The University of �鶹��ý has been designated as a new Pacific Reef Research Coordination Institute (Pacific RRCI) by the (NOAA) to support coral reef conservation in the Pacific through research, collaboration and public education.

The Pacific RRCI will be housed in UH’s , under the aegis of the , and will perform the following critical functions: conduct federally directed research to fill national and regional gaps; collaborate with relevant states and territories, Indigenous groups, coral reef managers, non-governmental organizations, and other coral reef research centers; assist in the implementation of the NOAA’s National Coral Reef Resilience Strategy and coral reef action plans; build non-federal capacity for management and restoration practices; and conduct public education and awareness programs.

“This new institute combines UH’s strengths in cutting-edge, ocean-related research and our collaborative, place-based approach to working with resource managers throughout �鶹��ý and the Pacific to protect our vital coral reefs,” said Chad B. Walton, UH interim vice president for research and innovation. “At the same time, it provides us with further opportunities to develop our region’s next generation of researchers and managers in the field of conservation futures.”

To restore and preserve coral reef ecosystems in the U.S. from natural and human-related effects, the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 was reauthorized and modernized by the Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 2021, which was included in the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act that became law in 2022. The reauthorized law required the designation of two RRCIs, one each in the Atlantic and Pacific basins, was required. The RRCIs were chosen from 32 preselected coral reef research centers and were designated based on the results of technical merit and panel reviews. The Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 2021 was introduced and sponsored by �鶹��ý Senators Brian Schatz and Mazie K. Hirono, and Congressman Ed Case.

The UH-led institute will be guided by experienced reef researchers from UH Mānoa’s Kewalo Marine Laboratory and the �鶹��ý Institute of Marine Biology, UH Hilo’s Marine Sciences program, and the University of Guam’s Marine Laboratory. It will support research, monitoring, capacity building and outreach for coral reef management throughout the U.S states and territories of American Samoa, Guam, �鶹��ý, and the Northern Marianas Islands and with the Freely Associated States of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

“Many people worked many years to make this vision for collaborative reef research across the Pacific a reality,” said Suzanne Case, director of the Office of Land and Ocean Conservation Futures. “We’re excited to jump in with scientists and communities and agencies across the region to take it forward.”

The , a beacon of marine education and conservation for over a century, is marking its 122nd anniversary in March. Under the new leadership of Interim Director Judy Lemus, the institution is embarking on a period of revitalization, with innovative exhibits, strategic collaborations, and a continued commitment to the unique aquatic ecosystems of �鶹��ý and the tropical Pacific.

The aquarium will host a 122nd birthday celebration on March 19, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The day kicks off with a community coastal cleanup followed by a suite of family-friendly activities.

A new chapter

Lemus brings a wealth of experience in marine facility management, research, and education. Lemus served for four years as the interim director of the (HIMB) within the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa (SOEST) and is currently the interim associate dean for academic affairs in SOEST. Her primary focus at the aquarium is on operational improvements and enhancing the institutionʻs role in education, marine conservation, collaborative research, and community engagement.

“Managing the Waikīkī Aquarium is about more than just animal husbandry; it’s also about our engagement with the public and contribution to conservation of Pacific species, and our role as a public outlet for UH research,” said Lemus. “As we celebrate 122 years, we are not just honoring our history, but building the systems, facilities, and stories that will carry us through the next century.”

One major accomplishment under her leadership has been the successful return of Hōʻailona, the beloved Hawaiian monk seal, to his refurbished enclosure.

New and upcoming exhibits:

• The Aquaculture Tank: In partnership with Biota, a local aquaculture company, this exhibit will feature fish and coral raised entirely in aquaculture facilities at the Oceanic Institute and Waikīkī Aquarium. This “no-collection” model highlights sustainable trade and will also showcase 3-D structures from HIMB researcher Josh Madin’s Lab that facilitate coral growth.
• The Edge of Reef Redesign: Formerly an iconic outdoor exhibit, the Edge of Reef was dismantled to make way for a critical infrastructure project. A redesign is planned for this exhibit with support from UH, the �鶹��ýFoundation, and the Friends of the Waikīkī Aquarium.
• New Tank for Mullet and More: The large tank that previously featured mullet, a species revered in �鶹��ý as a staple food and in loko ʻia (Hawaiian fishpond) aquaculture, is being dismantled to make way for a modern habitat. The new enclosure may house mullet and possibly other compatible species such as rays or sea turtles.
• The aquarium is planning new collaborations with a variety of UH faculty and labs to help bring their work to broader audiences.
• AZA Accreditation: The aquarium is starting a Pathway Toward Membership program with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the gold standard in accreditation for zoos and aquariums, with the goal of achieving AZA accreditation for Waikīkī Aquarium in about 5 years.

