May 2017 Seawords

Seaw rds The Marine Option Program Newsletter

May 2017

15 “Our team left Easter Island

with at least five new species and countless new records for specimens beyond 200 feet. ”

34TH ANNUAL MOP STUDENT SYMPOSIUM DISCOVERING NEW SPECIES: EASTER ISLAND MARCH FOR SCIENCE: HONOLULU

May 2017

Volume XXXI, Number 5

Articles Page 3: Letter from the Editor Page 4: 34th Annual MOP Student Symposium Page 12: Discovering New Species in Easter Island Page: 16 March for Science: Honolulu Page 18: Ocean Updates Page 22: Ke Kai Ola Page 24: Marine Mammal of the Month Page 27: Shipwreck of the Month Page 28: Ocean Art Page 30: Generation Blue Page 32: Flashback Page 33: Critter of the Month Page 34: Hanauma Bay: Calender of Events Page 35: Attending the MOP Student Symposium: Student

Perspective Page 36: MOP Calendar of Events

About the Photography -Cover: Tyler Phelps, UHH MOP Student and Photography Contestant -Table of Contents: Rebecca Ziegler, UHH Marine Science Alumna -November Calendar of Events: Don Mcleish, Photography Contestant -Back cover: Camra Hopper, Editor -All uncredited photos by: MOP -Disclaimer: any photo taken from flickr.com is used under the Creative Commons License and is credited appropriately with links to the user’s flickr account.

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Letter from the Editor

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loha!

Welcome to the May 2017 issue of Seawords!

PHOTOGRAPHERS: Seawords is NO LONGER accepting entries for their 5th Annual Photography competition! If you submitted to the contest, we are in the process of judging. If you’re lucky, we will be contacting you for an interview!

On April 8-9 MOP hosted their annual MOP Symposium in Kona, Hawai‘i, where MOP students from all campuses demonstrated their skill projects! If you missed the event, check out page 4 to read about their work.

Tyler Pheps, UHH MOP Student, went on another amazing adventure to Easter Island and discovered eight new species! You can read all about his success, a little bit of unsuccessful events in this issue on page 12.

Instead of having a word search or crossword puzzle, we’ve used Flashbacks to bring back a catch-phrase contest. Check out flashback on page 32 to see if you can come up with the funniest phrase about why the cat is smiling to win a MOP cap!

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

Mahalo for reading!

Camra Hopper, Seawords Editor Seawords

Volume XXXI, Number 5, May 2017 Editor: Camra Hopper Associate Editor: Jessica Lotts Dr. Cynthia Hunter (éminence grise) Jeffrey Kuwabara (éminence grise) Seawords- Marine Option Program University of Hawai‘i, College of Natural Sciences 2450 Campus Road, Dean Hall 105A Honolulu, HI 96822-2219 Telephone: (808) 956-8433 Email: <seawords@hawaii.edu> Website: <http://www.hawaii.edu/mop> Seawords is the monthly newsletter of the Marine Option Program at the University of Hawai‘i. Opinions expressed herein are not necessariliy those of the Marine Option Program or of the University of Hawai‘i.

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

All photos are taken by MOP unless otherwise credited.

MAY 2017 |3

Thirty-Fourth Annual MOP Student Symposium -

Held at Ke'ei Beach, Hawai‘i (HAlau Maluhia campsite)

By Jessica Lotts, Associate Editor & Emiliy Menzies, UHM MOP Student

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pril 8, 2017, marked the ThirtyFourth Annual MOP Student Symposium, held at Ke‘ei Beach, on the south Kona side of Hawai‘i Island.

This year, 22 students from different campuses had the opportunity to present their skill projects to fellow MOPers and the community. The symposium consisted of four oral sessions and one poster session for a day full of great presentations. After all of the students presented their hard work, our panel of judges met to discuss who would receive awards including Best Research Paper, Best Internship Paper, Best Poster, John P. Craven Award, PACON International Award, the Anna Toy Ng Memorial Scholarship, and Sherwood D. Maynard Ocean Impact Award.

Keynote Address: “SOME LIKE IT HOT, BUT CORALS DO NOT, SO NOW WOT?

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MANAGEMENT RESPONSE TO HAWAII’S CATASTROPHIC CORAL BLEACHING.” William Walsh, Hawai‘i Division of Aquatic Resources The symposium kicked off with an overview of the major coral bleaching events in Hawai‘i, the first of which was recorded in 1998. Since then, two more bleaching events have occurred in 2010 and 2014-2015, the last of which led to the mortality of 53.3% of all corals on the west side of Hawai‘i Island. At first, scientists thought the mass event was due to El Niño, but are now looking into different possible causes.

Walsh asked the crowd for potential solutions, and the audience gave him a plethora of possible management strategies like reducing sediment, stricter enforcement and many more.

Session I Host: Dave Krupp, MOP, Windward Community College “BENEATH THE WAVES WITH THE SEASTARS” Rosie Lee*, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo - Internship *Awarded Anna Toy Ng Memorial MOP Scholarship: awarded to a MOP student exhibiting excellence in marine scholarship, ocean stewardship, and contributions to MOP* Our first session began with a Rosie Lee, UH Hilo, presenting her work with SeaSTARS wonderful description of SEASTARS (Sea Surveying Training and would bring the most amount of growth beResponse Squads). This program aims to pro- cause the area in which the algae is found has a vide further opportunities for the graduates low salinity level. of QUEST to increase surveying proficiency, get greater depth authorization, and increase When he collected the samples, he cleaned the overall diving proficiency. They also work on algae to make sure there were no bacteria or Monthly Assessments of Marine Organisms other living organisms that could potentially (MAMO) in order to establish regular time skew his data. He cultured the algae for over series of certain parameters at various sites eight weeks then measured to see which samaround Hawai‘i. There are currently 10 active ple grew the most. To his surprise, the sammembers in their squad. If you’re interested ple with the highest salinity had the highest in becoming a SeaSTAR, check them out at: growth rate. http://www.uhhmop.hawaii.edu/seastars/ Hernandez did his MOP project on this type of algal species because it is a relatively unknown “THE EFFECTS OF SALINITY ON THE species. Since its only natural habitat is found GROWTH OF THE RED ALGA GRACILAR- in the Lili’uokalani Gardens in Hilo Bay, he wanted to know if there needs to be any type IA EPIHIPPISORA” of conservation work done for this species.

Alexander Hernandez, University of Hawai’i Hilo - Research Session II Host: Mackenzie Manning, MOP, For this project Hernandez collected algal Kapi‘olani Community College samples that were only found in Lili‘uokalani Gardens and attempted to culture it in different salinity levels to see which salinity level it grew “INTERNSHIP AT NOAA FISHERIES” best in. He hypothesized that the lower salinity Ceferino Jay Dietz, Leeward Community Col MAY 2017 |5

lege - Internship

“MAPPING WAVE HEIGHT AT BREAK-

This MOP project was about Ceferino Jay Dietz’s internship at the Inouye Regional Center (IRC). For his internship he did a wide range of jobs from working on office databases to sitting in on necropsies.

During the internship, he worked in the Regional Office for Public Outreach with the Hawaiian Marine Mammal Alliance.

