Hawaii residents are urged to use the Pest Hotline to promptly report sightings of invasive pests such as snakes, unusually aggressive stinging ants, and illegal or unknown animals. Call 643-PEST (643-7378).
The proliferation of invasive seaweeds in Kaneohe Bay and other locations statewide prompted exploration into possible methods for removing large amounts of seaweed in an attempt to protect the diversity of Hawaii's reefs.
One method developed by The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii and the University of Hawaii Manoa uses a large underwater seaweed vacuum (dubbed "The Supersucker") to suction clumps of seaweed from the reef. The Supersucker is currently being tested in Kaneohe Bay with the assistance of the AIS Team.
When operating at full capacity, the Supersucker can remove up to 750 lbs. of the invasive seaweed "gorilla ogo" (Gracilaria salicornia) per hour from reefs and surrounding areas. While this cleans most of the large pieces of seaweed, the small particles that remain attached to the reef will re-grow over the course of several months.
The future
The Supersucker is one part of a comprehensive approach led by the University of Hawaii to control invasive seaweed. The second step includes an experimental evaluation of adding cultured native seaweed eaters such as sea urchins to control seaweed re-growth after initial cleaning with the Supersucker.
