May 2022 Seawords

SEAW ORDS TheMarineOption Program Newsletter

May 2022

Volume XXXVII, Number 5

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

W ith the end of the Spring 2022 semsester comes the 39th Annual MOP Student Symposium! On pages 4-9, read about the amazing skill projects MOP students worked on this year! On page 10, soon to be graduate, Brenna Loving, explores the community outreach efforts going into cleaning up the Ala W ai Canal in her final Seawordsarticle!

In this issue we also introduce a new writer to the Seawordsteam, Sara Bower, who highlighted the advancements in technology being made to combat illegal fishing (page 20).

This month, we shine a spotlight on a tiny creature who has it's own method of glowing, the Hawaiian bobtail squid (page 12)! Read about the mapping and monitoring of the kelp forests on page 16 and the discovery of carnivorous plankton on page 28. Last but not least, we have a special article featuring MOP Alumnus (class of 72'), Kelvin Char, as he reflects on MOP's impact on his life and career!

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: THE 39TH ANNUAL MOP STUDENT SYMPOSIUM 10: GENKI BALLS IN THE ALA W AI CANNAL 12: CREATURE OF THE MONTH: THE HAW AIIAN BOBTAIL SQUID 16: KELP FORESTS: MAPPING AND MONITORING THROUGH SATELLITE IMAGING TECHNOLOGY 20: AT THE EDGE OF SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY: CATCHING OCEAN POACHERS W ITH AI 24: KE ALAULA: THE AW AKENING 28: CARNIVOROUS PLANKTON 30: MOP CALENDAR

Photo Credits Front Page: Hawaiian Bobtail Squid. Photo by: Keoki Stender.

Table of Contents: Slate Pencil Urchin. Photo by: Patrick Randall, Flickr.

Back Cover: Nudibranch. Photo by: Elias Levy, Flickr.

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The 39th Annual MOP Student Symposium

Kahuku Beach. Photo by: Cris Camit, Flickr.

MOP students were quite busy this year, and the 39th Annual MOP Student Symposium provided an engaging platfor m for MOPer s to share their skill projects! Held vir tually on Apr il 16th, 2022, over Zoom, the symposium began with a war m welcome from Dr. Cynthia Hunter, Director of MOP, and was followed by the keynote address given by Dr. Fr ank Par r ish, Director of the Ecosystem Sciences Division at the NOAA Fisher ies Pacific Islands Fisher ies Science Center in Honolulu, Hawai?i.

After the exhibition of unique and fascinating research projects and inter nships, a panel of judges gathered to decide which MOPer s would be presented with var ious awards including Best Research Paper, Best Inter nship Paper, the John P. Cr aven Award for the most inspired and inspir ational presentation by a MOP ?Child of the Sea,? the PACON award for the best paper integr ating mar ine science and technology with a Pacific focus, the Sher wood Maynard Award for the student exhibiting the greatest example of ocean stewardship, and the Anna Toy Ng Memor ial MOP Scholar ship for a MOP student exhibiting excellence in mar ine scholar ship, ocean stewardship, and contr ibutions to MOP. In addition to highlighting the excellence of each student and their dedication to improving their communities and environments, the MOP symposium provided inspir ation to the audience, leaving them feeling ener gized and optimistic about the future. Congr atulations to all the students who presented their skill projects!

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WAI K ALUA L OKO I ?A NAT I V E OYST ER ST UDY- PACON I nter national, H awai?i Chapter , MOP Symposium Awar d Cameron L au, Windward Community College - Research Cameron L au?s experiment centered around gaining insight on the native Hawaiian oyster species Dendostrea sandvicensis in different growing conditions in the Waikalua loko i?a (fishpond). He aimed to accomplish the establishment of ideal conditions for the oysters in order to record and study their growth and mortality rates. Suspecting that the oysters would grow best at locations near the m?k?h? (slatted gates that replenish the waters in the loko i?a), L au framed his hypothesis and set up experimental oyster populations near m?k?h?, in fish pens, and in tanks. He routinely rinsed the oyster cages with fresh water, cleaned and scrubbed the oysters, recorded oyster size and mortality over a period of 5 months. As predicted, the constant supply of fresh nutrient water at the m?k?h? locations displayed the best levels of oyster growth and survival rates. Perhaps due to nutrients being filtered out by the sand pump, the tank oysters were the smallest in size, followed by the fish pen oysters (who perhaps had more access to nutrients). L au went on to discuss the lessons he learned from carrying out his experiment and possible directions for future research.

