April 2023 Seawords

SEAW ORDS TheMarineOption Program Newsletter

April 2023

Volume XXXV I I I , Number 4 Aloha and Welcome to the April issue of Seawords!

T his month, our issue will fill you in on all the important things happening in marine science around the world. I nterested in technology? L earn about the way drones are being used to gather new and exciting data on page 4. Passionate about ocean conservation? Read about large scale marine debris cleanups (page 8) as well as the fight against a starfish who likes to munch on corals (page 20).

On page 18, newly discovered fossils redefine how we look at life's ability to bounce back from mass extinctions. Page 24 will give you a peek into the exciting new policies presented at a recent UN conference aimed to conserve marine biodiversity.

Finally, meet April's Creature of the Month (page 12)... the manta ray!

W hat would you like to see more of in Seawords? Send in your thoughts, and follow us on T witter and I nstagram at @mopseawords!

Abbie Jeremiah, Seawords Editor

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Contents 2: L etter From the Editor 4: Drones for Marine Science 8: Marine Debris Cleanup on Kaho?olawe 12: Creature of the Month: Manta Ray 18: L ife Finds a Way: Remarkable Sea L ife Recovery Post Mass Extinction 20: Crown of T horns May No L onger be a T horn in Scientists' Sides 24: T he UN High Seas T reaty 28: MOP Calendar

Photo Credits Front Page: Manta Ray. Photo by: G.P. Schmal/ NOAA; Flickr.

Table of Contents: Parrotfish. Photo by: Ed; Flickr.

Back Cover: T iny Cowfish Juvenile. Photo by: Klaus Stiefel; Flickr.

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Drones for Marine Science By: Lucian Anderson, UHM MOP Alumnus

Mavic 2 Pro in the Evening.

Photo by: Jim Makos; Flickr.

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Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones have seen tremendous growth as an industry since 2010. Technology that had once been used primarily in military operations is now available to the public to use for recreation. The Federal Aviation Agency allows users to obtain a license to operate UAVs for research and commercial purposes. Given its growth over the decade, it's no surprise that UAVs have been finding transdisciplinary purposes in other fields such as biology, construction, 3D modeling, medicine transport, and marine science. UAVs have given us a new perspective in marine science.

Something that used to require a crew, boats, and equipment, now can be done from the beach or off the side of the road near the beach to not disturb people.

In Australia, UAVs are being adopted in many aspects. On the sandy, sunny beaches of Australia it was common to see helicopters flying above beach-goers trying to enjoy their leisure. The purpose of the helicopter patrol is to spot sharks, identify them, and to mitigate shark attacks on swimmers.

Surveys found the Australian public prefer the usage of UAVs over a helicopter flying overhead. Dr. Vincent Raoult, a postdoctoral researcher at Macquarie and Deakin Universities, hopes using UAVs to spot sharks near people will decrease human-shark interactions.

An added benefit is the drones are very useful at finding swimmers in distress. More and more agencies in Australia are adopting UAVs for beach patrols because of these benefits and public opinion.

Melissa Marquez, a PhD student at Curtin University in Australia, is using UAVs for wildlife monitoring for her research, observing shark behaviors in a remote lagoon in Western Australia. ?UAVs can make observations throughout the day, just replace the battery and send them off again. It is that easy.? Dr. Vincent Raoult adds that, ?drones in general have very little effect on animal behavior. This means we can observe natural behaviors that were previously difficult to see because they would require finding the interaction in question and then boating/swimming/diving to the APRIL - ?APELILA 2023

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Black Tips Hunting. Photo by: Rifath (@photoripey); Unsplash.

area to observe it, which involves a lot of noise and big things in the water.?

Further south, Ukrainians in Antarctica are using drones to do whale/boat interaction monitoring.

The whale?s interactions are observed by UAVs with laser equipment attached. Whale size can be determined more accurately from a UAV perspective than from a boat. Scientists then can determine the whale?s age and attributes such as how much fat the whale has.

Scientists have also been using UAVs to observe maternal whale behavior 6 | Seawords

without the disturbance of a manned boat crew coming near them. This is safer for the whales and the researchers.

Within the UAV family are Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USV).

They are boats that can be operated without a crew onboard. USVs are used in the tropical regions for hurricane warnings.

NOAA is responsible for the conservation and management of marine species within the United States, including Alaska?s large populations of pollock. When the COVID-19 outbreak happened, USVs

Catalog #1245 & Calf. Photo by: Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute; Flickr.

were adopted to collect data without putting crews at risk. They found that surveys could be conducted 40% faster using USVs, so the agency has been quick to adopt them to collect data to make management decisions regarding fishing in Alaska. So far, they have found that pollock is a stable species and not threatened by overfishing.

