Hōnaunau Coral Rescue and Restoration

The Work Continues to Restore This Precious Bay

For generations, Hōnaunau has been a historically abundant and community focused area of South Kona. In recent years, with the increase of human activity and lack of place-based knowledge, the coral reefs and marine life of Hōnaunau have noticeably diminished. ʻĀkoʻakoʻa team and cultural advisory board member Jeana Kelekolio has been the voice of Hui ʻOhana O Hōnaunau and the ʻĀkoʻakoʻa educational booth, where she can be found daily, speaking to visitors and encouraging pono practices in this area. Jeana and her family are lineal descendants of the area, and as a protector of this Bay, she represents ʻĀkoʻakoʻa to ensure that the program remains culturally focused while being scientifically backed.

In February 2025, the ʻĀkoʻakoʻa field team worked to continue to restore this Bay in a multi-day operation. The effort began with rescuing and relocating detached corals from areas damaged by chemical run-off and by collecting corals to continue growing the Future Reef Bank at our land-based nursery. Corals were collected from problem areas on the reef and transferred to healthier sites where they will grow to increase coral cover. The sites selected were prepared by scrubbing surface layer algae off of the substrate using wire brushes. Then, cement spheres were placed onto the substrate before the coral was quickly pressed onto the prepared site, where the cement will cure and the coral will be permanently fixed onto the reef. The reattachment method utilizes a mixture of cement, sand, and xanthan gum, which does not harm the marine environment or the corals themselves. Eventually, the corals will completely grow over the cement beneath them and cover the area with new coral tissue.

Team members Uhiwai and Abbey work to unload and package corals for transportation to the nursery.

Dr. Asner uses the cement mixture to fix a coral colony onto the prepared substrate.

Circled are newly placed corals that will grow over the substrate.

Over the course of the operation, the rescued corals were relocated to two sites and reattached. Prior to the rescue operation, the selected sites were surveyed using a method called structure-from-motion mapping (SfM). The SfM method creates a 3D map of the area that helps measure and track the diversity and regrowth of corals over time. Mapping images were taken before and after the corals were brought to their new home to compare the differences in diversity. Over time, this approach will be utilized to track the progress of these restoration sites and the coral’s growth.

Team member Brad using the SfM over a relocation site.

The work done in Hōnaunau and the numerous other ʻĀkoʻakoʻa restoration sites is not just focused on fixing things for the present, it is for the generations to come. Our mission is to ensure a thriving future for West Hawaii’s reefs.

In loving memory of Uncle Henry “Bozo” Cho of Hōnaunau.