#hawaii coral reef health

Kahalu‘u Bay Sees ‘Dramatic Drop’ in Oxybenzone Levels

Laboratory tests confirm that oxybenzone, an active ingredient found in many common sunscreens, is contributing to coral decline.

Mariners Asked to Avoid Kahalu‘u Bay for Coral Spawning

Environmental stressors and very high ocean temperatures impacted West Hawaiʻi in 2015 and again at the end of 2019, causing catastrophic bleaching and mortality for more than 90% of the Kahaluʻu Bay population. 

REPORT: Interventions May Save Coral Reefs

Over the past few decades, about 50% of coral reefs have been lost and the rate of loss has increased with the impacts of global climate change.