April 2017 Seawords

Seaw rds The Marine Option Program Newsletter

April 2017

“they can take positive 22 action and fulfill their kuleana

to the ocean and Nāmaka.”

DIVE SAFETY: PROPER WEIGHT CHECK SHIPWRECK OF THE MONTH 36 DEAF WHALES: PROPOSED MISSILE TRAINING

April 2017

Volume XXXI, Number 4

Articles Page 3: Letter from the Editor Page 4: Photography Competition Page 6: Ocean Updates Page 9: Dive Safety: Proper Weight Check Page 12: Marine Mammal of the Month Page 14: Ocean Art Page 16: Shipwreck of the Month Page 17: 36 Deaf Whales Page 18: Generation Blue Page 20: Flashback Page 21: Critter of the Month Page 22: Hanauma Bay: Calender of Events & Crossword Winner Page 23: Word Search Puzzle Page 24: MOP Calendar of Events

About the Photography -Cover: Christina Redmond, UHM MOP Student and Photography Contestant -Table of Contents: McKenna Lewis, UHM MOP Student and Photography Contestant -November Calendar of Events: Don Mcleish, Photography Contestant -Back cover: Tyler Phelps, UHH MOP Student and Photography Contestant -All uncredited photos by: MOP -Disclaimer: any photo taken from flickr.com is used under the Creative Commons License and is credited appropriately with links to the user’s flickr account.

2| Seawords

Letter from the Editor

A

loha!

The April 2017 Issue of Seawords is dedicated to Earth Day, which falls on April 22 this year. Let’s not forget that although this only comes around once a year, we should treat everyday as Earth Day in order to create a better tomorrow for everyone.

PHOTOGRAPHERS: Seawords is now accepting entries for their 5th Annual Photography competition! See pages 4-5 for more information!

This issue contains a new segment, Shipwreck of the Month. Here, Seawords will feature a shipwreck in or connected to Hawai‘i. For the first issue, we chose a popular recreational dive site, Sea Tiger. If you have a favorite shipwreck you’d like us to feature, send an e-mail our way!

Congratulations to last issue’s crossword puzzle winner, Cecily Thornton, UHH MOP Student! For this issue, we created a word search containing 15 hidden words related to the marine environment and MOP on page 23. The first person to e-mail seawords@hawaii.edu with all of the correct answers will receive a PRIZE! Good luck!

What would you like to see more of in Seawords? Send us your thoughts!

Mahalo for reading!

Camra Hopper, Seawords Editor Seawords

Volume XXXI, Number 4, April 2017 Editor: Camra Hopper Associate Editor: Jessica Lotts Dr. Cynthia Hunter (éminence grise) Jeffrey Kuwabara (éminence grise) Seawords- Marine Option Program University of Hawai‘i, College of Natural Sciences 2450 Campus Road, Dean Hall 105A Honolulu, HI 96822-2219 Telephone: (808) 956-8433 Email: <seawords@hawaii.edu> Website: <http://www.hawaii.edu/mop> Seawords is the monthly newsletter of the Marine Option Program at the University of Hawai‘i. Opinions expressed herein are not necessariliy those of the Marine Option Program or of the University of Hawai‘i.

Suggestions and submissions are welcome. Submissions may include articles, photography, art work, or anything that may be of interest to the marine community in Hawai‘i and around the world.

All photos are taken by MOP unless otherwise credited.

APRIL 2017 |3

2016 Photography Contest Winner.

Photo by: Bryant Grady, UHH MOP Student.

201 7 Photo Con 4|â&#x20AC;&#x192;Seawords

ography ntest

ATTENTION! – Fancy yourself an ocean photographer? Submit your sea-worthy photographs and who knows… You might just find it on the cover of Seawords. Email photos as hi-resolution attachments to seawords@hawaii.edu along with some info on your photograph*. The winning photo will be featured on the cover of the special photography edition of Seawords. *Complete details along with rules of the competition can be found on the MOP website at: http://www.hawaii.edu/ mop/?q=photography -contest-rulesguidelines

APRIL 2017 |5

cean updates

By Jessica Lotts, Associate Editor

“IF WE KEEP PRODUCING (AND FAILING TO PROPERLY DISPOSE OF) PLASTICS AT PREDICTED RATES, PLASTICS IN THE OCEAN WILL OUTWEIGH FISH POUND FOR POUND IN 2050,” WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM. NW Rota-1 volcano releases bubbles of CO2 into the sea. Photo by USFWS - Pacific Region, Flickr.

