Updated at 11:16 a.m., Wednesday, January 16, 2008
NOAA: Most live coral in Hawaii is off Big Island
Advertiser Staff
New coral reef maps released today reveal the highest percentage of live coral in the main Hawaiian Islands is off the Big Island. The maps also support studies indicating that geologically young islands generally have move live coral than older islands, NOAA officials said.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the new maps are a result of the most comprehensive assessment of the extent and types of shallow-water seafloor habitats in Hawai'i to date.
NOAA mapped 506 square miles of ocean habitat along the Big Island, Kaho'olawe, Maui, Lana'i, Moloka'i, O'ahu, Kaua'i, Ni'ihau, and Ka'ula.
The Hawai'i survey was part of a larger effort by NOAA and partners to map all U.S. shallow water coral reef ecosystems and associated deeper reefs, NOAA officials said in a news release.
"Live coral covers 57 percent, or 29 square miles, of the waters surrounding the Big Island of Hawai'i," Timothy A. Battista, an oceanographer with NOAA's Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment stated. "That is the most live coral coverage of any of the main Hawaiian islands."
Coral reefs create habitat for many fish and invertebrate species with commercial value, support tourism and recreational industries, and shelter coastlines from storm disturbance.
Hawai'i's coral reefs contribute an estimated $360 million to the state's economy each year, NOAA officials said.
The mapping funded by the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program.
