March 2022 Seawords

SEAW ORDS TheMarineOption Program Newsletter

March 2022

Volume XXXVII, Number 3

Al oha and W el come to the Mar ch issue of Seawords!

We welcome the month of March by taking a tour of Kualoa Ranch aquaculture! Discover the benefits of sustainable and local food production using both traditional and innovative methods (page 4).

Read about a community of critters found in an unexpected place (page 12), as well as a blooming phenomenon occurring on the west coast of the United States (page 18). Learn about the effects of sound pollution on ocean animals, on page 24. On page 22, explore the myths and legends surrounding the elusive mermaid. Finally, Seawords presents the graceful and elegant Creature of the Month: the spotted eagle ray, or h?h?manu!

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

Abbie Jeremiah, SeawordsEditor

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Contents 2: LETTER FROM THE EDITOR 4: AQUACULTURE AT KUALOA RANCH 12: PLASTIC DW ELLERS: LIFE ON THE OCEANIC GARBAGE 14: CREATURE OF THE MONTH: H?H?MANU 18: BLOOMING SQUID 22: MYSTICAL MERMAIDS 24: SOUND POLLUTION 30: MOP CALENDAR

Photo Credits Front Page: Eagle Ray. By: tanstaaffl5813, W ikimedia Commons.

Table of Contents: Polol? Mirror. By: Abbie Jeremiah Back Cover: Squid. By: Jeff Kuwabara, UHM MOP Coordinator.

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Aquacultureat KualoaRanch Storyby: AbbieJeremiah,UHMMOPSeawordsEditor Photosby: Jeff Kuwabara,UHMMOPCoordinator

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Anthony Mau taking the MOP group through the finer points of aquaculture at Kualoa.

On a Thursday afternoon in February, a small group of MOP students set out to learn what they could about the wonders and intricacies of aquaculture.

Their destination?Kualoa Ranch on O?ahu?s windward coast. W idely known for being the filming site for Hollywood?s Jurassic Park and for their vast array of exciting island adventures and tours, Kualoa Ranch is not an unfamiliar name to many residents and visitors of O?ahu alike. However, we, the MOP students, were about to experience yet another intriguing facet of this stunning ranch.

Our guide for the day was Anthony Mau, a molecular biosciences and bioengineering PhD graduate from UH 6 | Seawords

College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. In addition to his job as manager for the Pahalona and Moli?i Agricultural Centers at Kualoa Ranch, he was also involved in pioneering research on ?opihi, Hawaiian limpets, and the owner of a startup company, Kupu Place, which grows a variety of microgreens for local grocery stores. He began the tour by explaining some of the processes behind the oyster and shrimp aquaculture at Kualoa.

W hen compared to the mass markets of shrimp and oyster fisheries, it seems that Kualoa wouldn't be able to compete with larger corporations for low prices and quantity of production.

However, this point ends up being moot when considering the ranch?s commitment to food quality and sustainability.

farming with nutrient rich Hawaiian waters and how through data collection, they were able to find the maximum holding capacity for the ponds. By We stood on a hill overlooking the limiting the amount of shrimp per pond, they were able to decrease mortality rates. earthen shrimp ponds. To my untrained eye, they resembled lo?ipatches, sans kalo Additionally, they decreased aeration, limiting the artificial oxygenation to the (taro). Indeed, one of the ancient Hawaiian methods of aquaculture, known nighttime hours, further decreasing expenditure costs, increasing profits, and as lokoi?a kalo, grew kalo as well as promoting a practice of sustainable cultivated both brackish and freshwater fish and freshwater prawns. These ancient farming techniques. By combining kalo ponds mimicked an estuary of sorts traditional techniques with modern and the fish would enter from the ocean, technology, the Kualoa team is creating a unique and sustainable approach to food making their way through the brackish production in Hawai?i. lo?i to the freshwater lo?i.

We soon moved on to the oysters.

Anthony described the benefits of Earthen shrimp ponds. "To my untrained eye, they resembled lo?i patches, sans kalo (taro)."

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Just beyond the shrimp ponds and l?oi patches lay Loko I?a o Moli?i, a salt water fishpond. Legends say that the 125 acre pond was constructed by menehune, mythical Hawaiian dwarf people, about 900 years ago.

Spotting a brightly colored fish darting through the shallows, Anthony described the traditional Hawaiian way of fish farming. Ancient K?naka Maoli (native Hawaiians) would build walls of lava rock with m?k?h?, slatted gates, that would allow water and small fish to circulate in and out. The fish would feed on the algae produced by the pond and soon grow too large to fit through the gate.