With this, he was able to educate the public about the threats that monk seals face today such as diseases, habitat loss and anthropogenic influences. Dietz also got the chance to monitor the monk seals. Being a part of this internship allowed Dietz to be a Ceferino Jay Dietz presenting his internship with NOAA Fisheries. “part of a cause bigger than me.” The internship showed him the amount of jobs and job ING-POINT ON O‘AHU’S ‘7 MILE MIRAopportunities that were in the marine science CLE’” field. He was exposed not only to the science Yonatan Armon*, University of Hawai‘i at side of the marine world but also the education Mānoa, Research side that allowed the general public to learn *Awarded John P. Craven Award for most inabout the marine ecosystem in which they live. spired and inspirational presentation by a MOP “Child of the Sea”

“INTRODUCTORY WORKSHOP TO RAOahu's “7 Mile Miracle” a seven mile stretch of VEN: INTERACTIVE SOUND ANALYSIS sandy beaches containing some of the world's SOFTWARE” most stellar waves along O‘ahu's North Shore.

Amelia Dolgin, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo - It is a prime spot for big wave surfing. Armon’s Internship research all began with a passion for big waves, RAVEN is a user-friendly, interactive sound and has now sprung into some incredible reanalysis tool that has been used to inform stu- search. Armon studied the bathymetry of the dents on the importance of bioacoustics. Al- area, coastline faces, and North Pacific Storm though originally used for bird calls, Dolgin has Track in order to calculate just how big waves taken this technology and used it to analyze the have to be before they close out Waimea Bay. acoustics of cetaceans. Her team of 18 MOPers were taught how to use the program and sent hydrophones (underwater microphones) into the depths in order to try and understand when exactly these animals make noise and why. They discovered that these calls can indicate a series of behaviors, such as mating calls, alerts, communication and more.

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Session III Host: Jeff Kuwabara, MOP, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa “INTERNSHIP AT MAUI OCEAN CENTER, THE AQUARIUM OF HAWAI‘I” Allison Miller, Maui

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

Student Assistant for Sea Turtle Stranding with the Marine Option Program, presented by Alex Reininger, UHM.

Writing the Waves: UH Hilo Seawords Contributions, presented by Keelee Martin, UHH. *Awarded Best Poster Presentation*

Assessing the Sunscreen Sheen: Determining the Presence of Organic UV Filters from Four Sites at the Hanauma Bay Marine Life Conservation District, presented by Honour Booth, KCC.

2017 Sanctuary Ocean Count, [presented by Ashleigh Epps, UHM.

Hale O Lono Loko I'a, Restoring Hawaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;i's Past for the Future, presented by Michael Caban II Akamai-Stephens.

Elemental Analyzer & Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer for Dummies, presented by Brittany R. Fuemmeler, UHH. MAY 2017â&#x20AC;&#x192;|7

Community College - Internship

Prepatory Logistics for the Motorboat Operator Certification Course at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, presented by James Gomez DeMolina, UHH.

Although heart difficulties and a pacemaker prevent Allison Miller from diving, they do not hinder her passion for the sea. Miller’s internship at the Maui Ocean Center allows her to interact with a variety of creatures, clean tanks, and educate visitors and has brought her closer to the ocean than ever before. Hawai‘i’s top rated aquarium opened in 1998, and aims to captivate and educate all who snorkel or dive in Hawai‘i and the deep relationship it has in Hawaiian culture. Best of all, what started as an internship has now blossomed into a new job position!

“MOTION OF THE OCEAN AT PUAKŌ, HAWAI‘I: A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WATER MOTION AND CORAL HEALTH Shelby Marhoefer, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo - Research

This research studies the relationship between coral health and water motion by examining water temperature, sunlight, nutrient levels and water motion. In order to document these water changes, Marhoefer deployed a total of 48 clod Shipwrecked in Hawai‘i: The Evolution From an Intern- cards across 12 different sites across the bay, ship into a Children's Book, presented by Emily Menzies, then collected the cards days later to record reUHM. sults. Unfortunately Marhoefer was not able to *Awarded Best Poster Presenation* retrieve all of the cards, which led her to try to develop more organic deployment tools, such as coconut shells as buoyancy devices instead of styrofoam pool toys.

“MARINE DEBRIS EDUCATION AND COASTAL CLEANUP PROJECT, IN COM AND DILI, TIMOR-LESTE”

Hawaiian Monk Seal Hooking Response, presented by Alexa Gonzales, UHM. 8| Seawords

Joctan Dos Reis Lopez*, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosa’e - Research

After diving at Richardson’s Ocean Park in Hilo, Hawai‘i, Tyler Phelps was repeatedly asked by fishermen if he noticed a depletion in parrotfish population. Because of this, Phelps dove (literally) into researching what was going on. Parrotfish play an extremely important role in reef ecosystems, by spending up to 90% of their days eating algae off reef structures, preventing their overgrowth.

Phelps conducted various surveys at depths up to 100ft with and without scooters, however with the use of the scooters he found their search efficiency to rise ~400%!

Left: Faculty Coordinator Donna Brown and Allison Miller, UHMC MOP Student who did an internship w/the Maui Ocean Center.

“A VOICE IN CONSERVATION”

*Awarded Sherwood D. Maynard Award for Jessica Lotts, University of Hawai‘i Ocean Impact* Mānoa - Internship An estimated 8.8 million pounds of plastic debris is dumped into our seas each year, and MOP Student, Joctan Dos Reis Lopez, is on a mission to change that. He and many volunteers organized a major beach clean up in Kusu and Dolok Oan (Dili), Singapore, where they identify the type and size of the particles.

*Awarded Best Internship* Jessica Lotts’s internship was as UH Mānoa Seawords Associate Editor. Lotts talked about the importance of Seawords and how the newsletter

Session IV Host: Donna Brown, MOP, University of Hawai‘i Maui College “SCOOTERS AND SCARIDAE: UTILIZING NEW TECHNOLOGY TO ANSWER ECOLOGICAL QUESTIONS” Tyler Phelps, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo – Research *Awarded Best Research Paper*

Left: MOP Dierctor Dr. Cynthia Hunter next to Best Research Award winner, Tyler Phelps UHH MOP Student.

MAY 2017 |9

acts as a platform for students who are interested in marine related topics. The variety of topics that Seawords covers allows for a collection of students under multidisciplinary subjects to come together under the same forum.

During her internship, she learned a lot about editing other people’s works, maintaining deadlines and creating layouts.

Writing for Seawords has also allowed her to attend events that she otherwise may not have Left: Jeff Kuwabara, UHM MOP Coordinator; Jessica Lotts, UHM; Cindy been able to participate. She was Hunter, MOP Direcor. able to work with National Geographic and the National Parks By then, there was nothing they could do. To Service and work on the USS Arizona, the proj- prevent this from happening again, they decidect that is featured in this month’s Shipwreck ed to build water level monitors that would text of the Month. She attended the International their phones whenever the water level dropped Union for the Conservation of Nature World below a specific mark.

Conservation Conference and was able to meet one of her idols, Dr. Sylvia Earle. By working for This project had them testing three models Seawords, Lotts was able to be a part of many before they finally got it right. The first model opportunities that allowed her to bridge her they built was made of metal that was welded.

The metal oxidized and sent out false readings love of journalism and the ocean. of the water level, which blew up their phones with text messages. The second model was 3D “WATER LEVEL MONITORING IN AQUA- printed in plastic so the device would not rust, but they printed it too small and it would not CULTURE FISH TANKS” clamp down to the side of the tank. After sevBrandon Ono*, Windward Community College eral recalculations and playing around with the – Internship design, they came up with the third and final *Won PACON International, Hawai‘i Chapter, model.

