11/21/25 – FIRST CORALS OF OPPORTUNITY COLLECTED FOR KAUAʻI’S NEW CORAL RESTORATION NURSERY
Posted on Nov 21, 2025 in Aquatic Resources, Main, News Releases, slider| JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR |
DAWN CHANG
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FIRST CORALS OF OPPORTUNITY COLLECTED FOR KAUAʻI’S NEW CORAL RESTORATION NURSERY
The coral collection team in the morning of November 17, 2025. From left to right: Madeline Sherman (HIMB Coral Resilience Lab), Nicolo Cohen (DAR Hawai’i Coral Restoration Nursery), Taylor Engle (DAR HCRN), Timothy Leichliter (Ho’omalu Ke Kai/Kaua’i Coral Restoration Nursery), Heather Ylitalo-Ward (DAR), Mia Melamed (DAR), Paula Petri (Ho’omalu Ke Kai), and Captain Tara Leota (Kaua’i Ocean Awareness/KCRN). Photo courtesy of Scott Nishi, UH Foundation.
LĪHUʻE, Hawai‘i – The first coral specimens to be housed in the new Kauaʻi Coral Restoration Nursery at Nōmilu Fishpond are now being cared for at the facility that will build local capacity for reef restoration and emergency response. The corals of opportunity, or loose corals that have been dislodged from their parent reefs or damaged from storms, boat groundings, or anchors, were collected by Hoʻomalu Ke Kai, in collaboration with Kauaʻi Ocean Awareness, Kauaʻi Sea Farm, the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR), and the University of Hawaiʻi Coral Resilience Lab.
The team collected two coral species: Montipora capitata (Rice Coral) and Porites lobata (Yellow-Lobed Coral). At the nursery, each coral will be cut into 1–3 cm² fragments and attached to pyramid-shaped cement modules. The fragments are placed with even spacing, allowing them to grow along their living edges and eventually fuse into large, healthy colonies measuring approximately 30 cm x 30 cm. This rapid-growth methodology was developed at the DAR Hawaiʻi Coral Restoration Nursery (HCRN) on Oʻahu, and the Kauaʻi project will work closely with HCRN to adapt and expand this proven protocol.
Captain Tara Leota (Kaua’i Ocean Awareness/KCRN) takes a photo of a Porites lobata coral near the collection site to document the surrounding habitat before collecting the coral of opportunity. Photo courtesy of Scott Nishi, UH Foundation.
Coral restoration in Hawaiʻi presents unique challenges. Hawaiian reef-building corals typically grow slower than other coral species around the world. These naturally slow growth rates heighten the urgency and importance of restoration efforts statewide.
The establishment of the Kauaʻi Coral Restoration Nursery will significantly strengthen the resilience of the island’s reef ecosystems by providing a facility and trained staff capable of supplying healthy source colonies for restoration projects. This work is especially vital in the wake of recent severe bleaching events and increasing environmental stressors affecting coral reefs across the islands.
Montipora captiata coral fragments successfully housed at the Kaua’i Coral Restoration Nursery after collection. Photo courtesy of Timothy Leichliter (Ho’omalu Ke Kai/KCRN).
Statewide, coral reef restoration practitioners and managers are collaborating to scale resilient coral species while safeguarding ecological integrity and biodiversity. As the first and only coral nursery on Kauaʻi, this project represents an essential contribution to Hawaiʻi’s broader restoration network and long-term reef stewardship.
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RESOURCES
Photographs – Kaua‘i Coral Restoration Nursery (Nov. 17, 2025):
Media Contact:
Ryan Aguilar
Communications Specialist
Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources
Email: [email protected]