Hawaii Marine Education And Research Center

THE HAWAII MARINE EDUCATION AND RESEARCH CENTER (MERC) IS A STATE OF HAWAII AND U.S. FEDERAL 501(C)3 NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT CONNECTS COMMUNITIES TO TIMELY SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION ON MARINE RESOURCES. LOCATED IN MILOLII ON HAWAII ISLAND, HAWAII MERC PROVIDES COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, RELATIONAL AND CONTEXTUAL PLANNING FOR COASTAL AND MARINE MANAGEMENT AS WELL AS NATURAL RESOURCE ENFORCEMENT VIA COMMUNITY EDUCATION. HAWAII MERC FACILITATES INTER-OPERABILITY AMONG DIVERSE LOCAL COMMUNITIES (NATIVE HAWAIIAN, LONG-TERM RESIDENTS, AND NEW ARRIVALS) WITH HAWAII STATE (DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES - DLNR, DIVISION OF AQUATIC RESOURCES - DAR) AND FEDERAL (NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, FISHERIES DIVISION AND LAW ENFORCEMENT DIVISION) AGENCIES BY SUPPLYING A NEUTRAL CONVENING SPACE PAIRED WITH ORGANIZATIONAL AND OPERATIONAL SKILLS AND SCIENCE TO SUPPORT AND MAINTAIN KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE AND COMMUNITY ACTION.

HAWAII MERC IS THE FIRST COMMUNITY MARINE STATION ON HAWAII ISLAND AND POSSIBLY IN THE STATE OF HAWAII. THE VISION TO BUILD HAWAII MERC WAS BASED ON A RISING NEED TO PROTECT COASTAL AND MARINE RESOURCES AND ECOSYSTEMS THROUGH EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND ENFORCEMENT, IN A RAPIDLY CHANGING CLIMATE. SINCE ITS ESTABLISHMENT IN 2018, HAWAII MERC HAS STEERED RADICAL CHANGE IN THE MILOLII AREA OF SOUTH KONA, HI. BELOW IS A BRIEF SUMMARY OF FIVE INTERWOVEN ACCOMPLISHMENTS THAT, TAKEN TOGETHER, EXPRESS THE UNIQUE APPROACH OF HAWAII MERC FOR IMPROVED ECOSYSTEM CONSERVATION. HAWAII MERC TRAINS, OUTFITS, AND COORDINATES THE MILOLII MAKAI WATCH, WHICH IS NOW WIDELY RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF THE MOST ACTIVE AND SUCCESSFUL NATURAL RESOURCE EDUCATION AND LAW ENFORCEMENT ASSISTANCE GROUPS IN THE STATE OF HAWAII. WE LEAD THE MAKAI WATCH PROGRAM ELEMENTS THAT HAVE, OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS, REDUCED REEF POACHING BY MORE THAN 90% PRIOR TO ITS EXPANSION. MAKAI WATCH ACCOMPLISHMENTS ALSO INCLUDE A REDUCTION IN CORAL DAMAGE CAUSED BY ILLEGAL MOORINGS AND POOR ANCHORING PRACTICES, INCREASES IN REEF FISH STOCKS IN AREAS PREVIOUSLY DEPLETED BY POACHERS AND THE AQUARIUM TRADE, AND REDUCTIONS IN DAMAGE TO LAND-BASED HAWAIIAN ARCHEOLOGICAL SITES IN THE MILOLII AREA. HAWAII MERC HAS PLAYED AN QUIET YET OUTSIZED ROLE IN WORKING WITH HAWAIIAN PARTNERS FROM MILOLII VILLAGE AND THE STATE DLNR TO SUPPORT THE NEW RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE COMMUNITY-BASED SUBSISTENCE FISHING AREA (CBSFA). A CBSFA IS A LEGAL INSTRUMENT THAT IS BASED ON HAWAIIAN CULTURAL PRACTICES AND WHICH SUPPORTS MARINE PROTECTIONS MUCH LIKE A MARINE PROTECTED AREA (MPA). MOST OF OUR ACTIONS IN SUPPORT OF THE CBSFA HAVE BEEN CARRIED OUT BEHIND THE SCENES, WORKING REGULARLY WITH DLNR AND HAWAIIAN LEADERSHIP TO REDUCE ROADBLOCKS AND INCREASE SUPPORT FOR THE PROTECTED AREA DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. THE NEW MILOLII CBSFA RULES AND REGULATIONS WERE APPROVED IN JUNE 2022, MAKING IT THE LARGEST CONTINUOUS MARINE MANAGED AREA OF REEF IN THE STATE OF HAWAII. HAWAII MERC SUPPORTS SCIENTIFIC OPERATIONS OF UNIVERSITY, STATE AND FEDERAL AGENCIES. TO DATE, WE HAVE SUPPORTED MORE THAN 20 PROJECTS FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA, AND ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY. WE HAVE ALSO SUPPORTED DLNR AND NOAA RESEARCH ACTIVITIES ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS BY SUPPORTING REEF ACCESS, VESSEL-BASED MOBILITY, AND SCIENTIFIC DIVING SUPPORT. HAWAII MERC PRESENCE ON THE REEF IS CONSTANT AND CONSISTENT, THEREBY CHANGING THE NARRATIVE FROM AN UNSEEN AND UNMANAGED REEFSCAPE TO ONE WITH PERSONNEL SUPPORTING RESEARCH FOR CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT. HAWAII MERC HAS INTEGRATED WESTERN SCIENCE WITH LOCAL INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE TO PROVIDE GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDERREPRESENTED YOUTH IN THE 8-20 YEAR AGE RANGE. SPECIFICALLY, HAWAII MERC HAS CARRIED OUT NUMEROUS EDUCATIONAL EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES, WE HAVE PARTICIPATED IN ANNUAL LOCAL CAMPS AND WORK-STUDY PROGRAMS, TO CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR HAWAIIAN AND NEWCOMER KIDS TO GET INVOLVED IN MARINE EDUCATION, CONSERVATION, RESEARCH, AND OUTREACH. HAWAII MERC ALSO HAS GUIDED WORK-STUDY STUDENTS IN USING SATELLITE IMAGERY, DRONES AND FIELD SURVEYS TO MAP LOCAL HAWAIIAN CULTURAL SITES, A REPORT OF WHICH WAS PRESENTED TO THE HAWAII COUNTY MAYOR. IN ADDITION TO DIRECT PARTICIPATION, HAWAII MERC HAS ALSO PLAYED A QUIET ROLE IN PROVIDING EDUCATIONAL ACCESS IN MILOLII VIA CONNECTIONS WITH ASU. HAWAII MERC FACILITATED BRINGING IN ASU PREP DIGITAL TO CREATE A SOLID BACKBONE FOR K-8 EDUCATION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE KUA O KALA CHARTER SCHOOL CAMPUS IN MILOLII, CREATED A SCHOLARSHIP AND TUTORING ASSISTANCE FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO TAKE ASU UNIVERSAL LEARNER COURSES FOR R1 COLLEGE CREDIT, AND HELPED ADVOCATE FOR AND ESTABLISH ASU LOCAL, AN ASSISTED ONLINE UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION PROGRAM BASED IN KEAUHOU. COLLECTIVELY, THESE ACCOMPLISHMENTS HIGHLIGHT THE BROAD SCOPE, YET DIRECT ACTION, HAWAII MERC STRIVES TO ACHIEVE IN ITS ACTIVITIES.