A vast, yet shallow area, the loko i?a is a great producer of algae and other primary producers. The nutrient rich ecosystem is a perfect living environment for the oysters, which are natural filter feeders. The oysters reside in cylindrical baskets floating just under the surface of the water. The shape of the baskets prevents the oysters from attaching to a substrate (or each other) and promotes a deeper, rounder shell, thus producing more meat.

However, the oysters are not the only ones benefiting from this process.

Anthony explained that, ?Traditional aquaculture allows for sustainable food production while enhancing the native

Legends say that Loko I?a o Mololi?i was constructed by menehune.

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"The oysters reside in cylindrical baskets floating just under the surface of the water."

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Disembarking the barge.

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Fresh Kualoa Ranch oysters professionally shucked by Anthony.

ecology. The art form of traditional aquaculture is a true balance of all components of a system that is engineered to grow seafood. The Hawaiian fish pond as an infrastructure, in comparison to modern aquaculture systems, allows for production of many species that substantiate the k?naka or human diet, as opposed to culturing just one or two species.?In addition to food production, this method also increases biodiversity, a key indicator of the health of an ecosystem.

Ancient Hawaiian aquaculture practices were extremely advanced for their time, and are still a sustainable model of food production that can be successfully used today, as evidenced by

the Kualoa team. I asked Anthony about his plans for the future of Kualoa aquaculture and he replied, ?I hope to implement the production of a native species to Moli?i using contemporary, adapted aquaculture technologies to this traditional space, and hope to continue to perpetuate a modern-traditional approach to food production in these spaces. An idea of raising our native oyster, fish, or limu species is definitely on the table for discussion!?

This melding of traditions from the past and technology of the future with the goal of sustainable food production for Hawai?i provides a hopeful and inspired blueprint for the coming generations.

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Pl a st i c D w el l er s : L i f e on t h e O c ea n i c G ar b age B y : L uci a n A n d er s o n , U H M M OP A l um n i

Floating Garbage. Photo by: Duncan Rawlinson, Flickr.

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O u t i n t h e N or t h Paci f i c O cean betw een H aw ai i an d Cal i f or n i a, bor n f r om d ecad es of w ast e p r od u ced f r om East A si a an d N or t h A m er i ca, a p i l e of gar bage f l oat s. I ts si ze i s est i m at ed at a st agger i n g 79,0 0 0 t on s. By 20 50 i t cou l d ex p on en ti al ly i n cr ease to 25 bi l l i on ton s.

Fou r p at ch es of t h i s si ze h ave been d ocu m en t ed i n th e w or l d 's ocean s.

T h i s m ass of p u t r i d gar bage an d w ast e h as becom e th e u n l i kely h om e f or m an y coast al sp eci es an d h as p i qu ed sci en ti st s' cu r i osi ty.

T h e op en ocean i s con si d er ed a geogr ap h i c bar r i er f or m an y cr eat u r es f ou n d al on g coast al r egi on s. H ow ever , coast al sp eci es su ch as cr abs, m u ssel s, an d bar n acl es h ave r ecen tly been f ou n d l i v i n g i n com m u n i t i es i n t h e gar bage p atch . Sp eci es n or m al ly f ou n d i n ti d ep ool s or on t h e coast ar e su stai n i n g th em selves i n th ese p l asti c h om es. T h ese coast al sp eci es w er e t h ou gh t to be u n abl e to su r v i ve i n th e op en ocean bu t t h ei r p r esen ce i n t h e gar bage p atch seem s to d ebu n k th i s. Accor d i n g to L i n d sey H ar am , ?I t 's cr eati n g op p or tu n i t i es f or coast al sp eci es bi ogeogr ap h y t o gr eat ly ex p an d bey on d w h at w e p r ev i ou sly th ou gh t p ossi bl e.?

T h e p r esen ce of t h ese cr eat u r es br i n gs f or th qu est i on s su ch as: h ow ar e coast al sp eci es on t h e coast s an d gar bage p atch es com p et i n g?

H ow com m on i s t h i s? W i l l m or e sp eci es be f ou n d ? I s th i s p h en om en on l i m i t ed t o t h e N or t h Paci f i c Gar bage Patch or i s i t p r esen t on oth er p at ch es as w el l ? Resear ch er s ar e st i l l u n su r e as to h ow th e or gan i sm s ar e f eed i n g. I t ?s p ossi bl e t h at t h e i d ea of th e op en ocean bei n g a f ood d eser t m ay n o l on ger p er t ai n .

