Back in the 1970's, Kappaphycus species were intentionally introduced to bay for research and cultivation; these species produce kappa-carrageenan, which can be extracted and used in the food industry. Though the cultivation efforts were not successful, the algae was. As the seaweed spread, marching northward in the bay, efforts were made to remove it. Enter the Super Sucker, a marine vacuum used to hover up the alien goo. While thousands of pounds of algae were removed, it rebounded quickly. And that's where Tripneustes gratilla comes in. Researchers at the Anuenue Fisheries Research Center on Sand Island developed techniques to breed the sea urchins, 100,000 of which were placed on the reef to do what they do best: eat the algae that is left behind. And eat they do. According to Dr. Eric Conklin, the Nature Conservancy’s Hawai‘i marine science director: “On reefs where we have placed the urchins, algae re-growth after a year is about five percent....On reefs without urchins, algae can re-grow within six months.” The Conservancy, in tandem with the State Division of Aquatic Resources, plan on releasing 200,000 urchins in 2014. ʻAi ā manō!!
This one is truly taking cover - in more ways than one. The collector sea urchin, Tripneustes gratilla, known locally as hawa'e maoli, makes a fashion statement by covering its spines with limu, bits of shell, or other marine debris. This masking, or covering behavior is not fully understood but may be a means of protection from the rolling abrasion of wave action, or perhaps the harmful affects of UV light. Native to Hawaiian waters as well as the Indo-Pacific and the Red Sea, Tripneustes gratilla is found in shallow water down to about thirty meters, and can get to about five inches in test diameter. These guys are constant grazers, munching primarily on algae throughout the day and night. Good thing because these urchins have been recruited for an important job: taking the cover off of the corals in Kane'ohe Bay. Several invasive algae, including those in the genus Kappaphycus and Eucheuma denticulatum are blanketing the corals in a smothering embrace. Back in the 1970's, Kappaphycus species were intentionally introduced to bay for research and cultivation; these species produce kappa-carrageenan, which can be extracted and used in the food industry. Though the cultivation efforts were not successful, the algae was. As the seaweed spread, marching northward in the bay, efforts were made to remove it. Enter the Super Sucker, a marine vacuum used to hover up the alien goo. While thousands of pounds of algae were removed, it rebounded quickly. And that's where Tripneustes gratilla comes in. Researchers at the Anuenue Fisheries Research Center on Sand Island developed techniques to breed the sea urchins, 100,000 of which were placed on the reef to do what they do best: eat the algae that is left behind. And eat they do. According to Dr. Eric Conklin, the Nature Conservancy’s Hawai‘i marine science director: “On reefs where we have placed the urchins, algae re-growth after a year is about five percent....On reefs without urchins, algae can re-grow within six months.” The Conservancy, in tandem with the State Division of Aquatic Resources, plan on releasing 200,000 urchins in 2014. ʻAi ā manō!!
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