Grant aims to help rejuvenate kumu

HONOLULU — The Oceanic Institute of Hawai‘i Pacific University was recently awarded a nearly $300,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Saltonstall-Kennedy Program for its innovative work to rejuvenate the Hawaiian goatfish in the nearshore waters off Hawai‘i’s coasts.

The goatfish — “kumu” in Hawaiian — is endemic to Hawai‘i and valued food fish.

“Kumu is a highly-regarded and culturally-important reef species that has experienced significant population decreases over the past several decades,” said Chatham Callan, Ph.D., principal investigator of the grant, Engaging Hawai‘i’s Fishing Community to Establish Marine Aquaculture Techniques for Kumu, an Endemic Hawaiian Goatfish (Parupeneus porphyreus).

Callan’s research will focus on developing culture methods for marine fish species for local food production and to aid in marine conservation.

“This exciting project will utilize hatchery technology recently developed at OI to culture species such as yellow tang, to innovate culture methods for kumu,” he said. “If successful, this research could pave the way for large-scale production of kumu for fisheries restoration and commercial markets.”

OI has a long and successful history of breakthroughs in aquaculture technology. After a series of successes in the feeding and nurturing of yellow tang in captivity, OI has enabled the production of the fish through aquaculture, which helps alleviate the stress of Hawai‘i’s reefs.

Kumu was once an abundant fish in Hawai‘i’s nearshore waters, but has fallen victim to overfishing in recent years. NOAA published a technical memorandum that classified kumu as an overfished species. The fish is highly prized in Hawai‘i and the flesh is considered a delicacy.