T h er e ar e som e con cer n s. M u ch of th e gar bage can tr ace i ts or i gi n s to t h e 20 11 Fu k u sh i m a Ear t h qu ake i n Jap an . Sp eci es f r om Jap an w er e f ou n d as f ar as N or t h A m er i ca f ol l ow i n g th e d evastati n g even t. T h ese p l ast i c d w el l i n gs cou l d act as a r eser voi r of i n vasi ve sp eci es w h en an ot h er geol ogi cal or m et eor ol ogi cal even t occu r s. T h e p l asti c i s sti l l d et r i m en t al t o an i m al l i f e, cau si n g l ar ger sp eci es to su f f ocat e w h en i n gest ed or en t an gl ed .

A si d e f r om t h ese d i r e ci r cu m stan ces, th er e i s p ossi bly a br an d n ew ecosy st em to st u d y. Pl ast i c w aste i s ex p ect ed to ex p on en ti al ly i n cr ease, th er eby i n cr easi n g r af t i n g m ater i al s. M or e sp eci es m ay be f ou n d i n th e gar bage p at ch es. A m i n gl i n g of sp eci es f r om d i f f er en t cou n t r i es an d ecosy st em s cou l d com e i n con tact i n th e com m u n i t i es f or m ed on th e gar bage p at ch . T h ese com m u n i ti es cou l d f or m ou t of sp eci es f r om an y cou n t r y w i t h a Paci f i c O cean coast l i n e. I f cor al r eef s p er i sh an d w aste m an agem en t i s u n ch ecked , cou l d th ese be f u tu r e r eser voi r s of l i f e ad ap t ed t o th e A n t h r op ocen e? W e sh al l aw ai t w h at f u r th er st u d i es f i n d an d w h at qu est i on s t h e r esear ch er s can ask an d an sw er .

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Squid Bloom. Graphic Illustration by: Abbie Jeremiah, UHM MOP Seawords Editor.

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Blooming Squid By: Chloe Molou, UHH Seawor ds Liason

Over the last few decades, the abundance of market squid, Doryteuthisopalescens, has increased five-fold along the North Pacific coast. Oregon and W ashington coasts have seen the greatest ?blooms?with abundances increasing 25- and 39-fold respectively.

Market squid reproduce very quickly and are short-lived, usually dying within a year. These squid play a key role in the food chain as they have numerous predators and prey. Their diet normally consists of crabs, shrimps, and other juvenile squid, and their predators include fish, sharks, marine mammals, birds, and of course, humans.

A team of researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Oregon State University and the University of California, Santa Cruz, used data collected by the

National Marine Fisheries Services from 1998-2019 to create a model of market squid density and abundance along the North Pacific coast. The study was published by the American Fisheries Society in February 2022, and highlighted the positive relationship found between warming ocean temperatures and high salinity with greater market squid abundance.

These ?squid blooms?are suspected to be the result of continuously warming water along the North Pacific coast. W arming water is not an unusual occurrence along this coast as the area can be heavily impacted by El Niño and La Niña seasons. However, marine heat waves are a more recent phenomenon and are suspected to be the cause of these blooms.

Marine heat waves are pools of water in the ocean that can be .56-1.12°C warmer than MARCH 2022

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surrounding water at its edges, and up to 2.8°C at its center. Multiple heat waves have occurred along the W ashington coast since 2014 and have proven to seriously disrupt coastal ecosystems, and consequently, marine biodiversity along the North Pacific coast.

In terms of volume, market squid are the largest fishery in California. W arming waters forced migration farther north and Oregon fisheries took advantage of the massive influx. Harvests in Oregon went from zero in 2015, to a whopping 1260 tons in 2016, and a record 4667 tons in 2020; their

revenue rocketed from $1.1 million in 2016 to $6 million in 2020.

Oregon introduced its first regulations on market squid fishing in 2021, while W ashington fisheries have yet to take advantage of these blooms.

For a better understanding of these blooms and squid migration patterns, more research into temporal and salinity drivers is needed. Having a better idea of these drivers as functions of biodiversity and migration could help to develop early warning systems to predict changes in market squid abundances.

Squid. Photo by: NOAA Ocean Exploration, Flickr.

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Squids. Photo by: uticaflowercompany, Flickr.

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Cr eatu r e of th e M on th :

H ?H ?M

By : Br en n a L 12 | Seawords

Spotted Eagle Ray on a Painted Reef. Photo by: Ka?alohilohi, Flickr.

