October 2015

Seaw rds The Marine Option Program Newsletter

October 2015

11 “ ... your safety stands above all else in diving.”

Introducing Dive Safety Tip of the Month by the UHM Dive Safety Office

MARINE MAMMAL OF THE MONTH SS SAN MIGUEL DISCOVERED MY SEAWORLD SUMMER

October 2015

Volume XXIX, Number 8

Articles Page 3: Letter from the Editor Page 4: UHM student spends summer interning at SeaWorld Page 6: Ocean Updates Page 9: Dive Safety Tip of the Month Page 12: SS Mission San Miguel wreck discovered by University of Hawai‘i researchers including UHM MOP student Page 14: Ocean Art Page 16: Generation Blue Page 18: Marine Mammal of the Month Page 20: NOAA Hollings Internship Page 22: Critter of the Month Page 26: MOP calendar of events

About the Photography -Cover: Jeff Kuwabara, UHM MOP Coordinator -Table of Contents: MOP Stock Photos -October calendar of events: Kimberly James, UHM MOP Student -Back cover: Koa Matsuoka, former UHM MOP Student -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 Seawords readers, my name is Brijonnay Madrigal and I am excited to announce that I will be serving as the new Editor of Seawords (for the next two issues).

On behalf of Seawords, we would like to thank Kathryn Lam, the Editor for the last 2 years, for all her hard work and dedication to Seawords. She will be working towards her MOP Certificate by serving as an advisor and mentor for the Seawords staff and will graduate this fall before traveling to France in the spring.

In this issue of Seawords, you will find student written articles on a SeaWorld education internship by Emily Becker and a NOAA Hollings internship by Allie Sifrit. Beginning this month, we will be have two new feature columns; Marine Mammal of the Month written by members of the UHM American Cetacean Society and Dive Safety Tip of the Month brought to us by the UH Mānoa Dive Safety Office Staff. We hope you enjoy!

Mahalo to all the contributing authors that made this issue possible.

Thank you for reading,

-Brijonnay Madrigal, Seawords Editor

OCTOBER 2015 |3

Photo Credit: Emily Becker

My SeaWor

By Em

As a marine biology student at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa , I have always known that I wanted to pursue a career educating young people about marine science. This summer I had the most incredible opportunity to intern at SeaWorld Orlando as an Education Camp Intern. It was without a doubt the best experience I have ever had.

SeaWorld camp is a series of day camps that are held ten weeks out of the summer, with varying themes from what the animals eat to careers with animals.

As an intern with SeaWorld Camp, my job was as a camp counselor for groups of elementary and middle school students, taking them around to the different areas of the park and teaching them about all the animals there.

Each day of the week was dedicated to a specific animal or group of animals and everything we did was tailored to the theme. On “dolphin day,” the campers participated in a dolphin interaction where they had the opportunity to touch and train a dolphin with the assistance of a trainer. From there they visited the rescue hospital area and viewed animals that had 4| Seawords

been rescued such as manatees and sea turtles. They even got to talk to a SeaWorld veterinarian. After visiting the animal hospital, the kids had a chance to visit the dolphins at their underwater viewing location or the dolphin nursery where it was my job to teach them everything I knew about dolphins and answer all their questions. After lunch, we would all go to the dolphin show, Blue Horizons, and if we were lucky we got to see the rescued pilot whales who sometimes make an appearance. The day would end by playing games or making a fun craft to take home.

Every day at this internship was an adventure. I learned so much about the biology of marine mammals and had a blast teaching the kids. In addition to basic biological facts, there was usually a conservation message to drive home. We taught the campers everything from the importance of sustainable seafood practices to recycling plastic bags and bottles. The kids were always so eager to learn how they could help the animals that they formed amazing connections with at the parks.

Interacting with the animals was easily the best part of this internship.

All photos: MOP stock unless otherwise mentioned

Photo Credit: Emily Becker

Photo Credit: Emily Becker

rld Summer

mily Becker, UHM Marine Biology Student While the internship did not allow me to be hands-on with the animals, there were meaningful interactions almost daily.