Marianas Trench: The World’s Most Polluted Water?

prised to find the tiny creatures contained pollution concentrations 50 times higher than that of those found in paddy fields fed by the Liaohe Lying between 3.7 to 6.8 miles below the ocean’s River, one of the most polluted rivers in all of surface, no one would expect the hadal zone to China. be a picture of disturbing pollution, yet, that is To test what pollutants lay within the amphiexactly what it is. pods – scavengers of the deep sea trenches-- sciAfter baiting traps to capture crustaceans in the entists analyzed their fatty tissues for harmful deepest spot on Earth, researchers were surhormone-disrupting pollutants known as persistent organic pollutants (POP’s). These pesky POPs enter the ocean mainly through pipe leaks, landfills and increased industrial activity.

This research has proven that these pollutants have infiltrated the deepest parts of the world, accumulating is the fatty tissues of organisms throughout the food chain.

Lead researcher Alan Jamieson, Newcastle University, UK, recently told The Guardian, “We still think of the deep ocean as being this remote and pristine realm, safe from human impact, but our research shows that, sadly, this could not be further from the truth,” This just goes to Trash litters the seafloor, photo by Julian Stallabrass, Flickr show that nowhere, no matter how isolated or remote, is safe from human impact.

6| Seawords

Ceremonial Turtle Sacrificing

Although sea turtles do nest in PengHu, their The people of PengHu, Taiwan have numbers are very small. a sacred relationship with sea turtles, which is why they are offered as sacBlue Planet II rifice to the PengHu temple deities... or at least, turtle-shaped items and A day after the premiere of Planet Earth II, BBC pictures anyway.

America announced the release of the seven-

Believing turtles to be auspicious part nature series titled Blue Planet II. MOPers creatures blessed with good luck and rejoice! a long life, the PengHu offer a variety This highly anticipated series will give new inof turtle trinkets and memoby: Kevin Gill, Fsight into the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most mysterious o t rabilia after the Chio lick and undiscovered environments, Ph r. nese New Year to our oceans. Viewers of the ensure peace, series will get to explore prosperity the far corners of the and good world, from the frigid fortune. Although water of the Arctic probable that in seas down to the viancient times real brant coral reefs of turtles were sacthe South Pacific. rificed, now-aExciting new wilddays turtle shaped life and landscapes rice cakes, pictures will be revealed in the and even sculptures series using cuttingadorned in gold are edge technology. the most common.

A new feature of the seThese rituals of devotion ries includes a two-manned last around three days as part submersible diving into Antarctic of the Lantern Festival, which is seas at 100m deep for the very first time. considered the most important celebration of the New Year in PengHu. During the celebra- The camera team behind Blue Planet II will be tion, temples are packed with worshippers light- filming the series with new technologies such ing incense, praying for favors and guidance, as a towing camera, that will allow wildlife to and giving thanks for wishes granted from the be filmed head on, giving each viewer a front row seat. New filming process will also allow previous year. viewers to feel as though they have submerged This practice has been compared to the ancient themselves into the waters by using motion Polynesian practice of sacrificing and feasting control rigs. Viewers will have the opportunity on sea turtles at stone altars in the Tuamotu Is- to witness and experience wildlife behaviors lands. like never before.

APRIL 2017â&#x20AC;&#x192;|7

This breakthrough film is narrated by Sir David Attenborough, and although there is no set release date, you can bet MOPers and marine enthusiasts alike will be lining the theaters when it debuts.

The Mythical ‘Sea Blob’ Exists

Research Institute. B. charo is classified as a species of giant larvacean, with its house, a parachute like mucus used to filter food, spanning approximately 3.3 feet across. It is described as a solitary filter feeder, and was named after Charon, the fabled ferryman who carried the souls of the dead across the river Styx.