UAVs and other drones have had a profound impact on many aspects of society and science. Soon it may become an everyday occurrence with drone deliveries.

Drones have opened doors for researchers to observe wildlife with less disturbance. There are limitations to drones such as some species like seagulls respond negatively to UAVs and battery life can be a constraint. Another issue is sometimes drones can't properly observe depending on the conditions of the water that day, such as rough or choppy waves.

While the technology still has some improvements needed, using drones has so far been giving us data that we would not have seen decades ago.

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Marine Debris Cleanup on Kure Atoll.

Photo by: Hawai?i Department of Lands and Natural Resources; Flickr.

Mar ine debr is Cl eanup on ?

Kaho ol awe By: Hal ey chasin, UHM MOPal umna 8 | Seawords

The Hawaiian Island chain is the furthest from any land mass but is littered with marine debris.

Despite the most northwestern area of the chain being part of the protected Papah?naumoku?kea Marine National Monument, a World Heritage site, you can find derelict fishing nets, plastics, bottles, bottle caps, cigarette lighters, toys and toothbrushes accumulating on beaches throughout the archipelago.

Trade winds, tides and differences in temperature and salinity drive ocean currents. The ocean creates different types of currents such as eddies, whirlpools, or deep ocean currents. The large ocean currents are called gyres and there are five major gyres: the North and South Pacific Subtropical Gyres, the North and South Atlantic Subtropical Gyres, and the Indian Ocean Subtropical Gyres.

Once trash makes its way to the ocean, it can float at or near

the surface or sink down to the sea floor. The trash moves with the currents, often accumulating in specific areas. The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands exist within the North Pacific Gyre and the low-lying atolls and shallow reefs act like a filter or a comb collecting tangled nets. In the Hawaiian Archipelago, northeastern facing shorelines have the largest amounts of marine debris build up, due to the consistent and strong trade winds.

The NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP) supports partner agencies, non-government organizations and coastal communities to prevent, reduce and remove marine debris. The MDP focuses on removing derelict fishing gear in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

Since 1996, the efforts by NOAA have allowed for the removal of 923 metric tons (or 2 million pounds) of fishing gear which is equal to 10 adult blue whales, the APRIL - ?APELILA 2023

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largest animal on the planet.

The fishing gear is then transported onto NOAA ships or charter vessels and transported to a recycling processing company called Schnitzer Steel who chops the fishing nets into pieces, transports them to the City and County of Honolulu?s H-Power Plant where they are converted into electricity for the island of O?ahu. Additionally, Hawai?i cracked down on its use of single-use plastics by banning plastic bags in grocery stores and banning single-use plastic food containers including straws, utensils and polystyrene.

Other non-profit organizations like the Papah?naumoku?kea Marine Debris Project (PMDP) are involved in protecting Papah?naumoku?kea and its inhabitants from marine debris.

The PMDP team regularly embarks on month-long marine debris removal expeditions to 10 | Seawords

islands, atolls, and reefs including H?lanik? (Kure Atoll), Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll), Manawai (Pearl and Hermes Atoll), Kapou (Lisianski Island), Kamole (Laysan Island), Kamokuokamohoali?i (Maro Reef), and Lalo (French Frigate Shoals). Their last cleanup expedition, which took place during the fall of 2022, managed to remove 47,924 kilograms (more than 52 tons) of marine debris. The debris was composed of 60% in-water derelict fishing nets, while onshore nets accounted for 30%, and shoreline plastics accounted for 10%.

The ocean bonds and connects many island people, who are then moved to action when they witness pristine locations isolated from the rest of the world becoming affected by human pollutants. Animals like Hawaiian monk seals, hawksbill sea turtles, humpback whales, false killer whales, green sea turtles, Pacific bottlenose

Derelict Fishing Nets. Photo by: NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program; Flickr.

dolphins and spinner dolphins often get entangled in fishing gear and swallow marine debris.

Some of these animals are endangered or closer to extinction due to plastic pollution and debris in the oceans.

Recently, the Kaho?olawe Island Reserve Commission and volunteers embarked on a project to clean Kanapou Beach on the

island?s eastern side. A team of three helicopters carried slings loaded with fabric bags filled with beach trash from Kaho?olawe to Maui. To help curb the incessant accumulation of trash and pollutants in our oceans we can refuse, reduce, reuse, and recycle, especially making sure to recycle used fishing nets and line and participate in local beach cleanups.