Almost all of the campers experienced a small mammal or reptile “Meet and Greet,” where they could learn about a new animal and get a chance to touch it and take a photo. Seeing a first grader fearlessly touch a snake or a baby alligator always made me smile. Then there were incredible interactions with SeaWorld’s more celebrated animals. At the underwater viewing of the killer whales, we would teach the kids something called the Shamu Shimmy. The Shamu Shimmy is basically the hokey-pokey, but with whale parts instead of humans.

Every time we saw the killer whales there, we would dance and the whales would stop whatever they were doing to watch the group of 24 kids in bright green shirts dancing and singing. One of the whales, Trua, would blow bubbles and appear to dance along. My favorite animal interaction that the camp participated in was with the shortfin pilot whales. These whales were rescued about 5 years ago when they stranded on a beach in two separate stranding events. SeaWorld rescued and rehabilitated them but they were deemed

un-releasable by NOAA officials, so they now live at SeaWorld Orlando permanently. Occasionally the kids had a chance to speak to one of the trainers and explore the back pool of the dolphin show stadium.

The whales displayed curiosity towards visitors and would begin to show off for the kids, much to their delight. They loved the attention, so the more the kids laughed and clapped, the more acrobatic and playful the whales became. It was truly an amazing thing to watch.

Making these connections with animals is really what SeaWorld is all about. The kids had fun learning about the animals and how they can help them in the wild. I got the chance of a lifetime to spend my days teaching kids about these awesome animals, hopefully inspiring them to someday pursue a career in biology or zoology. It truly was the best summer ever!

I would like to thank the Education Department at SeaWorld Orlando for the opportunity to participate in this internship. For more information on how to get involved as a SeaWorld intern, visit http://careers.seaworldparks.com/Scripts/Home/Default.aspx OCTOBER 2015 |5

cean updates

By Camra Hopper UHM MOP Student

Elephant seals in Ano Nuevo State Reserve, California. Photo Crecit: Kimon Berlin, Flikr

Año Nuevo State Reserve, California Elephant seals accumulate high concentrations of mercury in their bodies as fish-eating predators. Scientist at UC Santa Cruz show elephant seals shed significant amounts of mercury during molting, leading to a high concentration of the toxic metal in the coastal waters near Año Nuevo State Reserve, California. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) revealed an unrecognizable source of mercury contamination in the coastal waters on September 7, 2015.

The marine environment is becoming more polluted with the most toxic form, methyl mercury, through a process known as “bio magnification,” which occurs as toxins become more and more concentrated as it passes up the food chain. The concentration of mercury in predators at the top of the food chain can be one to ten million times higher than levels found in seawater.

During seasonal changes, scientists were able to detect the amounts of mercury near large colonies of seals and sea lions at the reserve and San Miguel Island. This study found that during elephant seal molting season the levels of methyl mercury largely increased. When measured during breeding season, the mercury levels 6| Seawords

were 17 times higher than molting season because elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) go through a“catastrophic molt,” which thy shed an entire outer layer of skin and pelage.

Alaska For the past 25 years, the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 has been studied to learn more about the impacts it has had on the Alaskan communities and ecosystems affected. A new study from NOAA indicates that embryonic salmon and herring exposed to very low levels of crude oil, can develop hidden heart defects that compromise their later survival. This indicates that the spill had a much greater impact on spawning fish than previously recognized. The heart malfunction reduces larval swimming ability. The developing fish heart is extremely sensitive to crude oil toxicity, but more importantly this can cause a decline in the survival rate of first-year offsprings, which in turn reduces the longterm abundance of wild fish. Scientist from the Northwest Fisheries Science Center and Alaska Fisheries Science Center conducted an experiment with embryonic salmon and herring by exposing them to low levels of crude oil from the North Slope of Alaska. Both spec-

ies absorbed chemicals into the tissues, similar to those at the spill, then the embryos were transferred to clean seawater and raised for eight months. The study showed that the embryos grew more slowly and fish exposed to the highest concentrations swam the slowest. This study will help guide the focus for upcoming spills.