It had been a century since the last BathochorThe first reported sightings of this elusive creadaeus charo sighting, but the mystery of this soture were in 1899 from Carl Chun, Lepzig Unicalled sea blob may just be solved. versity. He came across the Bathochordaeus Described as looking like a psychedelic slinky charo while leading an expedition in the south

by LiveScience, Bathochordaeus charo was re- Atlantic Ocean. Although others claimed to cently discovered off the coast of Monterey, have seen B. charo, none were captured or deCalifornia, by ROV’s controlled by Rob Sher- scribed thoroughly enough to classify. n lock, a scientist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium

A Bathochordaeus charo surrounded by it’s inner ‘house’. Photo taken from LiveScience Magazine 8| Seawords

Dive Safety

Photo by Tyler Phelps, UHH MOP Student.

The Perfect Weight Check

By: Tyler Phelps, UHH MOP Student

W

eights. Why do we need them anyway?

Doesn’t that aluminum and brass backpack weigh enough? Well, in some cases, it might. The problem is, generally everything you have been taught about weighting yourself is wrong. If I had a nickel for every dive instructor I’ve seen blindly hand a student a belt of lead, I could pay for my tuition! Proper weighting and trim lays the foundation for comfortable diving. In this article, I will teach you the secret to weighting yourself properly. Not just enough to “sink” you, but to determine the amount you truly need. Using these techniques in my buoyancy workshops I have helped instructors--yes instructors-take up to 8 pounds off their weight belt! Ready? Let’s dive in.

First, we must understand the premise behind needing a ballast. Simply, if you add up all the positively buoyant items on your rig, you need that amount in negative buoyancy to be neutral, which is where we want to be.

What are the positively buoyant items in your system?

Your exposure suit. That’s it. Either a drysuit or wetsuit of varying thickness. For our purposes your buoyancy compensator device (BCD) is neutral when fully deflated. The negative components could be fins of a high-density polymer, an aluminum or steel back plate, regulator, various stainless steel hardware like buckles and d-rings, and lastly your weight belt. Notice what I did not include? Your cylinder. This is the first secret to truly proper weighting.

When you did your last “weight check,” did you have to float at the surface holding a normal size breath with your BCD deflated? This is incorrect. The gas in your cylinder has weight to it. If you were to do a “perfect” weight check like this, you would be positively buoyant at the end of the dive.

Typically, an aluminum 80cf cylinder has a negative weight of 3 to 4 pounds. This weight is slightly less with nitrox or helium mixes that off sets the dense nitrogen.

When you exhale, the gas you breathed is set free into

With proper weighting and weight placement good trim can be comfortable, and easy, regardless of equipment configuration.

Photo by Sean Dimoff, UHM MOP Alumnus.

APRIL 2017 |9

the water column, thus causing you to “lose weight” throughout the dive. Have no fear, this is what the BCD is for. If you are properly weighted, your BCD will hold that 3 to 4 pounds of negative buoyancy. Whether you are a newly certified open water diver, or looking to do multiple stage decompression diving, the first secret to proper weighting is to weigh yourself independently of the gas you carry.

to find how much weight it takes to make you neutrally buoyant. If you can float at eye level holding a normal sized breath, you’re good to go. Most people might need a couple of pounds to sink them to this horizon. Hold the weights in your hand while not touching the side of the pool. Taking a maximum volume breath should make you float. Then exhaling should cause you to sink completely below the surface of the water. While underwater, there should be a very slight rebound of positive The next step is realizing the power and buoyancy your buoyancy pulling you to surface. Remember your safety lungs can provide. For these exercises, you should be in is paramount--if you get uncomfortable with empty water that’s too deep to stand, in a vertical position, idelungs and weights, let go of them and you will float up. ally at the side of a swimming pool. Wearing just your swim suit, let go of the side of the pool and take the Remember we are doing these exercises in a vertical pobiggest breath of your life, feeling how much you can sition. Your trim plays a drastic role in your buoyancy. A float at the surface. Then exhale ballistically, like trying vertical position provides the least surface area allowing to blow a bowling ball down an alley, causing you to you to travel up and down the most. Conversely, laying sink. Do this a few times, feeling your buoyancy change on your back provides the greatest amount of surface with each full breath. area which makes buoyancy changes much harder. You don’t believe me? With the magic amount of weight it It’s important to understand your body’s buoyancy takes you to be neutrally buoyant, do the same exercises characteristics before anything else. Some people are on your back. This is also why we want to be in this generally “floaty” while others are more negative. This is flat horizontal prone position when we are diving, as it due to your body’s density characteristics, not your permakes buoyancy changes much harder. sonality. Back at the pool with your bathing suit, hold a normal sized breath to see where you float. We want To determine how much weight you need wearing a

