Download The Call for Action Recognized as one of the most

A Community-based Marine Planning Project for Maunalua Bay
The Call for Action
Recognized as one of the most heavily impacted marine systems in the main
Hawaiian Islands, Maunalua Bay needs help from our community now more than
ever.
Over the past decades, the Maunalua Bay region has changed significantly from
a rural to a highly urbanized community. The region now has an extensive
network of paved roads, shopping centers, cemented streams and other
impervious areas to support the 60,000 residents who call the area home.
Maunalua Bay has been greatly affected by this growth, mainly due to an
increase in polluted urban runoff, invasive species, and human uses.
What remains of Maunalua Bay’s resources today have an ecologic, economic
and cultural importance for the people in the region. Many depend upon the
Bay’s resources for jobs, food, recreation and more. However, Maunalua Bay is
at a tipping point where ecosystem recovery can only be possible if the
community acts now.
IMUA MAUNALUA, publicly launched on September 16, will bring the
community together to develop and implement a comprehensive Marine Plan
with actions to restore the Bay. Unprecedented in scale for an urban
environment, IMUA MAUNALUA calls for broad, active community kuleana..
“The declining health of Maunalua Bay demands immediate action to revive
the vitality of this bay that means so much to so many people in the
community.”
—Alan Friedlander, Ph.D. University of Hawaii, Fisheries Ecology Research Lab
All signs point to a damaged marine ecosystem that must be restored in order to
bring back the wide range of species that once thrived in Maunalua Bay,
including reef fish species, the rare and endemic Hawai‘i seagrass Halophila
hawaiiana, and native reef algae species. Based on recent studies, Maunalua
Bay’s current condition is poor, particularly when compared to other similar areas
throughout the state:
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Invasive alien algae smothers large areas of the near shore reef flat habitat,
out-competing native algae and seagrass (Department of Land and Natural
Resources, 2006).
Fish abundance and quality have declined drastically (Kittinger, 2011).
Overall catch size is small, average time to catch one fish is high, and a high
percentage of fish are caught under the legal size (Maunalua Bay Pakini
Survey, 2007-08).
A Community-based Marine Planning Project for Maunalua Bay
The Call for Action
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Catch for preferred species has decreased 32-76%, according to fishers, with
perceptions of decline more pronounced for fishers with a greater number of
years fishing in the area (Fig. 1) (Kittinger, 2011).
Lowest levels of total fish biomass, “target fish,” and prime spawners as
compared to other sites monitored across the state (Fig. 2) (The Nature
Conservancy, 2014).
Substantial areas of the Bay are listed as impaired waters by the State
Department of Health pursuant to the Clean Water Act.
Fig. 1: Perception of Health of
Bay
Fig. 2: Total fish biomass at 26 comparison
sites from the Hawaiian Islands
Maunalua Bay is vital to our quality of life and our economy. Despite the decline
in health, Maunalua Bay continues to:
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Provide a venue for Maunalua-based marine tourism companies;
Remain a tourist attraction which supports other businesses in the region;
Support resources that recreational and commercial fishers depend on for
household consumption, food sharing and income;
Protect our coastline community from natural hazards, such as hurricanes,
storm surges, and sea level rise; and,
Offer a beautiful vista and recreation area that attracts people to reside in the
region.
"Maunalua Bay is iconic to East Oahu. The health and beauty of Maunalua Bay is
vital to not only the surrounding communities but the businesses that thrive
within."
—Chelsey Flanagan, Hawaii Kai Chamber of Commerce
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A Community-based Marine Planning Project for Maunalua Bay
The Call for Action
This community has already can come together in certain areas to show that a
community effort makes a difference: at the Paiko Beach Restoration site at
Kalauha‘iha‘i Fishpond and Kānewai Spring, at Paiko Lagoon, and at
Ke‘awa‘awa, the spring-fed estuarine wetland connected to Kuapa Pond. With a
rigorous Marine Plan such as IMUA MAUNALUA, our community can forge a
path toward healing this much-loved Bay.
Paiko Restoration Area: before and after pulling invasive alien algae
Open to everyone, the community-led IMUA MAUNALUA offers many ways to
participate. All are invited to join the discussion today to improve the future of
Maunalua Bay. Contact [email protected] for more information.
Maunalua Bay fishermen and their catch, circa 1930s. Photo credit: A. Winter Family
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