May Seawords

Seaw rds The Marine Option Program Newsletter

May 2013

THE PHOTO ISSUE

2013 PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST Q&A WITH MARINE LIFE PHOTOGRAPHER KEOKI STENDER THANK YOU JOHN CONEY

MAY 2013 The Photography Issue Notes on the photography in this issue,

Cover Photo: This month’s cover photo was submitted as a part of the May 2013 photography contest. The winning shot was chosen by MOP staff. The winning photograph was taken by UHH MOP student Daniel Jennings-Kam with a Nikon d7000. Congratulations!

The photo featured on this spread was taken off the South Shore of O‘ahu

by Eternities Beach, see Letter From the Editor for more details.

Back Photo: UHH MOP Student Kristina Tietjen Responsible Marine Mammal Viewing Guidelines 1. Never encircle, entrap, herd or separate whales, dolphins, never “leapfrog’ or cut in front of animals and limit observation time to 30 minutes or less.

2. Never entice marine wildlife to approach you. Take extra caution not to surprise marine mammals; loud nises or abrupt movements can startle or stress wildlife.

3. Use binoculars or telephoto lenses to minimize intrusive viewing 4. Avoid animals showing signs of disturbance; rapid or erratic changes in swimming direction or speed, escape tactics such as prolonged diving or exhalation underwater, female attempting to shield her calf with her body, sudden stop in important breeding, nursing feeding or resting activities after your arrival.

5. Also federal regulations about approach distances..For monk seal, dolphins and other species of whales the approach rule is staying 50 yards away and staying quiet.

Humpback Whales are 100 yard distance in the water and 100 ft from the air.

-via: Project S.E.A.Link

Seawords

Volume XXVII, Number 5, May 2013 Editor: Naomi Lugo Associate Editor: James Stone Assistant Editor: Kathryn Lam 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, Fax: (808) 956-2417 E-mail: <seawords@hawaii.edu> Website: <www.hawaii.edu/mop> Seawords is a monthly newsletter of the Marine Option Program at the University of Hawai‘i. Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Marine Option Program or of the University of Hawai‘i Suggestions and submissions are welcome. Submissions may include articles, photographs, 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.

Naomi N. Lugo/Editor

Letter From the Editor: Behind the lens This issue of Seawords is dedicated to the photographic arts, specifically your immense photographic talent. It was amazing to see all of your work, and it made it tough to pick a cover shot.

On page 20 you will find student and alumni submitted shots. Thank you to everyone who submitted to our first ever Photo Issue.

Most of my ocean photography shots have been topside (so you guys amaze me even more with your skills), and the camera Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m currently using (that created the image in the background) is the Lomography Fisheye One in red, a good little point and shoot with an attached fisheye lens that provides a vintage feel to the above water ocean scene shots. So whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re on a point and shoot or a DSLR keep on getting those inspiring shots.

Naomi N. Lugo -Editor

MAY 2013 |3

Aaron Nicholson/ MOP Alumnus

Contents:

THE PHOTOGRAPHY ISSUE 6

10

12

18

20

48

DOLPH QU

All Photos courtesy of: Dolphin Quest

T

he Marine Option Program (MOP) recently attended an inform Quest program. A group of over 20 MOP students took advanta with the dolphins. Upon arrival, groups were split up and paire trained, health hazards/concerns and move on to meet the dolph reward for letting MOP students get up close and personal at times.

Dolphin Quest is a member of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks an display, education and research. Dolphin Quest also has locations on the

A big mahalo goes out to the whole crew over at Dolphin Quest at The K students a great time and for sharing their knowledge and facilities, but

6|

Seawords

STUDENT PERSPECTIVE

HIN UEST

mative excursion to The Kahala Hotel & Resort to visit the Dolphin age of the opportunity to tour the Dolphin Quest facilities and interact ed with a Dolphin Quest instructor to learn about how dolphins are hins. Each MOP student was able to feed a few dolphins fish as a

nd Aquariums, which are dedicated to conservation through public e Big Island of Hawaii, Oahu and Bermuda.

Kahala Hotel & Resort for showing the Marine Option Program most importantly, the dolphins!

MAY 2013

|7

8|

Seawords

MAY 2013

|9

GENERA

BL UE

THE O

It is re marin ocea make the o ocea

Actions for t

What to do w old camer accesso

Nao

10|

Seawords

1954 film video camera, midcenturymoddesign.

ATION

OCEAN SPANS OVER 70 PERCENT OF OUR WORLD.

esponsible for regulating temperature, food production, sustaining numerous ne species, and is a source for inspiration among multiple other things. The n gives us so much and it is time for us to return the favor and take actions to e the ocean ecosystem healthy again. Almost every action that we take affects cean in some way. Our everyday choices can be tailored to support a healthy n. Here are some examples of green acts that will keep the ocean blue.

the Ocean

with that ra or its ries

omi Lugo, Editor

.tumblr.com

Recycle your digital camera.