UH Hilo Divers conducting a weight check while practicing good trim. They can adjust the position of the weights to maintain a prone position. Photo by Tyler Phelps UHH MOP Student.

10| Seawords

wetsuit, repeat these exercises while wearing it. The thicker the wetsuit, the more weight you will need. New wetsuits are more buoyant than old suits. The more you dive the wetsuit, especially to deeper depths, the more it will compress causing it to lose buoyancy. Fun fact--I took a pretty new 3mm wetsuit to Palau and after eight dives, especially after our 500 foot dive, it was compressed to about 0.5mm!

your arms forward above your head. Vice versa, if you finding yourself “top heavy,” bringing your arms down by your waist will level you out.

Most divers dive with too much weight. By understanding the buoyancy characteristics of your body, lungs, and exposure suit, you can conduct a truly proper weight check. You will enjoy your dives more and find it’s easier to control your buoyancy. Enjoy these new techniques and feel free to email me if you have any questions phelpst@hawaii.edu. n

Now you are ready for a proper weight check. Assemble all of your dive gear but do not attach a cylinder to the BCD and regulator. Your regulator should be attached to your BCD via low pressure inflator hose and submersible pressure gauge clipped off to a d-ring. With mask, fins, wetsuit and BCD, enter the water either off the side of a boat or in the pool. Completely deflate your BCD and hold a normal sized breath. You should be floating at the surface. Start with the amount of weight you figured out from our exercise while wearing the wetsuit. Add weight until you can float at eye level. From there, I add two additional pounds, alProper diving form. Picture by: Unified Diving Team. lowing me to stay neutrally buoyant in a low-on-gas stressful emergency with a high air consumption rate. Hop out of the water, add your weights and cylinder and you have finished the perfect weight check!

Remember you will need more weight for the ocean with the added density of salt water. Interestingly, you may find you need your weight changes in different oceans. For example, the water off Bermuda, in the Atlantic Ocean, has a higher salinity than Hawai‘i. Diving there over the summer, I found myself needing an extra pound of weight.

When diving, we want to maintain that flat prone position. Diving over-weighted will drag your hips down making it more uncomfortable to swim. This down position will also point your feet down, making it easier to silt up the bottom with fin kicks. Use your body’s natural weight to refine your trim. If your legs are sagging down from heavy fins, bring

Diagram by: Scuba Tech Philippines APRIL 2017 |11

Skeleton of a basilosaurus cetoides in the Sant Hall of Oceans i

Marine Mammal of the Month: Basilosaurus

Basilosaurus

By Jeremy Gasta, UHM MOP Stu Species: Vaquita Scientific name: Phocoena sinus Range: Sea of Cortez Diet: Small, benthic fish and squid asilosaurus was a truly bizarre creature. It Size: 5 feet

B

had a long, serpentine body, was a primitive and ancient animal with a brain closer to an alligator than a modern whale, and has a dinosaurian-sounding name that literally means “king lizard,” and yet, it was actually a cetacean. Basilosaurus is a prehistoric and long-extinct whale, among the first of its kind and its bizarre body plan and design clearly shows its primeval origins.