MOP Symposium Award* For future projects, the water level monitoring Windward Community College student, Bran- device could possibly be transformed into a pH den Ono, helped build a device that monitors scanner or calibrator, ppm monitor or even a water levels. The reason for this project was be- timed fish feeder. n cause one day all of the water from the aquaculture tanks drained and the scientists did not know about it until they came in the next day.

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Thirty-Fourth Annual MOP Student Symposium Award Winners

From left to right: Brandon Ono, WCC, PACON International, Hawai'i Chapter; Keelee Martin, UHH, Best Poster Presentation; Rosie Lee, UHH, Anna Toy Ng Memorial MOP Scholarship; Yonatan Armon, UHM, John P. Craven Award; Joctan Dos Reis Lopez, UHH, Sherwood Maynard Award for Ocean Impact; Tyler Phelps, UHH, Best Research Paper; Emily Menzies, UHM, Best Poster Presentation; Jessica Lotts, UHM, Best Internship Paper.

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Discovering New Species in Easter Island Reflections from the Cal Academy Expedition

By: Tyler Phelps, UHH MOP Student

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Tyler Phelps, UHH MOP Student, collecting a new species of fish at 300 feet in Easter Island.

Photo by Luiz Rocha, Curator of Ichthyology.

he sun beat down on our heads as we swathed back and forth in our confined wooden boat across the surface of the dark blue ocean.

My arm began to cramp as I held our depth sounder in the water against the waves. “Has anyone dived here before?” asked Luiz in Spanish. Our captain shook his head back and forth, pointed at us, then held up one finger. After a staring contest with the display, it looked like we found some structure lying at 300 feet.

Each of us gave it a thumbs up. It was time to suit up.

have drifted past our mark. We engaged the scooters to pull us in search of the structure. A dark fuzzy blob in the distance slowly came into focus. As we descended, schools of fish danced over the volcanic rock. They were white and bright pink, unlike any we had seen before. We knew it instantly. This was a new species. As we unclipped our nets We donned our 7mm wetsuits to embrace the cold and began to work, South Pacific. With the deck covered with bailout cylanother unusually inders, rebreathers, and equipment, we could barely bright orange fish move. Mark, our support diver, helped us don our 100 darted in front of pound decompression machines. After going through me. It was another the final pre-splash checklist, we backrolled in. One afnew species. ter another, our three bailout cylinders were handed to us. We were in blue water so there was an extra bit of Twenty intense attention to the handoff of gear. Next came our hand minutes later I nets, collection containers and scooter. After my cus- hear a muffled high tomary salute to the boat, we submerged to a few feet pitched voice, “let’s below the surface. All of us had no signs of bubbles and get outta here!” I everything was clipped off as it should be. We signaled looked down to my one another and continued our free-fall descent. computer showing we had hit our Tyler Phelps, UHH MOP Student, exa Blue. That’s all we saw during our drop to 300 feet. The planned two hours while finishing blue water decompressi crystal clear water slowly darkened. At about 200 feet of decompression.

Ichthyo we could clearly make out the bottom, all sand, we must

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mote islands in the world.

With no direct flights, the expedition began with traveling. Lots of traveling. From Hilo, I had 5 flights to Santiago, Chile. Another 2,300 miles separated me from Easter Island. After two days and 12,500 miles, we made it.

Motu Nui, one of our main dive sites on Easter Island. Photo

by Tyler Phelps, UHH MOP Student.

Immediately we start kicking up, clipping our tools off in the process. We regrouped at the top of the rock. Our eyes immediately went for one another’s make-shift fish container that was a Spanish water jug with duct tape and rubber bands. We left the bottom scootering up to our first decompression stop and would see nothing but blue for the rest of the dive. At least we had four new species.

amining the new species he collected ion. Photo by Luiz Rocha, Curator of ology.

I thought living four years in Hawai’i, one of the most isolated land masses on Earth, would have prepared me for our expedition to Easter Island, also known as Rapa Nui. This volcanic hot spot is 4,500 miles southeast of Hawai‘i at a latitude of 27 degrees south. As the farthest island in Polynesia, it’s truly one of the most re-

In past expeditions, we have piggybacked on other dive centers to accommodate our needs. I was surprised to learn that there are actually six diving centers on Easter Island. Naturally we went with the largest and most experienced operation, Orca. Unfortunately Orca only had large steel cylinders, which wouldn’t work for all our bailout we had to carry. Knowing this, we shipped all of our bailout cylinders with our scooters, rebreather cylinders and safety equipment three months in advance from San Francisco. With no nitrox diving on the island, and no commercial gas company, we also had to order and ship our own ultra high purity helium and oxygen for gas blending. There is also no hyperbaric chamber on Easter Island, so we borrowed a portable hyperlite from the National Park Service.

After a delay in getting our equipment offloaded from the ship, we spent a day and a half unpacking, organizing and gas blending. Unfortunately when you forget something in a place as remote as Easter Island, you’re out of luck. Somehow we had forgotten to ship Mark’s rebreather cylinders that he would need to be our support diver. Thankfully there was a set of short steel cylinders we could use. After going through a few valves and oxygen cleaning, we were back in business.

Our first couple days of diving was at Motu Nui, a pair of small islands off the southern point of Rapa Nui. Historically, this was also the place of the famous “birdman ceremony.” Hundreds of years ago, aspiring Rapa Nui chiefs would have to compete for that honorable title. They had to scale down a 1000 foot cliff, swim out to Motu Nui and wait as long as two weeks for a “manutara,” tern, to lay an egg. The first to bring back an intact egg would be declared chief and received his choice of virgin to make his spouse.

Motu Nui had a sharp wall around the island that dropped to about 150 feet, then slowly slopped down to about 250 feet. It had the highest coral cover of any reef I’ve seen so far (about 95%), dominantly Porites lobata. There was probably no macroalgae from the blanket of long spined urchins, Diadema sp..We conducted fish surveys at 200 feet and 250 feet. Learning the speMAY 2017 |13

cies names wasn’t that difficult as there are just over 130 species of fishes on Easter Island. Most of our transects had beautiful endemics like Pseudolabrus semifasciatus, Chrysiptera rapanui and Centropyge hotumatua. We were the first group to dive rebreathers on Easter Island and first to do science beyond 200 feet.

By the time we cleaned up from our dive, it was time for dinner. Rapa Nui was one of the most expensive places I’ve visited. An average meal cost about $25 - $30, not including beverages. We found it slightly cheaper to hit the markets to have BBQs at our house, but we rarely had enough time for that. Whenever our schedules lined up, we tried to have dinner with the whole expedition team. There was four of us in the “deep team” with Mark as our support diver, four other curators diving in the “shallow team,” Katie from the Communications Department who was documenting the trip, lastly Ale and Tuto were local collaborators from Sube Lab in Chile.

The teams were split in our two houses just outside of Hanga Roa, the main city of Rapa Nui. The houses were beautifully furnished without wifi and one bar of cell service on a good day. After previously scouring the island for coffee, we ate breakfast at the house as we each did our morning rituals and taking turns sweeping the floor of tiny super colony ants. Before heading to the shop we would sometimes need to stop at a market to buy water, which was expensive.

Do you know what else is expensive? A flooded camera, scooter and lost computer. Some of these failures resulted in us aborting two of our eight allocated dives.

Each dive cost thousands of dollars in logistics. Thankfully these were the only casualties of the expedition. To safeguard ourselves, we followed numerous checklists and ran a safety drill with our hyperlite chamber. My QUEST shirt kept me warm as I ascended from my 30 foot dive in the seven foot red cylinder.

