March 2014 Seawords by Marine Option Program

Seaw rds The Marine Option Program Newsletter

March 2014

“It doesn’t matter where you live around the world; we are all connected somehow and are impacted by what we do to the oceans and the health of the oceans and the seas.” –Tommy Remengesau Jr., President of Palau

OCEAN UPDATES ON DISAPPEARING DOLPHINS AND JAPANESE RADIATION OCEAN CONSERVATION UH MANOA GETS NEW STUDENT COALATION: THE AMERICAN CETACEAN SOCIETY

MARCH 2014 Volume XXVIII, Number 2 Contents Page 4: Letter from the Editor Page 6: Student Perspective: MOP Fieldtrips Page 8: Ocean Updates: The dilemma of the disapearing dolphins; Nearly three years later, people still concerned over radiation levels Page 10: Ocean Conservation: Recent efforts by two Pacific countries should have positive results Page 12: Generation Blue Page 14: Non-Profit: AccesSurf Hawai‘i Page 15: American Cetacean Society Page 16: Ocean Art: Rebecca Ziegler Page 18: Critter of the Month: Snowflake coral Page 20: Hanauma Bay Calendar of Events Flashback Page 21: March MOP Calendar of Events

About the Photography in this Issue -By Corey Mutnik, UHM MOP Student: -Cover: Electric Beach -Table of Contents: Octopus at Kailua Boat Ramp -Letter from the Editor: Coral head at Lanikai -MOP Calendar: Banded Coral Shrimp at Makapu‘u Tidepools -Back Cover: Coral Banded Shrimp at Makapu‘u Tidepools -All uncredited photos by: MOP

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As seen on the cover... Ocean Updates

By Priya Rashid, Assistant Editor

pg 6

-The dilemma of the disapearing dolphins. -Nearly three years later, people still concerned over radiation levels.

Ocean Conservation By Kathryn Lam, Editor

Recent efforts by two Pacific countries should have positive results.

pg 12 American Cetacean Society comes to UH By Brijonnay Madgril, UHM MOP Student

pg 30

New student coalition at UH aims to protect cetaceans and their habitats through public awareness and education.

Seawords Volume XXVII, Number 2, March 2014 Editor: Kathryn Lam Assistant Editor: Priya Rashid Dr. Cynthia Hunter (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.

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m o r f r Lette r o t i d the E ch ers, se it’s Mar u Dear Read a c e b t s ecause you cky. Not ju b lu t u e b r a p u u o ing Today, y Day is com of Seawords. Within ’s k ic r t a P . e and St r onth’s issu m is h ar ticles fo t g g in in it d c a x e e r are some s we have e g a p e s e h t ed a d. rigal star t you to rea d a M y a an n he Americ nt, Brijon t e f d o u t n S io t P li MO t coa his and -a studen ation on t m r fo f in new clube page 18 o ciety. Mor n o o S d n n a u e c fo a Cet can be ing times t e e m b lu c ticle issue. vide an ar our online o r p e w , ection e waUpdates s d in to th n e a k e a c le O s ee r a u In o nearly thr ion that w n t a ia p d a a J r e it h h i that about t he tsunam t g in r u d ter s years ago. swer as to n a le ib s s o hins es is a p of the dolp an Updat s e c h t O a e in d o e Als ing th ental been caus the contin f o t s a o c what has st wn the ea up and do ates. r ts United St ation effo v r e s n o c t r recen l also cove il w e u s is This ia. d Indones n a u la a P ! by you enjoy e p o h I d g an for readin Thank you itor words Ed a e S , m a nL --Kathry

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Mop Fieldtrips MOP Welcome Back BBQ Despite the rain, students still made the most out of MOPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Welcome Back BBQ this spring semester. Tents were put up as it began pouring and some students took shelter in the MOP vans to do their homework while others played a few pick-up games of ultimate Frisbee and football in the wet sand. Afterwards, the attendees huddled under the food tent munching on the fresh caught shrimps hot off the grill that MOP alum, Matt Ross, caught, brought, and cooked. Yum! Thanks, Matt!