Christmas Island CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization) and Imperial College London have assessed the threat of plastic for the world’s seabirds, including albatrosses (Diomedeidae), shearwaters (Puffinus nativitatis), and penguins (Spheniscidae).

They found the majority of seabird species have plastic in their gut. The study was led by Dr. Chris Wilcox, research scientist at CSIRO with coauthors Dr. Denise Hardesty, research scientist at CSIRO, and Dr. Erik van Sebille, Oceanographer and Climate scientist at Imperial College, who found that nearly 60 percent of all seabirds have plastic in their gut. In 1960, plastic was found in the stomach of less than 5 percent of individual seabirds and rose to 80 percent by 2010. Based on current trends, the prediction is that the plastic ingestion will affect 99 percent of the world’s seabird species by 2050.

This plastic includes bags, bottle caps, and plastic fibers from synthetic clothes that have washed out from urban rivers, sewers, and waste deposits. Scientist estimate that 90 percent of all seabirds alive today have eaten plastic of some kind. This is caused by birds mistaking the brightly colored items for food, leading to gut impaction, weight loss, and sometimes death.

Dr. Hardest has found nearly 200 pieces of plastic in a single seabird. The places with the most devastating impact occur in areas where there is a greater diversity of species, such as the Southern Ocean, edges of Australia, South Africa, and South America. Penguins and giant albatross are found in these areas, threatening their lives. There have been efforts to reduce plastic lost in the environment in Europe by bettering their basic waste management leading to the reduced amounts of plastic in seabirds in less than a decade.

thought. This abundant copepod species is an important food source for many commercial fish species, such as, cod larvae, herring, and capelin, as well as whales, birds, and other marine creatures. Researches from Denmark National Institute of Aquatic Resources (DTU Aqua), the University of Copenhagen, and the University of Strathclyde have shown that copepods actively transport carbon down to the deep water in the North Atlantic during their winter hibernation.

Human induced global warming is impacting the carbon cycle. When food is plentiful in the summer the copepods are able to reproduce faster than they are consumed during the winter when they hibernate they are unable to reproduce. Right before winter copepods go on a carbon rich lipid diet to allow them to survive during the winter. During this time they swim down to the depths until spring.

Although the copepods travels to the depths have been recorded, their impact on carbon dioxide being removed from the atmosphere has not, until now.

Because they swim down so deep their release of CO2 will not be exchanged within the atmosphere. Copepods send 1-3 million tons of carbon to the depths of the North Atlantic each year. This process is similar to when an organism dies and sinks down to the oceans floor. Although this is a large quantity of carbon being taken from the atmosphere, we cannot sole rely on copepods to protect us from greenhouse gasses because there is constantly more being processed. Not only that, but once our seas get warmer the species may change their hibernation pattern, no longer taking the CO2 down into the depths as often.

North Atlantic Something as small as a copepod, Calanus finmarchius, plays a more important role in the transportation and storage of CO2 in the ocean than previously

Copepod. calanoid copepod (Diaptomus spp.) Photo Crecit: NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Labratory, Flikr

OCTOBER 2015 |7

Chesapeake Bay, Maryland Researcher conducted at the William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science show that the most intense and widespread algal blooms have occurred in recent years. The water samples collected near the mouth of the York River contained up to 200,000 algal cells per milliliter, the densest concentration seen in nearly 10 years. To human eyes 1,000 algal cells per milliliter is visible. The bloom is dominated by a single-celled protozoan called Alexandrium monilatum, an algal species known to release toxins harmful to other marine life, mainly larval shellfish and finfish.

VIMS has received reports of small numbers of dead fishes, oysters, and crabs from lower York River and adjacent Bay waters, Alexandrium also extends far into the main area of the Bay. Monitoring the impacts of the algal bloom is diffi-

Caption: Chesapeake Bay Lighthouse Phto Credit: Scott1436, Flikr

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cult due to the tides, winds, currents, and convoluted shoreline creating blooms that are patchy. Another difficulty is that usually a bloom has a changing mix of algal species, some which may or may not produce toxins that transform an innocuous algal aggregation in a harmful bloom. Three scientists are running Dataflow through seven bloom patches to compare their sensor data with water samples taken, to further explore potential links between water quality and bloom characteristics. A NASA airplane also fly over the bay with electromagnetic sensors and camera. These data are used by comparing it with direct measures of algae and water samples taken at the same time as the flyby.