.

This week’s UH News Image of the Week is from the UH ����ԴDz� �鶹��ý Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB).

From Maria Frostic, HIMB communications coordinator: The HIMB Shark Lab recently celebrated a historic ‘Personal Best’ with the capture and tagging of a 470 cm (15’ 5”) female tiger shark—the longest in the lab’s 30-year history.

Initially tagged on October 7, 2025, near Kapapa Island by a team including Edward Cardona, Molly Deppmeier, Michaela Johnson, and David Itano, the shark was remarkably recaptured seven weeks later within Kāneʻohe Bay. This second interaction enabled visiting researcher Takuya Fukuoka to deploy a short-term biologging tag that was successfully recovered at Penguin Bank. Data from her satellite transmitter now shows the shark frequently traveling between the bay and the bank, providing researchers with invaluable oceanographic insights.

Previous Images
‘Patrick Star’ tree
Zentangle
Rainbow
Appreciating astronomy
Bird of Paradise
All Images of the Week

Send us your image!

A big mahalo to everyone who has sent in their images! If selected, they will be posted throughout the semester, so check back to see the amazing work, research and experiences of the UH ʻohana!

Want to get in on the action? The next UH News Image of the Week could be yours! Submit a photo, drawing, painting, digital illustration of a project you are working on, a moment from a field research outing or a beautiful and/or interesting shot of a scene on your campus. It could be a class visit during which you see an eye-catching object or scene.

• .

Please include a brief description of the image and its connection to your campus, class assignment or other UH connection. By submitting your image, you are giving UH News permission to publish your photo on the UH News website and UH social media accounts. The image must be your original work, and anyone featured in your image needs to give consent to its publication.

Following a competitive proposal process initiated in October 2025, the (�鶹��ý Sea Grant) announced five organizations to establish the first–of–its–kind Community Funding Hubs for Resilience and ʻĀina Stewardship. The five regional hubs are across the moku/hui moku (districts) of West Kauaʻi, Waiʻanae (Oʻahu), Molokaʻi, Central Maui and Kohala (�鶹��ý Island).

Each hub will receive up to $300,000 over three years to strengthen its administrative, financial and relationship–building capacities needed to support future community–led projects. Aligned with the cooperative vision of the project, these hubs will serve as central resources for managing and distributing funding on behalf of community–based organizations, effectively lowering the barriers to local stewardship.

“In �鶹��ý, we know the health of our families and our communities is inextricably tied to the health of our lands and our waters, and we benefit from ʻIke �鶹��ý (Hawaiian Knowledge) that teaches us how humans and nature can thrive together in our island systems,” said Kawika Winter, associate professor at and director of the Heʻeia National Estuarine Research Reserve. “The Moku System provides us a framework to not only address the problems we face today, but to do so while honoring our ancestors and ensuring that our descendants will be better off than we are today.”

The 5 organizations and their projects

• Kauaʻi Economic Development Board—Strengthening West Kauaʻi: A Funding Hub for Community–Led ʻĀina Restoration & Climate Resilience
• ‘Elepaio Social Services—The Waiʻanae Kaiāulu Funding Hub
• Molokai Heritage Trust—Ka Lāhui Hoʻolako
• Living Pono Project—Central Maui Resilience Funding Hub: Expanding Access, Equity, and Administrative Support
• Vibrant �鶹��ý—Kākoʻo Kohala

Empowering community-led stewardship

The hubs act as trusted intermediaries, forging direct partnerships between funders and local communities. By providing guidance with proposal development and budget management, these hubs help local organizations overcome technical barriers that often prevent small, grassroots groups from accessing vital funding for ʻāina (land) stewardship.

“These hubs are critical for a number of reasons,” said Eric Co, chief executive officer of the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation. “During COVID, we learned how difficult it was to get support to where trust was greatest and activities were most meaningful—at the grassroots level. These hubs build the equitable capacity needed to do so efficiently across the islands.”