We took advantage with our delay with the ship and dry day after the fourth day of diving to do some sightseeing. Rapa Nui never missed an opportunity to squeeze some money from you as I forked over a surprisingly high $80 for a national park pass. It was well worth it to see the moai statues in person! There are 1000 of these megalithic statues on Rapa Nui, each representing one family. It was estimated to take a family of 12 an entire year to carve one moai using only stone hand tools. Af14| Seawords

Endemic species found on Easter Island: Pseudolabrus semifasciatus. Photo by Luiz Rocha, Curator of Ichthyology.

Endemic species found on Easter Island: Chrysiptera rapanui. Photo by Luiz Rocha, Curator of Ichthyology.

Endemic species found on Easter Island: Centropyge hotumatua. Photo by Luiz Rocha, Curator of Ichthyology.

ter the 20-30 foot statue was carved from the volcanic earth it was then “walked” into position sometimes up to ten miles away! The Rapa Nui did this by tying a rope made from palm tree around the eyes. The moai were cut in a way that had a forward center of gravity to help swing the statues forward when rocked side-to-side. As if that was not hard enough, the moai had to be moved on top of a large ahu, or shrine, made of hand shaped bricks. Families of chiefs would also placed massive stone headpieces, that weighed thousands of pounds, on top of their moai after it was erected. It was a jaw dropping and bewildering sight to behold!

While on Easter Island we learned of another moai that was right up our alley. In the 1980s a moai was being transported on a tugboat. The line holding it snapped the neck, plummeting the moai to the bottom of the ocean while generating a force to throw most of the crew overboard, including the mayor’s father. The statue was estimated to have fallen in 200-250 feet of water.

Ever since, its location has eluded the Rapa Nui as no one could dive to those depths... except for us.

On one of our blue water descents in search for fish habitat, we were to drop down to 200 feet. Half way down the reel had jammed beyond repair to our surface float.

Staying in contact with our boat support was vital to our safety, so we had to abort the dive. With his hands full of collection equipment, Luiz had dropped down slightly deeper and made visible contact with the bottom. Upon surfacing he proclaimed, “that was the moai!” We had found the lost moai, but with no cameras, we had no proof.

It was our last day of diving. The day before we returned to that original deep structure to collect another new species we had missed from the previous dive. With a total of four new fishes, we were satisfied and devoted our last dive to search for the moai. Using GPS coordinates of our last drop off as a starting point, we ran swaths with the depth sounder to find 200 feet. From there we briefed a search pattern and which areas to run the scooters based on where we thought it was. To maximize our time, we would be just deep enough to where we could see the bottom. We splashed in and scootered for almost 40 minutes with no luck.

The dive had to be over by 3:00pm so I could have a 24 hour surface interval before flying back. With no moai and time running out, we called off the search and began our decompression.

Even with equipment failures, no moai and two aborted dives, the expedition was still a huge success. Our team left Easter Island with at least five new species, documentation of new fish ecology, publishable results from our surveys, and countless new records for everything we collected beyond 200 feet. There is much more mesophotic research that can be done and a moai that still needs finding. I have a feeling we’ll be back again someday! Watch the video here: goo.gl/T5Hbp5 n

Tyler Phelps, UH Hilo MOP Student, poses with some of the moai statues from Easter Island. Photo by Rebecca Albright, Assistant Curator of Invertebrate Zoology.

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MARCH FOR SCIENCE: HONOLULU

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Article and pictures by: Camra Hopper, Editor

he March for Science took place on March 22, 2017, also known as Earth Day, with over 600 marches around the world. Hawaii had a total of four marches: Honolulu, O‘ahu, Hilo, Hawai‘i, Lihue, Kaua‘i, and Kahului, Maui. In addition, a group of scientists participated in the march at Wake Atoll, underwater!

took to the streets, several organizations set up booths with live music and food, and ten speeches were given on Bachman Lawn. The speakers talked about the importance of science in the community for our future generations, relationship between Hawaiian culture and the dangers that science will combat in the Trump regime.

There were about 2,700 participants walking the streets of Honolulu, outside the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, according to the official March for Science Facebook page. Before they

“The March for Science Hawai‘i celebrates the scientific process mai ka lewa lani i luna a ka papakū i lalo loa (from the heavens above to the earth below),” says the mission statement on the official website. “We celebrate science as a foundation to explore life, understand the universe, foster global well-being, and advocate for it to be open, inclusive, and accessible.”

Sign reading, “The Earth is NOT flat! What goes around - comes around.”

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march states, “The Ma first step of a global m vital role science plays economics, and govern

Since the 2017 elect based government pro sponsored programs ha in moments of the ina Trump, the official Wh Friday deleted nearly a change. The one excep to eliminate the Obam mate change policies,” C York Times author sai Trump in Charge, Clim Purged From Website.”

The principles of the marches main- Instead it has been re ly involved the relationship between the people and the ‘āina. This relationship requires a balance of understanding, appreciation and in order to ensure a long-term sustainability. One tool is the advancement of technology and science and the ability to properly communicate science without misrepresenta-

tion, distortion, or fear of retribution.

This also includes science educators that inspire “children and adults to think critically, ask questions, and evaluate truth based on the weight of evidence.” And lastly, “advocate political decision-making that makes use of validated knowledge-systems, evidence and science consensus,” the official website states.

The official website for the national arch for Science is the movement to defend the s in our health, safety, nment.”

tion, environmentallyograms or government ave taken a hit. “Withauguration of President hite House website on all mentions of climate ption: Mr. Trump’s vow ma administration’s cliCoral Davenport, New id in the article “With mate Change References

First Energy Plan.” This plan specifies that it’s committed to lower cost and maximizing American resources in order to free America from foreign oil. It then explains the solution to this problem is to eliminate the Climate Action Plan and the Waters of the U.S. rule. The Climate Action Plan’s purpose was to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, preserve forests, encourage the use of alternate fuels, and increase studying of climate change. The Waters of the U.S. rule came from the EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to protect streams and wetlands that form the foundation of the nation’s water resources, specifically tributaries that impact the health of downstream waters.

By removing these restrictions, the Trump Administration hopes to increase wages by more than $30 billion within 7 years.

mental catastrophe,” Mayrand said.

On Earth Day, the White House released a press release commemorating the God-given gifts on our Earth and how the administration, “is committed to keeping our air and water clean, to preserving our forests, lakes, and open spaces, and to protecting endangered species.” But it goes on to state that in order to enhance environmental protection, we need to allow for economic growth. One way of doing that is by “reducing unnecessary burdens on American workers and American companies, while being mindful that our actions must also protect the environment.”

In the end, Trump’s America is not in the interest of protecting the futures of the next generation and generations to come, the environment and the poor. Creating plans that distribute the In addition, these programs also face head-on wealth from the poor to the wealthy will not collisions with budget cuts. Kim Soffen and suffice. This is why the scientific community Denise Lu from TheWashington Post wrote, has come together in a large movement to fight “What Trump cuts in his budget” that in oragainst the silencing of science. n der to make room for the $54 billion defense spending increase, the border wall and school voucher programs, major cuts will be taken from agencies, such as 31% from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 29% from the State Department and 21% from the Agriculture Department. Other cuts will eliminate funding for 19 agencies.