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STUDENT PERSPECTIVE Tour of the Hi‘ialikai The morning of Saturday, February 22, a group of MOPers headed over to Ford Island to pay a visit to the NOAA Ship Hi‘ialikai, the 224-foot long research vessel NOAA accquired from the U.S. Coast Guard in October of 2001. Her name, Hi‘ialikai, means “embracing pathways to the sea” in Hawaiian and supports both shallow and deep water dives as well as coral reef ecosystem mapping, coral reef health, bioanalysis assessments, and fish stock studies. “The reason we join MOP (for some of us) is so that we can have a job like this one day. Research, or diving. The Hi‘ialikai is one of the only ships that take divers out frequently,” said Stephen Matadobra, a senior MOP student. “And it has it’s own hyperbaulic chamber which is pretty cool. Not only is [diving] a future where a lot of people end up but it also shows another future, NOAA Corps.”

Day/Night Snorkel Led by student coordinator, Tate Wester, MOP students visited Sans Souci Beach for a fun day of snorkeling. Nestled behind Diamond Head and Kalakaua Avenue, the beach also includes a lawn where the MOP students made camp. In the water surrounding the Waikīkī Natatorium War Memorial, MOP students suited up to explore the wildlife of the area. Many students practiced for their QUEST IDs but many went to simply enjoy the sunny afternoon and warm water. The trip was a great chance to compare day time wildlife activity to nocturnal activity. Most students found that as the day ended many fish disappeared while many invertebrates began to appear. The trip continued the MOP tradition of education by application. MARCH 2014

OCEAN UPDATES By Priya Rashid, Assistant Editor

Nearly three years later, people still concerned over radiation levels March 11, 2014 will be the third anniversary of the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami which hit eastern Japan in 2011. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake is the most powerful earthquake to have hit Japan in modern history and the quake generated tsunami sized waves reaching over one hundred feet. Over 16 thousand people died with thousands injured and missing. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan would go on to say in a press conference that “in the 65 years after the end of World War II, this is the toughest and the most difficult crisis for Japan.” The tsunami caused more widespread damage than the earthquake and resulted in three reactors of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant to suffer explosions when their cooling and containment structures failed. Thousands were exposed to radiation and were forced to evacuate. Thousands of gallons of radiated water used to cool the reactors seeped into the rivers and coasts of Tōhoku.

t has been three years since the tragedies of Tōhoku occurred but the ocean can still feel the ripples of incident. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) estimates that at least 500 tons of radioactive water leaked out to sea. This was after over 200,000 tons of, albeit, less radioactive water was purposefully pumped into the ocean to make room for more radioactive water and debris in the plant. TEPCO unsuccessfully attempted to enclose the local harbor to prevent outflow to the sea. This event would the largest individual emission of artificial radiation into the sea ever. In April of 2012, TEPCO confirmed that the radiation leaks were continuing as the basement of the plant was still flooded with radiated cooling water. A year later many sea fish caught near the Fukushima power plant still contained high levels of radiation. Greenling caught in off the Fukushima shower were found to extremely high in cesium at 2,500 Becquerels a kilogram of cesium, 250 times the Japanese government’s safety limit. Scientists are concerned about what the future holds for the marine life off the coast of Japan. Large populations of migratory fishes and wildlife may be affected and travelling to other shores exposing other ecological systems to radiation. A major concern is an animal that is extremely small. Professor Takashi Ishimuri explained that radioactive cesium was found in alarmingly high concentrations in the plankton populations near the power plant. Because of plankton’s crucial role in the food chain, many more animals thousands of miles away may be

