Introduced Marine Species of Hawaii
Welcome to Introduced Marine Species of Hawaii - A Cooperative Project Between the Bishop Museum and the Hawaii State Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources.
For the past 10 years researchers from the Bishop Museum have conducted sampling and rapid assessments for nonindigenous (introduced) marine species at various locations throughout Hawaiian Islands. This activity has involved eight separate projects, with observations and collections in the harbors and the coral reefs in of Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, Moloka‘i, Maui, Lāna‘i, Kaho‘olawe and Hawai‘i. A total of 212 nonindigenous (introduced) or cryptogenic (neither demonstrably introduce or native) marine species have been reported for 157 stations surveyed since 1995.
This web site allows users to access all of this information using a modification of a Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis adapted to the Google Earth Platform. This provides for easy access to the information with no GIS experience or training required for the user. The species present at any site are accessed by selecting the site location by name in the menu to the left of the map or by clicking on a site location indicated on the map. This brings up a list of all the species present at that site, along with a summary graph of the total number of introduced and cryptogenic species that occurred there, summary information regarding the taxonomy and status of each species, and an expandable image, if available. Other links for the species list page for each site provide access to a full list for all species found at all sites and the full report pdf that fully describes the study where the species was reported.
Clicking on any species brings up another list showing all sites on the study where that species occurred, along with information about the site such as substratum and location information, date of the survey and whether the report was from an on-site rapid assessment or from collection and laboratory identification. Clicking on another site on this take the user back to the species information for that site shown on the first list.
We hope that this presentation of information for over 2740 marine introduced and cryptogenic species will be convenient and useful for extending our research results to both scientists and the public. Images used are from Bishop Museum sources, individuals or web sites, with attribution on the image. If you have images that you wish to contribute or comments on the content of this web site, please contact Steve Coles.
Please Note: Results of queries are returned using popup windows. If you have turned these off in your browser, please change your setting to allow popups from this site. Without these popups the site is essentially useless.
All media are for the personal use of students, scholars and the public.
Any commercial use or publication of them is strictly prohibited.
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