Tropical Fish in Hawaii

In 1934-1936, Christian Holmes II, an heir to the Fleischmann yeast fortune, doubled the original 12-acre (49,000 m2) island with coral rubble, sand, and earthen landfill. He established a residence with aquaria, kennels, and aviaries for his many pets. The island was converted to a rest and relaxation station for United States Navy flyers during World War II. A group of five Los Angeles businessmen, including Edwin W. Pauley, bought the island in 1947 to convert to an exclusive resort club and hotel. From the 1950s to the 1980s, the Pauley family used the island for summer get-aways. From the mid-80s to mid-90s Japanese real estate investor Katsuhiro Kawaguchi owned half the island, while the University owned the other half. In 1995, the Edwin Pauley Foundation granted a gift of $9.6 million to the University of Hawaii Foundation to purchase the private half of the island and build new laboratories on it.

The island is now completely owned by the state and is the facility for the Hawai`i Institute of Marine Biology, part of the University of Hawai`i. It is the only laboratory built on a coral reef, except for Heron Island, Lizard Island and a number of labs in the South Pacific, outside of America.