Hawaii protecting coral reefs with fines
Published 3:59 pm Wednesday, November 24, 2010
HONOLULU — Wrecking coral will cost you in Hawaii.
A Maui tour company is paying the state nearly $400,000 for damaging more than 1,200 coral colonies when one of its boats sank at Molokini, a pristine reef and popular diving spot. Another tour operator faces penalties for wrecking coral when it illegally dropped an anchor on a Maui reef.
The state plans to sue the U.S. Navy to seek compensation for coral ruined when a guided missile cruiser the length of two football fields ran aground near Pearl Harbor in February.
The fines began issuing fines two years ago as part of its efforts to punish those who damage a resource critical to Hawaii’s fragile environment and tourism, the state’s No. 1 industry.
Hawaii is home to 84 percent of all coral under U.S. jurisdiction. .
Coral reefs provide vital habitats for fish, help protect shoreline areas during storms, and support a thriving snorkeling and scuba diving industry.
Careless ocean users, who can kill a 500-year-old coral in five minutes, are another danger.
“Each one may be considered fairly small. But when you add them together, then the impact gets to be even greater,” said University of Hawaii coral reef expert Richard Richmond.