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Cr eat ur e of t he Mont h:

Mant a Ray By: Abbie Jer emiah, Seawor ds Edit or

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Mobula alfredi. Photo by: Jeff Kuwabara; UHM MOP Coordinator.

Manta rays are easily identifiable by their dramatic black-and-white coloring and graceful wing-like pectoral fins. T hese gentle giants are among the largest fish in the sea, and their distinctive shape and behavior have captured the attention of scientists and nature enthusiasts alike.

Manta rays belong to the family Mobulidae, which includes two species: the giant manta ray (Mobula birostris) and the reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi). T hese two species are distinguished by their size and habitat.

Giant manta rays can reach a wingspan of up to 8.8 meters (29 feet) and are found in open waters, while reef manta rays have a smaller wingspan of about 3.4 meters APRIL - ?APELILA 2023

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(11 feet) and are found in shallow coastal waters near coral reefs.

Manta rays have a flattened body shape, with a broad head and a pair of large, triangular pectoral fins that they use to swim through the water. T hey are known for their distinctive coloration, which includes a dark upper surface and a white or pale underside.

T hey have no teeth and instead use a series of finely combed plates called gill rakers to filter-feed on plankton in the water.

W hile filter-feeding, the rays can become quite creative, employing techniques such as somersaulting to maximize the number of zooplankton they catch. T hey also utilize 14 | Seawords

a method known as chain-feeding, where they follow one another with their mouths wide open, forming a cyclone effect that traps their prey in a vortex.

Manta rays can be found alone but are social animals and are often observed in groups, called aggregations.

T hese groups can include dozens of individuals and are considered important for mating, feeding, and socializing. T hey are also known to regularly stop at coral reef cleaning stations where smaller fish will remove parasites and dead skin.

Additionally, manta rays are known to migrate long distances. Scientists have tracked manta rays as they move between feeding

Manta Ray. Watercolor on paper by: Alyssa Perez, UHM MOP Student.

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Manta Ray at Monitor National Marine Sanctuary.

Photo by: NOAA; Flickr.

and breeding grounds, sometimes covering thousands of kilometers.

T he ability to move across vast distances is thought to be important for maintaining healthy populations and genetic diversity.

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One of the most fascinating aspects of manta ray behavior is their intelligence. T hey have the largest brain-to-size ratio of any fish and may be able to recognize themselves in a mirror. More studies need to be designed and

conducted to accurately measure fish intelligence.

Still, their brain size, possible self-awareness, social nature, and ability to navigate long distances all point to high cognitive capabilities.

T he I nternational Union for Conservation of Nature (I UCN) lists manta rays as vulnerable to extinction.

T hey face several threats, including overfishing, bycatch in fisheries, habitat degradation, and climate change. Manta rays are often targeted for their gill rakers, which are used in traditional medicine in some Asian countries.

Conservation efforts for manta rays include protection from targeted and accidental capture in

fisheries, as well as the creation of marine protected areas where these animals can thrive. Scientists are also studying manta rays' migration patterns and genetics to better understand their behavior and biology, which can inform conservation efforts.

Manta rays are remarkable creatures that play an essential role in the ocean ecosystem. T heir unique biology and behavior make them a fascinating subject for scientific study, but also make them vulnerable to human activities. By protecting these animals and their habitat, we can ensure future generations will continue to marvel at the majesty of the manta ray.

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Marble Skin Fish Fossil. Photo by: Nicolas Raymond; Flickr.

L ife Finds a Way: Remar kable Sea L ife Recover y Post Mass Extinction

By Sofía Flores Pina, UHM MOP Student A discovery of fossils in Guizhou China has discredited the commonly accepted and longstanding theory of evolution in complex organisms following mass extinction. Prior to this discovery, it was largely maintained that Earth was primarily inhabited by simple species for 5-10 million years before the emergence of complex 18 | Seawords

ecosystems. But 252 million years ago, the Permian-T riassic extinction event, also referred to as T he Great Dying, terminated over 90 percent of the Earth?s species. T his event ?...serve[ d] as a model for studying biodiversity loss on our planet today,? said Academy Curator of Geology Dr. Peter Roopnarine.

However, a host of well-preserved

fossils from 250.8 million years ago boasts great biodiversity.

Scientists speculate the Permian-T riassic extinction event occurred as a result of increased volcanic activity and a subsequent spike in atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Ocean deoxygenation, ocean acidification, and overall increase in global temperatures ensued, creating conditions similar to anthropogenic climate change. Despite these detrimental effects, life quickly recovered.

Using radiometric dating, rocks in the area surrounding the discovery were dated, offering unheard of results. A team of international scientists found that the specimens in the Guizhou region evolved much quicker than was Permian Sea Snail Fossil. Photo by: Chris Baird; Flickr.

