Keeping coral alive

• Ways you can help protect Hawai'i's coral reefs and their inhabitants

By Katherine Nichols
Advertiser Staff Writer

Coral reefs, home to such sea creatures as these raccoon butterfly fish in the marine reserve off Molokini Islet, are popular dive destinations, but can be damaged by the hands of the curious. David Fleetham To learn more about the Ocean Van or obtain "Exploring Hawaii's Coral Reefs" brochures, contact the Pacific Whale Foundation on Maui, (808) 879-8860 (to reduce postage costs, you may be asked to provide a self-addressed stamped envelope for brochures). Visit www.pacificwhale.org for more information.

The goal of the Pacific Whale Foundation in creating a brochure called "Exploring Hawai'i's Coral Reefs" has been to raise awareness among residents and tourists alike. According to Anne Rillero, director of marketing and public relations for the Pacific Whale Foundation, putting together the brochure last year was a "very collaborative process," with input from a variety of experts, including scientists at the Waikiki Aquarium.

"We saw a need to teach people about why the reefs in Hawai'i are special," said Rillero.

Members of the Pacific Whale Foundation enjoying their own personal beach excursions noticed that many visitors are snorkeling or diving for the first time while they're here. Everyone thought it was a good idea to help people understand more about the reefs. They started with word of mouth: "We'd talk to visitors in a very friendly way (about reef care)," said Rillero. "And they'd say, 'Oh, I'm so glad you told me!'" The next step was a colorful brochure, which they decided was an effective way to disseminate information consistently.

With a government grant, the Pacific Whale Foundation has printed 100,000 copies and is trying to distribute them to dive shops, libraries, aquariums and government agencies throughout the Islands. Athline Clark, aquatic resources planner for the state Division of Land and Natural Resources, said their goal in assisting with the brochure was to educate both constituents and tourists by approaching snorkel tour operators and other people who are directly involved in taking people to the resource sites. The next objective? To obtain another grant to publish the guide in Japanese.

But the Pacific Whale Foundation also already has plans to go beyond the brochure. On June 1 the Ocean Van will become a new mobile marine interpretation center on Maui. Painted by Robert Lyn Nelson, the van is staffed with experts who educate people about humpback whales in the winter and coral reefs in the summer, said Merrill Kaufman, marine education specialist at the Pacific Whale Foundation. The Ocean Van will operate from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. seven days each week at Ulua Beach in Wailea and Old Airport Beach in Ka'anapali. Their goal is to expand to additional beaches in the future.

A table set up next to the van will offer free information about coral reefs and their communities, display natural history artifacts, and give recycled film canisters for smokers to "keep their butts off the beach, so to speak," said Kaufman. "There's no sales component. It's purely a resource. People don't realize they might break off five or 10 years of (coral) growth with one footstep." In addition to educating beachgoers, the Ocean Van staff will lead snorkeling excursions for anybody who wants to learn more about reefs and their inhabitants.

Mike Severns and his wife, Pauline Fiene-Severns, both biologists and divers on Maui, have noticed declining fish populations in dive sites accessible from shore. "These are areas where you really do see change in the coral due to traffic," because the symbiotic balance between coral reefs and their inhabitants has been upset, said Severns, also a professional underwater photographer who contributed to the brochure. "So educating people on how to move around the corals and how to respect the corals as living animals is real important."

Severns also recalled driving around the Islands in the 1960s and seeing people on the roadside selling coral that had been dyed a variety of colors. "But that stopped happening as people became more aware," he said.

However, people still need to be reminded constantly to care for coral. When diving, "it's really tempting to grab hold of coral if you're trying to hold yourself down to look at a turtle," he said, and it's easier to pull yourself along when swimming against a current by gripping coral heads. "These are things that people need to be aware of not to do."

Many dive operators encourage clients to not wear diving gloves so that they will not touch coral, which can cause dangerous cuts and infections when it comes in contact with bare skin.

Hawaiians recognized the coral reefs as the building blocks of their way of life, and referred to them in ancient chants, said Clark, who helped review the brochure. Reefs protect the shoreline and provide a habitat for fish that people eat, and reef viewing is one of the top five activities in which tourists visiting Hawai'i want to participate, she said, "so economically and environmentally ... (reefs) are very critical."

Yet it's not just people's behavior in the ocean that matters. Everything people do on land affects reefs because they are near shorelines. Said Clark: "It's a long-term goal to raise awareness and get the community involved in how our actions on land affect the ocean" and how people's actions in the water affect every aspect of life.

Katherine Nichols can be reached by e-mailing knichols@honoluluadvertiser.com