What will happen to our if change in this direction continues to occur? On March 14, 2017, The Huffington Post posted an article, “The Environment in 2015: News Flash, Direct from the Future!” by Karel Mayrand suggesting popular headlines we might see in 2020. A few of the ‘headlines’ include: “since the Paris climate conference in 2015, greenhouse gas eplaced with “America emissions have reduced 10 percent worldwide, since there was a rise in efforts to combat global warming after the peak of emissions in 2020”, “after the typhoon in the Philippines, 150,000 people are still missing”, and “satellite images reveal an arctic ocean free of ice for the first time in over one million years”.

“The world of 2025 will be simultaneously one of strong ecological transition, and one of potential environMAY 2017 |17

cean updates

By: Keelee Martin, UHH MOP Student

“IF WE KEEP PRODUCING (AND FAILING TO PROPERLY DISPOSE OF) PLASTICS AT PREDICTED RATES, PLASTICS IN THE OCEAN WILL OUTWEIGH FISH POUND FOR POUND IN 2050,” WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM. Red-orange algae bloom in Puget Sound near Edmonds, Washington. Photo by: EcologyWA, Flickr.

Plankton Movement: Cell Shapeshifters

environment. The separation into group swimming directions is speculated to be a population safety precaution. In the event of strong disturbances in the water, the group swimming downwards might survive.

This travel decision does have its downfalls. Swimming downwards due to a disturbance means less sunlight and less growth. Additionally, it was observed that algae that changed swimming directions had cells that reached higher levels of stress than cells that did not invert.

In a study recently published in the journal, Nature, scientists from the Institute for Environmental Engineering (Zurich, Switzerland) and the Ralph M. Parsons Laboratory (Cambridge, Massachusetts) studied the movement of Heterosigma akashiwo, a microalgae species known for producing toxic algal blooms. The microalgae were introduced to a cubic chamber only a few millimeters in volume, and subjected to movement that was dictated by a computer-controlled motor to For the future, scientists plan on using larger chambers mimic ocean movement and turbulence. and introducing more turbulence. Phytoplankton are the basis of the foodweb and as climate change alters Scientists noted that the microalgae split into two ocean turbulence it is important to know how these equally sized groups after 30 minutes of the microorganisms respond to it. chamber being flipped 180 degrees. One group continued swimming upwards while the other group Antimicrobial Potential of Seagrasses swam downwards. In trials where the micro-chamber Seagrasses, though related to land plants are not grasses did not move, all of the plankton swam in the same at all, but marine flowering plants with narrow leaves that direction, upwards. To understand why half of the inhabit shallow, coastal waters in temperate and tropical individuals rotated their direction, researchers looked regions. Seagrass beds improve water quality by acting into individual cells and found that the change in as a filter for excess nutrients and sediment to settle. swimming direction was the result of cells altering They also are storage sites for carbon sequestration and their shape. When swimming upwards cells resembled serve as habitats or nursery grounds for small organisms asymmetric pears and when swimming downwards and juvenile fishes. cells resembled eggs. This change in cell shape was A few years ago Joleah Lamb, an ecologist at Cornell happening on the scale of ten micrometers.

University, and her colleagues were in Indonesia studying For a microscopic creature, constantly exposed to coral reefs when some of the researchers contracted ocean turbulence, having the ability to alter swimming amoebic dysentery. The cause of the sickness soon direction is an incredible adaptation specific to their 18| Seawords

became clear when water samples were collected close to shore from four small and densely populated islands.

Enterococcus bacteria was found in concentrations ten times the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended exposure limit. Water samples were also taken farther offshore on tidal flats and coral reefs where seagrasses were growing. These areas had lower concentrations of bacteria compared to similar sites where seagrasses were not growing—even as close as 20m away. Surveys over 8,000 coral heads revealed that corals that grew alongside seagrass beds were less diseased than those absent of seagrass presence.

The study did not find the where the perimeters of the cleaner water attributed to the seagrass ended but Lamb explained that cleaner reefs make healthier environments for fish which make for a cleaner food source. Currently it is unclear how the seagrass battles the bacteria—it could be trapping the bacteria on their blades like they trap excess nutrients and sediment or they could be killing the bacteria directly by producing antibacterial compounds. Because seagrasses inhabit shallow coastal waters they are subject to habitat loss and pollution which is reducing their worldwide population by seven percent each year, said Jeroen van de Water, an ecologist at the Scientific Center of Monaco and Lamb’s co-author of the study. In coastal areas where shoreline pollution and bacterial input is of large concern and seagrasses are present, keeping the flowering plants in good health is a high priority.

Peruivian anchoveta—really just a trash fish?

The Peruvian anchoveta (Anchoveta peruana) is a species of anchovy that fed the people of Peru for thousands of years until the 1950’s when the fishing industry began and transitioned from using their catch as food to fishmeal for animal feed. By the 70’s and 80’s the anchoveta was considered a trash fish—stinky, oily and suited only for animals or very poor families. The anchoveta fishery is competitive both historically and currently for the world’s largest fishery—but it isn’t to provide humans with food.

It is estimated that 20 million metric tons of fish are caught annually for uses other than human consumption. Of that 20 million, 90% of the fish are acceptable nutritionally for humans; these are species like anchovies, herring and sardines. Tim Cashion, a researcher at the University of British Columbia’s Institute for the Ocean and Fisheries is working on the “Sea Around Us” project and stated, “Historically, these fish were eaten for human consumption,” but at some point people decided they were not good enough to eat and were dubbed “trash” fish.

Cashion’s research team took one year to count fishery catches worldwide from 1950 to 2010 to determine who is fishing what species and follow the destination of the fish after it had been caught. The goal of their project is to show the impacts fisheries have on marine

Ocean seagrass. Photo by: Dugong Seagrass Conservation Project, Flickr.

MAY 2017 |19

ecosystems. Their results found that approximately 27% of the fish caught were turned into fishmeal or fish oil used as feed in aquaculture or agriculture.

Most of these fish were classified as food-grade (used as food somewhere in the world) or prime-food-grade (widely accepted as food everywhere).

In a world where overfishing is devastating our oceans, maybe these fish could be used more efficiently as human food than food for the human food. Economics and legal regulations inhibit this from happening.

Many fishermen can sell their catch for a higher profit if they sell it as fishmeal instead of selling it to locals Newborn porpoise having a hearing check. Photo by: Solvin Zankl, Fjord og Bælt- Kerteminde for food. A law in Peru was passed in 1992 to keep Porpoise Hearing the anchoveta off the menu for human consumption, making it only sellable as fishmeal.

Newborn harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) There are pushes to change the anchoveta’s reputation can fully develop their sense of hearing in 30 hours— and make it a part of the Peruvian diet again, which would the fastest of any known mammal. In a study recently also boost their local economy and workforce, claims published by researchers from the University of Southern Santiago de la Puente, a researcher for B.C.’s Institute for Denmark and Fjord&Bælt, a research and experience the Ocean and Fisheries. If one ton of anchoveta were center in Kerteminde, Denmark, compared the hearing directed through the canning industry 150 kg (330 lbs.) capabilities of adult and newborn harbor porpoises. could be canned for human consumption and 600 kg Clicks of 130 kHz (frequency of this species for (1,320 lbs.) of heads, guts, etc. would be left for fishmeal. echolocation and communication) were sent out while This conversion could generate $351 million in revenue, the auditory response was measured non-invasively a net yearly benefit of 40,000 jobs and 40 kg (88 lbs.) of with external sensors. No significant differences were anchoveta fish for every person in Peru. These kind of found between adults and newborns, demonstrating perks seem to warrant a change in perspective and a re- that within a day of birth neonate hearing had fully developed. No other mammal has been observed to evaluation of pallet. develop hearing this quickly, for comparison, human

“Anchovy Awe.” Photo by: Gordon, Flickr.

