New coral reef maps reveal the highest percentage of live coral in the main Hawaiian Islands is off the Big Island, and supports studies indicating that geologically young islands generally have move live coral than older islands.

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 Kaula.

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 invertebrates with commercial value, support tourism and recreational industries, and help 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 was funded by the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program.