Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB)

Aloha, and welcome to the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, a global hub of excellence and innovation in marine science, coastal solutions, place-based education, and Indigenous community engagement. We are honored to be stewards of Moku o Loʻe, an islet in the ahupuaʻa of Heʻeia, among the living coral reefs of Kāneʻohe Bay. From this place, we advance a shared mission of understanding and conserving the world’s oceans – connecting research excellence with transformative education and community engagement for the benefit of Hawaiʻi, the Pacific Islands, and the world.

The pressures on our planet are mounting, and the HIMB ʻohana creatively meets the challenges of this moment. Every day on the boat, I hear a new story – a masters student describing a new species of sponge, a doctoral student mapping the benefits of Indigenous aquaculture, a high school student finding her first spark for ocean acoustics, or a postdoc using cutting-edge tools to map, measure, and mindfully manage corals, fish, or marine mammals – we are getting wet, asking questions, and finding solutions. Our location sets us apart, but so do our people. We approach our projects collaboratively, as we know our work requires many hands, minds, and hearts for viable, sustainable solutions.

Our research is advancing and evolving to meet the needs of our changing world. We invite you to join us in curiosity, discovery, learning, and stewardship. There are so many ways you can support this work! I invite you to explore our website or get in touch to learn more.

Year Founded
1912
Year Joined OBFS
2022
Size of Field Station (hectares)
101-500
FSML Web Address
https://www.himb.hawaii.edu/

Private nonprofit organization?
No
Universities affiliated / Parent Organization
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Federal, state, or local governmental partners?
No
Member of the Virtual Field
No

Additional Information

Private nonprofit organization?
Names of Universities affilated
0
Federal, state, or local governmental partners?
No
Name of partner
Tribal partners/users
Yes
MSI/HBCU users
No
Community College users
No
Member of the Virtual Field
No

Visiting a FS/ML

Open to the Public
No
Year round staff
21+
Seasonal staff
Overnight housing facilities/# of beds
1-10
Distance to emergency services
0-20 minutes
Library
Yes
Hiking trails
No
Internship employment
Yes

Environmental Information

Biomes
Intertidal - rocky
Minimum Elevation
0-100 meters
Maximum Elevation
0-100 meters
Köppen climate classification
A (tropical)
Freshwater habitats
No
Urban or rural
Agricultural fields
No

Research

REU host station
Yes
Dry lab space
Yes
Wet Lab space
Yes
Research vessels available
Yes
GIS capacity on site
Yes
Long term data sets
Yes
On site herbarium or voucher species
Formal Data Management Plan
No
Mesocosms, plots, stream diversions, or other sets ups for outdoor manipulative experiments
No
Date Joined OBFS
February 4, 2025