POPUL AT I ON DENSI T Y OF MOL E CRABS I NSI DE AND OUT SI DE OF JAMESCAMPBEL L NAT I ONAL W I L DL I FE REFUGE, O?AH U H AWAI ?I L uisa Brehmer, UH M?noa - Research T hrough an internship with Our Project in Hawai?is I ntertidal (OPI HI ), L uisa Brehmer set out to record and contrast the populations of mole crabs (Hippa pacifica) within and outside the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge (JCNW R) in Kahuku. T he mole crabs are an important indicator of ecosystem health, being the food web link between plankton and fish. Brehmer also described the ideal outcome of their research, known as the ?spill-over? effect, whereby populations of mole crabs in the JCNW R (unhindered by the effects of human activity) would increase, causing the population to spread to neighboring areas, indicating the success of the wildlife refuge. Despite running into issues with the burrowing reaction of the mole crabs and other sampling methods, Brehmer hopes to provide ideas to improve and expand the data regarding mole crab populations for future years of research.

UT I L I ZI NG GRAPH I C DESI GN PRI NCI PL ES FOR EFFECT I V E OUT REACH AND EDUCAT I ON- Anna Toy Ng Memor ial MOP Scholar ship Kelsie Kuniyoshi, UH M?noa - I nternship Recognizing the importance of community outreach and the power of social media, Kelsie Kuniyoshi was able to create bridges that allowed the public to connect and engage with the wonders of the sea. T hrough her internship at the Waik?k?Aquarium, Kuniyoshi utilized the principles of graphic design to communicate through social media posts and posters. Her exploration of science communication as a lesser discussed, yet equally important, facet of science, highlighted the need for creative ways to further connect the public to issues and topics regarding marine conservation and science education.

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Green Sea Turtle Hawaii. Photo by: Eric Sonstroem, Flickr.

OBSERV I NG PAT T ERNS I N UH H I L O MOP T URT L E TAGGI NG DATA T H ROUGH STAT I ST I CAL ANALYSES- Best Resear ch Paper Olivia Jarvis, UH Hilo - Research Finding a knowledge gap in extensive analyses of the UH Hilo T urtle Tagging Dataset, Olivia Jarvis set out to find statistical patterns in data collected over the past 40 years (from 1978-2018) taken at Punalu?u beach park on Hawai?i I sland. Her first steps involved compiling the long-term data and organizing it. She was then able to search for patterns and summarize the statistical findings, finally being able to communicate the insights found in this long-term study. Her efforts contribute to the wider knowledge of green sea turtle growth rates and provide a foundation for future expansion of the dataset.

ANALYZI NG WAT ER QUAL I T Y AT K EAUK AH A, H AWAI ?I T O DET ERMI NE MAJOR CONT RI BUT I ONS OF SEWAGE POL LUT I ON Brooke Enright, UH Hilo - I nternship T hrough an internship with the Students of Hawaii Advanced Research Program (SHARP), Brooke Enright took part in research determining the origins of sewage pollution along Hilo?s coastline, possibly from the Wastewater T reatment Plant or from private cesspools. After months of taking field samples, Enright worked to analyze the water samples for fecal bacteria indicators to assess water quality. Additionally, she assisted in dye tracer tests, adding dye to cesspools then monitoring their leakage into the ocean. Enright also conducted statistical analyses using the collected dataset as well as a citizen survey, the ?pilau-meter?, asking the community of Keaukaha to rate the smell of the sewage pollution. W hile the research is still ongoing, the results from the completed experiments have been made available to the Wastewater T reatment Plant and the Keaukaha community.