seagoing lizards that lived alongside the dinosaurs. The extinct whale’s eel-like body and long, toothy snout was reminiscent of these reptilian carnivores, causing it to be grouped with them and thus named “king lizard.” It wasn’t until biologist Richard Owen (the man who first coined the term “dinosaur”) examined the fossils that it was correctly identified as an ancient whale, and he renamed it “Zeuglodon,” which means “yoked tooth” Basilosaurus was an apex ocean predator in the Eocene (due to the animal’s wedge-shaped teeth). However, epoch, roaming the globe’s shallow seas 40-35 million as per the rules of science and taxonomy, the original years ago, well after the dinosaur extinction when name of an organism remains the official one, and so mammals were beginning to get large and become the this ancient whale was stuck with an odd name. dominant life form on the planet. For several millions of years, early whales were actually land dwellers, which Two basilosaur species have been identified: Basilosaurus over time adapted to an amphibious lifestyle before isis, which roamed prehistoric waterways in Egypt and their complete transition into marine creatures. The Jordan, and the larger Basilosaurus cetoides, found in fully aquatic basilosaurus reached lengths of over 60 South America. A multitude of fossils from both species feet, and is often seen as the first of the “great whales.” have been found, implying that the great whale was Unlike the whales of today, though, it had an extremely abundant in its time. In fact, before the basilosaurus long, body, and a massive set of jaws built for disabling was described scientifically, its massive vertebrae were large prey. commonly used as furniture in 19th century American households (once it was found that these were If you think the name “king lizard” seems strange for actually fossils from an ancient sea beast, their prices a whale, well, you’d be right. In fact, basilosaurus was skyrocketed). Similarly, an absolute treasure trove of such a bizarre creature that the researcher who first fossils have been found in an isolated valley in Egypt, so described it actually thought it was a marine reptile – much that it has been named “Wadi el Hitan,” or Whale specifically, a mosasaur, a family of massive, predatory Valley, and has even been nicknamed “Zeuglodon

12| Seawords

in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. Photo by: Tim Evanson, Flickr.

Valley” due to the immense numbers of basilosaur fossils found there. The valley is also a veritable gold mine of udent other prehistoric marine creatures, such as ancient sea cows and another early whale called Dorudon.

Even among other bizarre early whales, basilosaurus is an oddball. Its brain was small, likely more similar in function to an alligator or crocodile than a contemporary cetacean, and so was likely not very social, unlike its modern ancestors. It also did not possess a melon, and so likely could not echolocate. Basilosaurus had tail flukes, but due to its long body, its main method of transportation was actually waving its whole body from side to side, slithering through the water like an eel or sea snake. The fluke was likely only used for vertical motion up or down the water column, or for an occasional quick burst of speed to grab prey. This eel-like fashion of swimming is unique among all the whales, both extinct and extant. Basilosaurus also had another feature that makes it strange among the whales: its vertebrae are hollow (and were likely filled with fluid when it was alive). This would make the creature positively buoyant, meaning it would spend most of its time on the surface, virtually living a two-dimensional lifestyle in a threedimensional environment. While it likely dove in pursuit of prey, this creature was definitely meant for a shallow water lifestyle, as its hollow vertebrae could implode from water pressure if the whale ventured too deep. Because of this, basilosaurus seems to have spent most of its time on the water’s surface. Since its tail flukes would only really be useful for changing depths, and the whale’s eel-like swimming fashion was more than suitable for horizontal movement at the surface, basilosaurus probably used its tail flukes rarely. As whales were still relatively new to fully aquatic lifestyles

at this point, basilosaurus also had a pair of vestigial hind limbs that could be seen, which likely looked like tiny, useless flippers. These probably served no purpose, though some postulate that the limbs could help the whales hold onto partners while mating.

By analyzing stomach contents of Basilosaurus cetoides, paleontologists have concluded that it almost exclusively ate a diet of sharks and other fishes. However, its Egyptian relative B.isis tells a different story. One of the more common finds in the aforementioned “Whale Valley” have been the skulls of juvenile dorudon, a smaller but similar-looking early whale that lived alongside basilosaurus, covered with strange scars and puncture wounds. It was soon found that the teeth of basilosaurus fit perfectly into these wounds. The North African basilosaurus regularly hunted other early whales, and while adult dorudon were too large of a target, the juveniles were a perfect-sized meal for the predator. Impressively, scientists were able to use the scars on these young dorudon skulls to calculate the basilosaurs’ bite force. A 2015 paper revealed that the whale could chomp down with 16,000 Newtons of force.

(In comparison, modern hyenas can only bite with 3500 Newtons, and they can easily bite through bone). If this measurement is correct, it means basilosaurus had the strongest bite force of any known mammal.

