A spatial framework formanaging Hawaii’s aquatic resources:

Dana Infanteinfanted@msu.edu

Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University

Improved conservation and restoration opportunities in a changing world

www.fishhabitat.org

Protect, restore and enhance nation’s aquatic communities through partnershipsObjectives• Conduct an objective

condition analysis of fish habitats

• Identify priority habitats for conservation, enhancement, or restoration

Condition index

Good

Poor

Landscape-scale disturbances• Agriculture, urban land use Roads• Former plantations Dams• Ditch intersections, length Quarries• Injection wells TRI Sites• NPDES sites

2010 Hawaiian River Condition Assessment: Built from a landscape approach Landscape

factors

Habitat

Biology

Reach Local catchment

Reach

– Local and network catchments delineated using ArcHydro

– Confluence to confluence reaches– Breaks implemented

based on elevation

– Assessment data and other variables have been attributed to each spatial unit

• National Hydrography Dataset (1:24,000 NHD)

Network catchmentReach

Spatial framework and database

MokuAhupua’a

Local catchments and reaches, NHD

Network catchments

Flexibility and benefits of a spatial framework

Island

Island

“Assessment of coral and fish disease in three priority watersheds and their relationship to land-based pollution loads,” R. Oram, G. Aeby, T. Work

Current applicationsNFHAP coastal condition assessment for Hawaii

Plans to compare results with Hawaii Watershed Atlas

Plans to refine the assessment

• Integrate additional landscape-scale disturbance data• Golf courses• Refined fragmentation statistics• Downstream disturbances measures

• “Calibrate” scores using biological dataTarget reach

• “Managing the Nations Fish Habitat at Multiple Spatial Scales in a Rapidly Changing Climate” • USGS-funded project to determine vulnerability of

fish habitat to projected changes in climate and land use

• Project builds on elements of current condition assessment

• Goal: Conduct a similar type of assessment in Hawaii, using current conditions scores as a base• Consider freshwater, marine and terrestrial systems• “Integrated” vulnerability assessment• Currently working with PICCC, USGS to coordinate a

planning meeting

Next step

Thank you!• Gordon Smith• Dan Polhemus• Bob Nishimoto• Glenn Higashi• Jim Parham• Malie Beach Smith• Gary Whelan• Doug Beard• Andrea Ostroff• NFHAP Science and Data Committee

• Gary Whelan (MDNRE), Doug Beard (USGS), Andrea Ostroff (USGS)

• NFHAP Science and Data Committee

“More people working for more fish”

Disturbance variables:Urban and point source

Disturbance variables:Former plantation, fragmentation, ditches, agriculture, 303D listings

Reach

• Summarizes amounts, types, and locations of natural and anthropogenic system influences

• Integrates data and results of other studies across different scales

Benefits of a spatial framework

• Allows decision makers to easily compare regions, identifying priority areas for protection, enhancement, or restoration

• Establishes a consistent reporting framework

A Hierarchical Spatial Framework and Database for the National River Fish Habitat Condition Assessment, In Review. L. Wang, D. Infante, P. Esselman, A. Cooper, D. Wu, W. Taylor, D. Beard, G. Whelan, and A. Ostroff