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Hilo Bay. Photo by: Scott Nelson, Flickr.

H OE! ?? , ?? , ?? I A! I NT EGRAT I NG T RADI T I ONAL H AWAI I AN PROT OCOL S I NT O MARI NE FI EL D AND L AB COURSES- Sher wood Maynar d Awar d for Ocean I mpact Dylan Kelling, UH Hilo ? I nternship Beginning his talk with the oli (chant), ??O Wai ka Mauna,? Dylan Kelling discussed his efforts to create an avenue for the implementation of Hawaiian protocols into the daily practices of marine field and lab courses. Kelling found common ground between the traditions of native Hawaiian spirituality and the intentions of scientific exploration: Aloha ?

Aina, or love of the land. He aimed to continue the practice of ?olelo Hawai?i saying that, ?when we as stewards of this land speak Hawaiian, we indigenous people are able to thrive.? T hrough his assistance in educating how to properly execute the oli and protocols and his interactive padlets providing historical and culturally significant information about the places the field courses were taking place, Kelling created an easily adaptable way for students and staff to further show respect to the environments and locations they study.

SOCI AL MEDI A MANAGEMENT : DEV EL OPMENT OF T H E UH H I L O MOP YOUT UBE CH ANNEL Rylee Clark, UH Hilo - I nternship Rylee Clark sought to explore the impacts of branding and storytelling on student engagement with the MOP program through her ongoing creation of the UH Hilo MOP YouT ube channel. Her goal was to provide new and engaging ways of spreading information and creating interest in the program.

Her paramount efforts, from obtaining liability release forms, and endangered species permits, to meticulously transcribing video captions by hand, collaborating with students and staff to produce each video, will soon result in a cohesive tool for the MOP program to reach a wider audience.

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Reef Fish. Photo by: UFSWS- Pacific Region, Flickr.

SEA OT T ER CARE PROGRAM Genille Olivas, UH M?noa ? I nternship A UH Manoa MOP student based in California, Genille Olivas shared her experience volunteering for the Monterey Bay Aquarium in their Sea Otter Care Program. She was able to help stranded sea otter pups through their rehabilitation journeys, pairing them with surrogate sea otter mothers to provide maternal care and survival skills. T he sea otter pups were able to develop and grow, finally being weaned and released back into the wild. Olivas took part in the tracking of released (tagged) sea otters, monitoring their activity and logging the data. Olivas also volunteered for T he Marine Mammal Center, rescuing seal pups from maternal separation or malnutrition. She hopes to witness the release of the rehabilitated seals in the near future.

ANALYZI NG CORAL REEF H EAL T H AT T H E PAPAH ? NAUMOK U? K EA MARI NE NAT I ONAL MONUMENT - Best I nter nship Paper L ily Gavagan, UH Hilo ? I nternship L ily Gavagan participated in the analysis of coral health in the coral reefs of the Papah?naumoku?kea Marine National Monument. She sought to find patterns in data collected during NOAA?s Coral Reef Assessment and Surveys (2014-2019) in order to create statistical models that would aid in the formation of educated decision making. Her efforts focused on creating descriptive statistics communicating the morphology, condition, quantity, size, and area of the species present. She found that coral size played an important part in coral colony mortality. Gavagan continues to take part in further studies working to create an in-depth spatial analysis.

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Hawaiian Monk Seal. Photo by: Na Pali Riders, Flickr.

PROT ECT I NG T H E H AWAI I AN MONK SEAL S FROM EXT I NCT I ON Daniel Perea, L eeward Community College ? I nternship Daniel Perea, moved by the endangered status of Hawaiian monk seals, volunteered his time to the Hawai?i Marine Animal Response. Perea took part in the field response through their public outreach program, being specially trained to identify individual animals, assess potential health problems, and how to communicate and interact with the public to best protect the animals. His work involved taking photos to identify the individual seal, setting a perimeter around the seal, and performing surveys to find and monitor seals or interest. T hrough patience and dedication, Perea was able to contribute to the protection and conservation of the Hawaiian monk seal.