Basilosaurus is truly a bizarre creature. With its eel-like mode of transportation, its seemingly-reptilian build, a lifestyle based on the ocean’s surface, and a massive bite force that marked it as the top predator of the time, even a paleontologist could be forgiven for not recognizing it as a whale. And yet, this strange early whale design would turn out to be the prototype for all the diverse and beautiful cetaceans that share our ocean today. n APRIL 2017 |13

Ocean art

Ocean Art

14|â&#x20AC;&#x192;Seawords

“Floating Jelly”

By Jessica Lotts, Associate Editor & Courtney & Alison Siffleet, Antelope Valley Community College

This piece was made in collaboration with my friends back home in California. We all sat down with a blank cardboard canvas and whatever paint we could scrounge from around the house. It was unplanned and contains the unrestrained creativity of each person. There were no rules in making this painting, just three people adding their own flair of imagination to make something beautiful.

APRIL 2017 |15

Shipwreck of the Month: Sea Tiger

By: Camra Hopper, Editor

T

he Sea Tiger was an international ship originally known as the Yun Fong Seong No. 303 that was sunk in 1999. She was caught smuggling 93 illegal Chinese immigrants, leading to five crew members serving severe prison terms for conducting one of Hawai‘i’s largest seizures of illegal immigrants. The Justice Department took the Yun Fong Seong and sold her at auction for $40,000.

Photo by: Dive O‘ahu Hawai‘i Coast Guard inspectors fined the owner on several occasions until they finally seized the vessel and left it abandoned at Pier 40.

The original plan was to tow Sea Tiger 12 miles out to sea and sink her, but Voyager Submarines bought her for $1 in 1997 due to the condition of the ship. After two years of paperwork and $250,000 in cleanup and preparation costs to get official approvals, they had to The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society bought the pay a final $100,000 to remove the 100 gallons of fuel vessel in 1993 and planned to use her to harass and ram and oil still left in the vessel. Voyager Submarines is no fishing vessels that lay drift nets. She was then renamed longer in business, but scuba divers still frequent the UN Resolution 42/216, after the United Nation ban on Sea Tiger shipwreck today. driftnets., their plans fell through and they sold the ship The Sea Tiger is now a 189 foot shipwreck that rests in in 1994 to a Vietnamese fisherman who renamed her 123 feet of water. She is currently the deepest recreational Sea Tiger. scuba diving shipwreck in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, and Due to poor maintenance, the Sea Tiger was repeatedly allows divers to explore her cargo holds, inner cabins, fined for leaking oil and fuel into Honolulu Harbor. engine room, narrow passageways and stairwells. n

16| Seawords

36 Deaf Whales:

Proposed Missile Training off Kaua‘i

T

By: Keelee Martin, UHH MOP Student

he U.S. Air Force 86 Fighter Weapons Squadron (86 FWS) based out of Florida, has requested permission for the Long Range Strike Weapons Systems Evaluation Program (LRS WSEP) to conduct training for five years (Sep. 2017-Aug. 2022) about 50 miles north of Kaua‘i’s Pacific Missile Range Facility. This training would involve bombers and fighter aircraft deploying missiles and other weapons, approximating 110 munitions per year, above and just below the water’s surface. The Air Force’s goal for WESP is to prepare pilots so that the first time they deploy these weapons, it isn’t in combat.

On January 6, 2017, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced that they received a request from the U.S. Air Force for a marine mammal take. The U.S. Air Force estimates that 36 marine mammals may be permanently deafened, 382 may experience temporary hearing loss and 219 may have significant behavioral changes in feeding, migration, surfacing, nursing and breeding in response to the explosives.

Sixteen species are identified as being potentially at risk and five are listed as highly at risk. The highly at risk species include the dwarf sperm whale (Kogia sima), Fraser’s dolphin (Lagenodelphis hosei), humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis).

NMFS gave one month (Jan. 6-Feb. 6) for public comment about the WSEP and a decision has yet been released, but Gordon LaBedz, a member of Koholā Leo, a whale education program based in Kaua‘i, believes that this issue will end up going to court. David Henkin, an attorney with the environmental activist group, Earthjustice said, “These marine mammal populations off Kaua‘i are already being barraged by military training activity.