Old (and some new) film cameras are pretty cool and can be considered a collectible, newer more disposably made digitals are a different story. Before you get rid of your digital camera, consider the options.

Sell it if it’s in good enough condition, it’s a way to give someone a discount and a way for you to get some extra cash. Resell it online. Or you can donate your camera to a local program that will take them, like a school photography program or Goodwill.

Photo paper isn’t recyclable, but that doesn’t mean you can’t reuse it. If you have a bunch of old photos that you don’t know what to do with, make them into something new! Use them as a postcard to send to a friend, turn them into magnets, be creative! Same goes for film negatives which aren’t recyclable. Both your film and photos are usually safe to dispose of in the traditional way, but if you can, turn them into something new.

Go out there and take photos of the ocean! continue, or revive your photography. Photography is a great way to explore the blue world, and possibly inspire others to protect it.

MAY 2013

|11

Sandbox Surprise Jeff Kuwabara, UHM MOP Coordinator

S

andy expanses – in Hawai‘i divers avoid them, gravitating more toward the rich colors and excitement of the coral reefs. Most divers think of the sand as a desert, devoid of life with nothing to see, boring. Until recently I was one of those divers, however, lately I’ve found myself spending entire dives turning my back on the reefs to explore the sand. When I do, more often than not, I find the most amazing creatures.

Just last week as my dive buddy (John Coney) and I cruised over the rippling gray sand of Ho̒ okena in South Kona, a low fuzzy mound steadily skittered toward us into view. At first we thought it was a crab, then maybe a tribble (ask a Star Trek geek).

As it got closer we soon recognized the moving mound as a blue-spotted

12|

Seawords

urchin (Astropyga radiata), a rare and beautiful find. While the urchin traveled, it kept its thin sharp spines in punkrocker bunches, but once it reached us, it somehow sensed our presence, stopped and directed its spines evenly around its surface, fully displaying its colorful weaponry.

Its white test decorated with rusty lines and fine blue spots is a one of the many rewards of diving in the desert.

The previous dive, after visiting the garden eels (Gorgasia hawaiiensis) and spending some time observing a freckled snake eel (Callechelys lutea), I stumbled upon a small Hawaiian lizarfish (Synodus ulae). Not

Astropyga radiata: The blue-spotted urchin is rarely spotted on the sand. It can get up to 8 inches in diameter and is found in Hawaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;i and the Indo-Pacific.

MAY 2013

|13

unusual, but it was a fish that didn’t seem to mind the underwater paparazzi, so I obliged by snapping a few quick photos from different angles and moved on. It wasn’t until later while reviewing the images on my computer that I noticed it had something in its mouth. As I magnified the image, that “something” turned out to be a Gosline’s fang blenny (Plagiotremus goslinei). Predation - cool!

If you’re a diver and find yourself avoiding the sandy expanses, I encourage you to drop your prejudices and take a chance. You may discover what I did - that the life in these areas may not be as dense or as obvious as it is around the corals, however, it is far from a desert and the things you do see (sea stars, garden eels, snake eels, anemones, razor wrasses, sting rays, flounders, auger snails, etc.) may be new to you and to your fellow divers. And with a few hundred (or thousand) dives under your belt, something new is something exciting.

10|

Seawords

This series of photos were taken with a Canon rebel T1i and a 16mm macro lens.

MAY 2013

|11

An Interview With:

Keoki Stender, Marine Photographer Keoki Stender, former MOP student, now runs his own Marine Life website, Marinelifephotography.com, and works for the UH Diving Safety Program located on the UH Mānoa campus.

Q A Q A Q A Q A Q A Q A

: How long have you been a photographer? Who or what got you started?

: Started taking photos of marine life for MOP in 1990.

: What’s your favorite part about photography? About marine photography?

: Seeing fine details invisible unless magnified on screen, finding a species I haven’t seen or shot before. : You were a part of MOP, what made you join?

: I love the ocean and found a way to pursue my interests at school.

Phycodurus eques

: Why are you so interested in marine life? What got you hooked?

: I’ve always been intrigued by fish and shells by fishing and beachcombing with my family from infancy. : What was your favorite part of MOP?

: QUEST and ID classes. : What kind of advice would you give an aspiring marine life photographer?

Bractechlamys langfordi

: Look at interesting photos and learn how they were created. Don’t be discouraged as we are all different. Discover what comes to you naturally and concentrate on doing it well. Experiment with your camera system to determine its strengths and weaknesses and apply it. Never stop learning and have fun.