PHOTOGRAPHS OF HAWAIIAN ALGAE: CYANOTYPE IMPRESSIONS- John P. Cr aven Awar d Gwen Arkin, Univer sity of Hawai?i Maui College Inspired by the impacts of climate change, Gwen Arkin explored the impor tance of limu to indigenous Hawaiian culture, from food to ceremony, to healing. A talented ar tist, Arkin combined concepts stemming from the cyanotyping records of Anna Atkins, and the scientific documentation pr inting of Dr. Isabella Abbott. Arkin set out to use cyanotype as a medium to display the native species of limu on Maui. She soon discovered the ongoing disappear ance of many once abundant species of limu, fur ther inspir ing her to lear n about the species she found. Her jour ney culminated in an immer sive ar t installation of limu macrophotogr aphy pr inted on silk panels at the Honolulu Museum of Ar t as a par t of the Ar tists of Hawai?i Now exhibition in September 2021.

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Genki Ballsin theAlaWai By: BrennaLoving, UHWindwardCCMOPStudent

Waikiki Ala Wai Canal. Photo by: Ricky Duane Grohe, Flickr.

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For the past 7 year s, there has been a project brewing with the goal of cleaning up the Ala Wai canal in

EM to complete this task on the floor of the canal.

EM was discovered by Dr.

Waik?k?, and on Apr il 2nd, 2022, the

Ter uo Higa of Ryukyus Univer sity in

prepar ations came to fr uition. Nearly

Japan through research on crop

200 member s of the community

cultivation microor ganisms. After his

came out to have some fun throwing

discover y, the microor ganism

"Genki Balls" into the canal in an

combination has been used in effor ts

effor t to clean up the Ala Wai.

to pur ify water and suppor t

What are Genki Balls? These

regener ative far ming across Japan.

balls consist of mud containing clay

Now the new biological approach has

soil, molasses, r ice br an, water, and

made its way to the Hawaiian Islands

the key component, EM- 1 solution.

as effor ts continue to combat

The EM- 1 solution is composed of

pollution in the Ala Wai canal. The

Effective Microor ganisms containing

goal of the project is to tr ansfor m the

a combination of yeast, lactic acid

canal into an oasis that is safe for

bacter ia, and phototrophic bacter ia

swimming, fishing, and other water

that have shown to effectively break

recreation within the next 7 year s.

down sludge, found in abundant

The project has been funded by

supply in the Ala Wai canal. This is

var ious hotels and companies from

accomplished by the combination of

the community, but donations to the

bacter ia breaking down and

Genki Ala Wai Project are always

oxygenating the sludge and

appreciated to help produce more

consuming har mful biological agents

Genki Balls to continue to pur ify the

and gasses that pollute the water.

Ala Wai into the beautiful oasis it is

The contents of the Genki Balls

meant to be.

provide an environment for the MAY 2022

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Creature of the Month:

The Hawaiian

Euprymna scolopes. Photo by: Chris Fraze and Margaret McFal, Wikimedia Commons.

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Bobtail Squid

By: Chloe Molou, UHH Seawords Liason MAY 2022

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Bur ied under sand or mud for most of the day, one of Hawai?i?s endemic cephalopods can be found in sand flats in shallow water s. These noctur nal hunter s only grow to be about 2 inches (~5cm) in length and are nor mally brown with ir idescent blue and green spots.

Euprymna scolopes, commonly known as the Hawaiian bobtail squid, are able to reproduce just two months after hatching. Their lifespan is between 3 and 10 months, females breeding only once and dying shor tly after laying eggs under cor al ledges.

