As part of an ongoing community effort to restore and preserve Kealakekua Bay’s ecological and cultural integrity, local nonprofit organization ʻIke Lawaiʻa, in partnership with KapuKapu ʻOhana and the Alex & Duke De Rego Foundation, is hosting an invasive species removal event on May 18.
Removal will be focused on invasive species Roi (Cephalopholis argus), Taʻape (Lutjanus kasmira) and Toʻau (Lutjanus fulvus). No other species will be removed.
Kealakekua Bay waters will be closed to all other uses from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday to ensure the safety of all participants and visitors.
In 2022, the community adopted the Kealakekua Bay Community Action Plan that includes the removal of invasive species as one of its goals for the community-led effort to steward the area.
The plan is being carried out by KapuKapu ʻOhana community stakeholders and state partners, including the Kealakekua Bay Cultural Advisory ʻOhana, The Nature Conservancy, Conservation International, Hoala Kealakekua Nui, NPS - Ala Kahakai, the DLNR Divisions of Aquatic Research, Conservation and Resources Enforcement, and State Parks.
In 2023, the Community Action Plan was incorporated by the Board of Land and Natural Resources into the Hawaii State Parks Master Plan for Kealakekua Bay Marine Life Conservation District/State Historic Park.
“We are proud to bring our community together to care for our bay through the knowledge of our ancestors," said Chuck Leslie from ʻIke Lawaiʻa in a release. "Removing invasive species supports our coral restoration, fish population and makes sure all things are healthy in Kealakekua Bay. We make sure that there is a future for both our keiki and this wahi pana (sacred place).”
ʻIke Lawaiʻa is a native Hawaiian organization rooted in Kealakekua Bay, dedicated to perpetuating traditional lawaiʻa (fishing) practices, safeguarding the bay’s environmental and cultural well-being, and passing down ancestral knowledge to future generations.