M AN U

L ov i n g, U H W i n d w ar d CC M O P Stu d en t MARCH 2022

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H?h?manu, translated from Hawaiian as h?h?- ?magnificent?and -manu ?elegant bird,?is an apt description of the beautiful Hawaiian spotted eagle ray. H?h?manu?s elegance speaks for itself in the graceful way this ray glides through the ocean with its 6 foot wings and leaps out of the water in an acrobatic display. Though there are several different rays in the Hawaiian waters, the spotted eagle ray is differentiated from the stingrays of the area in both temperament and their iconic spotted markings. Behaviorally, spotted eagle ray tends to be more docile and will avoid swimmers and coastal threats.

Like most rays, the spotted eagle ray possesses the ampullae of Lorenzini, which is located under the snout, and acts as a metal detector for prey that lie below the sand such as snails, crabs, and sea urchins.

Their electromagnetic sensitivity is also seen in their methods of navigation. The spotted eagle ray is capable of moving around and navigating via the earth?s magnetic field.

Once the ray?s prey is captured, the hard and flat teeth plates are used to crush the shells of the prey and spit back out while the meat is consumed. However, the male?s teeth tend to be more pointed than the females, which is thought to be driven by mating practices. W hen mating, the male will bite down on the female?s wing and use it as an anchor to hold onto throughout the mating process. Once the resulting pups are born, the young rays use their quite large wings of 10-20 inches to allow them to propel out of the water in aerial aerobic displays followed by their mother.

W hat threats are then present for the spotted eagle ray?The biggest threats to rays of all ages would be the threats of fishing. As spotted eagle rays school in shallow coastal waters, they are vulnerable to the dangers of coastal fishing similar to other species of the area. According to IUCN, the spotted eagle ray is declared to be near threatened globally.

This begs for reformation of the global fishing industry, especially those in the coastal, tropical areas of the ocean.

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Spotted Eagle Rays. Watercolor on paper by: Alyssa Perez, UHM MOP Student.

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My s t i cal

By: Al exandr ya Robi ns

The oceans have always been a source of wonder and mystery teaming with life that humans are still cataloging. The ocean has its own lore and legends because of its many unfamiliar species. Some of the most notable and well-known legends are those of the mermaid--mythical half human, half fish creatures that have mixed reporting of being helpful to sailors or omens of bad seas. Across the globe almost all ocean-traveling societies have their own version of the mermaid.

The very first noted story of mer-people is the god Oannes from Mesopotamia. Oannes had alternate forms between a fish and a man, and taught humans science according to legend. Oannes predates even Ea, the freshwater god of wisdom. The first tales of mermaids, the female counterpart of the mermen, are noted to be from the Mesopotamia kingdom of Assyria around 1000 BC. The legend is of the sea goddess, Atargatis, who accidentally killed the human man she loved. In the wake of his death, she threw herself into a lake to become a fish in shame, but she was too beautiful, and her torso was that of a goddess in all her beauty, while from the waist down she was a fish.

Since the original story of the mer-people from Mesopotamia, there have been many iterations of the mermaid myth. From 4th century China the ?Classic of Mountains and Seas? details mer-people type beings in many different forms. The princess Suvannamaccha from Asia is a mermaid in her depictions. In West Africa, the spirit of Mami W ata or the ?Mother of W aters?is portrayed to have mermaid-like qualities. The Greeks had 24 | Seawords

Mer mai ds

Mahinahina. Digital Collage by: Abbie Jeremiah, UHM MOP Seawords Editor.

son, UHM MOP St udent

the goddess Derketo who was a different version of Atargatis and in the Odyssey the tales of the sirens who tried to lure Homer to his demise. The Romans had sightings of mermaids, one notably from Gaius Plinius Secundus. Much like the Greeks, sirens were also featured in this mythology as daughters of Achelous. Thessalonike of Macedon, who was supposedly Alexander the Great?s sister, was a mermaid in many depictions. In more recent history, notable European explorers like Henry Hudson, Captain John Smith, and even Christopher Columbus all make notes in their log books of mermaids.

So where do these tales come from since they are found throughout the world? Obviously, there are sightings of something, especially as well documented as ?mermaids? from Africa, Asia, and Europe. W hat could be the explanation when there has been no evidence of past mer-people? One hypothesis is that either the dugong or manatee is to thank for these stories.

The size of these species, the smooth texture of their skin, and even the way that the young feed, suggest that these two species are the root of these fantastical tales. The explorer log books mentioned above give clues as to why either the dugong or the manatee could be the origin of the mermaid.

Christopher Columbus described what have been identified as manatees in the Caribbean due to the location and features he noted. The ocean is full of amazing creatures, but none such have been discovered to be as whimsical as the mermaid legends. For now, the best explanation is that dugong or manatees are the reason for these classic tales that have outlasted time.

