Hawaii Restores Marine Ecosystems
A marine reserve around Kaho'olawe is feeding bottomfish into the surrounding waters of Maui County, showing the value of modern-day Hawaiian fishing restrictions, or kapu.

A new study prepared by the University of Hawai'i's Hawai'i Undersea Research Laboratory and Oceanic Institute tracked the movements of the prized pink snapper, or 'opakapaka, from reserve waters, where the fish were fitted with radio tags, into open fishing zones outside the reserve.

Previous studies had shown that bottomfish were more abundant inside the reserve than out.

"When the population grows to the point that fish begin leaving reserve waters to feed in surrounding areas, it indicates the reserve is helping to restore the marine ecosystem inside and outside of the reserve boundary," said Sol Kaho'ohalahala, executive director of the Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission, which manages the island and its marine protected area.

The protected waters around Kaho'olawe are well-suited for providing a boost to the Maui County fisheries and prove the value of no-fishing zones in protecting fish stocks and neighboring fisheries, said Chris Kelley, marine biologist with the Hawai'i Undersea Research Laboratory.

"The Kaho'olawe Island reserve is probably one of the best bottomfish reservoirs in the main Hawaiian Islands," Kelley said.

Researchers are finding increasing evidence for the benefits of no-fishing zones. Five years after setting aside 37 percent of the Big Island's Kona coast in a series of reserves, a survey found there are more fish being caught in the remaining areas than were being collected in the entire coastline before.

"Collectors are collecting more fish and making more money. Dive companies say they are seeing more fish. Everybody's happy," said Rick Gaffney, a representative of recreational fishers and a new member of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council.

"The Kaho'olawe study merely supports the results of other studies that show the value of marine protected areas," Gaffney said.

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