Sea Turtle Study has begun-Letter from Terry Lilley
Aloha Turtle Lovers,
The last two days has been good for the coral reefs and sea turtles at Tunnels Reef (Makua) in Kauai. This area in Kauai has suffered a massive coral loss in the last three years and recently a bunch of sea turtles with flipper and shell damage. Due to my reporting to our government agencies with pictures and video of the problem, they responded the last two days in person. I want to thank them for doing so from the depth of my heart.
Resident chronicles underwater damage in Hanalei Bay
HANALEI — Mud is smothering the coral in Hanalei Bay, according to one resident who explored the reef there Saturday.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources hasn’t been able to get in the water in many of the flood-impacted areas on Kauai to check on the coral.
Coco Palms and endangered species
WAILUA — Koloa ducks and moorhens have waddled into the spotlight in the saga surrounding the development of Coco Palms, the historic hotel destroyed in the 1992 Hurricane Iniki.
While developers with Coco Palms Hui, LLC maintain they have no knowledge of endangered species on the property, the Environmental Protection Agency is responding to reports of the endangered ducks living on the premises.
Whale washes up, dies
July 26th, 2014 (Tom LaVenture). HANALEI — A 16-foot sub adult pilot whale was pulled from the water at Waioli Beach Park after it died Friday.
Terry Lilley, of Hanalei, a marine biologist who has been studying coral disease on the North Shore, said he was on the scene early Friday when the whale was still alive and washing up to shore.
Terry Lilley FIHI GI
Military and marine life
BARKING SANDS — Representatives from Kauai’s conservation community recently met with representatives from the Pacific Missile Range Facility to discuss concerns that electromagnetic radiation coming from the high-powered radar and antennas could be the cause of coral’s decline.
“I walked away from the meeting today with a good understanding of the path we can now take to study and understand why we are suffering a massive die-off of our coral reefs here in Kauai,” marine biologist Terry Lilley said Wednesday.
Pacific Pulse Interview ~ Coral Disease
Researchers complete surveys of coral disease off the north shore of Kaua`i
By Bernardo Vargas-Ángel
Members of the benthic team of the PIFSC Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED) returned to Honolulu on May 8 from a week-long deployment on Kaua`i, where they conducted surveys as part of a project funded by PISFC and NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) to better understand the prevalence and spatial distribution of an outbreak of bacterial coral disease that was reported in 2012 for areas off the north shore of Kaua`i.
Coral die-back in the Pacific due to US war programme tests, says scientist
Terry Lilley reports, 13th February 2017: As a scientist we are trained to present facts. Good, bad or ugly.
If you have been following my reporting (like 2 million other folks have been) over the last four years about the rapidly dying coral reefs along the north shore of Kauai then you may want to look at this report I just finished after 50 recent dives along the north shore of Kauai studying the corals.
Pollution-threatened Bays Need to be Marine Sanctuaries
Hanalei Bay, Hawaii and San Luis Bay, California are popular tourist destinations thousands of miles apart across the Pacific Ocean from each other. Boasting legendary beauty of ocean and land with natural habitats, the communities bordering these bays could become "sister communities" working together to improve and preserve the health and beauty of their bays.
Top Coral Biologist Sample Tunnels Coral Disease for DNA Testing
BY TERRY LILLEY – Yesterday was a great day for science and the long term health of the corals at Tunnels Reef in Kauai.
As most of you know I found a new bacterial coral disease at Tunnels about two years ago and this disease has spread all over the north shore of Kauai in the last few months with lightening speed.
Scientists to investigate coral crisis on Kauai's north shore
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Look beneath the surface of Kauai's north shore and you'll see what marine biologists are calling an epidemic. Video taken from Anini on Kauai's northeast coast shows coral covered with white bacteria, which is deteriorating much of the reef.
