The U.S. Navy, Oahu Waterkeeper and the Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Center (PACRC) at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo have begun a partnership to bring native species of shellfish to the Pearl Harbor estuary to improve water quality. For Pearl Harbor, an area historically known as “Wai Momi” or “pearl waters,” the oyster restoration would not only treat polluted storm water runoff, but help restore a native species to the marine ecosystem. The partnership will mark the first large-scale effort to use shellfish and native Hawaiian oyster species for watershed restoration in Hilo Bay.
According to local news source KHON2, the project stems from a feasibility study conducted by the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources. The study used a nonnative species known as the pacific oyster to explore its impact on water quality in Pearl Harbor. Moving forward, the project will focus on native shellfish species. The two species of oysters native to Pearl Harbor that will be used are the Hawaiian oyster and the black-lip pearl oyster.
“We are developing hatchery production methods for native bivalve species, in part because many local species have become rare and may possibly require protection,” said Dr. Maria Haws, the director of PACRC. “For example, the black-lip pearl oyster is already a protected species under state law.”
Native oysters are able to filter between 20 and 45 gal of water per day, and can remove sediment, bacteria, heavy metals, PCBs, oil, microplastics and sunscreen chemicals from water, reported Hawaii News Now. They also remove carbon from water and use it to build their shells.
“This project will further the Navy’s environmental stewardship activities in Pearl Harbor and hopefully lead to long-lasting positive effects on the harbor through sustained augmentation of oyster beds,” said Cory Campora, the Navy’s natural resources manager.
The oyster restoration project is modeled off of other successful partnerships with Waterkeeper groups, including the Billion Oyster Project in New York Harbor.