The help of NASA and NOAA will advance the findings being made to help predict algal bloom patterns in Chesapeake Bay may change their hibernation pattern, no longer taking the CO2 down into the depths as often. n

DIVE SAFETY TIP

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e v i d g

vin i D r

l tions fo a c di

on o C t fe a S n terming By UH Dive Safety Office e h De

W Tip 5

r s fo

Dave Pence

Liv Wheeler

Sean Dimoff

Megan Russell

Rebecca Weible

Photo credit: Jeff Kuwabara

H

ave you ever read a diving accident report? From the readers perspective it always seems obvious as to when the divers should have cancelled their dive. But we guarantee that when you are in similar situations, the decisions you make are not always so black and white. So to help you when you run into making that tough decision to cancel a dive excursion or call off a dive early, here are 5 tips to help you decide when is the right time to cancel a dive and find another activity to fill your time.

cont. on the next page...

OCTOBER 2015  |9

1

Three or more things go wrong before the dive.

Often times, small mistakes in preparation before a dive occur, missing pieces of non-essential equipment, feeling under the weather or using gear that is not your own can all be minor nuisances alone, but when the number of these smaller mistakes reaches a threshold, it should be time to call a dive and leave it for another day when you may be better prepared. We employ the rule of three as our threshold for when a diving activity should be cancelled, after three mistakes are presented within a dive group, the safety and satisfaction of the diving activity can decrease sharply. A few examples of when it would be a good idea to call the dive due to compromised equipment include: • If someone forgets something like their compass or cutting device, this reduces equipment redundancy within the group and makes buddy contact even more important while diving.

• If on the way to the dive site a diver slips or falls, and while no one may have been injured, this might indicate that the diver is not on their “A” game and isn’t mentally or physically prepared for their diving activity. Not being mentally or physically prepared for a dive also includes a diver who is feeling under the weather before the dive or might have a small injury such as a pulled hamstring; these minor health issues reduce a diver’s ability to focus as well as compromise their diving fitness.

• If a diver forgets a critical piece of their gear and can have it replaced but with an unfamiliar set up. This adds stress to the dive because, while their dive gear may function, it is not set up in a familiar way. These incidents on their own might not be enough to completely call for the cancellation of a dive, but it is important to have a threshold and stick to it, preventing the stacking up of difficulties and potential challenging situations that you might encounter on dives.

Photo credits: Rob, Flikr

2

The weakest diver is uncomfortable with the diving activity.

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Photo credits: Jeff Kuwabara

Diving is a team activity, you are always trained to dive as buddy teams or, often times, with groups larger than that. It is important to always remember that any dive group is only as strong as its weakest diver. Diving in conditions or environments that “most” or “nearly all” of the divers are comfortable in do not make it a safe dive. All divers should be competent and comfortable in the environments and conditions in which they are diving. Therefore always plan your diving activities based on the abilities of the weakest or least-trained or leastcomfortable diver in your group and don’t be afraid to call the dive if they are not comfortable. It is most important to get everyone home safely, not to try and coerce your dive buddy into diving somewhere they are not comfortable.

3

Your evaluation of conditions puts them above your skill level.

4

Photo credits: MOP

Particularly when the weather is hard to read and you cannot determine if it will get better or worse, it is always a good idea to err on the side of caution.

Conditions in the water are constantly changing and your safety and comfortability while diving are paramount to the experience. Never place yourself in a position where your safety is threatened. There will always be plenty of days for diving, particularly if you live here on O‘ahu, and there are plenty of spots all around the island. Sometimes calling a dive in one location due to bad conditions can just mean that you are moving to a different location with safer or calmer conditions.

