Since 1989, Honokowai has had a series of Cladophora sericea algae blooms. 27K JPEG Honokowai's environment has also been degraded by run-off events, the most serious in July 1993, when red mud from the West Maui Mountains turned the coastal waters red. In some areas, silt collected in layers 10-15 cm deep. Distressingly, FP has infested Honokowai throughout our observation period, and almost certainly longer than that. Inshore, Honokowai is shallow.
Seaweeds cover a large part of the bottom and provide forage for juvenile turtles.
A number of these algae, A. spicifera and Spyridia filamentosa in particular, have been identified by Landsberg et al. This is of interest because okadaic acid is a known tumor promoter in lab animals. Seaweeds cover a large part of the bottom and provide forage for juvenile turtles. The Cavern is an example of turtle habitat inshore. Two ledges face each other 5-6 m apart, both capable of accommodating a juvenile turtle.