20| Seawords

hearing may not fully develop until years after birth.

Newborn mammals that have been studied on hearing capabilities have reported limited or absent hearing, fully developing later.

Water (AABW). AABW forms as a result of cold winds that promote ice formation. The cold and salty water left over after ice formation sinks and travels North in the ocean circulation conveyor belt. The DynOPO study is using instruments moored to the seafloor as well as These results led scientists to believe more research measurements taken by Boaty McBoatface in order to should be done with other toothed whales specifically assess ocean turbulence. to identify if the same maturation is observed. This evolutionary adaptation of fully developed hearing is While the water flow has been monitored for years, Dr. useful for immediate communication with its mother Povl Abrahamsen, an oceanographer of British Antarctic and to develop echolocation skills as well as safety Survey, said, “The DynOPO project will provide us with precautions to detect anthropogenic disturbances. a unique, high-resolution dataset combining moored and moving instruments, which helps us get to the Boaty McBoatface and the Antarctic Mission bottom of the complex physical processes occurring at Last year the UK’s Natural Environment Research this important region.”

Council held an online campaign on what to name The winds around the Southern Ocean affect the speed of the $287 million dollar polar research vessel. The the currents at the seafloor. This speed then determines internet did not disappoint and came up with “Boaty the turbulences of the water flow through underwater McBoatface.” Ultimately, the name was not accepted mountain ranges. A more turbulent flow increases the for the research vessel itself, but was allowed to title amount of heat that can be transported to the cold water one of the unmanned submersibles. The ship has since mass from warmer, shallower waters. This warm water been named after Sir David Attenborough (1926—) an introduction changes the temperature characteristics English broadcaster and naturalist. of the deep water mass as it travels toward the equator.

Researchers from the University of Southampton and The warm water input from a more turbulent flow is engineers from the National Oceanography Center thought to be a factor in climate change. Being able to (NOC) department from Punta Arenans, Chile, monitor these water mass interactions will give a deeper departed on March 17, 2017, for their Dynamics of insight and predictions into how our climate will evolve the Orkney Passage Outflow (DynOPO) expedition in coming years; and wouldn’t it be great to say that to the Southern Ocean. The Orkney Passage is a major something called Boaty McBoatface helped us get there. checkpoint for the deep water mass, Antarctic Bottom n

Autosub long range “Boaty McBoatface”. Photo by: Natural Environment Research Council and National Oceanography Center

MAY 2017 |21

By: Gina Selig, UHH MOP Student

My experience with the Marine Mammal Center, Ke Kai Ola

Hawaiian monk seal relaxing on the beach. Photo by: Charles Littnan, NOAA permit 10137.

M

y first experience with the Marine Mammal Center was during a field trip to Ke Kai Ola that I attended with MOP at the beginning of the semester. Never having been to a wild animal rehabilitation center before, I didn’t know what to expect. However, as soon as I stepped onto their lanai, I was immediately inspired. It was surprising to see the size of the facility especially since they are relatively new to the island. It gave me hope to see how much dedication there was for the conservation of the Hawaiian monk seal, Neomonachus schauinslandi, a species with only about 1,400 left in the world.

a field trip to Ke Kai Ola would be for young people.

Little did I know, I would soon be helping educators at Ke Kai to do that very thing--impact our youth.

Being enrolled in the MOP project class, I was searching for a project that would involve marine mammals.

Initially, I wanted to study the bioacoustics of sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalu. However, the feasibility of the project turned out to be more difficult than I anticipated. I then stumbled across an email advertising the Kai Kai Ola Education Intern opportunity.

Its description stated, “The Ke Kai Ola” Education Intern supports marine science education programs offered by Ke Kai Ola, The Marine Mammal Center’s Rehabilitation organizations like Ke Kai Ola are pivotal Hawaiian monk seal hospital located in Kona, Hawai‘i. and a huge step forward for monk seals. The Marine As a Ke Kai Ola Education Intern, this role focuses on Mammal Center has responded to more than 21,000 supporting the development and facilitation of educamarine mammals since 1975 affording them the expertion programs. Under the direction of the Center’s edutise to care for endangered species like the Hawaiian cation team, interns will gain exposure to all aspects of monk seal. I also couldn’t help thinking how impactful Ke Kai Ola operations to gain valuable experience and 22| Seawords

inform their ability to translate Center operations into high quality education programs.

They also stated that, “A primary aspect of the internship will be to work with the School & Extended Learning Programs team to identify and execute a project of interest to the intern and that will benefit Ke Kai Ola education programs and the community.” As the daughter of a middle school teacher, I have always had a passion for education. This was the perfect opportunity to improve my teaching skills and see if education is the career path I want to pursue. When I visited the facility, I talked to an educator who was very passionate about teaching and it was inspiring, so I decided to apply. Soon after the interview, I was joyfully notified that I had been accepted as an intern.

As this was my first marine science related internship, I was very excited to get to work with Sara Smith, the School and Extended Learning Programs Coordinator, and Tara Spiegel, a Marine Science Educator. My first training happened over Zoom video communications where we discussed the proper way to answer questions about Hawaiian monk seals and I even got to meet the team that works at The Marine Mammal Center’s headquarters in Sausalito, California. Over the next couple of weeks, I learned more about the new marine science program, Nā Kōkua o ke Kai, or “those who help the sea,” which is a year-long program targeted to grades six through eight on Hawai‘i Island at no cost to schools. Middle school students are at a pivotal time to start thinking about science careers so this program is geared toward teaching them to care for the health of our oceans and environment.

Another wonderful part of the new curriculum is that it includes field trips to Ke Kai Ola and the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center. I was able to observe Smith and Spiegel in action as marine science educators. It was very inspiring to see the passion they displayed for the ocean and marine life. The importance of

environmental stewardship was taught to the students in a respectful way and it was amazing to see the engagement and curiosity of the students.

Another part of my internship has been helping Sylvester Orosco, the Hawaiian Monk Seal Response Manager and Animal Care Specialist at The Marine Mammal Center, to recruit university student volunteers to the Monk Seal Response Team on island. I created a poster that was not only fun to make but filled with information to excite student volunteers. Our first meeting was at 5:30 pm on April 27, 2017 at the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center. There, I helped lead the volunteers during their training session, in order to prepare for the May 20, 2017, seal count!

Serving as an intern for the Marine Mammal Center at Ke Kai Ola has been a monumental part of my spring semester. I learned valuable information on marine science education and how important it is to the future of our environment. It was also very inspiring to see the hard work that has been put into the Nā Kōkua o ke Kai, a curriculum that will impact middle school students and the island for years to come! A strength that has developed during this internship has been an increase in confidence of my leadership abilities. It made me realize that I can have important leadership roles in marine science related activities. n

Photo by: The Marine Mammal Center, Ke Kai Ola. MAY 2017 |23

Dugong

(Dugong dugon)

Marine Mammal of the Month: Dugong dugon

Range: Coastal areas of Indian Ocean and West Pacific Diet: Seagrass Size: 8-10 feet long

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hen people are asked to think of friendly, docile, seaweedmunching marine mammals besides the usual cetaceans, many may think of the manatee (Trichechus manatus), the gentle and slow-moving herbivore that resides in warm water around Florida and the Caribbean. However, a species that many people might not immediately recall, or may not have even heard of, is it’s less-famous cousin, the dugong (with the excellent scientific name Dugong dugon). While this placid sea creature may look similar to a manatee at first, it is in fact a distinct species, residing even in it’s own taxonomic family.

