HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-04-27 Kahalu'u Beach Park Partial Closure due to Coral Spawning -- press release
Roxcie L. Waltjen
Harry Kim
Director
Mayor
Maurice C. Messina
Wil Okabe
Deputy Director
Managing Director
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION
101 Pauahi Street, Suite 6 Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720
(808) 961-8311 Fax (808) 961-8411
Email: parks_recreation@hawaiicounty.gov
http://www.hawaiicounty.gov/parks-and-recreation/
April 27, 2018
NEWS RELEASE
PARTIAL CLOSURE OF KAHALU’U BEACH PARK DUE TO CORAL SPAWNING
Hawai‘i County Department of Parks and Recreation is informing the public that
Kahalu’u Beach Park will be closed from 7:00 a.m. to 12 Noon on May 1 and May 2,
2018, due to anticipated coral spawning events.
According to the Division of Aquatic Resources and Eyes of the Reef Network,
cauliflower coral (Pocillopora meandrina) was once abundant on shallow coral reefs
along West Hawai'i, including Kahalu'u Bay. However, a global thermal stress event
resulting in very high ocean temperatures struck West Hawai'i in the fall of 2015, and
caused catastrophic bleaching and mortality for more than 90% of the regional
population of cauliflower coral. To recover from this event, natural reproductive
and replenishment activities of corals are critically important. For more than a decade,
researchers have observed annual broadcast spawning events for cauliflower corals,
and can now accurately predict when they will likely occur based on season, solar, tidal,
and lunar cycles.
During broadcast spawning events, corals emit reproductive materials ("gametes") into
the water column, and these materials are carried by the tides to mix and generate
planktonic coral larvae. During this time, physical disturbance of corals and pollutants in
the water (e.g. oxybenzone in many sunscreens) must be minimized to help ensure that
corals are successful.
The Department of Parks & Recreation and the Kahalu’u Bay Education Center
appreciates the public’s understanding and respect of this important coral recovery and
replenishment process at Kahalu'u Bay. We also apologize for any inconvenience the
closure may cause.
For more information, please contact the Kahalu’u Bay Education Center at
(808) 887-6411.
County of Hawai‘i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.