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Our Programs

Maui's ocean is not a resource to be managed—it is a living system to be cared for. That's why our work is rooted in the traditional ahupuaʻa approach to land and sea: everything is connected, and every action matters.

Across four core programs, The Marine Institute responds to that responsibility with science, urgency, and aloha for the ocean that sustains us all.

Coral Reef Restoration

1,852 corals outplanted across 9 native species

The Marine Institute operates Maui's only land-based coral nursery, dedicated to restoring the foundation of our nearshore reefs. We collect naturally dislodged corals of opportunity, thermally stress-tests each one, then propagate the most resilient individuals based on collected data—building a reef that is prepared for a warming ocean. 

 

Our approach is holistic: we incorporate aquacultured native Hawaiian collector urchins and yellow tangs to manage algae within the lab, honoring the ecological relationships that make healthy reefs possible in the first place.

SCUBA diver examining a coral

©Nahoia Kai Productions

Coral outplants on a reef

©Nahoia Kai Productions

SCUBA divers doing coral reef restoration

©Nahoia Kai Productions

Sea Turtle Rescue & Rehabilitation

Over 1,500 honu saved since 2016

A veterinarian performs amputation on a sea turtle
A sea turtle (honu) swimming in a rehabilitation tank
A Hawaiian green sea turtle being examined

We manage Maui's sea turtle stranding response network and operate the Honu Hospital, Hawaiʻi's first dedicated sea turtle rehabilitation facility. While the Hawaiian green sea turtle (honu) is our most frequent patient, we provide advanced medical care and surgical intervention for all sea turtle species found in the archipelago, often receiving turtles from across the Hawaiian Islands. When a turtle is in trouble anywhere in Hawaiʻi, our team is part of the network that answers.

Hawaiian
Monk Seal Response

400+ haul-outs documented since 2025

The Hawaiian monk seal is one of the most endangered marine mammals on Earth, and our response program is dedicated to their protection. Our trained responders and volunteers monitor haul-outs, pupping, and molting events across the island's coastline, documenting vital health data and providing real-time public education to ensure these animals can rest, recover, and thrive alongside the communities that share their beaches.

Two Hawaiian monk seals hauled out on a beach

©Mike McKenna

A Hawaiian monk seal volunteer holds a distance sign before a hauled-out monk seal

©Mike McKenna

A Hawaiian monk seal hauled out on the beach

©Terry Joseph

Conservation Education

Over 2,900 students, community members, and visitors educated last year

Kamehameha students doing a marine debris cleanup school trip

We manage Maui's sea turtle stranding response network and operate the Honu Hospital, Hawaiʻi's first dedicated sea turtle rehabilitation facility. While the Hawaiian green sea turtle—honu—is our most frequent patient, we provide advanced medical care and surgical intervention for all sea turtle species found in the archipelago, often receiving turtles from across the Hawaiian Islands. When a turtle is in trouble anywhere in Hawaiʻi, our team is part of the network that answers.

A Hawaiian Shearwater

©NOAA Fisheries/Christopher Hoefer

Hawaiian Albatross
Hawaiian Petrel

©National Park Service

New Program
coming soon

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and opportunities to join us on the front line of conservation.

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