Marine Biology

University of Hawaiʻi assistant professor Kanoe Morishige will be teaching Indigenous-led biocultural coastal management as part of a new degree program to be offered at UH Mānoa. HPR's Maddie Bender has more.

A species of deep-sea coral has been named after the beloved "Star Wars" character Chewbacca. Its long shape makes it look like it’s standing upright, and its extended, flexible branches resemble the famous character’s fur.

Mafalda de Freitas, the megaplastics program director at the Center for Marine Debris Research at Hawaiʻi Pacific University, spoke to HPRʻs Maddie Bender about the plastic recycling research facility and the uncertain road ahead.

Acidification was thought to be worst at the ocean's surface. A new study shows that some deeper waters may be acidifying more quickly than shallow waters.

A recent University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa report analyzed impacts to the ocean based on different CO2 emission levels. It found that even if carbon dioxide production flatlined by the middle of the century, nearshore waters will experience significant acidification, though oceanographers say reducing emissions is still important.

University of Hawaiʻi oceanographer Nick Hawco spoke to The Conversation's Maddie Bender about new research into the North Pacific Transition Zone.

Bob Richmond, a coral scientist and head of the University of Hawaiʻi Kewalo Marine Laboratory, spoke to HPR about the science behind protected areas like the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine Reserve.

The state Board of Land and Natural Resources voted to move forward with an initiative to raise and preserve native and endemic limu species in Hawaiʻi.

The Trump administration says it will consider selling leases to extract minerals from the seabed off the South Pacific island of American Samoa. It's a potential first step in a wider industry push to allow deep-sea mining that environmentalists oppose because they say it could irreparably harm marine ecosystems.

Environmental advocate Solomon Pili Kahoʻohalahala spoke to The Conversation's Maddie Bender about ocean protections amid Trump's executive order for deep-sea mining permits.