ʻĀkoʻakoʻa Team Begins Journey in Hōnaunau

A Prayer Answered: Cultural Education and Scientific Intervention Join Forces to Restore the Bay

“When I speak, I speak for Hui ‘Ohana O Hōnaunau. I speak for the people of this place. I speak for our mo'opuna’s future. Everything that comes out of me is for the people, and the culture, of Hōnaunau. I’m not an individual”.

Over the past few months after joining our team, Jeana Kelekolio has worked tirelessly to educate visitors of Hōnaunau Bay and speak for its people. Everyday, she counts the visitors entering the pristine waters of this coastline, sometimes up to a thousand in a single day. At the booth she manages, representing Hui ‘Ohana O Hōnaunau and ‘Āko’ako’a, her goal is education, both to prevent damage to the coral reefs, and to use this large influx of visitors as an opportunity to encourage them to be part of the solution. Jeana advocates for the use of UV-protective clothing, not to step on the corals, to let freshly-applied sunscreen dry before entering the ocean, and to be cautious of limu on the shoreline. She also teaches visitors about the proper place name of Hōnaunau, the species of animals they may encounter, and the historical significance of the area.

Together, restorative education by Jeana and scientific restoration from the ‘Āko’ako’a team are being fused to combat the challenges that the Bay faces. Last week, the ‘Āko’ako’a team journeyed from Honokōhau Harbor to Hōnaunau Bay on the Kai Surveyor, our main research vessel, and were joined by Jeana and Uncle Henry Cho upon entering the Bay. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this day” Jeana said, “long before I knew about ‘Āko’ako’a, I’ve been praying for this.” As colony after colony was retrieved from the Bay, the team’s hearts and minds swelled with feelings of gratitude, appreciation, and inspiration for the journey that the corals were about to embark on. “It gives us a potential to thrive and grow” said Jeana, of utilizing the program’s  state-of-the-art nursery for restoration. “We are truly truly grateful for ‘Āko’ako’a, the ʻohana that is our ʻohana now, we’re all one family.”

Jeana understands and advocates for the education of visitors before entering the marine environment because she knows change cannot happen without awareness and intervention. Not only has she witnessed negative changes to coral populations in Hōnaunau but also the depletion of other marine animals and invertebrates due to human activity. Corals are just one piece of the puzzle in this Bay that she and her family have been frequenting every day for generations. It is the program’s goal to restore that puzzle piece alongside her.

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Our team members in the nursery are excited to care for and watch these new colonies thrive in our raceways, and we anticipate that they will spawn (give birth) next year. In this initial collection in Hōnaunau, a diverse set of species were retrieved: Cycloseris sp. (Plate coral), ​​Montipora capitata (Rice coral), Montipora patula (Ringed Rice coral), Pavona varians (Corrugated coral), Pavona duerdeni (Porkchop coral), Pocillopora meandrina (Cauliflower coral), Porites monticulosa (Plate & Knob coral), Porites lobata (Lobe coral), Porites lutea (Stony coral), Porites compressa (Finger coral), and Porites duerdeni (Thick Finger coral). With multiple species of each of these corals now in the nursery, our goals for larval reproduction are now that much more attainable. These corals have become part of the program’s Future Reef Bank that has been established in the nursery, and their offspring will seed Hōnaunau with coral larvae to restore damaged areas of the reef.

Now while nature runs its course, and Jeana and her Hōnaunau community await spawning and the return of corals back to the Bay, Jeana continues educating visitors, working to nurture a welcoming environment for the coral larvae soon-to-come.