Hawaiian bobtail squid are noctur nal ambush predator s, hunting from dusk till dawn, awaiting prey camouflaged beneath the sand. They have eight legs and two long tentacles, to catch small shr imp and other cr ustaceans. Like most other squid, they have a small sac of ink that can be released when the squid are tr ying to escape predator s like ??lioholoikauaua, the Hawaiian monk seal, and ?ulae, the lizardfish.

As they hunt at night, the squid maintain a mutualistic relationship with Vibrio fischeri, a bioluminescent bacter ium. The light- producing bacter ia are housed in a special cavity on the under side of the squid?s mantle known as the light or gan. The squid will begin secreting mucus outside of their light or gans just days after hatching to tr ap the bacter ia. They use counter- illumination, a for m of camouflage that allows them to blend in with the moonlight from above, for hunting at night, and the bacter ia receive protection and nutr ients inside the host or gan.

Hawaiian bobtail squid are also able to adjust the br ightness of the bioluminescence by regulating the amount of oxygen that can enter the light or gan. An enzyme, lucifer ase, facilitates the chemical reaction that produces light and relies heavily on the amount of oxygen available. After a long night of hunting, the squid will expel about 90% of all bacter ia housed in the light or gan.

New bacter ia will become tr apped by the mucus outside of the light or gan in time for the squid to begin hunting again the next night.

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Hawaiian Bobtail Squid.

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

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Sunbeams Kelp Forest Canopy.

Photo by: Jon Anderson, Flickr.

Kelp For est s:

Monit or ing and Mapping Th Imaging Technology 16 | Seawords

hr ough Sat ellit e By: Lucian Ander son, UHM Alumnus MAY 2022

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Giant Kelp Forest. Photo by: Tom Thai, Flickr.

Str etch i n g h u n d r ed s of m i l es d ow n th e coast of Cal i f or n i a i n th e U n i t ed States, an d con t i n u i n g al on g t h e coast of Baja Cal i f or n i a i n M ex i co, ar e th e kel p f or est s. Kel p f or ests ar e m ajest i c si gh ts to beh ol d u n d er w at er .

Su bm er ged i n th e col d Paci f i c w at er s, com f or ted by on ly a w etsu i t, an d l ook i n g u p on ly to see th e i l l u m i n at i n g gr een stal k s of kel p i s an am azi n g ex p er i en ce.

N ot on ly ar e th ey gor geou s, bu t kel p al so p r ov i d e f or th e ecosy st em an d p eop l e al i ke. Kel p i s th e back bon e of m an y ecosy stem s ar ou n d th e w or l d , p r ov i d i n g h abi tats f or th ou san d s of sp eci es. L i ke m an y oth er n at u r al en v i r on m en ts, th er e i s a p oor tr ack r ecor d of con si sten tly m on i t or i n g t h ei r h eal t h , esp eci al ly w h en con si d er i n g t h e i m p acts of cl i m at e ch an ge, ocean aci d i f i cati on , an d th e m ar i n e h eat w aves i n 20 14- 20 16.

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A l on g t h e Cal i f or n i a coast, kel p f or est s h ou se t h ou san d s of sp eci es i n cl u d i n g w h al es an d sea ot t er s. T h ey al so p r ov i d e coast al p r ot ect i on an d can m i t i gat e sh or el i n e st or m d am age.

Com m er ci al ly, t h ey p r ov i d e saf er su r f i n g by bu f f er i n g t h e bi gger w aves, h el p i n g t h e su r f i n g i n d u st r y. T h ey ben ef i t t h e seaf ood i n d u st r y by p r ov i d i n g h abi t at f or d el i caci es l i ke abal on e as w el l as p r od u ct s ex tr acted f r om kel p t h at ar e u sed i n f ood , cosm et i cs, an d m ed i ci n e.