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Sounds from the Ocean. Digital Illustration by: Abbie Jeremiah, UHM MOP Seawords Editor.

Sound Pol l uti on By: Hal ey Ch asi n, UHM M OP A l umna

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Since w ater is denser t han air, sound travels t hroug h w ater at a speed of 150 0 m /s or ap p roxim ately five t im es faster t han in air at 330 m /s. This m akes sound levels extrem ely im p or tant t o ocean resident s. Many species rely on sound for feed ing , com m unicat ion, cour t ship, p rotect ion and navig at ion.

There are t hree d ifferent w ays sound is p rod uced in t he ocean. The fir st is g eop hony or t he sound of w aves, under w ater volcanoes, hyd rot her m al vent s, st or m s at t he p oles and on t he sur face, iceb er g s calving , g as b ub b les and sea ice cracking . The second is b iop hony or t he p rod uct ion of sound by m ar ine anim als rang ing from infrasonic (<20 Hz) t o ultrasonic (>20 ,0 0 0 Hz). The t hird t ype and t he m ost com m on t od ay is t he ant hrop hony. Ant hrop hony is created t hroug h hum an-m ade sound ; t his can b e from ship ping , constr uct ion, under w ater

m ining , seism ic sur veying and m ilitar y sonar b last s.

Hum an-m ade noises b eg an around t he t im e of t he ind ustr ial revolut ion.

Ant hrop hony, ot her wise know n as sound p ollut ion, can m ask sound s from environm ental cues and can cause m issed op p or t unit ies for feed ing , social cohesion, m at ing and p red at or avoid ance. Sound s can affect t he ent ire ecosystem and affect anim als d ifferent ly. The alterat ion in sound s can cause b ehavioral d isr up t ion, b locked com m unicat ion and ind irect ly m ay lead t o deat h. An exam ple of noise affect ing t he b ehavior of anim als includes how vessel noises can d ram at ically shor ten t he d istance of w hale com m unicat ion from 2.4 kilom eter s t o ab out 70 m eter s.

Ant hrop og enic noise is t ypically a p oint -source p ollutant , t he effect s of w hich decline swift ly once MARCH 2022

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t he source is rem oved . This effect w as not iced wit h t he onset of COVID-19. Even t houg h t he p andem ic m ay not have b een t he b est sit uat ion for hum ans, it w as act ually a stress reliever in t he ocean. COVID caused t here t o b e less b oat traffic, and as it t ur ns out , w hales rested m ore, exp and ing t he w hales?rang e t o include now -q uieter ship ping lanes, lead ing t o m ore calves.

Scient ist s were ab le t o st ud y t he effect s of hum an noise on sea creat ures. They use hyd rop hones (under w ater m icrop hones) t o m onit or ocean noise.

These hyd rop hones can also b e used in aut onom ous plat for m s like g lider s and float s t o p rovide real-t im e acoust ic d ata for t he d ynam ic m anag em ent of unstab le areas. Lead ing scient ist s from around t he w or ld are w or king on a p roject called Seab ed 20 30 wit h t he g oal of m ap ping t he g lob al seafloor using m anned and aut onom ous sensor plat for m s t hat could 28 | Seawords

b e fitted wit h hyd rop hones.

Wor k is b eing d one t o p rotect t he ocean and rest ore it s healt h. The UN Sustainab le Develop m ent Goal 14 relates specifically t o ?life b elow w ater.?

Researcher s hope t hat infor m ing people on t he im p act of noise p ollut ion on m ar ine species in 20 21, t he Inter nat ional Year of Sound , m ay b r ing attent ion t o t he lack of m anag em ent plans in place t o ad d ress t hese issues and p rom p t t he UN t o introd uce t hem t o ?b lue recover y.? Alt houg h t he ?b lue econom y? (refer r ing t o t he m assive size of m ar ine b ased ind ustr ies) is set t o d oub le by 20 30 , t he g oal rem ains t o decrease noise p ollut ion or at least t o rem ain at a constant g row t h rate wit h t he dem and s of ship ping and m ining ind ustr ies. New ener g y solut ions and b etter technolog y can red uce sound p ollut ion w hich can lead t o healt hier oceans, not only g ood for sea creat ures b ut also for hum ans.

Whale. Photo by: Cyrille Humbart, Flickr.

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Vol u m e XXXVII, Nu m ber 3 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 : Br en n a Lovin g, Ch l oe M ol ou , Lu cian An der son , Al exan dr ya Robin son , H al ey Ch asin 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.