Growth of Tripneustes gratilla in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaii in 2003 (NCEI Accession 0001459)

As part of a study of the possibility of using the urchin T. gratilla to control the growth of macroscopic algae on shallow reefs in Kaneohe Bay, we examined the growth rate of this urchin. We measured growth of tagged (PIT tagged) urchins at both sites where they were abundant (Sampan Channel site, Reef 13 and Reef 11) and at sites to which we introduced them (Coconut Island reef flat, Reef 22, Reef 29, Reef 19).