Want updates on all Hawaii’s Invasive species? This update from the AIS Team was provided to the Hawaii Invasive Species Council(HISC) as part of their bi-monthly newsletter! 
HISC News is a semi-monthly newsletter that provides:
- Recurring updates from active response efforts
- Announcements and programmatic updates from agencies and partners
- Upcoming events. This newsletter is sent to the full HISC email list, and readers can subscribe/unsubscribe at hisc.hawaii.gov
View the full HISC update for February/March here: Volume 4, Issue 2
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The Division of Aquatic Resources’ (DAR) Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Team has finished sorting organisms to send for genetic and taxonomic analysis retrieved from the first of twenty autonomous reef monitoring structures (ARMS) that were deployed throughout the main Hawaiian Islands in May of 2018. ARMS were placed in commercial harbors that included: Nawiliwili, Kauai; Kahului, Maui; Honolulu, Oahu; Kalaeloa/Barbers point, Oahu; Hilo, Big Island. The first ARMS unit was pulled from Honolulu Harbor on August 12 and brought to the Bishop Museum for analysis and organism preservation. In collaboration with the Bishop Museum, DAR hopes to expand on the baseline of aquatic non-indigenous species established in and nearby commercial harbors and supplement genetic databases with confirmed taxonomic samples. Robust genetic databases are important for future genetic monitoring efforts of harbors and nearby waters.
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DAR’s ballast water and biofouling program has made some big steps in the legislative process toward gaining appropriate funding for staffing and program necessities. SB 2935 related to aquatic biosecurity has moved past its second hearing in the Senate and is one step closer to becoming a reality. This bill requests the allocation of 10 new positions to the program which will build capacity to effectively co-enforce vessel discharge regulation with the U.S Coast Guard (USCG) and prevent the introduction of nonnative species through the vector of vessel traffic.
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On February 19th, a dry dock that had been stationed in Bellingham, Washington for 30 years was transferred to Hawaiian waters. In an effort to decrease the biosecurity risk, DAR had been in contact with the new owners of the dry dock to ensure the hull was cleaned and biofouling organisms were removed before reaching Hawai‘i. Now that the dry dock has arrived, DAR has performed a biofouling assessment on the freshly cleaned hull to ensure the cleaning was effective and the dry dock is not a threat to the potential introduction.
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DAR’s Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Field Team has continued Kāne‘ohe Bay invasive species control, monitoring, and restoration efforts. Invasive algae management continues in the bay in the form of monitoring and sea urchin out-plantings. Annual Long-Term Reef monitoring will begin again in March on priority patch reefs. Stocking of sea urchins continues on priority reefs to maintain invasive algae at levels below 5% coverage.
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DAR’s Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Field Team has begun building on the success of collector urchin out-plantings in Kāne‘ohe Bay, by beginning out-planting hatchery-raised native sea urchins in the Waikīkī Marine Life Conservation District (MLCD). Recently, DAR Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) team introduced the first of 100,000 native sea urchins (Tripneustes gratilla), to help control over 4 acres of invasive algae.
See the Full story at: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/ais/2020/02/27/sea-urchins-helping-to-control-invasive-seaweed-honolulu/
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DAR participated in the GEF-UNDP-IMO Glofouling Seminar which is aimed to push for action for global biofouling regulations and standards. They have produced webisodes showcasing the different issues around biofouling https://www.glofouling.imo.org/webinars . The latest seminar was hosted by Agnese Marchini from Universita di Pavia which covered the role of biofouling in recreational sailing, yachting and, marinas as a pathway for non-indigenous species (NIS).
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