Hawaii's fragile coral reefs under threat

By Shyla Noa

Staff Writer & Editor

The coral reefs in Hawaii are a massive topic of interest to everyone, tourists and locals alike. Despite how much love they receive, the coral reefs haven't been at 100% in recent years. Fortunately, during the course of COVID-19 when Hawaii limited tourism, marine biologists saw an increase in the health of coral and water quality, along with aquatic life as well. 

The Hawaii state Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) announced: “There have been bleaching events on a regional scale, and our first event was in 2015. At least half of deep-water coral was lost.” 

Marine biologist Lindsey Kramer monitors the state of reefs in West Hawaii, including chemicals and other things done by man to harm the reefs. "Bleaching is caused by warm temperatures in the water, about 82 degrees,” she said. In other words, bleaching is caused by climate change. Since coral is very fragile, something that seems as insignificant as the temperature can affect it dramatically. 

There are also things like tourism that affect their health, like trampling them. Coral constantly being stepped on and bothered by people will cause them to become sick, and eventually expel their plant cells, making them white. 

Another thing that comes into play is fish; when the coral is damaged, or when large parts of them are lost, fish are heavily impacted as well. Fish is a big part of the diet in Hawaii, and when corals are suffering, so are they. This is habitat loss because the coral will expel their plant cells. Fish need those nutrients that coral provides, and when they’re gone, everything is thrown off balance.

When questioned about how to alleviate the pressure and danger that coral reefs face, Kramer advises: “Paying attention to the things you put on your skin before going in the water helps to make a huge difference. Slathering sunscreen or putting loads of sunscreen before going in the water is so damaging, but thankfully chemicals like oxybenzone are now banned. 

"I personally feel that you should also be comfortable in the water. Some tourists come from places that are really far from the ocean or are surrounded by lakes and rivers, and as a result, aren’t comfortable being in the water. This often leads to trampling or standing on the reefs, which is the last thing you should do,” Kramer added.

Is reef damage a problem at popular beaches? “Coral reefs aren’t normally associated with beaches,” Kramer said, because they’re normally found farther out instead of near the shore. The reason for this is that coral tissue is often very delicate and sand can be very damaging. Storms or even swells can be very damaging as well, which goes to show how fragile they are. 

Thankfully, corals are able to recover from events like this by spawning. Spawning is when gametes mix with other colonies before living in plankton. The plankton travel with the gametes, and when the gametes feel they’re ready, they’ll resettle and spawn, growing into young coral that will grow and help the ecosystem. This tends to happen during lunar cycles, and because of how frail the coral is, even rain can set them back, and they’ll wait for another cycle before respawning. 

Kramer had an unusual path to marine biology. “Growing up, I wasn’t around the ocean, but in rivers and lakes, I was able to find fossil corals. I was always interested in them, and I soon fell in love with coral reefs. When I began diving, I was blown away. It was a completely different world than the one we live in, and it’s been amazing to be able to study reefs for almost 20 years now,” she said.

The importance of coral reefs means a huge thing to her, and it should to everyone else too. It can be easy to lend a helping hand when it comes to their help, especially if just a little research is done. Like the snap of a finger, it’s that simple.