There are very specific populations of marine mammals that only live around Kaua‘i, so if we harm those particular individuals, we run the risk of harming the population and losing that very important component of our environment.” The U.S. Air Force does not anticipate any marine mammals dying from their training exercises, but because these animals rely on their hearing for feeding, communicating and avoiding predators, partial or complete hearing loss could be fatal. Michael Jasney, the director of the Marine Mammal Protection Project for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) explained that the Air Force should utilize hydrophones to identify at risk species around their deployment sites and, “keep to the northern end of the training area, where the island’s resident whales and dolphins are less likely to go. Otherwise, the Air Force would be taking unnecessary risks in one of the most remarkable spots for marine mammals on the planet.”

Dr. Whitlow Au is the chief scientist of the Marine Mammal Research Program at the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Dr. Au and his students also contacted the NMFS in efforts to research noise pollution and its effect on dolphins and whales. He says that the sound intensity from the missiles heard by the whales is unknown, which makes it uncertain how damaging weapons testing is on marine mammals. Dr. Au does believe that it is essential that any Air Force training be done without harming marine life. n Nā Pali Coast, Kaua‘i. Photo by: Archigeek, Flickr.

APRIL 2017 |17

BLUE T

Actions for the Ocean

GENERATION

By: Jessica Lotts, Associate Editor

here’s nothing more thrilling than snorkeling or diving alongside one of the many beautiful creatures swimming through Hawaiian waters. Seeing a sea turtle (green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas or hawksbill sea turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata), monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi), or if you’re lucky a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), out in the wild is a truly unique and special experience that you’re not soon to forget. However, it is important to respect the space of these animals by knowing Hawai‘i’s state and U.S. Federal laws. Below are the restrictions you need to know to experience the beauty of these animals without harming them:

18| Seawords

Sea Turtles Sea turtles are listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and are protected by federal and state law. The disturbance or harm of these creatures could result in a fine, a federal or state violation or time in prison. NOAA and DLNR recommend that everyone stay at least 150 feet from all sea turtles, and urge guests to use binoculars and telephoto lenses to get up and close with these animals. http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dar/species/sea-turtles/

Hawaiian Monk Seal (Monachus schauinslandi) NOAA has reported the Hawaiian monk seal as one of the most endangered species in the world. They are endemic to Hawaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;i and protected by the ESA which prohibits the disturbance or harassment of these marine mammals. NOAA viewing guidelines state you must stay at least 150 feet away from the animal, or at least behind any signs, posts, or lines. If you or someone you know sees anyone harming this critically endangered species, call (800) 853-1964 to report any violation. http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/PRD/prd_hms_seen_a_seal. html#HMSviewingguidelines

Hawaiian Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) NOAA regulations for viewing humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are as follows: federal regulations prohibit approaching these animals by any means within 300 feet when in water, and at least 1,000 feet when in aircraft. Boaters, stay vigilant and at least 300 feet away from any whale spotted. It is recommended to travel at or below 10 knots, and do not assume the whales see you as well. http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov/explore/whale_guidelines. html#ocean%20users

Background photo provided by MOP APRIL 2017â&#x20AC;&#x192;|19

FLASHBACK: 1989

T

By Emily Menzies, UHM MOP Student

his flashback goes to April, 1989, when MOP and Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy teamed up together to tag turtles at Kīholo Bay on Hawai‘i Island. They caught and tagged 29 Hawaiian green sea turtles.

When setting up camp at Kīholo Bay, they set up tangle nets so they could catch and tag sea turtles. The tangle nets were 20 yards long and hung down into the water, supported by floats. Whenever a turtle got caught in the net, it would pull the floats down, making it visible from the surface.

