Papahnaumokukea marine national monument (pmnm) represents one of the largest marine protected areas on the planet, spanning 1,508,870 KM2 and the full extent of the northwestern hawaiian islands of…

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded the University of Hawaii a cooperative agreement worth $415,257 on June 1, 2026, under the Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research Coastal Ocean Program (CFDA 11.478) to develop larval dispersal models for marine species within Papahānaumokuakea Marine National Monument.

The research integrates western scientific and Indigenous Hawaiian perspectives to model how larval connectivity links habitats across the monument's 1,508,870 square-kilometer expanse, spanning nearshore coral ecosystems, pelagic waters, seamounts, atolls, and the full extent of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The work addresses the complex connectivity between benthic habitats and pelagic waters that serve as habitat for fish larvae and large pelagic predators, including commercially important tunas. The monument serves as a biocultural heritage site of significant cultural importance to Native Hawaiians and is designated as part of the ancestral islands within the spiritual realm; the research incorporates Hawaiian cultural protocols and principles alongside scientific inquiry.

Work is performed in Honolulu, Hawaii with a period of performance from June 1, 2026 through May 31, 2030. The University of Hawaii at Manoa, a Native Hawaiian-serving public research university, received the award. The Competitive Research Program funds peer-reviewed, collaborative research producing actionable science and tools to support management and policy decisions protecting coastal ecosystems and community vitality across issues including harmful algal blooms, hypoxia, coastal change and resiliency, and ecosystem-based management.

Papahnaumokukea marine national monument (pmnm) represents one of the largest marine protected areas on the planet, spanning 1,508,870 KM2 and the full extent of the northwestern hawaiian islands of hawaii PAE INA (archipelago). The region is home to a wide array of terrestrial and marine life, including many endemic species, particularly in the coastal realm. Despite the original terrestrial and nearshore focus of pmnm, pmnm expanded out to the edge of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in 2016, largely encompassing KAI hohonu (deep, pelagic waters). The importance of these deep waters is furthered by the steep bathymetry of the archipelago, resulting in pelagic waters merely hundreds of meters from the shoreline in many of the islands and atolls. The massive expanse of pmnm, including benthic habitats separated by pelagic waters that are both habitat for the larvae of nearshore species and large pelagic predators, necessitates understanding how the patchwork of habitats for taxa within pmnm are connected both within pmnm and adjacent areas. This ranges from essential nearshore corals to commercially important tunas, covering the expansive and complex ecosystem of pmnm. However, pmnm is not solely a protected area for wildlife, rather IT serves as a biocultural heritage site of great cultural significance to knaka IWI (native hawaiians). Pmnm represents the kupuna (ancestral) islands of hawaii PAE INA, within the realm of p (night/spiritual realm). Thus, western science research in this space bears kuleana (responsibility) to conduct protocols in a pono (proper, sustainable) fashion. Part of this kuleana is to ensure the perpetuation of IWI culture and principles in research and beyond. This project will use data from both western and indigenous perspectives to develop larval dispersal models to better understand how habitats in the islands, atolls, seamounts, and pelagic waters of papahnaumokukea are inter-connected. Larval connectivity models will be generated for 1) shallow-coral taxa (porites and pocillopora), 2) UHU (parrotfish, scarini) critically important group of herbivorous reef fish, 3) deep-sea corals, including the precious corals pleurocorallium secundum, hemicorallium laauense, and kulamanamana haumeaae, and 4) commercially important pelagic fishes, including AHI (thunnus albacares) and AKU (katsuwonus pelamis). Specifically, we will assess 1) inter-island connectivity of shallow corals and reef fishes through estimating larval transport for the islands within pmnm, the main hawaiian islands, and johnston atoll, 2) estimated larval connectivity for deep sea corals from pmnm, the main hawaiian islands, and johnston atoll, and 3) if pmnm is serving as a protected spawning ground for pelagic managed species such as AHI and AKU. These larval dispersal modeling efforts will leverage existing data and model frameworks, including existing larval fish collections within pmnm, remotely operated video data, and recently developed hydrodynamic models throughout pmnm. This will be coupled with archival analysis of hawaiian newspapers to assure the existing IKE (knowledge) of these species is given proper acknowledgment and recognition. The proposed work will feed directly into a set of key management needs for pmnm, including identifying potential stock-structure and habitat use.