Later this year, �鶹��ý Sea Grant will launch a separate round of adaptation and resilience project funding. These future opportunities will allow smaller community–based organizations to collaborate with their local Community Funding Hub to develop and manage projects.

This effort was made possible through funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office for Coastal Management awarded in 2024.

A PhD candidate at the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa was selected as one of five 2025 NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)–Sea Grant Joint Fellows across the U.S. Leon Tran is representing the and joins four other fellows who are pursuing doctoral degrees at universities in other states.

The research projects span topics related to modeling and managing systems of living marine resources and fisheries, as well as the economics of their conservation and management.

“I’m honored to be selected for such an exciting opportunity and to contribute to the program’s legacy of conserving our oceans,” said Tran. “Through the fellowship, I’ll be able to move my experimental work in the lab into the conservation sphere, and help me advance my career as a marine conservation biologist and ocean steward.”

Under the guidance of �鶹��ý–based fisheries researchers Jacob Johansen, Erik Franklin, Tye Kindinger and Lisa McManus, Tran is developing a tool to forecast how future changes impact habitat suitability for important subsistence fisheries. By integrating laboratory studies on the metabolism of the convict tang (manini) and day octopus (heʻe mauli) with computer–based habitat models, he is exploring where these species can thrive across the Pacific. As coral reefs change under local and global pressures, this work helps reveal how animal physiology shapes where it can live, providing essential insight into how coral reef ecosystems can shift in the future.

Former NMFS–Sea Grant Joint Fellows have gone on to serve in key roles within NOAA Fisheries, other agencies, academic institutions and fishery management councils, making substantial contributions to the management and conservation of marine ecosystems.

Since 1999, this fellowship program has supported more than 134 population dynamics fellows and 42 marine resource economics fellows.

–By Cindy Knapman

From the coral reefs of the tropics to the oyster reefs of temperate estuaries, nature’s most diverse ecosystems are built by “master architects.” A study revealed that the complex shapes of these reefs are not random—they follow precise geometric rules that maximize survival.

The collaborative research of the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa (HIMB) and Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, offers a proven guide for reviving damaged marine habitats and protecting the vital seafood sources that communities depend on.

“This work shows that there are universal architectural rules for reef persistence,” said Joshua Madin, a senior author of the study, HIMB research professor, and a principal investigator of the HIMB Conservation Innovation Group. “Nature has already solved the design problem. Our job is to read that blueprint and scale it up to help reefs grow faster and survive longer.”

Geometry of survival

Using high-resolution 3D mapping and field experiments in Australia, the team engineered concrete structures spanning a wide range of surface complexities. They discovered that while simple structures left juvenile oysters exposed to predators, and overly complex structures offered diminishing returns, survival peaked at a specific, optimal combination of height and fractal dimension—exactly the geometry found in thriving natural reefs.

“Reefs are not just piles of skeletons or shells,” said Juan Esquivel-Muelbert, the study’s lead author from Macquarie University. “They are finely tuned three-dimensional machines. Their shape controls who lives, who dies, and how fast the reef grows.”

While the fieldwork focused on oysters, the theoretical principles were developed at HIMB and apply directly to coral reefs.

R3D project

The study provides the biological validation for cutting-edge restoration work currently underway in �鶹��ý. The geometric principles utilized in this paper are a driving force behind the UH project Rapid Resilient Reefs for Coastal Defense (R3D), a project funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency that is deploying immense, geometric reef modules off the coast of Oʻahu.

By mimicking the “optimal geometry” of coral reef, using the same principles identified in the study, these artificial structures are designed to do more than just break waves—they are engineered to attract coral larvae, protect them from predators and grow into a thriving coral reef.

“We are applying these exact principles to coral restoration here in �鶹��ý,” said Madin. “Recent work at HIMB testing these 3D-printed designs showed we could increase the settlement and survival of corals by 80-fold compared to natural reef surfaces. By building with the right geometry, we can jump-start the feedback loops that allow reefs to build themselves.”

A group of colorful hexacorals (aquatic organisms in the group of stony corals and anemones), known as “zoantharians” is defying the traditional laws of evolution by remaining virtually identical across the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific oceans, according to a led by researchers at the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz�.

The study, led by Maria “Duda” Santos of UH ����ԴDz�’s (HIMB) ToBo Lab and the University of the Ryukyus, began with a moment of “déjà vu” underwater.