During a dive conditions begin to dramatically worsen Photo credits:Antoinette-Ranit

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Sometimes calling off a dive can happen while you are actually on the dive. You started the dive in conditions that everyone was comfortable diving in and the forecast looked good for the rest of the day, but in the ocean conditions are always changing and it is important to always be observing for any possible unsafe changes. Major conditions changes that we commonly see on dives are increasing or changing currents, decreases in visibility, and increased wave action and surge (particularly with shallow dives).

Always keep your head on a swivel for any of these changes during your dives as they may be reason to cancel the dive early and get everyone home safe before conditions continue to worsen.

Photo credits: Corey Mutnik

You feel uncomfortable or simply have a strange feeling about diving that day.

You don't need to explain yourself or even necessarily have a good reason. It is always better to simply cancel a dive rather than to dive and find out why you were having such strange feelings. You might not be in a good state of mind for diving, you could be starting to come down with some sort of cold or flu, or perhaps you just don’t particularly feel like diving on that day. It is always best to err on the side of caution and if you are having odd or uncomfortable feelings about diving, cancel the dive that day and return to dive on another day that those feelings aren’t ailing you.

We hope that these tips can help you when you enter that difficult grey area of deciding when to cancel or call off a dive.

Remember, the decision isn’t easy and is not always the most popular one, but your safety stands above all else in diving.

We wish you good fun and smart decisions in all of your future diving adventures.

OCTOBER 2015 |11

Pictured above (left to right): UHM MOP Student Rebecca Weible with Jason Raupp, Melissa Price, & Andy Collins

SS Mission San

discovered by University of Hawai‘i r

B

UHM MOP Student Rebecca Weible with Jason Raupp, Ryan Harris & Melissa Price.

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n Miguel wreck

researchers including UHM MOP student

By Jessica Lotts , UHM MOP Student

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fter lying undiscovered for nearly 60 years, the US Naval Tanker, SS Mission San Miguel, was discovered by NOAA’s Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program on Monday, August 3rd. UH Mānoa MOP student, Rebecca Weible, was a member of the research team that discovered the wreck.

“It felt amazing, I don’t know how else to explain it…to finally see it, and to be the first one to see it myself, it was just a really overpowering, amazing, gratefulness,” said Weible.

The tanker was on its way to from Seattle to Guam when it sank after hitting a reef in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands in 1957. The tanker is approximately 158m long with a 21m beam.After the first day of not finding anything, the team was a slightly discouraged, “We were sad and a little frustrated,” said Weible, but they did not give up.

After re-charting the coordinates, the team set off on Day Two with high hopes. After hours of tow-boarding with no results, team leader Jason Raupp, told the coxswain (ship’s navigator) to follow his gut, and they continued on. Within minutes, the crew discovered an anchor, pipes, and lines, sitting in about 12 ft. of water. They knew the ship had to be nearby.

They discovered the vessel resting at approximately 25m depth, “I looked over and right in front of me is this massive, massive ship,” said Weible.

They found the stern of the ship lying portside with the helm and glass portals still intact. With its location being a mystery for decades, the ship has stayed in relatively good condition.

The SS Mission San Miguel remains protected in the waters of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. n All photos: Andy Collins, courtesy of Rebecca Weible

OCTOBER 2015 |13

ocean art

by Julia Krause

Photo credits:Julia Krause

Julia’s poem was chosen from a collection of poems submitted to us by Eric Paul Shaffer, an HCC English professor and written by his from his English 241 class.

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My name is Julia and I am originally from Brazil. I have been in Hawaii for the past 2 and a half years, majoring in international business. Living in Hawaii made me fall in love with the ocean more than I did before.

I believe the turquoise blue ocean is responsible for my love for the ocean.

96.5% Water Early on a Sunday morning at the empty beach, watching the thunderstorm showing fury like if nature was pissed because of humanity.

The ocean was not turquoise blue as usual.

The ocean was grey like if the ocean was sad for the loss of sea animals from global warming.

The dark grey waves were angry while hitting on the rocks in the shore as if Poseidon was mad at population.

The sound of the waves crashing against the rocks reminded me of a rock concert.

The waves were loud and full of energy.