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exposed to an overall increase in radiation in the Pacific. Because the sea current constantly carries the water out to open ocean it is very difficult to isolate and identify the effects caused by the disaster. Last April, researchers from California State University discovered that Californian kelp was contaminated by radioactive particles including iodine and cesium. The study performed by USC indicates much higher levels of radiation than before the disaster. Researchers are concerned that the radiated particles will continue up the food chain. Radioactivity is absorbed by kelp and other plants in the area. When the animals eat they absorb the radiation and the radiation builds up in their body. Researchers are watching the ecosystem closely and hope that the radiation will not affect the breeding and reproductive rates within the ecosystem. As Pacific monitoring continues in Japan and the United States, March 11th is a day of sadness and

reverence. But it is also a day of reflection on how human and nature interact. It revealed the dangers of poor oversight and the dangers of building nuclear reactors so close to one another. The incident showcased the risks and rewards we make for the sake of technology. As the year continues maybe we can try

to give the ocean and the environment as a whole more “tlc” and to learn from our mistakes to protect the environment and ourselves. 

The dilemma of the disapearing dolphins

s the New Year rang in, bottlenose dolphin carcasses continued to wash ashore to the shock of beachgoers and scientists. The entire east coast, from New York to Florida, saw a huge spike. Since October, over 750 dolphins have died. According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s marine mammal stranding coordinators from the Maine through Virginia region, the norm for an entire year is 75. In an interview with the Associated Press, Mark Swingle, Director of Research and Conservation for the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center in Virginia Beach describes the increase in deaths as “truly historic.” What is causing the dolphin deaths? Morbillivirus in cetaceans is a virus similar to measles in humans. First documented in 1988, there have been at least five documented outbreaks in the last fifteen years. The virus strain seems to be isolated to Atlantic bottlenose dolphin populations but other species including Siberian seals and Mediterranean striped dolphins. Fortunately the virus cannot be transmitted to humans. The combination of the ability of the virus to mutate and the broad range of marine mammal populations that be affected creates a situation that researchers and experts have an extremely difficult time predicting or preventing. An unnatural “natural death.” It isn’t just the dolphins that need to receive a second look. The entire ocean is suffering and these may just be side effects. As the death rates continue to rise from “natural” causes, scientists are beginning to think that pollution, climate change, and other types of human impact are stressing the oceans. Just as stress weakens the immune system in bottlenose dolphins and humans alike making them both more susceptible to

viruses, the global stress continues to erode the overall health of our oceans. As the runoff and dumping continue, areas including the Indian River Lagoon have seen an epidemic of algae blooms. “Marine mammals are very good sentinels for ocean MOP Stock Photos and human health” Just as stress weakens the immune said Dr. Greg Bossart, a veterinary system in bottlenose dolphins, the global stress continues to erode the pathologists in overall health of our oceans. charge of animal health at Georgia Aquarium. It isn’t just one virus that is hurting dolphin populations. Scientists have yet determine the cause of over 200 dolphins that died in the Gulf of Mexico and 80 that live in the Indian River Lagoon in Florida. These deaths were labeled as unusual mortality events by the state and federal governments. Scientists have yet to find a correlation but many are worried. Erin Fougeres is a marine mammal biologist with NOAA’s fisheries device. In an interview with the New York Times, she stated that, “it is alarming when you see so many different die-offs of marine mammals going on at once. We can’t say they are linked. But it says there are a lot of challenges that marine mammals are facing.” For every answer scientists find, even more questions seem to appear.  MARCH 2014

Ocean Conservation Recent efforts by two Pacific countries should have positive results. Cover photo: Electric Beach/Corey Mutnik