At first glance, the dugong does have a similar body plan to it’s Caribbean cousin. The large animal, reaching lengths of 13 feet (but more often being between 8-10 feet), has a thick, leathery gray hide, large pectoral flippers, an absence of hind limbs, and spends its days grazing on shallow seagrass meadows, earning it the nickname of “sea cow.” However, the easiest and most immediate way to differentiate between a dugong

24| Seawords

and a manatee is to check their tails: manatees have circular, paddle-like tails, while dugongs have flukes that look quite similar to a whale or a dolphin. Also, while a manatee is at home in either freshwater or saltwater environments, dugongs remain strictly marine, though can occasionally tolerate being in brackish water. Dugongs are also unique for being the only 100% herbivorous marine mammal – even manatees may occasionally chow down on some fish or invertebrates, but as far as we know, dugongs are full vegan.

Dugongs are the only extant member of the family Dugongidae. They used to share this distinction with another species, a similar but much larger sea cow simply named “Steller’s sea cow” (Hydrodamalis gigas), but this gentle giant went extinct in the late 1700s when it had the misfortune to learn that humans really like killing things. Besides each other, the closest living relative of both the manatees and the dugong are, surprisingly, not other marine mammals like whales or pinnipeds, but the elephants (family, Elephantidae). This may be a surprising connection, but can be seen in small tusks that dugongs possess, though they can only be seen in mature males.

Photo by Wikimedia Commons.

The name “dugong” comes from the Tagalog term “lady of the sea,” which relates to the fact that it suckles its young from mammary glands between the flippers, in a similar location to those of a human. In fact, the entire taxonomic order that dugongs and manatees are placed in, the Sirenia, is named after the feminine, mermaid-like creatures of ancient myth. These animals are thought to have played a large role in the origins of the mermaid myths, especially from the dugong’s tendency to plop it’s tail on the seabed and “stand” upright to stick its head out of the water to look around, which may have confounded early sailors. I personally can’t see a resemblance, but hey, being at sea for months can play tricks on the eye.

Dugongs have poor vision, but make up for it with heightened senses of hearing and touch.

They are very vocal with each other and have a wide array of calls, the significance of which re-

searchers are trying to decipher. Their only hair is a patch of extremely sensitive, whisker-like bristles on their snout, which they use to help locate and dig up plants while feeding. They primarily eat seagrasses (though have been known to feed on algae when food is short), and will use their fins to “walk” along the seafloor as they graze, leaving distinctive trails in the seagrass beds where they feed. Dugongs sport a muscular lip, called a cleft, which hangs over their mouth and aids in rooting up plants to eat.

Because most seagrass thrives in shallow waters, dugongs spend most of their time at depths above forty feet, though have been known to dive as much as 130 feet deep. While they aren’t known to migrate, dugongs will sometimes cover vast distances, most likely on the lookout for better seagrass patches. While a social species, they tend to mostly live solo or in pairs, because seagrass beds are poor at supporting more than a few of the large mammals at a time.

MAY 2017 |25

Dugongs are somewhat of an enigma for researchers trying to learn more about them, as they are extremely shy and tend to move away from anyone in the water, as well as fare poorly in captivity. (There are only four dugongs currently in captivity worldwide, with two of them being rescues living in the Sydney Aquarium).

We do know that they have extremely long lifespans, living upwards of 70 years, with age shown by growth rings on their tusks. Dugong calves also stay with their mother for a very long time for animals, six to seven years, and the mothercalf pair form a deep bond. Due to their long lifespan and slow reproduction rate, the dugong population would take a long time to recover should their numbers dwindle.

gered yet. The IUCN officially listed them in the “Vulnerable” category. While dugongs are generally too large to have many natural predators, they were hunted heavily in the past, and are still hunted today due to tradition in some Aboriginal communities and from illegal poaching. Dugongs are also known to fall victim to boating accidents or getting entangled in fishing nets.

While these all hurt the population, the single biggest threat to dugongs today is habitat degradation. The seagrass that they feed and depend on are extremely susceptible to environmental change, and human pollution can quickly wipe out entire beds. Even especially-destructive storms can decimate entire seagrass colonies, which are going to worsen from anthropogenic Unfortunately, dugong numbers are falling, but (human-induced) climate change. Because this not at the rate that they are considered endan- gentle, innocuous mammal is declining, there are currently several attempts to conserve them, such as setting up many protected marine parks along Australia’s East coast (where the highest numbers of them live) and to prosecute illegal hunters.

We can only hope that the dugong fares well in the days that lie ahead, lest it go the same path as it’s Steller’s sea cow relative, and cause the world to lose its last remaining member of the Dugongidae family. n Photo by Flickker Photos, Flickr.

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Shipwreck of the Month: USS Arizona

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By Emily Menzies, UHM MOP Student

his month’s shipwreck goes to the USS Arizona. The USS Arizona is a historically significant wreck site because it sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Since then, it has laid submerged in Pearl Harbor. In 1980, it was mapped and in the early 2000s, the ship's condition was analyzed. Since the time of its sinking, the ships interior has remained unexplored due to the limitation of technology.

just there, standing proud, hanging on its hanger.”

What’s next for the team would be to penetrate the third floor. With this, however, comes a lot of ethical dilemma.

The USS Arizona is the final resting place for hundreds of Americans who lost their lives in the attack. By penetrating and entering the submerged vessel, some people think of it as disturbing the final resting place for the people who lost their lives during the attack. Others In December 2016, National Park Service ar- simply look at it as exploration. The human chaeologists and National Geographic pho- connection people feel towards this wreck tographers teamed up and used a remotely op- shows the significance of shipwrecks in Hawai‘i. erated vehicle (ROV) called the 11th Hour to document portions of the USS Arizona. The n ROV was custom-built by Marine Imaging Technologies and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. The 11th Hour took video, measured oxygen levels, salinity, pH, collected oil, sediment and microbiological samples.

In Pearl Harbor, there is more than 80% dissolved oxygen in the water, according to Brett Seymour, deputy chief and photographer of the NPS’s Submerged Resources Center. Around the USS Arizona, however, oxygen levels decrease the deeper they go into the ship. By the time they reached the cabin on the third deck, oxygen levels were at 4%. Due to such low levels of oxygen, the USS Arizona has been able to be preserved.

According to Seymour, one of the most memorable finds was a jacket hanging in an officer's stateroom. “It wasn’t covered with sediment,” says Seymour, “and it hadn’t fallen to the ground. It was

Photo by Brett Seymour, Deputy in Chief of National Park Services Submerged Resources.

MAY 2017 |27

Ocean Art "Early Octopus"

By Jessica Lotts, Associate Editor

28|â&#x20AC;&#x192;Seawords

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his octopus painting was done on canvas with acrylic paint. It was requested by a close friend, who in return, paid me in painting supplies. It’s technically the first art work I’ve done that recieved payment, and reminds me of my early days of college, painting into the early hours of the morning in my dorm.

MAY 2017 |29

BLUE I

Actions for the Ocean

GENERATION By: Jessica Lotts, Associate Editor

t’s about that time of year again, when the sun’s out and so is school! Summer break is a sacred holiday amongst young adults across the country. Time to kick back, relax and explore the world. Many students take this extended period of vacation as an opportunity to adventure across the globe and find themselves, but did you know there’s an eco friendly way to travel? Here we’ve upped your itinerary with some green ways to travel If you’re taking a cruise, make sure your ship is ocean friendly.

