NOAA Surveys Kauai’s Coral Reefs

Tuesday, the First NOAA survey of Kauai’s coral reefs documenting the cyanobacterial white coral disease began at Waipa. NOAA did transect surveys where they laid a tape measure on the reef and counted infected corals.

These surveys will let us know how many corals are infected with this deadly disease and will give us information about its spread rate and pattern throughout the reefs in the Hanalei area.

The infected corals have the semi circle white disease on the brown rice coral. I also took video of dozens of other coral species covered in mud and dying quickly! This mud appears to be coming out of the river and creeks that flow into Hanalei Bay.

I also took video of a very rare baby hawksbill turtle and a super rare Wire Coral that live in the Waipa area. I have only found two wire corals alive in all of the Hanalei Bay area! NOAA will do similar surveys all along the north shore of Kauai this week documenting the diseased corals I have been tracking for over a year.

Feel free to contact me for a more full report, pictures and video of this ongoing survey work. We will have a movie of this event on this website later on this week. Aloha, Terry Lilley,Marine Biologist, Hanalei HI