“During my first dive in Okinawa, I was surrounded by a multitude of species I had never seen in my homeland of Brazil,” said Santos. “But then I saw the zoantharians. They looked exactly like the ones back home—the same colors, shapes and sizes. It was striking.”

While the Indo-Pacific typically hosts 10 times the species diversity of the Atlantic for most reef animals, this research found that the genetic and morphological divergence between oceans for these creatures is surprisingly narrow.

By combining DNA data and records from Mexico to the Philippines, the team has provided the first-ever global “atlas” for a group of animals that has remained in the shadows for decades. This map of the past and present provides a vital baseline for monitoring how marine life will navigate climate change.

Secrets of the ultimate travelers

The researchers suggest that zoantharians may be the ultimate oceanic travelers. Their secret likely lies in high dispersal via an “epic” larval phase, where young zoantharians can survive in open water for more than 100 days, paired with an ability to “raft” across ocean basins by hitchhiking on floating objects. In addition, an unusually slow evolutionary rate appears to keep distant populations looking and acting like siblings, even after long time of separation.

As climate change stresses traditional stony corals, zoantharians are increasingly moving in to fill the void.

“In some habitats impacted by stress, some zoantharian species can outcompete stony corals,” said Santos. “We are seeing ‘phase shifts’ where reefs once dominated by corals are being taken over by zoantharians. Understanding how they spread helps us forecast what the reefs of the future will look like.”

This study represents an international effort, uniting a team from �鶹��ý, Okinawa, Russia, Brazil, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Indonesia.

New University of �鶹��ý research confirms that “Sharktober” is real, revealing a statistically significant spike in shark bite incidents in Hawaiian waters every October. The study, which analyzed 30 years of data (1995–2024), found that about 20% of all recorded bites occurred in that single month, a frequency far exceeding any other time of the year. Researchers at UH ����ԴDz�’s (HIMB) Shark Lab .

The research, led by HIMB Professor Carl G. Meyer, determined that this pronounced pattern, informally known as “Sharktober,” is primarily driven by the seasonal movements and biological needs of tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier), which account for at least 63% of the incidents during this month.

“The October spike is real and statistically significant, but the overall risk remains very low,” said Meyer. “This pattern appears to be driven by tiger shark biology, not by more people being in the water.”

Extra caution advised

The study uses �鶹��ý-specific data to provide science-based information that allows residents and visitors to make informed decisions about ocean use during this time of year, supporting awareness and coexistence without sensationalism.

“Understanding when risk is slightly elevated helps people make informed choices, not fearful ones,” said Meyer.

Ocean users are advised to be aware that tiger sharks are more likely to be present in the nearshore waters of the main Hawaiian Islands during October, and extra caution is advised during this month, particularly for high-risk, solo activities such as surfing or swimming in coastal areas.

Postpartum tiger sharks

The findings suggest a strong link between the October spike and the tiger shark’s reproductive cycle, specifically parturition (giving birth), which occurs during the months of September and October. The evidence indicates two primary mechanisms acting together.

First, there is a temporary increase in the abundance of large adult females in nearshore habitats, including a partial migration of mature females from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands to the main Hawaiian Islands.

Second, giving birth to a large litter is energetically taxing, likely leaving postpartum females in a state of poor nutritional condition and increasing their motivation to forage actively to recover energy reserves.

This conclusion is supported by multiple independent lines of evidence, including the peak in tiger shark sightings at ecotourism sites that aligns precisely with the pupping season.

Future research will focus on directly studying adult female tiger sharks during the pupping season, including tracking their movements and using non-invasive tools to assess their reproductive status and body condition. The work was conducted as part of the HIMB Shark Lab program at UH ����ԴDz�, utilizing publicly available shark incident data compiled by the �鶹��ý Department of Land and Natural Resources.

A team of shark researchers from the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� has solved a long-standing mystery, identifying the first-ever documented mating hub for tiger sharks. , led by the (HIMB) Shark Lab, utilized six years of acoustic tracking data to pinpoint Olowalu, Maui and the nature of tiger shark mating.

This challenges the conventional understanding of tiger sharks as purely solitary animals, revealing a predictable seasonal convergence of mature males and females that coincides with the humpback whale calving season in �鶹��ý.

Solving the mating mystery

For years, it was unclear how tiger sharks, which are typically solitary wanderers, came together to reproduce, or if mating was simply a result of random encounters.