proper data could be recorded. The participants took shell measurements, length of flippers, width of head, sex and fecal samples for dietary analysis. All of this information was taken for further understanding of turtles’ habitats, migratory patterns The students were divided into three teams and diet. that took turns cooking, cleaning, and watching over the tangle nets. Each team During this trip, students were able to obhad two, two-hour shifts nightly. In addi- tain valuable skills working with sea turtles. tion to the tangle nets, the teams would Today, MOP still offers opportunities for also do night snorkels to try to find turtles students to not only be involved with sea that avoided entrapment in the nets. They turtle conservation, but Hawaiian monk caught 18 turtles the first night and 11 on seals, coral and many other hands-on projects that allow students to be involved and the second. active in research. n The turtles were kept until morning so 20| Seawords

critter of the month

By Alicia Gregor, UHM MOP Student

The Hawaiian Bigeye

T

Photo by, Sheraca, Flickr

(Priacanthus meeki)

he Hawaiian bigeye, Priacanthus meeki, is a bright orange, reef-dwelling species that is endemic to Hawai‘i. Commonly referred to as ula lau au by Native Hawaiians, the bigeye can grow up to 33 cm. Hawaiian bigeye’s spend most of the day under ledges or in crevices, where they rest. When nighttime arrives, they emerge and feed on large planktonic organisms. Bigeyes are a non-migratory species, and can commonly be seen while snorkeling in the beaches around Honolulu. The deepest this species travels is about 230 m, though they have been seen as shallow as 3 m. Although the Hawaiian bigeye can often be seen in aquariums, and can sometimes be used in subsistence fisheries, it has no known major threat. This may be attributed to the fact that their distribution overlaps with marine protected areas, giving them least concern on the ICUN Red List. n

APRIL 2017 |21

April 2017

Birdwatching and research in Hawai‘i

20 April

6 April •

Film showing: Humpback Whales • • •

•

Seabird Medley • •

27 April

13 April •

You are what you eat: studying the diet and plastic ingestion of Hawaiian seabirds • •

• • • •

‘

•

Piʻi ka Lewa: the cultural uses of Hawaiian seabirds and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act • •

• •

Congratulations to Cecily Thornton, UHH MOP Student, for being the first to submit all of the correct answers to our cross word puzzle last issue!

“During the dive my group of students was examined up close by a green sea turtle who appeared to be underwhelmed by the survey. ... It immediately occurred to me that I needed to apply for the Marine Option Program. ‘In order to help green sea turtles continue their ongoing investigations of the intersection of human and marine environments in Hawaii I require MOP certification.’ It was a transcendent thought. Because of a cool hat and that close encounter I understand that MOP and a Natural Science degree endow me with the ability to reduce toxic runoff by educating people about how they can take positive action and fulfill their kuleana to the ocean and Nāmaka.”

-Cecily Thornton The answers were: 1. DOLPHINQUEST 2. LOLI 3. JEFFKUWABARA 4. QUEST 5. NARNIA 6.PILOTWHALE 7.SKIPBREATHING 8. VAQUITA 9. CAMRAHOPPER 10 APRIZE 22| Seawords

Seawords’ Word Search

Aloha MOPpers! Seawords decided to make a word search for this issue! Again, not only is this a super-duper fun puzzle to complete, but the first person to send us an e-mail with all 15 missing words (seawords@hawaii.edu) will get a PRIZE, even if you don’t live on O‘ahu. Words may be verticle, horizontal, diagnal, and backwards. You may ask for clues! You will also be featured in next issue!

APRIL 2017 |23

April

Photo by Don Mcleish, Photography Contestant

Sun.

Next month: May

Mon.

Tues.

Wed.

- May 4 - MOP Graduation

2

Sunday’s at the Bay: Hanauma Bay 3 - 4 pm MOP Day/Night Snorkel Kaimana Beach 3:30 pm

9

3

10

4

5

11

12

18

19

25

26

Sunday’s at the Bay: Hanauma Bay 3 - 4 pm

16

17

Sunday’s at the Bay: Hanauma Bay 3 - 4 pm

23 Sunday’s at the Bay Hanauma Bay 3 - 4 pm

24| Seawords

24

MOP & Community Events

Thurs.

Fri.

Sat. 1

6

7

8 MOP Symposium Kona TBA

13

20

27

14

21

28

15

22 HAPPY EARTH DAY!!

MOP Beach Clean-up Waimanalo

29/30

APRIL 2017â&#x20AC;&#x192;|25

University of Hawai`i at MÄ noa Seawords, Marine Option Program College of Natural Sciences 2450 Campus Road, Dean Hall 105A Honolulu, HI 96822-2219 Address Service Requested

Thank you for reading!