Hawaii FEP - Western Pacific Fishery Council

Kauai: Kauai is the oldest and wettest island in the MHI, and Grigg suggested thatsedimentation may be responsible for the lack of well-developed fringing reefs around most ofthe island. Grigg noted that the reefs that are most heavily impacted by sediments are those thatare in shallow or enclosed areas that have restricted circulation. In contrast, the healthiest reefswere found on the exposed northeast and north coasts where the sediment is washed away bywaves and currents (Grigg 2002; J. Maragos, personal communication in Green 1997). Griggalso noted that some of the best reefs on the island exist in deep water (15–25 m deep) in areaswith the least exposure to sediment-laden streams (e.g., reefs of Poipu and Makahuena).However, these reefs have been impacted by hurricanes in recent years (Ewa in 1982; Iniki in1992). In addition to the recent reefs, fossil limestone reefs are present off the southern shore offKauai (30–70 meters deep), where abundant populations of the black coral Antipathesdichotoma can be found. In addition to sedimentation, human impacts that are perceived to be aproblem on the reefs off Kauai include high fishing pressure and poor water quality.Niihau: Little is known about the reefs on the small, privately owned island of Niihau.However, they are believed to be in good condition, especially along the western coast (J.Maragos, personal communication in Green 1997).Penguin Bank: The reef habitat in federal waters in the MHI is restricted to Penguin Bank andKaula Rock (Hunter 1995). Very little is known of the condition of the reefs in these locations,although they are presumed to be in good condition because of their remoteness from humanpopulation areas. On the basis of interpretations of navigational charts, Hunter (1995) suggestedthat the Penguin Bank supports areas of coral or coralline algae at a depth of approximately 50meters. In deeper water (50–100 meters), the reef on Penguin Bank is dominated by corallinealgae, Halimeda, bryozoans, and pen shells, and corals are present in low abundances (Agegianand Abbott 1985 in Hunter 1995).NWHI: The NWHI comprise a multitude of reef areas (Hunter 1995; Maragos and Gulko2002), including the following: numerous islands or reefs (French Frigate Shoals, Kure, Laysan,Lisianski, Maro Reef, Midway Atoll, Necker Island, Nihoa Island, Pearl and Hermes Atoll, andGardner Pinnacles); two seamounts (Ladd and Nero); several banks (Brooks, Northhampton,Pioneer, Raita, Saint Rogatien, and Salmon); and eight shoals (Gambia Shoal and sevenunnamed shoals, including three between Nihoa and Necker and one north of St. Rogatien). Ingeneral, these coral reef areas tend to be in excellent condition with unique biodiversity andhigh-standing stock of many reef fishes, probably because of their isolation, protected status,and harsh seasonal weather conditions (Friedlander 1996). The “pristine” condition of thisresource is likely to continue because they are distant from land-based sources of pollution aswell as protected from any large-scale human activities in the region (Friedlander 1996;Maragos and Gulko 2002).Many reefs in the NWHI are made up of calcareous algae (Green 1997). A peak in coral speciesdiversity occurs in the middle of the Hawaii Archipelago at FFS and Maro Reef (Grigg 1983).Ingeneral, fish species diversity appears to be lower in the NWHI than in the MHI. Although theinshore fish assemblages of the two regions are similar, fish size, density, and biomass are higherin the NWHI, and fish communities in the NWHI are dominated by apex predators (sharks and58