Ammonite Fossil with in-situ Aptychi. Photo by: James St. John; Flickr.

previously thought. A process once believed to take at the very least 5 million years, occurred in a mere 1.2 million years. Taking into consideration how soon after the event these organisms lived, ?the diversity is remarkable,? says palaeontologist Guang Shi of the University of Wollongong in Australia. I n the years between 2015 and 2019, China University of Geosciences palaeontologist Xu Dai and his team collected more than 1,000 fossils in the Guiyang biota.

T he fossils collected comprise a whole pyramid of food-web tiers ranging from single celled organisms to apex predators. W hile this display of recovery is yet to be explained in full, it?s a remarkable testament to the intelligence and resiliency of life.

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Crow n of Thor ns May No Long er b e a Thor n in Scient ist s' Sides By: Alexand r ya Rob inson, UHM MOP St udent

Crown of Thorns Eating Coral. Photo by: Samantha Craven; Flickr.

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In the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Australia, lies the Great Barrier Reef, a research focal point in understanding how coral reefs are impacted by climate change, ocean acidification, eco-tourism, invasive species, and even native species. The Great Barrier Reef currently faces a threat from a native species on the reef, Acanthaster planci, also known as the Crown of Thorns Starfish (CoTS).

This Indo-Pacific native species of starfish has venomous spines that give its name resembling the crown placed upon Jesus?s head during his crucifixion. The venom is a neurotoxin that can cause hemolysis and is dangerous for humans and marine creatures.

As they crawl over the reef, A. planci eat coral polyps, making them a destructive force on the already vulnerable Great Barrier Reef.

One hypothesis that explains A. planci?s population explosion is the removal of the snails and fish that prey on young sea stars. Another hypothesis is that A. planci have higher reproductive success and much faster sexual maturity than previously thought. A single female can produce multiple millions of gametes per spawning session during the summer leaving large clouds of gametes in the water column.

Their planktonic stage lasts a few weeks during which they feed on phytoplankton, growing relatively undisturbed until they mature at six months, when they switch to eating coral, and begin their own reproduction within two years. Even if the male and female gametes don?t meet, A. planci can reproduce by asexual cloning like many other echinoderms.

It is estimated that a single A. planci can clear up to 12 m2 APRIL - ?APELILA 2023

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of the soft polyp tissues of foundational reef corals like Acropora in a single year. Since the 1970?s there has been a race to find a solution to successfully removing large batches of this thorny menace. Recently a $9.8M project has been started with multiple collaborating entities.

The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) has pioneered research using environmental DNA (eDNA) that is compared to known samples of body tissue samples, fecal matter, and gut DNA to find out when an organism is feeding and to identify their current life stage. eDNA is incredibly valuable and much cheaper than alternative options even with its limitations based on environment quality, organism DNA shedding rate, small segmentation of DNA, DNA ease of movement from one place to another, sampling ability, and the fact DNA degrades much faster in 22 | Seawords

warmer climates which is the primary area where A. planci lives.

CoTS Control Innovation Program (CCIP) was founded on the idea of using eDNA for earlier detection and treatment of the larval stages of A. planci before they mature and begin to eat coral. Methods of managing CoTS populations include the use of robotics to identify A. planci genetics, eDNA sampling for monitoring, pheromone targeting, and even the introduction of natural predators such as the giant triton snail that can eat adult A. planci. Other marine species which are naturally immune to the toxins produced by A. planci and can eat their adult bodies include the M?ori wrasses, starry toadfish, titan triggerfish, pineapple trigger, and harlequin shrimp. Young A. planci that are still soft can be eaten by crabs, shrimp, and

Crown of Thorns Starfish, Acanthaster planci. Photo by: Paul Asman and Jill Lenoble; Flickr.

marine worms. These efforts are highly valuable because they are more efficient and prolific than previous human interventions such as removal and patrol of the over 2,300 kilometers of the Great Barrier Reef. However, direct removal should not be completely discounted as shown by the work of the Cook Islands younger generation who hunt

A. planci and use the bodies of the starfish as fertilizer as a part of the K?rero O Te ?? rau?s initiative to maintain self-reliance for food sources. All together these efforts make up the future of Acanthaster planci control and management and work to preserve the reef flats in the Indo-Pacific for future generations.

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The Killer Whale. Photo by: Giuseppe Milo; Flickr.

