Tag Archives: Anuenue Fisheries Research Center

Hawaii is raising mass quantities of a native sea urchin to battle an invasive seaweed that has smothered coral reefs in Kaneohe Bay.

The state Division of Aquatic Resources has been spawning and growing thousands of Hawaiian collector urchins at the Anuenue Fisheries Research Center on Sand Island. The urchins are the newest weapon against fast-growing “smothering seaweed,” which overtook Kaneohe Bay. “They were being tested for years before then, but we needed to mass-produce them to really make a difference on the reef,” said Jono Blodgett, an aquatic invasive species program leader with the state. more@hawaiinewsnow