INTRODUCED MARINE SPECIES IN PAGO ... - Bishop Museum

een found to compose 17-23% of the ports’ total species. A similar level (19%) of composition
of the total biota was found in the semi-enclosed waters of Kan‘eohe Bay, O‘ahu (Coles et al.
2002a), although studies on more open reef environments through have found much lower levels
of introduced species throughout the Hawaiian Islands (Coles et al. 1998, DeFelice et al. 1998,
DeFelice et al. 2002, Coles et al. 2002b), Johnston Atoll (Coles et al. 2001), and Guam (Paulay et
al. 2002).
The high level of usage of Pago Pago Harbor docking facilities for cargo and tuna fish offloading
and cleaning of vessel hulls at the dry-dock facility has provided ample opportunity for
introduction of nonindigenous species into the harbor’s marine environment. American Samoans
are highly dependent on their marine resources for subsistence and cultural identity, and they
would be greatly impacted by degradation of those resources. Despite the potential importance
of disruption by introduced marine species of the ecology and economies of American Samoa,
nothing has been known about the degree to which such introductions have occurred, whether
they have affected the biota of the harbor, or if they have spread to other areas on Tutuila. In
order to evaluate these potential impacts of nonindigenous species on the marine communities of
Tutuila, the present study was conducted.
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