Reef rescue | The Honolulu Advertiser

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Reef rescue | The Honolulu Advertiser | Hawaii's Newspaper

Posted on: Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Reef rescue

Run for the Reefs Luau benefit gallery

By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Kelly Hu greeted the media horde last night at the Run for the Reefs Luau, a benefit held at the Sheraton Waikiki for the marine conservation organization Reef Check Hawai'i.

Photos by JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser

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Reef Check Foundation was established in 1997 to monitor and address the destruction of coral reefs due to overfishing, pollution, poor land use and global warming. The local Reef Check affiliate has been active in Hawai'i since 2000. The organization, composed of scientists, business leaders, environmentalists and educators, conducts surveys of Hawai'i reefs, collecting information on significant changes, threats and trends.

For more information about Reef Check Hawai'i, see www.reefcheckhawaii.org.

The party is under way: Actress Victoria Pratt lets out a laugh with Chris Harrison of "The Bachelor."

Scientists long ago established the relationship between moon and ocean tides. Less certain was the relationship between stars and reef.

That is, until last night, when Hawai'i-born actress Kelly Hu and a coterie of local and Hollywood pals hosted the Run for the Reefs Luau at the Sheraton Waikiki to benefit Reef Check Hawai'i, local chapter of an international volunteer conservation organization that helps monitor and record the health of reef ecosystems.

For last night's feast, Hu recruited a host of celebrity friends and others with ties to the organization, including Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis; actors Eric Woods ("24"), Victoria Pratt ("Daybreak"), Daniel Dae Kim ("Lost") and Jason Scott Lee (the upcoming "Balls of Fury"); and reality star Chris Harrison ("The Bachelor"). Local musician Makana performed.

"Reef Check is sort of a new organization," Hu said. "The fact that we got so many people to know who we are now is worth more than its weight in gold. Coral reefs are dying all over the world because of overfishing, pollution and other causes. We survey the reefs and come back with the information needed to lobby for the protection and conservation of the environment. We come up with the proof."

According to the 2004 report "Status of Coral Reefs in the Hawaiian Archipelago":

The reefs around the main Hawaiian Islands remain in "relatively good" condition, although there are signs of decline in coral cover and fish populations over the preceding 10-year period.

Local government has improved management of reef resources by addressing overfishing and land pollution.

Coral bleaching and disease, and alien species, posed the biggest threats to the reefs.

The study's projection for the next 10 years predicts continued degradation of reefs from increased "human pressures." The rate of decline could be reduced with political and financial support of protection and management efforts, the study says.

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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