'Opihi Rest Areas

Kīpahulu 'Ohana and Nā Mamo O Mū'olea are reviving the traditional practice of resting an area from harvesting 'opihi, a native mollusk, so that it will be momona (abundant) again. The concept is simple, allowing one area to rest means those 'opihi have the chance to grow larger and produce more keiki that can spill over into neighboring areas, providing more 'opihi for all of us. The good news is 'opihi reproduce quickly - every six months - so resting an area can be an effective management strategy for this species. Partners in this project include Dr. Chris Bird with Texas A&M Corpus Christi, The Nature Conservancy, and the Haleakalā National Park. See Kīpahulu 'Ohana's 'opihi rest area poster.

Fish Surveys

Since 2014, Polanui Hiu and community volunteers have been conducting monthly nearshore surveys of key reef fish species by suiting up in their snorkel gear and swimming out with data sheets and clipboards. These citizen scientists collect data that is vital to detecting changes in reef fish populations through presence, absence, and abundance surveys. The information they compile helps to ensure that management activities, including voluntary fishing guidelines, are having the desired effect and helping to restore abundance to Polanui’s reef. See Polanui Hiu's fish presence/absence surveys, fish abundance surveys, and findings from their surveys.

One of the goals of the Maui Nui Makai Network is to grow community makai (seaward) management to every moku (district) in Maui Nui. Here we offer some tools and values that have helped our community groups organize and move into action towards makai management, and invite you to read and share this information with your communities. Please contact the Network Coordinator with any questions.

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Photo credit: Polanui Hiu (header); Alana Yurkanin/TNC ('opihi monitoring photo); TNC ('opihi photo); Polanui Hiu (fish survey photo)