By Kathryn Lam, Editor “It doesn’t matter where you live around the world; we are all connected somehow and are impacted by what we do to the oceans and the health of the oceans and the seas.” –Tommy Remengesau Jr., President of Palau

t the beginning of February, the President of Palau, Tommy Remengesau Jr., announced to the UN that Palau, an island nation in Micronesia, will ban all commercial fishing within its territorial waters. According to ABC News Australia, their “200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone will be a 100 percent marine sanctuary.” The current commercial fishing contracts with Japan and Taiwan along with several private companies will all be allowed to expire, says ABC News Australia, but it will be a difficult ban to enforce as the small nation only has one patrol boat to monitor an area only slightly smaller than Texas. In order to help enforce the ban, Palau trialed unmanned drones last year and plans to conduct research to find other technology to implement as well. “We have no choice- the ocean is our way of life,” said Remengesau. “It’s our livelihood, it’s our culture, it’s our economy- I’ve always said the economy is our environment and the environment is our economy… You may ask why, why are you doing this? It makes every sense for our sustainability as a people, as an island nation, and as a community.”

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Indeed, in Palau, a shark is only worth a couple hundred dollars on the market but worth $1.9 million in tourism over the course of its life. Remengesau says it is important to not only make a living but also to “preserve the pristine environment that [Palau] has been blessed with… We’re not just closing our waters and throwing away the key.” To make up for the loss of economy brought in by commercial fishing, Remengesau plans to encourage snorkeling, scuba diving, and eco-tourism. In order to further protect the world’s oceans Palau is also pushing the UN to adopt a new Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). There are three parts outlined by the SDG, a follow-up to the Millennium Development Goals which set a 2015 deadline for countries to reduce poverty and improve health and environment protection. According to the Ambassador of the Republic of Palau for Oceans and Seas, Stuart Beck, these three goals are; “one: healthy oceans - let’s clean up the plastic gyre, let stop dumping garbage. Two: restoration of our fish stocks - we can actually achieve that in our lifetime if we’re smart about it. Three: bring some equity to the current resources

Spotted eagle rays, like this one spotted in Hanauma Bay, are a close relative of the manta ray/Corey Mutnik

being taken from these oceans by others.” Following Palau’s decision to create a commercial fishing “no-go,” another Pacific nation is taking a stand. Once home to some of the world’s “largest manta ray fisheries,” according to National Geographic, Indonesia has passed a legislative act that would ban manta ray fishing in its’ exclusive economic zone. This decision was partially influenced by a 2013 study published in PLOS ONE an open-access peer-reviewed scientific journal, which found a single manta ray, in the South Pacific, could generate about $2 million over its lifetime. The South Pacific is an area with “the longest established tourism industry for manta ray watching” and the $2 million cannot compare to the $40-200 that a manta ray could make in a Sri Lankan or Indonesian fish market. A “Crucial victory” for manta ray conservation according to Andrea Marshall, director of the Marine Megafauna Foundation, used a tactic that is not all that new to the conservationists- placing monetary value on animals and ecosystem services.

“Economic benefits aside,” Marshall said. “It is vital for us to remember the larger significance of these animals. The world would be a far lesser place without iconic marine giants like mantas, which should be protected as part of our ocean’s natural heritage.” Like it or not, money factor heavily into these sorts of decisions and for the Melanesian country it is no different. “As the world’s largest archipelagic nation, it is important for Indonesia to maximize economic returns from our marine resources,” Sharif Sutardjo, Indonesia’s minister of marine affairs and fisheries, said in a statement. Either way, it is an act that will hopefully start a movement towards ocean conservation as Deputy Secretary-General of the UN, Jan Elliason urges other countries to follow Palau and the other Pacific nations. “They have an acute sense of the dangers of climate change and the level of sea rise - becoming an existential threat for them… We should listen to those states.” 

This oceanic blacktip shark was seen on O‘ahu’s North Shore during a shark cage dive.

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THE OCEAN SPANS OVER 70 PERCENT OF OUR WORLD. It is responsible for regulating temperature, food production, sustaining numerous marine species, and is a source for inspiration among multiple other things. The ocean gives us so much and it is time for us to return the favor and take actions to make the ocean ecosystem healthy again. Almost every action that we take affects the ocean in some way. Our everyday choices can be tailored to support a healthy ocean. Here are some examples of green acts that will keep the ocean blue.

