Free webinar ‘Who will save Hawaiʻi’s coral reef saviors?’ to be hosted by Maui Nui Marine Resource Council

The Maui Nui Marine Resource Council (MNMRC) will host the April edition of its “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” featuring Mark Hixon, professor of marine biology at the School of Life Sciences at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, on Wednesday, April 3 at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom.

Hixon will share how species like parrotfishes (uhu), surgeonfishes (kala, kole, manini. etc.), chubs (nenue), and other herbivores prevent corals from being killed by seaweed overgrowth and help reefs recover at a quicker pace by keeping dead coral surfaces clean, so that new coral can flourish.

The talk will also cover what could happen if many of these species, especially uhu and kala, continue to be overfished.

“Presently, these herbivores are caught in alarmingly high numbers, threatening their survival, and by extension, the survival of our local corals,” MNMRC stated in a public release. “If these ‘caretakers’ are removed, the reef ecosystem will collapse.”

Hixon will also present steps that can be taken to replenish herbivore populations and create hope for the future of Hawaiʻi’s reefs.

Hixon is a professor and Sidney and Erika Hsiao Endowed Chair in Marine Biology in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. His research addresses the questions of how to enhance the resilience of corals to local stressors and climate disruption, what determines the number of fish in the sea, how so many different species naturally coexist on coral reefs, and how marine reserves and artificial reefs help to conserve sea life and enhance fisheries. He presently serves on scientific advisory committees for the NOAA Coral Reef Program, the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, and the Hawai‘i Division of Aquatic Resources, among others.

Registration for the talk is free and can be completed at https://bit.ly/KYOMH