Deep-seated connections between people and the ocean environment are a hallmark of communities across the hawaiian islands

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded a cooperative agreement to Symbioseas totaling $237,770 on October 1, 2025, under the Cooperative Research Program (CFDA 11.472) to develop reporting products that translate coastal ecosystem status and trends information into formats accessible to resource managers and the public in Hawaii.

Symbioseas will produce well-written and researched reports with compelling visuals and results highlights that integrate up-to-date socioeconomic, climatic, and biophysical information on Hawaiian coastal ecosystems. These reporting products are designed to bridge science and management, enabling informed coastal management decisions and supporting local and regional economies while reflecting the deep connections between Hawaiian communities and marine environments.

Performance takes place in Carolina Beach, North Carolina, with a period of performance from October 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028.

Human communities are an integral and influential part of coastal and marine ecosystems in hawaii. Marine ecosystems contribute substantially to the local economy and sustain culture, tradition, and social practices that are critical to human communities. Within this coastal ecosystem, human communities affect, depend on, and care for ecosystem health. For that reason, the impetus for effective coastal management has never been greater. But the role of being a coastal manager has never been more challenging. Somehow, coastal managers overcome these challenges and make tough decisions all the time and with everyone watching. This proposal and project aim to help ensure coastal management decisions are informed. Making informed decisions requires managers understand, and can use and apply up-to-date socioeconomic, climatic and biophysical information. Managers and the public need well-written and researched reports with compelling visuals and brief and punchy results highlights section. Reporting products are the bridges our community can build between science and management and, therefore, pave the way for managers to meet public needs and support local and regional economies. This project aims to develop such reporting products for the public and resource managers in HI. We aim to make the best and most up-to-date information on coastal ecosystem status and trends accessible, easy to understand and use. We make the case that this is especially important work in hawaii where connections between humans and marine ecosystems are so varied and strong.