The wind was blowing strong, bringing the tangy smell of salt water and reminding me of my childhood summers.

The sand is still soft but humid between my toes and fingers, going on forever in the shore.

In the outside, there is anger and sadness, but beneath all that anger and sadness the ocean is deep, peaceful and alone.

Beneath the angry waves and the grey ocean, there are colours from the different types of corals to crown fish, whales and shells, just like a box of crayons.

Beneath the dark grey waves there is purity and peace just like angels in the sky

Photo credits: Kimberly James, UHM

OCTOBER  2015  |15

Actions for the Ocean

BLUE

By Jessica Lotts, UHM MOP Student

THE OCEAN SPANS OVER 70 PERCENT OF OUR WORLD. It is responsible for regulating temperature, food production, sustaining numerous marine species, and is a source for inspiration among multiple other things. The ocean gives us so much and it is time for us to return the favor and take actions to make the ocean ecosystem healthy again. Almost every action that we take affects the ocean in some way. Our everyday choices can be tailored to support a healthy ocean. Here are some examples of green acts that will keep the ocean blue.

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early 2,000 endangered marine species are listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Although being placed on this list makes it illegal to hunt, harass, capture, kill, or harm these animals in any way, there are still people and organizations who use these species to make certain goods and products. You can help protect marine life by not purchasing any of the following:

Coral jewelry

Photo credit: Shelly Scott, Flickr

Healthy reefs can display a dazzling array of colors, from bright reds and pinks to vivid yellows, it’s no wonder coral has been the inspiration for many jewelers. Despite the pretty design in fashion trends, the harvesting of coral has had a dramatic impact on the ocean. More than 40 countries are affected by the blast fishing of reefs for aquariums and jewelry trade according to NOAA. By not purchasing any products made from coral, we can do our part to stop the over fishing and destruction of our precious reef systems.

Tortoiseshell merchandise

Photo credit: Antoinette Ranit, UHM MOP Student

Tortoiseshell is a material produced using the shells of turtles, mainly the hawksbill turtle. Tortoiseshell is a popular design for glasses frames, combs, guitar picks, and knitting needles. It was a prized material in ancient times, and is still valued to this day, despite the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) prohibiting the trade of tortoiseshell in 1971. .According to Sea Turtle Conservancy Newsletter, Velador. “The tortoiseshell trade remains an ongoing and pervasive threat to hawksbill recovery in the Americas, Asia, and parts of Africa.

Despite significant progress in reducing the global volume of trade, numerous hawksbill populations have not received sufficient protection to stabilize and begin to recover; many depleted, declining or remnant populations remain. The lack of management and law enforcement are major challenges.”

Shark Products

Photo credit: j-No, Flickr

An estimated 100 million sharks are killed by humans annually, according to a comprehensive study conducted by the journal, Marine Policy. Sharks are hunted for sport and are prized for their meat, fins, jaws, and teeth. Avoid eating any meal containing shark meat such as shark fin. In addition, please refrain from purchasing sharks teeth or jaws at any souvenir market.

OCTOBER 2015 |17

ARINE

By Sarah Franklin, UHM MOP Student

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amed “Ambassadors of Aloha”, the spinner dolphin is a playf phins are small cetaceans; adults typically reach a length bet sides light gray and their bellies are pale gray or white. Havin sunlight shining down on them. They also have a dark band

AMMAL

Spinner dolphins earned their name for their incredible jumps high out turning to the water. There are many hypothesized explanations for why the spin. Spinning is also thought to be a courtship display and helps the The spinner dolphin is also known for a behavioral trait, head slapping, the pod, usually to indicate a directional change of the pod. Aside from

Tropical and subtropical waters between 40°N and 40°S are the primary off shore. The dolphins that are native to Hawaii, gather close to shore du hemisphere of the brain is dormant, the other half is alert, consciously b unconscious. As dusk begins to settle over the ocean, the largest biologic ocean in order to feed. The dolphins leave the confines of the bays and c herd their prey into dense patches where they then circle around it and q whale, and the short-finned pilot whale.

