The marine fauna of the coast of northern Kona, Hawaii : an inventory of fishes and invertebrates recorded during summer, 1972
Bailey-Brock JH and Brock RE. 1974. The marine fauna of the coast of northern Kona, Hawaii : an inventory of fishes and invertebrates recorded during summer, 1972. Sea Grant advisory report. UNIHI-SEAGRANT-AR-74-02. University of Hawaii Sea Grant Program. Honolulu, HI
"A survey of the marine animals of the Kona coast of the island of Hawaii was undertaken during the summer of 1972 in conjunction with a similar study of the coastal ponds. The shoreline and subtidal waters to a depth of 30 feet (10m) were surveyed at 16 stations from Makalawena in the north to Waialua near South Point. In total, 163 species of invertebrates and 137 species of fish were recorded from three well-defined habitats: the tidepools, the subtidal waters that receive freshwater runoff from the land, and the true marine subtidal areas. It was not possible to make thorough collections at each station in all three habitats. Consequently the sampling effort varied at each station so the results are not directly comparable. Fish surveys were only made at six of the 16 stations. Some stations examined are exceptional in their faunal diversity (abundance of species) for both fishes and invertebrates. The subtidal zone with freshwater influence occurring over geologically young lava rock is unique to this island and associated with it is a discrete group of fishes and invertebrates which characterize this habitat. Representative coelenterates, polychaetes, and mollusks can be described as indicator organisms for this low salinity environment. Greatest species diversity are found in the truly marine areas. This report is the first attempt to biologically examine some of the remote marine areas of the Kona coast. The information presented here should be useful to other biologists and for environmental planning by county officials. Recommendations are made for the conservation or preservation of five stations (4,7,8,9,11) that have either a unique marine fauna or other biological and cultural attributes that are not found elsewhere. Futher investigations of these regions are essential for a better understanding of the pristine marine communities present, especially in view of the lack of human disturbance that has occurred along the remote sections of this coast in contrast to many shoreline areas of the Hawaiian Islands."
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Bailey-Brock, Julie; Brock, Richard
- Date of Issue
- 1974
- Publisher
- University of Hawaii Sea Grant Program
- Units
- ALKA , KAHO , PACN , PUHE , PUHO
- Keywords
- Akahu Kaimu, Animal Studies, Coastal-Marine Systems, Coral Reefs, Fish, Indicator Species, Intertidal Zone, Kaloko, Kiholo Bay, Kona HI, Lahuipuaa, Makalawena, Mano Point, Marine, Marine Fauna, Observations, Presence (Biodiversity), subtidal zone, West Hawaii