The nonprofit Malama Pupukea-Waimea has been given the go-ahead to conduct a carrying-capacity study for the Pupukea Marine Life Conservation District, which is second only to Hanauma Bay as Oahu’s most popular snorkeling and scuba diving site.

The state Board of Land and Natural Resources unanimously voted Friday to award the community group a $269,990 contract for the study, which includes identifying and assessing the effectiveness of potential long-term management measures “to reduce the impact of humans on the health and abundance of marine life in sensitive areas” within the conservation district and ensure local residents can continue to enjoy the area.

These measures could include imposition of fees and voluntary or mandatory “kapu” or closure periods, similar to the restrictions in place at Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve. To manage overcrowding at that East Honolulu hot spot, the city closed the nature preserve two days a week, on Mondays and Tuesdays, and established an online reservation system and an entry fee of $25 per nonresident age 13 and older. Additionally, visitors are required to view an edu­cational video in the education center theater before entering the preserve.

Concerned about the “unabated levels of tourism” at ­Pupukea on the North Shore, the Legislature in 2022 directed the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to establish a three-year pilot program to collect data, propose management plans and submit a report to DLNR.

The Pupukea MLCD covers about a mile of coastline and comprises roughly 100 acres. The DLNR website says the area is home “to an abundance of native marine life and is a critical habitat for many endangered species.” Its attractions include submarine caves, the Kapoo Tidepools and Shark’s Cove, a popular shore entry for snorkelers and divers.

According to documents submitted to the Land Board by DLNR’s Division of Aquatic Resources, the Legislature believes “that allowing the unlimited human access to sensitive marine areas like the Kapoo Tidepools and Shark’s Cove is contrary to Native Hawaiian cultural traditions of adaptive management, including kapu, or closures, to ensure abundance in perpetuity.”

Malama Pupukea-Waimea, the sole bidder for the carrying-capacity study contract, has a nearly two-decade history of partnering with community, government and nonprofit organizations in a variety of stewardship, education and research programs at Pupukea and nearby areas.

Its contract bid was endorsed by DLNR’s Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement.

“From the inception of the (Malama Pupukea-Waimea) Makai Watch program in 2014, MPW has been a steady and strong community partner for DOCARE,” said Enforcement Chief Jason Redulla in a letter to the Land Board. “They have shown a willingness to work with the Department to both monitor the MLCD as well as educate the North Shore community about its economical value and keeping them informed as to the rules that protect it.”

Redulla said that over the years, the group’s monitoring and educational presence “has led to many successful enforcement actions” along with increased compliance with rules protecting the resources there.

Other supporters include Hi‘ipaka LLC, which manages the 1,875-acre Waimea Valley property nearby; the North Shore Community Land Trust; Friends of Hanauma Bay; the Environmental Law Program at the University of Hawaii’s William S. Richardson School of Law; and the nonprofit I Nui ke Aho, which operates the double-hull sailing canoe Wanana Paoa on the North Shore.

The carrying-capacity study process will include meetings to gather input from and provide updates to stakeholders, with a final report to be submitted to DLNR by Nov. 1, 2025.