EPA Research Partner Support Story: Evaluating the use of the flocculant, chitosan, on Hawaiian stony corals
Partners: West Maui Ridge 2 Reef Initiative and U.S. Coral Reef Task Force
Challenge: Evaluating the use of the flocculant, chitosan, on Hawaiian stony corals
Resource: Laboratory research on Hawaiian corals
Project Period: 2020 – 2024
The U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) is a multi-agency workforce of federal agencies, states, territories, commonwealths, and Freely Associated States formed to preserve and protect coral reef ecosystems. Members meet regularly to address needs and priorities of regions and/or concerns of specific reef habitats. Hawaiʻi’s West Maui Watershed was identified by the USCRTF as a priority watershed requiring mitigation and restoration efforts to reduce land-based sources of pollution.
“We are so excited EPA's research team is working with us on this project. Their results will finally give us the critical insight needed to potentially unlock a tool that can settle out fine sediment, a pollutant responsible for significant loss of coral in West Maui. If found safe, we can move forward with developing applications for chitosan's use and break through our current technical limitations in improving nearshore water quality.” – West Maui Ridge 2 Reef Initiative Tova Callender
EPA ORD has largely focused its research efforts on Atlantic/Caribbean coral reefs with little to no emphasis on Hawaiʻi or Pacific coral. Listening to the needs of partners, the challenge was bridging the gap between ORD research and local concerns for Pacific, specifically Hawaiian coral reefs that are not only of environmental and ecological importance but have significant cultural value to native Hawaiians.
ORD researchers, in collaboration with EPA Region 9 (Pacific Southwest), have taken steps to include investigations of Hawaiʻi corals in their current research. As of 2023, ORD now houses Hawaiian coral at the Gulf Ecosystem Measurement and Modeling Divisionʻs Coral Research Facility. Researchers there will expose Hawaiian corals to the flocculant chitosan to assess its impacts on growth. The results of the research will determine if the use of flocculant can be used in West Maui’s watershed to be used as a management tool to reduce sediment exposure to West Maui’s coral reefs.
The findings of this research support West Maui’s Ridge 2 Reef Initiative, a coalition dedicated to address adverse impacts to West Maui’s coral reefs. The research outcome will provide guidance on possible solutions to significantly reduce sediment and improve water quality not only on West Maui’s coral reefs but other reef habitats around the world.