COOPERATIVE NATIONAL PARKS RESOURCES STUDIES UNIT DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA HONOLULU, HAWAII 96822 (808) 948-8218 TECHNICAL REPORT #lo HALAPE MARINE SURVEY NATIONAL PARK SERVICE CONTRACT #CX8000 6 0031 Contribution #: (This work carried out under CPSU Year 02.) Clifford W. Smith, Unit Director The National Park Service and the University of Hawaii signed the memorandum of agreement establishing this Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit on March 16, 1973- The unit provides a multidisciplinary approach to studies on the biological resources in the National Parks in Hawaii, that is, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Haleakala National Park, City of Refuge National Historical Park and Puukohola National Historic Site. Through the Unit Director, projects are undertaken in areas identified by park management. These studies provide information that will facilitate the development and implementation of resource management programs. The involvement of University faculty and students in the resource management of the National Parks in Hawaii lends to a greater awareness of the problems and needs of the Service. At the same time research not directly or immediately applicable to management is also encouraged through the Unit. A SURVEY OF THE MARINE ORGANISMS AT HALAPE, HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK FREDERICK W. BALL DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII 3190 MAILE WAY HONOLULU, HI 96822 TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface ........................................... i Introduction ...................................... 1 Material and Methods .............................. 8 Results ........................................... 12 Discussion ........................................ 16 References ........................................ 19 Appendix A . Local..Common.. Scientific Names of Fish Seen at Halapz-Hawaii during a previous survey .............................. 21 Appendix B . Species list of organisms collected .................................... 27 Bibliography ...................................... 49 Acknowledgements .................................. 51 PREFACE This report of the survey of the marine resources at ~ala~ewas- conducted July 17-23, 1975. Since that time the area has been severely disturbed by natural phenomena. The November 29, 1975 earthquake, (Richter Scale magnitude 8.4), generated a small tsunami which claimed the lives of two people and also severely disturbed the marine flora and fauna at ~alape. Many animals and some plant material were either crushed or left stranded on land. However, this destruction was minor com with the gross change in the habitat brought about by the land subsidence during the earthquake and in the following weeks. The land in the ~alaperegion has sunk approximately eleven feet. The benthic environment in the area will not recover for some years as the newly submerged land surface is colonized and the previously submerged regions adapt and change in response to their greater depth. Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the conditions at ~alapebefore and after the earthquake. There was no volcanic activity in the ~alapearea. Though this report presents information about an area whose features have been radically altered by nature, the results contained herein are still of considerable significance for resource management purposes. The report is the first compre- hensive qualitative inventory of marine organisms along the coastline of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. As such it wfll form the basis for future resource inventory studies in the area and all consequent ecological studies that may be necessary for resource management. Some work on the colonization of the newly submerged coastline is already being sponsored by the CPSU UH. Fig. 1. An aerial photograph of the ~ala~gcoastline Hawaii Volcanoes National Park prior to the November 29, 1975 earthquake. Keaoi Island is in the left foreground. (Photo by R. Holcomb, USGS # 1-16-75/Frame 12). Fig. 2. An aerial photograph of the Halape coastline Hawaii Volcanoes National Park after the November 29th, 1975 earthquake. Keaoi Island is just to the bottom left hand corner; only a small portion is left exposed(not shown in this photograph). Note the position of the coastline with respect to the Halaps Coconut Grove and the small pali hehind. (Official photograph of USQS taken by Boone Morrison). Introduction The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park coastal boundaries extend eastward from Lalahana, near the Great Crack, to Kupapau Point, which is located about 3.5 miles West of Kalapana (Fig. 3). The region surveyed covered an area approximately 0.5 mile East of Keaoi Island to 1.75 mi. West of it (Fig. 4). A base camp was established at Halap5 (Lat. N. 19' 16' 24", Long. W. 155' 15' 