W i t h r ou gh ly f ou r d ecad es w or th of d at a av ai l abl e on t h e con d i ti on s of t h e kel p f or est s al on g t h e Paci f i c coast , r esear ch er s f r om U n i ver si t y of San ta B ar bar a, W ood s H ol e O cean ogr ap h i c I n st i t u t i on , T h e N at u r e Con ser van cy, an d U n i ver si t y of Cal i f or n i a L os A n gel es cr eat ed a m ap u si n g L an d sat sat el l i t e i m ages. T h e m ap i s cal l ed Kel p w at ch an d can be f ou n d at

Kelp Forest Catalina. Photo by: Wade McMillan, Flickr.

kel p w atch .or g. I t i s op en f or an y on e t o u se an d r esear ch . I n tegr ated w i t h m ach i n e l ear n i n g, i t can sh ow th e ch an ges of th e kel p f or est s over th e l ast f ou r d ecad es.

Satel l i tes ar e u su al ly d ep l oy ed t o sh ow l an d i n d et ai l f r om sp ace.

H ow ever , kel p f or est s d em on st r at e t h e sam e v i su al attr i bu t es of f or est s w h i ch m akes th em d etect abl e f r om sp ace.

T h e m ap s ar e abl e to sh ow ch an ges i n kel p f or est cover age over ti m e. T h i s t ool can i n f or m sci en ti st s an d i n f l u en ce ecosy stem m an ager s an d p ol i cy m aker s to m ake d eci si on s t h at ben ef i t th e kel p f or est 's su r v i v al . W i t h t h e n ew f ou n d tool , sci en t i st s w er e abl e t o see th e d am age cau sed by th e m ar i n e h eatw ave of 20 14- 20 16 an d i f t h er e h as been an y r ecover y. T h ey f ou n d th e kel p f or ests ar ou n d M on ter ey, Cal i f or n i a ar e col l ap si n g al on g w i th m u ch of th ose al on g th e

n or t h er n coast of Cal i f or n i a. A st agger i n g 95% of kel p f or est s i n th e n or t h er n Cal i f or n i a coast col l ap sed becau se of t h e h eat w ave cau sed by cl i m at e ch an ge. W i t h t h i s k n ow l ed ge, ef f or t s h ave been p u t i n p l ace to assi st t h e r est or at i on of t h e kel p f or ests to en su r e t h ei r su r v i v al .

T h er e i s som e h op e; t h e Kel p w at ch sci en t i st s f ou n d t h at th e kel p f or est s f u r t h er sou t h i n Bah ía Tor t u gas an d B aja Cal i f or n i a Su r h ad r ecover ed si n ce 20 18. U n l i ke n or th er n Cal i f or n i a t h ey w er e abl e t o r estor e t h em selves by t w o y ear s af t er th e en d of t h e m ar i n e h eat w ave. W i t h th e cr eat i on of Kel p w at ch h op ef u l ly m or e t ool s t h at sh ow ch an ges of ecosy stem s l i ke t h e Red Sea cor al r eef s or L ake B ai k al w i l l becom e r ead i ly av ai l abl e.

T h e bet t er u n d er st ood ecosy stem s ar e t h e bet t er w e can cr eat e m et h od s an d en f or ce l aw s t o p r ot ect t h em .

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Fishing Boat. Photo by: Markus Trienke, Flickr.

At t he Edge of Sust a ina bl e Tec hnol ogy :

Cat ching Ocean P

20 | Seawords

Poacher s wit h A.I. By : Sa r a Bow er , UHM MOP St udent

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Small Fishes from Bucket Caught with Cast Net. Photo by: Kim Seng, Flickr.

22 | Seawords

Fish populations around the globe have been depleted at unprecedented rates.

Over the last 50 years 90% of large fish populations have been lost. Agencies like NOAA have worked with regional fishery organizations to establish catch sizes and limits to help bring back many declining populations. However, while catch regulations are great when they are followed, they do nothing to prevent illegal fishing, which some estimates say represents up to 20% of the global fish catch. Policing the oceans to prevent illegal fishing has been difficult, but new technology and surveillance is proving to be a big help in combating illegal fishing.