See more photography at marinelife

18|

Seawords

Life Cephea cephea

Hippocampus denise

Clavularia sp.

Canthigaster valentini

ephotography.com MAY 2013

|19

MAY 2013 Photo Cont Students and alumni from all across the Marine Option Program submitted their photography to be apart of the first ever Photo Issue. The winning shot was featured on this monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cover.

test

Alison Watts/ UHH MOP Student

Matthias Keller/UHM MOP Student

Taylor Shedd / UHM MOP Student

Daniel Jennings-Kam/ UHH MOP Student

Paul Bump/ UHM MOP Student

Kiane Kanaha/ UHM MOP Student

30|

Seawords

Jacob Vandor/ UHM MOP Student

Logan Magad-Weiss/ UHM MOP Student

MAY 2013

|31

Kimberly Wood/ UHM MOP Student

Rebecca Zeigler/MOP Student

Don Mcleish/ Friend of the Program

Daniel Jennings-Kam/ UHH MOP Student

Katrina Berry/ UHM MOP Student

Dieter Stelling/ UHM MOP Student

Daniel Jennings-Kam/ UHH MOP Student

Kimberley Mayfield/ MOP Student

Kristina Tietjen/ UHH MOP Student

Amelia Dolgin/ MOP Student

Zachary Gorski/ MOP Student

Devon Aguiar/MOP Student

Darin Padula/ UHM MOP Student

46|

Seawords

Heterostichus rostratus or a giant kelp fish photographed at Catalina Dive Park, in Santa Catalina Island, California by MOP student Rebecca Ziegler.

MAY 2013

|47

John Coney – Weighing after 23 years Jeff Kuwabara, Manoa MOP Coordinator

“H

ow’s it goh-win? Want some candy?”

Pointing to the candy jar by his office door with a warm mustached smile, John Coney greeted 23 years of visitors to his office. As a boat captain, SCUBA instructor, computer nerd, photographer, auto mechanic, carpenter, plumber, and master multi-tasker, he took the MOP Coordinator position far beyond its job description. He ate, drank, and breathed MOP, often working late into the night building UH Hilo MOP to an impressive program of over 100 students. So when John announced that he’d be leaving MOP for a position with Physics and Astronomy, he left giant-sized shoes to fill and all our jaws agape in disbelief. None of us thought that this mainstay of UH Hilo MOP would ever leave. For many of us, John has always been such a big part of MOP, that his move to a new position came as a huge surprise.

One of my favorite stories happened during QUEST (our scuba-based reef science field school) a few years back. After dark “helping” John work on the brakes of the cargo van (we won’t mention who burned the brakes down the hill, but some think he

g anchor

Jeff Kuwabara/ UHM MOP

sits in the old gum tree), I pumped the brake pedal while he bled air from the lines. Looking into the side-view mirror, I could see Coney’s legs protruding from his work station under the van. Suddenly in the lantern’s soft glow both his legs began to twitch furiously. Next thing I know he’s yelling for me to get the first aid kit. We rushed into the pavilion past Kevin, the QUEST diving safety staffer, who quickly followed. Now John’s demanding “Alcohol! Alcohol!

Get the alcohol!” A normal chant just after QUEST, but the field school had just started. It turned out that a medium sized cockroach, attracted to the lantern next to John’s head under the van, found its way into John’s ear. Each time the roach moved, John involuntarily convulsed like a rag doll shaken by a giant hand. We poured alcohol into his ear and the roach went nuts – and the giant hand shook John furiously. Finally, Kevin pulled a dead roach out with tweezers, and the darn thing was 2 inches long! On John’s office shelf now sits a vial of alcohol preserving both the roach and the legend of that fateful evening.

“Let’s take a short cut back to camp,” is the beginning of another Coney story. The 2009 Maritime Archaeology Surveying Techniques field school (MAST) on Lanai’s Shipwreck Beach involved a daily 2.5 mile coastal hike from camp to the wreck site and usually another 2.5 mile hike back to camp. This afternoon, John suggested we look for a trail a little more inland, it would cut some corners and get us

I

t’s the smile and the warm twinkle in his eyes. And it’s the way he listens—intently, and completely. And then there’s how he makes you feel when he’s at the helm—whether it’s on a research vessel or an electron microscope—he knows what he’s doing and he’s going to give it (and you) his best. It’s all of these and much, much more that are at the

back quicker. FIVE miles and 13 ‘we’re almost there’s later, bleeding in 1000 places from kiawe (mesquite) thorns, and having discovered three goat and deer skeletons, we emerged from the trailhead at our camp, smiling with a finger pointed toward the other guy. If you ask John, he’ll say it was my idea – don’t believe him.

Thank you, John, for these and so many other memories.