In Hawai‘i, the spinner dolphin is a cherished marine mammal, attractin pods. These activities are coming under criticism on grounds of possible

In the 1950’s, purse seine fishing for tuna began, killing tens of thousand tries and internationally by the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commiss and lines and drowning. Many dolphins that are caught in fisherman’s n

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We can’t imagine an ocean without dolphins in it, and if we all do our pa do not go into our oceans. Boycott any tuna that is not labeled “dolphinthat calls it home is every ones responsibility, so that these majestic creat

Photo credit: Amelia Dolgin

Spinner dolphin Scientific Name: Stenella longirostris Hawaiian Name: “Nai ‘a” Range: Tropical, subtropical and warm temperate world ocean Food: Deep-ocean species of fish and squid Size: 1.7 to 2.2 m

ful bow-rider, which is notorious for approaching ship on our waters and swimming along side of them. Spinner doltween 129-235 cm and a body mass of 23-79 kg. The spinner dolphin is three colors, the dorsal side is dark gray, the ng a light color on their underside helps disguise them from predators underneath them because they blend in with the d that runs from their eye to their flipper.

of the water. When they leap into the air, they can make as many as 4 complete spins along their body axis before rey these dolphins spin so often. Some scientists believe it is a form of expression or a reaction to what happen just prior to e dolphin attract a mate. Most of all, jumping out of the water and spinning is regarded to just be fun for the dolphins. which is when one of the dolphins hits it head on the surface of the water, sending an acoustical message to the rest of spinning and head slaps, a spinner dolphin also makes nose-outs, tail slaps, and side and backslaps.

habitat of the spinner dolphin. They primarily live near islands or banks, but in eastern tropical Pacific the dolphins live uring the morning and afternoon to sleep. When a dolphin sleeps, it only shuts off parts of its brain at a time. While one breathing, and keeping the mammal from drifting with the currents away from the pod. Dolphins are never completely cal migration on Earth takes place as millions of tons of microscopic organisms surface from the dark depths of the coves and swim out to open water in order to feed on small deep-ocean fish and squid. Spinner dolphins cooperatively quickly dart through, making a catch. The predators of the spinner dolphin are sharks, killer whales, the pygmy killer

ng many tourists to their nesting areas each year; resulting in many curious snorkelers to swim along side them and their e harm to the dolphins.

ds of spinner dolphins, mostly eastern and white-bellied varieties. Though these cetaceans are protected by coastal counsion (IATTC) they still have to battle to survive everyday due to human activities. Dolphins are being entangled in nets nets full of tuna are pulled aboard ships and abandoned on the decks, and eventually thrown back into the water as trash.

art, we never have to. Do your best to conserve water and dispose of harmful chemicals and pollutants properly, so they -safe” and use Seafood Watch to choose seafood that’s good for you and the ocean. Protecting the ocean and everything atures can swim free for many years to come. n OCTOBER 2015 |19

NOAA Hollings Internship

By Allie Sifrit, UHM Marine Biology Student

A

s an undergraduate studying marine biology here at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, I realize how important it is to gain valuable experience in my prospective field of study, and internships are a great way to do so. In 2014 I was awarded the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to students studying related to NOAA’s mission, from ocean related topics such as coral reef ecology, to atmospheric related topics such as weather patterns. Recipients receive an academic scholarship for their junior and senior years of an undergraduate degree program, as well as an internship at any NOAA office during the summer prior to senior year.

Caption: Allie Sifrit with other Class of 2014 Hollings Scholars. Photo Credit: Allie Sifrit

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In May 2015, I began my 11 week internship at the NOAA Beaufort Laboratory in Beaufort, North Carolina. I worked on the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP), under the direction of Shay Viehman. For my project, I worked with coral survey data collected in the US Virgin Islands in 2013.

NCRMP conducts coral and fish surveys in the Caribbean, West Atlantic, as well as all throughout the Pacific. My research question was: How are the seven Threatened Caribbean coral species, and three selected invertebrate species distributed throughout the US Virgin Islands (USVI)?