These floating villas have been known to emit more carbon dioxide than airplanes according to Tree Hugger. Find a company that makes an effort to limit their carbon footprint, like: Holland America Cruises or Celebrity Cruises -Solstice. For more Green cruises, take a look at: http://www.treehugger.com/naturalsciences/7-ocean-friendly-eco-cruises-hitting-the-high-seas. html :

30| Seawords

Consider the best mode of transport. Can you drive instead of fly?

Can you take the train? Try and avoid short flights, and take the train when you can. Airplanes are known to be the most environmentally impactful. If you’re forced to fly, try and pick an efficient airline. To check for greener travels, check out: http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/tips-eco-friendly-flights

Think before you buy that souvenir. You might be tempted to buy that pretty little wahine you met on the beach some trinket as a token of your affection, but make sure what you're buying does not degrade the environment. Sorry boys, no puka shell necklaces or shark teeth bracelets. Avoid anything made with shells, coral, teeth and any other sort of animal product.

Most importantly, be a responsible and respectful guest. Don’t leave your trash, be respectful of the culture of others and aim to leave the place better than when you found it. Remember, “Take only photos, leave only bubbles” Safe travels MOPers!! n Background photo by Jessica Lotts, Associate Editor.

MAY 2017 |31

FLASHBACK: MARCH 1984

WITH A CHANCE TO WIN A PRIZE!

By Camra Hopper, Editor

T

Take during February 2017, the UH Hilo’s Turtle Tagging with NOAA and HPA has taken place for the past 35 years. Photo by: UH Hilo MOP.

his flash back actually comes with two differ- birth (in April 1984), so in preparation, Seawords asked ent events, and one includes a prize!

MOPers to answer why the cat is smiling. In honor of our past, beloved mascot, Mama Cat, we’d like to ask The turtle program on Big Island is taking our current MOPers as well! The text reads: “We don’t place for over 35 years! Just this past February know why the cat is smiling, but if you do send us your UHH MOPers joined NOAA Fisheries and the Hawai‘i ideas. Most creative and humorous reply WINS a MOP Preparatory Academy (HPA) as research assistants for T-Shirt. Send your offbeat thoughts to…” seawords@ the tagging project. hawaii.edu and although “time may be running out…

While Hilo was tagging turtles, UHM MOP had their the cat is still smiling.” So send in your witty responses own “Mama Cat” mascot that was getting ready to give for a chance to win a MOP cap, today! n

32| Seawords

critter of the month

By Alicia Gregor, UHM MOP Student

Hawaiian Ruby Cardinalfish (Apogon erythrinus)

R

eferred to as ‘Upapalu

by Native Hawaiians, the Hawaiian ruby cardinalfish is most commonly seen on O‘ahu’s shallow reefs during the night time.

Their translucent red pigment makes them easily visible to the snorkeler or scuba diver, but is rarely seen cruising reefs before the sun Photo taken by Keoki Stender, MOP Alumnus, MarineLifePhotography.com. goes down. CardinalHowever, once the eggs are hatched, the fry fishes come out of the reef crevices where they hide during the are susceptible to be eaten by their father, so day to feed on small benthic invertebrates high precaution is taken during this time. and other small planktonic organisms dur- Hatching occurs during the night and can ing the night time; however, when they do take up to three days. Spawning may begin leave their shelter, they never swim very far. again as soon as five days later, where the Any movement at all will send them dart- male essentially sucks the eggs from the feing back towards the reef, where they will male. Hawaiian ruby cardinalfish only live reside until they need to feed or mate again. for about four months. However, they have Cardinalfishes mate interestingly, after fer- not been evaluated by the IUCN Red List, tilization the male incubates the ova in its suggesting that they are nowhere near. They mouth for about 20 days, until it hatches. have no commercial value for humans, and During this time, the male does not eat. are rarely seen by humans during the day. n MAY 2017 |33

May 2017

Exploring the ocean’s past and present Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument

18 May

4 May •

Deep sea discoveries in the expanded waters of Papahānaumokuākea

•

Fish tracking throughout the archipelago • •

• •

25 May

11 May •

75 years later: what remains on the seafloor at Midway Atoll • •

• • • •

• •

34| Seawords

•

Papahānaumokuākea: taking care of the Kūpuna Islands • •

Attending the MOP Symposium: Student Perspective

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By: Emily Menzies, UHM MOP Student

his year during the 2017 MOP Student Symposium, I had the opportunity to present my internship with Dr. Hans Van Tilburg to the MOP community. The symposium was held in Kona on the Big Island and was a great opportunity to meet other MOP students from different campuses throughout the islands of Hawai‘i. Before the symposium, however, there was a lot of work to ensure a smooth finish.

The morning of the symposium I woke up at 3 am so I could pack before leaving at 5 am for our 6:45 am flight.

Once we got to Kona, we got into our rental vans and headed out to Ke‘ei Bay, where the symposium was held.

(It is also the location where QUEST is held each summer.) We got to the Halau Maluhia and registered for the symposium. By 9:00 am, we were starting the welcoming talks and beginning the symposium.

The symposium went off without a hitch. Students from all of the islands presented their talks on many different topics. During the lunch break I presented my poster. At first, presenting to the first few people who walk by was a bit nerve wracking. Talking about your project to a bunch of strangers is very intimidating! Then the more I talked about my project and to other people, the easier the presentations became and I realized I wasn’t surrounded by a bunch of strangers, but by fellow MOPers.

Before leaving for the symposium, all of the students were required to finish a checklist of chores. We had to prepare an abstract, create a visual for our project (poster or PowerPoint presentation), and practice presenting our project to Jeff multiple times. The visual aspect of the project is the most important part of the presentation because that is how the other students and professors are going to be looking at your semester’s work.

Since there was a lot of time and effort that went into my After the symposium, all of the students were free to project, I wanted to make sure my poster reflected that. do as they wanted and a lot of us went into the tidepool When I showed the first draft of my poster to Jeff it in the rocks along the beach. The best part of the symwas received with a look of disappointment and words posium was being able to meet the other students and of constructive criticism on how I could improve my see the other work that was going on at the different poster. I talked with Jeff for about forty-five minutes campuses. on what I should do to improve it. He had very helpWe camped on Ke‘ei beach and the next day we got to ful comments so I took my poster back to the drawing explore Kona before heading back to Honolulu. In the board and after an additional four hours of working on morning, we went snorkeling in the bay and after lunch, it, I brought it back to him with much more pride in we left the campsite and went exploring around the ismy work. This time, he had more positive things to say land. We went to Pu’uhonua O Hōnaunau and Kalokothan negative but still gave me a few pointers on how to Honokōhau National Park. In addition, we also saw strengthen the design. petroglyphs that were carved on rocks along the side of Once my poster was finalized. I wanted to make sure the road! my spiel was perfected for my audience. I showed and The MOP symposium was more than just a symposium. talked to anyone about my project who was willing to It was an opportunity to see what the MOP community spend more than five minutes listening to me. I pracwas doing and how we could be more involved with the ticed my spiel in the mirror as well as just sitting alone community as well. Thank you Jeff, Dr. Cynthia Hunter, at my desk. By practicing the talk so much, I was able to and UH-Hilo for a great symposium and a wonderful articulate a memorized script that highlighted my main weekend. n points in a captivating way that intrigued my audience and made them want to ask questions.

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Photo by Tate Wester, UHM MOP Alumnus

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MOP & Community Events

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

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