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DNLR/
DAR)
The first hatchery-raised sea urchins outplanted in Kāneʻohe Bay are 10-years-old, and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit (
DAR) are celebrating the milestone anniversary. The sea urchin hatchery, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (
NOAA) and
DAR, successfully transplanted the first cohort in January 2011 and has since released 600,000 sea urchins across the state.
Project staff raise the sea urchins until they’re large enough to be released into the wild. (Photo credit:
DNLR/
DAR)
These sea urchins have proven to be incredibly successful at controlling invasive seaweed, a major priority for coral conservation in Hawaiʻi. To date, the sea urchin biocontrol project has treated more than 227 acres of reef in Kāneʻohe Bay, and has recently expanded to the Waikīkī Marine Life Conservation District to control invasive algae.