GENERATION

BLUE

Actions for the Ocean Priya Rashid, Assistant Editor

Choose safe seafood. Choose species that are not over exploited by loss of habitat and unsustainable fishing practices. A good place to check are state Fishery Services or the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s website, seafoodwatch.org. This websites has printable pocket guides for each region of the United States including Hawai‘i.

According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Hawai‘i residents should avoid: -Abalone (China & Japan) -‘Ahi/Yellowfin Tuna (except troll, pole and US longline) -Aku/Skipjack Tuna/Light canned (imported longline and purse seine) -Crab: Red King (Russia) -Hebi/Shortbill Spearfish (imported) -Kajiki/Blue Marlin -Mahi Mahi (imported) -Mano/Shark -Nairagi/Striped Marlin

-Opah/Moonfish (imported) -Orange Roughy -Salmon: Atlantic (farmed) -Shrimp (imported farmed) -Shrimp (LA & Mexico wild) -Shutome/Swordfish (imported) -Squid (imported) -Tombo/Albacore Tuna/White canned (except Canada & US troll, pole and US longline) -Tuna: Bluefin

For pets: Read food labels and switch to chicken or turkey based food either some days or completely. Oftentimes the fish in pet food is unsustainably harvested and contains high levels of mercury.

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American Cetacean Society comes to UH New student coalition at UH aims to protect cetaceans and their habitats through public awareness and education. By Brijonnay Madrigal, UHM MOP Student and ACS President

o you love dolphins? Have you always wanted to see a humpback whale? Do you want to meet a fun group of passionate students that care about ocean conservation and cetaceans? Then come join the American Cetacean Society (ACS)! The American Cetacean Society is a brand new organization on campus dedicated to protecting whales, dolphins, porpoises, and their habitats though public education, research grants, and conservation actions. ACS is very excited to start our first kick- off semester representing the American Cetacean Society Student Coalition at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa! The ocean is an important part of the Hawai’i community and Hawai’i serves as a unique place that is home to many species of cetaceans year-round. It was recognized, that a lot of students were interested in cetaceans and through a desire to create a club on campus that specifically catered to ocean conservation and specifically cetaceans, ACS was born. The vision for ACS is to allow members to benefit from the opportunities for cetacean interactions and career development in the field while also giving back to the community through service and outreach. This student coalition is a daughter organization of the national ACS organization. For 44 years, ACS has been a leader in the field of cetacean conservation, policy and education. The student coalition is based through the University of Indiana. The University of Hawai’i at Manoa chapter is now one of the only other university affiliated ACS student coalitions. Marine mammal facility tours, whale watching, marine mammal researchers/ conservationist speaker panels, service projects, and educational outreach are among the activities that

members can get involved in through ACS. The first general meeting of the semester was a huge success with over 30 students coming to participate in the fun! The first ACS event, a Blackfish documentary Movie Night was great for our Madrigal/Freelance members to gain perspective and The American Cetacean Society has have a meaning- been a leader in the field of cetacean conservationn, policy, and education for ful discussion 44 years. amongst one another. We now have 45 registered members and would love for other students to join if they are interested. All majors are welcome as we have everyone from Marine Biology to Nutrition majors. We will be holding meetings every other Monday from 6:30-7:30 in Hemenway Hall. For more information please e-mail us at acsuhawaii@ gmail.com or find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/acsuhmanoa . We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting or event! Next general meetings: 2/19/14- Hemenway Hall 211; 6:30-7:30pm MARCH 2014

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ART by Rebecca Ziegler Rebecca Ziegler is a student from UH Hilo. She is double majoring in Marine Science and Communications, aiming to graduate Spring of 2015. Rebecca hopes to use photography and film to help communicate science to the general public. Her photos were taken with a Nikon 3000, 200mm lens and an Olympus TG-1ing and with housing and Sola 1200 photo lighting.

All the monk seal photos are of Keokea, the most recent addition to the monk seal population on the Big Island. 16|

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