By: Sar ah M cGh ee, UH M M OP Stu den t

Th e UN H i gh Seas Tr eat y

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After years of talks and negotiations, the UN signed the High Seas Treaty, w hich aim s to protect an extra 30% of the oceans by 2030. As one of the very few agreem ents that m akes an effort to protect global seas, the other being the UN Convention on the Law and Sea, this agreem ent m arks a vital step in the efforts to protect the ocean and specifically, the m arine life residing in the high seas.

Countries have jurisdiction out to 200 nautical m iles off of their ow n shores. The area past that is know n as the high seas and is virtually law less and unprotected. The High Seas m ake up around ? of the w orld's ocean, and around half of the Earth's surface. It is hard to im agine how such a vast area has gone

unprotected for so long; until recently, only 1.2% of the high seas w as m onitored, and the consequences of this are starting to show.

Marine life living in these unprotected areas are at higher risk of shipping traffic, clim ate change, and overfishing, w ith no previous law s to regulate them . As a result around 10% of all m arine anim als are at risk for extinction. This new UN agreem ent w ill start to put lim its on the am ount of fishing that can be done. It also w ill m onitor the deep-sea fishing routes and deep-sea m ining activities.

The treaty w ill also m ake an effort to establish Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the high seas. MPAs w ork to lim it hum an interactions w ithin a given area. Previously, there w ere no MPAs in the high seas, APRIL - ?APELILA 2023

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but now countries have the ability to vote about certain areas to protect. The treaty does allow current research projects to continue, but researchers m ust announce to the public their plan and path. This also has the benefit of encouraging scientists from low er incom e countries to join in on research projects.

A big concern that held up the talks w as the royalties from m arine genetic resources (MGR). MGRs refer to the biological m atter of m arine plants and anim als and their potential to becom e resources for providing insight into new lifesaving advancem ents. Undoubtedly, the ocean provides hum ans w ith vital resources like food and oxygen, but the scientific advancem ents m ade from studying m arine anim als are also vital to m edicine and other industrial processes.

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Like m any other aspects, first w orld countries have a head start w hen it com es to gathering these im portant genetic resources. A large part of the negotiation w as the argum ent that developing countries w ho don't yet have the ability to harvest MGRs should also be able to reap the benefits if the resource w as found close to their shoreline.

Delegates from the developing countries and first nations agreed that the resources found w ould be ?shared in a fair and equitable m anner.?

The treaty also established a ?benefit-sharing com m ittee? w hich w ould be com posed of 15 experts nom inated by the UN. This attem pts to guarantee the access of all countries to the benefits the deep-sea organism can offer.

Scientists across the globe seem to be pleased

Rangiroa, French Polynesia.

Photo by: Adam Reeder; Flickr.

w ith the outcom e of the treaty.

How ever, the process to sign w as long and com plicated.

Delegates from across the w orld extended their trips and w orked for days to guarantee an agreem ent that w ould begin to protect the vital lim ited resources of the high seas. The final session lasted 38 hours and ended 4 days after the agreem ent w as

supposed to be signed.

Thanks to the scientists and delegates that w orked to pass this treaty, there are now law s in place protecting m arine organism s in the high seas.

There are still m any undiscovered organism s residing in the ocean and it is extrem ely im portant to protect their habitat so that w e are able to learn m ore about them .

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Vol u m e XXXVIII, Nu m ber 4 Editor : Abbie Jer em iah Dr. Cyn th ia H u n ter (em in en ce gr ise) Jeffr ey Ku wabar a (em in en ce gr ise) W r itin g Team : Ch l oe M ol ou , Lu cian An der son , Al exan dr ya Robin son , H al ey Ch asin , Abbie Jer em iah , Sofia Fl or es Pin a, Sar a M cGh ee, Dor a Figu er oa Seawor ds- M ar in e Option Pr ogr am Un iver sity of H awai ?i , Col l ege of Natu r al Scien ces 2450 Cam pu s Road, Dean H al l 105A H on ol u l u , H I 96822-2219 Tel eph on e: (808) 956-8433 Em ail : <seawor ds@ h awaii.edu > W ebsite: <h ttp:/ / www.h awaii.edu / m op> Seawor ds is th e m on th l y n ewsl etter n ewsl etter of th e M ar in e Option Pr ogr am at th e Un iver sity of H awai?i. Opin ion s expr essed h er ein ar e n ot n ecessar il y th ose of th e M ar in e Option Pr ogr am or of th e Un iver sity of H awai?i.

Su ggestion s an d su bm ission s ar e wel com e. Su bm ission s m ay in cl u de ar ticl es, ph otogr aph y,ar t wor k , or an yth in g th at m ay be of in ter est to th e m ar in e com m u n ity in H awai?i. an d ar ou n d th e wor l d.

All photos ar e taken by M OP unless other wise cr edited.