In order to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water, illegal fishing must come to an end. Illegal fishing poses a threat not only to the marine environment, but to the food and economic security of many nations. Some vessels that engage in illegal fishing have inhumane working conditions and sometimes enslave workers. In addition, the abundance of illegal fishing causes law-abiding fishermen to be penalized in comparison. All fishing vessels are required to have GPS transponders that show where they are so that they cannot fish in territory that is illegal, for instance, within another country's waters or a marine protected area. Vessels that engage in illegal fishing often turn off their GPS system in an attempt to hide the fact that their vessel is entering an area where they are not permitted. As a result they have been referred to as ?dark vessels?since they disappear from surveillance systems.

In a recent attempt to combat illegal fishing, scientists are using artificial intelligence to locate and predict potential ?dark vessels.?There has already been success in using technology to identify illegal fishing in a given area. Global Fishing Watch (GFW), a global ocean conservation nonprofit group co-founded by Google, has utilized machine learning and satellites to identify illegal fishing fleets. In 2018, GFW identified almost 800 Chinese vessels operating in violation of U.N. sanctions by fishing in North Korean waters.

Scientists have analyzed the behavior of legal fishing vessels and have created algorithms for their predicted behavior. They have noted that these legal fishing vessels react unusually, when they enter waters with nearby illegal vessels. In addition, by monitoring the GPS of vessels, it can be assumed that when a suspicious vessel enters water near a protected area and turns off its GPS system that they are engaging in illegal activities.

Apprehending illegal fishing vessels is key to protecting people and marine life. By utilizing technology like machine learning there is hope that we can detect, predict, and end illegal fishing activities around the world.

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?K e Alaula,?

T he Awakening T he Mar ine Option Pr ogr am and H awai?is K eiki ?o ka ?? ina By: Kelvin Char, MOP Alumnus Class of 72'

Dawn. Photo by: Willy Feng, Flickr.

24 | Seawords

Before launching into the ?how?my life and career was shaped by my MOP experience, we need to understand the underpinnings of the program and the people who made it attractive to undergraduate students searching for a path in their undergraduate education.

Without this, MOP might have died in its infancy. As a veteran returning to school after 10 years of service, I was drawn to both what MOP had to offer as a multidisciplinary offering and the vision of its first program coordinator, Barry Hill. It was largely through his people-person skills and administrative guidance that the program succeeded, as well as later expanding to the UH Hilo campus, and the founding of the ?Blue Water Marine Lab.?

The Role of the Marine Option Program in shaping my path.

In the years following graduation with a bachelor?s degree in Zoology and subsequent work at the Pacific Urban Studies Program (now the Department of Urban Planning), my experience as a MOPer played into the multidisciplinary approach I took

to my post-graduate work and in later positions with government and private industry.

The MOP-focused course of academic studies and the hands-on experiences helped build the needed skills to chart out a path that would eventually lead me to career choices that included positions with state and federal agencies. I elected not to remain in the immediate field of ocean and coastal marine science but opted for a career path in public policy and marine resource conservation planning and management. MOP prepared me well for this role ? something which would not have been possible without the combined efforts of the visionaries like Barry Hill, who pioneered the concept at the University of Hawai?i at Manoa. I benefited as well under the mentorship of Jack Davidson, the Director of the UH Sea Grant Program and John Craven, the State's Marine Affairs Coordinator and UH Dean of Marine Programs.

They never gave up hope and persisted in their support for the program even as federal funding from NOAA's Sea Grant Program and state matching funds were MAY 2022

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constantly under threat, and MOP's survival was in doubt. Everything is owed to these ?fathers?of MOP by all who have walked this way.

