Holomua Marine Initiative

The Holomua Marine Initiative launched the planning process on Maui first as a pilot. The Maui Pilot Process is just the beginning for the Holomua Marine Initiative. Once completed, DAR will review the lessons learned from the process and adapt it for communities and regions on other islands willing and interested in collaborating with DAR. Many communities across Hawai‘i have expressed interest in engaging with Holomua and are eager to start the process.

We are currently in Step 3 of the Maui pilot process. Over the past several months, the Maui Navigation Team, a group of community members nominated to represent Maui Ocean users and fishers, have worked to develop a management proposal for Maui’s nearshore marine resources. These recommendations were drafted and refined using the Team’s knowledge of Maui’s nearshore waters and community, as well as the best-available science and Maui- based data.

Maui Talk Story Events

DAR hosted three in-person Talk Story events in Wailuku, Lahaina, and Hāna, where local residents shared their ideas on how we can work together to ensure that ocean resources that sustain us can thrive today and for generations to come.

195 residents attended the Talk Story events where the community became familiar with the Holomua Marine Initiative, shared Maui stories of current management efforts, and offered an opportunity for DAR to gather the larger community’s input on the future of marine resource management for their island’s nearshore waters.

Click below to read more about these events, view the materials, and community contributions from the meetings.

Building the Maui Navigation Team

The nominated Maui Navigation Team was formed from community members that have extensive knowledge of and deep connections to the nearshore waters of Maui. As a group, they represent 10 of the 12 moku, including all but Hāna and Kīpahulu, though many consultations with communities from these moku took place throughout the Maui Navigation Team planning process.  All actively engage in activities in the ocean, with 15 of 16 members self-identifying as fishers or from fisher families and representing many different types of fishing practices. The team contributes generations of knowledge and stewardship for Maui to this process. All are passionate about the kuleana to effectively manage Maui’s nearshore resources for the future.

Click below to learn more about each Navigation Team member.

Maui Navigation Team Meetings

Between 2023-2024 the Maui Navigation Team held eight meetings, working to create a draft management proposal that they could share with the wider Maui community. In the inaugural meeting, members were asked to review species and places of concern across Maui’s nearshore waters based on the community input and expertise provided at the Maui Talk Story events that took place in October 2022. If there was one thing the group had a strong consensus on, it was that they all agreed collaboration is vital in the success of effective marine management. 

Click below to learn more about the Navigation Team meetings.

Maui Information Exchanges

After more than year and a half of careful planning, difficult conversations and thoughtful considerations, the community- nominated Maui Navigation Team shared their draft management recommendations with the Maui community through a series of Information Exchanges in September of 2024. The Navigation Team is grateful to everyone who attended these sessions and took time to share their manaʻo and feedback. Next, based on the comments received during these sessions, the Navigation Team will further revise the proposal to reflect the priorities and needs communicated to them by the Maui community. After Maui communities have had the opportunity to review the management recommendations and provide their input, the revised proposal and a Maui management plan will be shared through a statewide scoping session.

Click below to see photos from the Information Exchanges, and to learn more about the information that was shared.