DLNR News Release-Corals Toppled in Kāne’ohe Bay Aircraft Accident Righted, Dec. 14, 2023

Posted on Dec 14, 2023 in About Governor Green, Capitol Connection

  

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DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES  

  

JOSH GREEN, M.D.
GOVERNOR
 

  

DAWN CHANG
CHAIRPERSON
 

  

NEWS RELEASE  

  

  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

Dec. 14, 2023 

 

180 CORALS TOPPLED BY NAVY AIRCRAFT IN KĀNEʻOHE BAY ARE RIGHTED 


(HONOLULU) – State and federal dive teams completed field assessments in

Kāne’ohe Bay this week, to delineate the scope of impacts to corals damaged when a U.S. Navy P8A Poseidan twin-engine jet aircraft overshot the runway at Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i. Last month’s accident ended with the nearly 70-ton aircraft on top of the bay’s reef. 

 

Divers from the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR), and federal natural resource agencies will be conducting further data analysis in the coming weeks to delineate the main impact footprint from the geo-referenced data they’ve gathered.  

 

Emergency restoration efforts were enacted last week by the DAR and Navy divers,  along with other divers from federal agency partners. 

 

Kim Fuller, the aquatic biologist leading survey and restoration dives from DAR said, “Divers have up righted 180 coral colonies and documented the size and species of each of them. The Navy divers were key in up righting the heavy, larger colonies. If the colonies had remained overturned, they likely would have died. This collaborative, emergency work gives them a chance to survive.”  

 

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RESOURCES  

(All images/video courtesy: DLNR)  

  

HD video and photographs – Coral restoration work in Kāne’ohe Bay (week of Dec. 10, 2023): 

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/vi46gmggjbctd4ixjy6cl/GX013427-clipped.mp4?rlkey=0pz8qamgrdbf7rc9yhcujtgzx&dl=0 

 

Media Contact:  

Dan Dennison  

Communications Director  

808-587-0396  

[email protected]