"The disease is a tissue-loss disease," said USGS Wildlife Disease Specialist Thierry Work. "If you look at these corals, they are losing tissues and we think it's associated with a cyanobacteria, which is a type of algae that is eating the coral basically
UH, NOAA to Investigate Kauai Coral Disease
The Beat
UH, NOAA to Investigate Kauai Coral Disease
A recent outbreak of coral disease off Kauai’s shores has caught the attention of federal scientists, who plan to come to Kauai to study the phenomenon in March.
Local biologist Terry Lilley sounded the alarm last year, taking photos showing a cyanobacterial disease attacking coral.
Sharks on the air
Sharks are getting more air time on NatGeo Go Wild and some of the footage in the newest episode set to premier Sunday was shot by Terry Lilley of Kaua‘i. Lilley says he’ll be on camera, too, talking about “accidental shark bites and how best to avoid the problem.”
While the details are still secret, the focus of the episode will be on tiger shark attacks on surfers and snorkelers. Representatives with National Geographic didn’t return requests for comments on the show, slated for 8 p.m.
Giant corals rapidly dissolving off Kauai
HANALEI, KAUAI (HawaiiNewsNow) - Underwater photographer and marine biologist Terry Lilley has been shooting video and taking photographs of dead and dying coral off Kauai's north shore, including Hanalei Bay.
"We've had that terrible cyanobacterial coral disease that's killed a lot of the reef over the last couple of years. But now the big giant old mound corals are starting to actually dissolve into mud," he said.
OCEAN STORIES
Kayak Diving with California Central Coast Star Fish
by Terry Lilly
Special thanks to Terry for supporting Nature Issues for Kayakers at TopKayaker and sharing additional, now rare photos.
The west coast starfish die off is very disturbing. (see links below)
I did a 7 year, 1000 scuba dive study and movie along the Central Coast of California and documented tens of thousands of healthy starfish of many different species.
PMRF, researchers meet to discuss possible effects of base’s activity on coral, other sea life.
BARKING SANDS — Representatives from Kauai’s conservation community recently met with representatives from the Pacific Missile Range Facility to discuss concerns that electromagnetic radiation coming from the high-powered radar and antennas could be the cause of coral’s decline.
“I walked away from the meeting today with a good understanding of the path we can now take to study and understand why we are suffering a massive die-off of our coral reefs here in Kauai,” marine biologist Terry Lilley said Wednesday.
Kauai Lifeguards Rescue Local Man In Huge Surf Off Lumahai
Kauai lifeguards rescued a 29-year-old Hanalei man who was swept out to sea by pounding surf Wednesday at Lumahai Beach, a notoriously unsafe location on the island’s north shore, county officials said.
Despite Ocean Defender initially telling its 644,330 followers on Facebook that he had died, county officials confirmed Thursday that the man is alive, and the nonprofit has corrected its post. His identity has not been released.
Sharks At Tunnels Are Not Villains
Kauai’s Bethany Hamilton has shared her story of faith and hope all across the world ever since she lost her left arm in a shark attack in 2003.
On April 8, she started reaching an even larger audience when Soul Surfer was released in theaters across the nation. The movie features Hamilton’s amazing spirit and drive as she fights through the tragedy with the help of her family and friends, and eventually fulfills her dream of becoming a professional surfer.
Now It's Fungus--Hawaii's Threatened Coral Reefs Take Another Hit
Despite sweeping protections put in place near the end of George W. Bush’s presidency for large swaths of marine ecosystems around the Hawaiian Islands, things are not looking good for Hawaii’s coral reefs. Poisonous runoff, rising ocean levels, increasingly acidic waters and overfishing are taking their toll on the reefs and the marine life they support. Biologists are trying to remain optimistic that there is still time to turn things around, but new threats to Hawaii’s corals are only aggravating the situation.
In Hawaii, a coral reef infection has biologists alarmed
HANALEI, Hawaii — When compiling a list of places that may be described as paradise, Hanalei Bay on the rugged north shore of the island of Kauai surely qualifies.
The perfect crescent bay, rimmed by palm trees, emerald cliffs and stretches of white sand, has always had a dreamy kind of appeal. It was on these shores that sailors in the movie "South Pacific" sang of the exotic but unattainable "Bali Ha'i."
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