When the Kai Kanani was found anchored on a damaged section of coral and live rock reef in 2007, the owners of the boat, Makena Boat Patners, were found liable for the damage and as part of their settlement, agreed to donate of $130,000 to conservation efforts. The Board of Land and Natural Resource awarded the money to Hawai'i community environmental groups Makai Watch Program and Malama Kai Foundation.
Makai Watch is officially sanctioned by the State of Hawai'i and works to restore and sustain Hawai'i's coastal resources through community involvement. The group was awarded $70,000 to support the development of observation and compliance protocols for volunteers and Department of Land and Natural Resources-assisted trainings for current Makai Watch groups. The remainder of the settlement, $60,000, was awarded to the Malama Kai Foundation, which will be used to install 52 day-use moorings around the state.
Day-use mooring buoys are accepted around the world as an effective tool to reduce damage to coral reefs caused by anchors, which can inadvertently damage coral if the anchor drags or if chain or line scrapes the sea floor. The moorings eliminate the need to drop anchors on coral reefs by providing boaters with a safe, convenient means of securing their boats. Malama Kai will give first priority to the island of Maui and will work with its partner, the Maui Reef Fund, for installation of the new day-use moorings. The foundation utilizes trained installers and consults with state biologists prior to mooring installation on each island.
malama-kai.org
hawaii.gov/dlnr/dar/coral/coral_las_makaiwatch.html