The Nature Conservancy,

Reef Monitoring Summary Report for Ahihi-Kina'u Natural Area Reserve, Polanui, and Wailuku, Maui & Kaho'olawe, Hawai'i

2017

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coral Reef Conservation Program

"The -Kina'u Natural Area Reserve is the only reserve in Hawai'i that includes a marine ecosystem within its management jurisdiction. It includes 327 ha (807 ac) of submerged land, from which harvesting of marine plants and animals (i.e., fishing) and operating and anchoring of vessels are prohibited, making it the largest single marine area closed to harvest in Hawai'i. In recent years, the Reserve has faced increasing pressure on its unique resources and biological communities, prompting the Department of Land and Natural Resources to develop a management plan which was finalized and adopted in 2012. At the invitation of the Reserve, the Nature Conservancy's (TNC) marine monitoring team conducted surveys of Ahihi-Kina'u's marine resources. The surveys were intended to update and extend the existing body of coral reef information available to the Reserve, and provide a current baseline condition from which the effectiveness of management actions implemented in accordance with the Reserve's Management Plan could be assessed."

FY2013; CRCP Project ID: 198; Project Title: Domestic Coral Reef Conservation Grant Programs; Principal Investigator: Jenny Waddell; NA13NOS grant number NA13NOS4820145