The first Kokua Kane'ohe Bay Community Invasive Algae Clean Up on Saturday, March 17 was a huge success. Fifty volunteers were on hand to take advantage of the beautiful weather and collectively cleared an amazing 16,000 lbs of algae in 90 minutes just outside He'eia Fishpond. The invasive smothering seaweed, Kappaphycus ssp., filled two truck beds, 344 collection bags and an inflatable boat. The Hui Wa'a Kaukahi Kayak Club transported the algae that were hand bagged by the volunteers to a waiting barge over the reef edge.

Because the extraction of the invasive pest was so successful, the effort to remove the seaweed will continue to focus in different areas of the bay to help restore the health of fragile reef ecosystems and fish habitat that are smothered by the large tumbleweed mats of the invasive algae. The endeavor was undertaken with the help of Paepae o He'eia Fishpond, The Nature Conservancy, and Safeway donated lunch. If you're interested in learning more about the Hawai'i Super Sucker, volunteering or upcoming events, check out the Hawai'i Super Sucker Facebook page.

www.facebook.com/noalienseaweed