Alika Garcia—From Taking Fish to Making Fish

I got shanghaied into interviewing Alika Garcia, executive director of Kuleana Coral.

In a perfect world, I would have already known all about invasive fish species in Hawai’i and the many reasons our coral reefs are dying before stepping into their Ko Olina office for a weekly meeting (I’m new to this project). But, as we all know, life rarely goes according to plan, and in this case, I didn’t even have one! Thankfully, years of interviewing experience helped me wing it without looking completely clueless. Here’s how our conversation unfolded:

“I put out a Craigslist ad: ‘Fisherman seeking Scientist,’” Garcia quipped, his eyes sparkling with humor. Before diving into the intricacies of restoring underwater ecosystems, Garcia was a commercial fisherman. “It was kind of like what you might see on missed connections— ‘Saw you at the harbor the other day,’” he joked.

But beneath the humor was a genuine conflict. Fishing regulations were tightening, often implemented by people far removed from the practice. “People who don’t fish were telling us how to fish,” Garcia explained. “Having a Ph.D. doesn’t make you an expert in fishing. You might study it, but we’ve been doing this our whole lives.”

Yet those same regulations sparked self-reflection within Garcia and his crew. They began asking hard questions: What is our responsibility as fishermen? and How can we use our gear and skills to make a positive impact? Spending countless hours fishing and diving, Garcia developed an intimate understanding of the reefs—and a desire to make a difference.

They started by removing invasive fish species, focusing on the “big three”—roi, ta‘ape, and to‘au, introduced to Hawaii in the 1950s. But as fishermen, they lacked the scientific expertise to measure the impact of their efforts. Was removing these fish actually improving the underwater ecosystem?

Enter Craigslist. Garcia posted his now-famous ad, and after sifting through a list of “weirdos,” he met “Dr. Danny” (Daniel DeMartini), a chemist who also happened to be a fisherman. Now a co-founder of Kuleana Coral alongside Garcia and Kapono Kaluhiokalani, Danny contributed the scientific expertise necessary to quantify their efforts. Together, they developed a monitoring program to evaluate the effectiveness of their restoration methods.

What they discovered was sobering. Despite their efforts, removing invasive fish barely dented their population. The species were simply too widespread, and the state no longer considered them a priority. This realization prompted a shift in focus: how to increase native fish populations. The answer lay in coral.

“It’s a real estate problem,” Garcia explained.

“Think of Hawaii’s housing crisis—too many people, not enough homes. It’s the same with invasive species. They take up all the housing, leaving native fish with nowhere to live. Without homes, they either die or get eaten.”

So, Garcia and his team asked themselves: How do we create affordable housing for fish? After some Googling on how to make fish habitats, Kuleana Coral was born.

The name Kuleana reflects their mission: to take care of what takes care of you.

“We understand that as we take, it’s our responsibility to give."

By building coral habitats, they’re creating homes where fish can thrive. What was once about taking fish has now become about making fish. “We used to take fish, now we make fish,” Garcia laughed.

However, the journey hasn’t been easy. Securing permits to place coral in the water proved challenging—they faced rejection from the state ten times and continue to navigate permitting hurdles.

Their next step? Scaling up. Currently, they’re increasing fish populations by the single digits. Their vision is to increase biomass—more fish, bigger fish, and larger habitats. Today, their coral structures are basketball-sized; they aim to build one-meter habitats.

“How do we make these homes affordable and scalable to create a significant ecological impact?”

Building local communities in marine science is also a priority. They’re focused on bringing in staff and volunteers who are committed to this place. “They don’t have to be Native Hawaiian” Garcia clarified.

“But do you have a commitment to this place?”