Maui Ocean Center

Lore & Background

The Maui Ocean Center opened on March 13, 1998, developed by Coral World International on a 3-acre site in Maalaea. Its exhibits receive saltwater directly from Māʻalaea Bay, creating environments that allow fish, corals, and other marine invertebrates to thrive. The center has successfully raised and maintained coral colonies since its opening.

The facility features six main exhibits. The Living Reef showcases over 40 Hawaiian coral species ranging from shallow to deep-reef environments. Turtle Lagoon is home to the Hawaiian green sea turtle, the largest hard-shelled sea turtle in the world, reaching lengths of up to four feet and weighing over 300 pounds in adulthood. The Hawaiians and the Sea exhibit tells the stories of the kanaka maoli, Hawaii's first people, and their navigation across the Pacific using stars as guides.

The Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute (MOCMI) operates one of only four land-based coral nurseries in the United States, striving to protect rare and endemic coral species. Its gene bank holds the largest number of ocean corals in the world, with active research leading to the discovery of new corals. MOCMI also works with NOAA Fisheries to coordinate sea turtle stranding response and rescue on Maui.

Reader's Guide

The Maui Ocean Center holds significance as the only public aquarium on Maui and the largest living tropical reef aquarium in the Western Hemisphere. Its exclusive focus on Hawaiian marine life distinguishes it from other aquariums, and its SEASCAPE restaurant is the only restaurant in Hawaii to achieve platinum certification for 100% sustainable dining.

The center's conservation efforts include a land-based coral nursery and a gene bank containing the world's largest collection of ocean corals. Its partnership with NOAA Fisheries for sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation adds to its conservation role.

However, the center has faced criticism. The nonprofit organization For the Fishes accused it of repeatedly violating state-issued permits to take fish from the ocean.

A compliance review for the 2022-2023 special permit identified 91 instances of improper marine life removals, with a reported mortality rate of over 50% within one year of capture. During 2021-2022, the center collected 802 fish; by the end of the permit year, 548 (68%) had died and 14 (less than 2%) had been returned to the ocean. Despite these findings, the Division of Aquatic Resources renewed the aquarium's permit in June 2024, increasing the allowable fish take to 1,381 specimens—the largest such permit in the state—and adding an 'opportunistic collection' clause allowing subsequent permits to take unregulated marine life.