Growing coral also means protecting it
23 May 2026
Southern Inner Reef, Aitutaki
Mission: Koi Taramea
On 23 May 2026, the Grow Aitutaki crew removed 13 taramea from the Southern Inner Reef as part of their ongoing reef care work in Aitutaki.
Taramea, also known as crown-of-thorns starfish, feeds on coral and can damage reef systems when their numbers increase. Every second week, the Grow Aitutaki team helps respond to reported locations around the lagoon, removing taramea and recording the work as part of Mission: Koi Taramea.
This field note sits beside the children’s photographs because growing coral also means paying attention to what threatens it. The children are learning about the lagoon through images, outings, conversations, and the work they see happening around them. Their photographs become part of a wider visual archive of care, learning, and community action in Aitutaki.
For every taramea collected, a $5 payment is received and reinvested in children’s conservation work. Mike also regularly makes his boats available free of charge to support these efforts.
To support future taramea removal and reef restoration work, donations can be made through Grow Aitutaki’s Givealittle page.
For this taramea outing, the children were given two underwater digital cameras and invited to photograph freely, without set prompts or formal instructions. It was a simple first introduction to image-making in the lagoon: who wanted to hold the camera, what they noticed, where they pointed the lens, and how they began to describe the world around them through photographs.
This first session was deliberately light and open. The aim was to observe the children’s natural interest in cameras, the kinds of images they were drawn to, and the practical things we need to understand before beginning the workshops. Their photographs from this outing form part of the early Coral Kids archive and help shape the next stage of photography workshops, field notes, and documentary development.