“Tiger sharks typically roam widely in what can seem like random patterns, so finding such a strong and consistent seasonal trend in their movements around Maui was unexpected,” said Paige Wernli, lead author of the study and a graduate student in the HIMB Shark Lab.

The long-term tracking data revealed a strong, predictable seasonal presence and high overlap of both mature male and female sharks at Olowalu, with both sexes exhibiting physical signs of mating activity.

“To our knowledge, no group mating site for tiger sharks has ever been identified. This paper adds an important piece to the puzzle of tiger shark reproduction,” said Carl Meyer, co-author of the paper and principal investigator of the HIMB Shark Lab.

Dual motivations

The timing of the sharks’ convergence also aligns with the arrival of humpback whale mothers and newborn calves in the area. This unique ecological overlap indicates that the sharks may be positioning themselves to take advantage of foraging opportunities, such as vulnerable calves or placental falls.

“Mating and foraging on humpback whales may not be mutually exclusive,” said Wernli, “and both could influence tiger shark movement patterns in Hawaiʻi.”

The researchers noted that these gatherings are not dense but rather diffuse, spanning multiple months and several kilometers.

.

Challenging a 50-year-old narrative about �鶹��ý’s native birds, a new study from the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� found no scientific evidence that Indigenous People hunted waterbird species to extinction. , the research debunks this long-held myth and offers a new, integrated theory to explain the disappearances.

Researchers found no evidence that Indigenous People over-hunted birds to extinction. Instead, the authors suggest a new theory: the birds died out because of a combination of climate change, invasive species and changes in how the land was used—most of which happened either prior to Polynesian arrival, or after the suppression of Indigenous stewardship. The study also noted that now-endangered waterbirds were probably most abundant just before Europeans arrived, when wetland management was a core aspect of Kānaka ʻŌ���ɾ� (Native Hawaiian) society.

Refuting conservation theories

“So much of science is biased by the notion that humans are inevitable agents of ecocide, and we destroy nature wherever we go. This idea has shaped the dominant narrative in conservation, which automatically places the blame for extinctions on the first people—the Indigenous People—of a place. Even where there is zero scientific evidence to support it, the myth of Hawaiians hunting birds to extinctions took root in �鶹��ý and for decades has been taught as if it was a scientific fact,” said Kawika Winter, associate professor at (HIMB) and co-author of the paper. “Our study not only dispels this myth, but also contributes to a growing body of evidence that Indigenous stewardship represents the best ways for native birds to thrive in a world where humans are not going away.”

This study re-examines existing evidence without the bias that the discipline has increasingly been criticized for—the idea that people are separate from and inherently bad for nature. The research provides a more nuanced understanding of history, paving the way for an increasingly robust approach to conservation research.

“Science has matured to a point where graduate students are being trained to challenge its own long-standing world view,” said Kristen Harmon, lead author on the paper who recently earned a PhD from the (CTAHR) Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management. “Our interpretation of historical ecology, how ecological systems change over time, influences our approaches to solving global-scale ecological problems. Bringing together information from different disciplines and knowledge systems can yield a more accurate picture of reality, which is ultimately the goal of every scientist.”

Empowering Indigenous stewardship

The study’s conclusions are expected to help transform conservation actions in �鶹��ý, particularly for the recovery of endangered waterbird populations, such as ʻalae ʻula (Gallinula chloropus) and ʻaeʻo (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni).

“Recent studies support what Hawaiians have always known—that restoration of loʻi (wetland agro-ecosystems) is critically important to bring these waterbirds into abundance again,” said Melissa Price, an associate professor who runs the Wildlife Ecology Lab at CTAHR. “If we wish to transform our islands from the ‘Extinction Capital of the World’ into the ‘Recovery Capital of the World’ we need to restore relationships between nature and communities.”

This new understanding could help change how we protect these birds and mend long-standing disagreements in the community.

Ulalia Woodside Lee, who was not a part of this research project, offered some reflections as the �鶹��ý and Palmyra Executive Director for The Nature Conservancy, “For generations, Native Hawaiians have been criticized for causing the extinctions of our precious native birds. This has contributed to a breakdown in trust between the Hawaiian community and conservationists, and the exclusion of Native Hawaiians from important conservation decisions. This study will help us to move past those untruths, so that we can all move together into a brighter future where our native species are thriving again.”