37"), a very attractive site amidst very bleak surroundings. Although its coastline is located leeward of the prevailing trade winds, refraction of the westward setting waves is sufficient to create moderately exposed conditions. The waves have gnawed away at and eroded the lava-formed coastline, fashioning it into myriad forms that take the shape of arches, jagged spires, subterranean caves, pot holes and the like. Primarily due to its remoteness and somewhat harsh physical and topographical conditions, the marine environment along the approximately 30-mile stretch of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park coastline has received little attention. Studies of potential value, beneficial not only to the National Park Service but also to the scientific community as well, consist of (1) faunal and floral successlon studies on recent lava flows, and (2) an assessment of the degree of human impact on coastal organisms, such as mollusks, opihi in particular, and fish. Fig. 3. Location of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in the Hawaiian Islands. UlYtTBb STATES Ib# Fig. 4. Location of the ~alapeStudy Area in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. KAU DE:S€RT HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK Pobbwr Po# 6 By determining the diversity and density of the marine fauna and flora the management of the resources in the area will be improved. In addition, the National Park Service is interested in expanding its jurisdiction to 0.25 miles off- shore. Hence, the concern to survey the coastline in terms of its marine organisms. At present, the National Park Service exercises control over those lands within its bound- aries extending down to the mean high tide mark. Beyond this point the State has juri$diction out to the 3 mile limit. The human impact within the National Park's jurisdiction of the coastline is well known. There are historical records that the Hawaiians made extensive use of certain parts of the coastline between Puna and Kafu. The physical remains of several hundred sites of ancient villages, heiaus, petroglyphs, shelter caves and other displays of ancient native habitation are present in the area. Major archaeological sites have been located mostly towards the Kalapana end of the National Park's boundaries at such locations as Pulu Loa, Kamoamoa, Ka'ili'ili and Wahaula. In general, perhaps because of the ruggedness of the coastline betweenpunaand Kalu, the population of ancient Polynesians was rather sparse west of the Kalapana Extension. 1 For the most part, the majority of the population 2 of this rugged region was only transient. During historic times, there has been a steady decline in the population of this area. In the mid 18001s Keauhou Landing was a landing place for tourists visiting Kilauea 7 Volcano. During this period Keauhou consisted of a fairly large village and steamship port until it was destroyed in 1868 by a tsunami (tidal wave). This port was also used by the pulu (a fern product) factory located on the trail between Makaopuhi and Napau Craters .' The loss of the land- ing place at Keauhouwas the beginning of the end. The area reverted to a status of basic subsistance and the population dwindled. Previous collections in the area Hartman (1966) compiled a list of polychaete annelids found in the Hawaiian Islands, including collections from ~ala~emade by Hiatt and Brock. Of the total number of polychaete species collected by Hiatt and Brock, 36 were identified as being found in the ~alapearea. Seven of these species, Phyllodoce madeirensis, Platynereis dumerilii, Eunice afra, Mesochaetopterus sagittarius, Polyopthalmus pictus, Ly~damisnesiotes and Nicolea gracilibranchis, were collected during the present study; the remaining 15 species are new records for Halape. The discrepancy in the species found can be accounted for by differences in collecting techniques and the time of year when sampled. Doty (1966) eonducted a preliminary survey of the seaweeds at Kalapana and vicinity and identified about 40 species of micro- and macro- types of algae. By comparison, of the 40 species of macrobenthic algae collected at Halaps, only 9 were of the same species. The difference in species 8 composition between the two areas is probably the result of habitat difference; the Kalapana Coast is an area of rugged cliffs exposed to the full force of the waves whereas at ~alapethere are many sheltered areas. In April of 1973, Major made some brief observations on the various kinds of reef fish located between Keaoi Island and the beach. The results of his observations were filed with the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Library in an unpublished report and are summarized in this report in Appendix A. Undoubtedly, there are other such "preliminary1' surveys that have been conducted by various individuals on the maiine biota of this region, the results of which are probably