On behalf of the Marine Option Program, thank you for 23 years of blood, sweat, tears, laughs and most of all, for giving a generation of ocean leaders an opportunity to chase their dreams. Job well-done. Yes, you left us with very large shoes to fill, but you also left us with a strong UH Hilo MOP and a legacy in QUEST that will continue the work you started 23 years ago. Though we miss you already, we wish you success and happiness in your new job, and know that your infectious smile and disarming humor (and your candy jar) will attract Physics and Astronomy students like roaches to a lantern.

core of John Coney.

JC is a guy who has set the bar in so many ways, in terms of giving it all to his program and to the people that he cares about. Colleagues, students, friends—we know that we’re all going to miss Captain Coney greatly and we thank him deeply for the years of service and inspiration that he brought to the

Marine Option Program. We also know that: 1) he’s moved to a new arena in which he’ll continue to cheer and inspire those around him, and 2) he really hasn’t moved far. (JC, we miss you, and always will, so they’d better take good care of you in P&A because we know where to find you!)

-Dr. Cynthia Hunter, MOP Direc

50|

Seawords

ctor Jeff Kuwabara/ UHM MOP

MAY 2013

|51

Photos Jeff Kuwabara/ UHM MOP

Critter of the Month Seawords features marine critters seen and photographed

by MOP students. Send your critters to seawords@hawaii. edu to be featured and be sent an issue of Seawords in color and a MOP sticker. (Come in after we contact you to claim your prizes).

This month’s critter photo is by MOP student Rebecca Ziegler.

Commerson’s Frogfish Scientific name: Antennarius commerson Also known as the giant frogfish, the commerson’s frogfish is the most common frogfish found in Hawai‘i. It can not only be found in Hawai‘i, Indo-Pacific and the Tropical Eastern Pacific.

The frogfish has an expandable stomach, so its prey can consist of fish comparable to itself.

It can vary in coloration, often blending into its surroundings, however, juveniles are born bright yellow.

This frogfish was spotted and photographed off of Kohola on the Big Island.

To submit photography, send an email with photographs attached to seawords@hawaii.edu

Calendar of Events at UH Sea Grant’s Hanauma Bay Education Program Marine Science in East O`ahu ***Presentations take place in the theater of the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, beginning at 6:30 p.m. every Thursday evening***

May Events MAY 2, 2013 A Sea Full of Decisions: The Past, Present and Future of Ocean Policymaking,

by Graduate Students in the UHM Ocean Policy Certificate Program MAY 9, 2013 Listening to a Superstorm: Lessons of Hurricane Sandy for Coastal Cities & Managers by UHM Graduate Students MAY 16, 2013 Managing Interdependent Resources Together: The Case of Groundwater and Kiawe by Dr. Kim Burnett, Research Economist, UH Economic Research Organization MAY 23, 2013 Starting Small but Starting Loud: Catalyzing Community Based Management of Small-Scale Fisheries by Dr. Kirste Oleson, Assistant Professor, Natural Resource and Environmental Management Dept., UHM, & Dr. Tom Oliver Researcher, Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology MAY 30, 2013 Making the Most of our Rain: Water Catchment and Rain Gardens for Residents by Todd Cullison, Executive Director, Hui o Ko‘olaupoko For more information or questions please contact: Hanauma Bay Education Program 100 Hanauma Bay Rd. Honolulu, HI 96825 Phone: (808) 397-5840 Email: hanauma@hawaii.edu http://hbep.seagrant.soest.hawaii.edu/

FLASHBACK: 1988 Students of the MOP Molokai Project take a fish survey through the use of a seine net at Ualapu’e fishpond, on the southeast coast of Molokai. Left to right: Leif Adachi, Kalani Ulii, and Mel Esteron (all from Molokai High School), and MOP student Todd McDonough (WCC). Photo by former Seawords Managing Editor Lani Teshima -September 1st, 1988 56|

Seawords

M

A

MOP & Community Events

Sun.

5

Mon.

6

Tues.

7

Y

Wed.

Thurs. Fri.

Sat.

1

2

3

4

Last Day of Instruction

MOP Graduation 4:30pm-7 (@ UH Mﾄ］oa)

8

9

10

11 UHM Graduation

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

26

27

21

22

23

24

25

19

20

28

29

30

31

Summer Session I begins

Darin Padula/ UHM MOP Student

MAY 2013

|57

Jennifer Robbins/ UHM MOP Student

Dieter Stelling/ MOP Student

Last Look Amelia Dolgin/ MOP Student Rebecca Ziegler/ MOP Student

58|

Seawords

Zachary Groski/ MOP Student

Bailee Richards /MOP Student

Jaaziel Emmanuel Garcia Hernandez/ MOP Student Katrina Berry/UHM MOP Student

MAY 2013

|59

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

Next: The Maui Issue