Cheryl Hankins conducts research on Caribbean corals. Hankins will lead a free talk on an innovative water quality solution based on marine shell-based flocculant on April 13 at Maui Ocean Center. PHOTO BY EPA ORD.

MAALAEA — A free talk on an innovative water quality solution based on using a product derived from marine shells to settle out sediment will be held at 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 13, at the Maui Ocean Center Dome in Maalaea.

Hosted by the Marine Institute in partnership with the West Maui Ridge to Reef Initiative, this talk will be given by Cheryl Hankins, coral scientist from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Gulf Breeze Florida lab, who has over 20 years of experience in studying the effects of contaminants on coral reefs, and Research Fellow Danie Lasseigne, who has been conducting the beginning dosing trials.

There will be time for questions and answers after the presentation.

Sediment is one of the biggest threats to coral reefs. When sediment lands on a reef, it can smother the coral and prevent it from getting the sunlight it needs to survive. It can also make the water cloudy, which can make it difficult for coral to photosynthesize.

The West Maui Ridge to Reef Initiative and many agency, nonprofit and community partners have been working over the past decade to reduce the quantity of sediment entering the ocean with each rainfall event.

A novel idea to help meet this goal in conjunction with other practices is to use chitosan, made from chemically treated crustacean shells, proven to function as a very effective flocculant, or substance that allows fine particles to settle.

The visiting researchers from US EPA’s Office of Research and Development are conducting studies to establish whether chitosan is safe to use near coastal ecosystems, focusing particularly on toxicity impacts to coral.

Once this is established, managers will have a better sense of whether chitosan is an appropriate substance to deploy in sediment basins or construction best management practices.

The EPA’s research is furthering a critical need, since an additional ecologically appropriate mechanism to take fine soil particles out of suspension on land would be very helpful for improving ocean water quality and protecting the coral reefs in West Maui and beyond.

This event is free and open to the public. For more context on the challenges and past approaches to addressing sediment, visit www.WestMauiR2R.com.

For additional questions, e-mail Tova@westMauiR2R.com or call (808) 214-4239.