htm. You may also contact Greta Aeby at (808) 236-7437 or greta@hawaii.edu.