There is no doubt that MOP paved the way for many of the paid internships for undergrads at the Hawai?i Institute of Marine Biology, the Makai Range at the Oceanic Institute, and the Navy's research programs based in K?ne?ohe Bay. Additionally, MOP's support for two Student-Originated-Studies (SOS) projects funded by the National Science Foundation (in a national competition), made it possible for teams of MOP students to gain SCUBA certification and receive training for performing initial baseline surveys. The collected data measured the marine communities in areas projected as an area for placement of a deep-water sewage outfall off Mokapu Peninsula, and a site that the State of Hawai?i had designated as an artificial reef off Poka?i Bay. This experience led to similar marine training and data collection projects on Maui involving students at Mauna ?Olu College, studying the feeding behavior and distribution of green sea turtles on the Big Island, and baseline surveys of coral reef 26 | Seawords

communities on Maui and O?ahu, the latter done in characterizing areas projected as sites for the state's proposed ?k?puku?conservation plan.

These experiences combined to give me the tools that I later applied in marine policy, planning and management.

THAT'S where MY path carved by MOP eventually led.

It played an important role in shaping my worldview of the how, why and where of the integration of science with studies concerning the behavior of humans that influence all life on the ?Blue Marble?we share. I have never regretted being a MOPer and where it has taken me. Even more so, I am forever thankful for the friendships that were forged in MOP that remain strong to this day. Bless the memory of its early benefactors who never gave up on the idea of bringing together the cadre of students, the MOP ?ohana, who represented Hawaii's future generations of scientists, teachers, and leaders in the public and private sectors, in the islands and around the globe. They done good ? ?Ahuwale ka po?okela i k?u hana i? ha?i?(It is the way you serve others that your greatness will be felt).

K?ne?ohe Bay, K?ne?ohe. Photo by: Robert Linsdell, Flickr.

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Car niv o r o us Pl ank t o n By: Alexand r ya Ronb inson, UHM MOP St udent In t he t op layer of t he ocean, t he epipelag ic zone, you can find m illions of t iny or g anism s know n as plankt on. Plankt on (from t he Greek plankt os m eaning d r ifter s) com e in m any d ifferent species and sizes. The lar g est contr ib ut or s t o plankt on b iom ass are or g anism s in t he size of 2 t o 20 m icrom eter s. Som e plankt on are plant s w hich ut ilize p hot osynt hesis, know n as p hyt oplankt on, w hile ot her plankt on are sm all anim als know n as zooplankt on. Ever y species of plankt on has d ifferent req uirem ent s in order t o t hr ive and g row.

New research from t he Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microb ial Oceanog rap hy: Research and Ed ucat ion t hroug h t he Univer sit y of Haw aii at Manoa team d iscovered , isolated , and cult ured 39 d ifferent species of plankt on from Stat ion ALOHA (A Long -ter m Olig otrop hic Hab itat Assessm ent , located 10 0 km nor t h of Oahu. All of t hese species have one t hing in com m on: t hey feed on t he cyanob acter ia, Prochlorococcus sp p.

Feed ing on Prochlorococcus w hile also p hot osynt hesizing ind icates t hat t hese plankt on are m ixotrop hs, species t hat ut ilize heterotrop hic and eutrop hic feed ing m et hod s. Mixotrop hs m ake up an est im ated t w o t hird s of t he t otal plankt onic b iom ass in t he ocean. The p red om inance of a few species can ind icate t he out com es of d ifferent feed ing strateg ies t hat t hese species ut ilize.

Prochlorococcus marinus. Photo by: Luke Thompson, Wikimedia Commons.

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This research can b e ap plied t o under stand p atter ns of nutr ient cycling in t he ocean, not only t he epipelag ic zone b ut p ossib ly even t he deep had al zone. The im p or tance of under stand ing t he b asis of t he m ar ine food web can help ind icate t he healt h of connected system s, wit h plankt on contr ib ut ing b et ween fift y and eig ht y percent of t he Ear t h?s oxyg en and around ten percent of t he w or ld relying on m ar ine food sources.

Prochlorococcus marinus.

Photo by: Luke Thompson, Wikimedia Commons.

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Vol u m e XXXVII, Nu m ber 5 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 , Sar a Bower 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.