In order to answer this question I spent the majority of my time at a desk organizing data, understanding its distribution, performing statistical analyses, and learning how to use ArcGIS and a computer programming software called R. This experience was truly eye opening because I had not realized the breadth of data analysis that goes into large scale ecological studies. I chose to describe the species distribution for the seven Caribbean corals that are listed as Threatened on the Endangered Species Act list.

The seven species are Acropora cervicornis, Acropora palmate, Dendrogyra cylindrus, Mycetophyllia ferox, Orbicella annularis, Orbicella faveolata, and Orbicella franksi. I was working with presence/absence, size, density, percent cover, and mortality data. It was extremely informative to work with such a wide range of data, especially since coral reef ecology is my prospective career field. The three species of invertebrates (Diadema antillarum, Eustrombus gigas, Panulirus argus) were chosen by NCRMP personnel, either because they were of fisheries concern, or ecological concern.

The only data available for these species was their abundance, which still allowed for detailed distribution

comparisons.

The survey locations were scattered throughout two of the three islands which make up the US Virgin Islands, St. Thomas and St. John, in waters less than 99 feet deep. Some of the survey locations were inside marine protected areas. This allowed me to use the different types of data collected to understand how these organisms are distributed as depth increases, and to partially understand the effectiveness of the marine protected areas. Since this was the first time NCRMP surveyed in the US Virgin Islands, I could not compare the 2013 data with previous years; however, I was able to help collect the 2015 data, which will allow for monitoring comparisons to be made in the future.

Participation in field work is often the highlight of any internship or career, experience. I worked with the NOAA Dive Safety Officer to become a Volunteer NOAA Research Diver for the summer. This was an extensive process which included a lengthy exam, a swim test and a checkout dive. In mid-July I flew to St Thomas, and took a boat to St John, where I stayed. It was a two week trip, but many of us, including myself, could only stay for one week. We dove Monday through Friday, anywhere from 4 to 6 dives a day. On St. John we partnered with the National Park Service to conduct these reef surveys. The surveys were conducted along a 25m transect and collected data on fish

abundance, biomass and species composition, coral species percent cover, size, and mortality, as well as the invertebrate counts. The most difficult part of field research was memorizing approximately 65 coral species, and correctly identifying them underwater. After a few days, I was able to collect data without a chaperone, which was very exciting. Field work in the US Virgin Islands was most definitely the best part of my summer.

After returning from the field mission, I had approximately one week to finalize my summer research and the PowerPoint presentation. As a requirement for the NOAA Hollings scholarship, all of the scholars must present their research projects at the NOAA Office of Education Symposium in Silver Spring, MD. This was a very valuable experience as presenting research is an important skill to have in the professional world.

Overall, I gained many valuable skills from this internship, such as mapping on ArcGIS, data analysis, and research diving. n I am very grateful for these experiences provided by the NOAA Office of Education, for more information regarding the NOAA Ernest F Hollings Scholarship Program, please visit: http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/scholarships/hollings. html#page=program

Photo Credit: Allie Sifrit

OCTOBER 2015  |21

critter of the month

Photo credit:Tate Wester, UHM MOP Student Coordinator

Desirable Nudibranch Scientific Name: Flabellina exoptata Desirable Nudibranchs (Flabellina exoptata), are a very small nudibranch species named after their desirable appearance and beautiful coloration patterns. Hawaiian specimens have a bright white body with thick, red-orange rhinophores and papillae . The body is studded with cerata with a purple subapical ring at the bases and opaque, cream tip.

Desirable Nudibranchs have a distribution throughout the West Pacific and Indian Ocean. F. exoptata are found along vertical substrate in clear water containing some surge or current.

Their primary prey are hydroids and F. exoptata acquire stinging capsules from the hydroids they consume.

22| Seawords

FREE PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS

October 2015 – Science and the Hawaiian Monk Seal - 4 October “Risk and Reward: Field camp tales of the hazards and triumphs encountered in NWHI monk seal research”

by Chad Yoshinaga, NOAA

Photo by NOAA

See you Sunday!

Photo by H.U.R.L.

Questions?

Call # 397-5840

- 11 October “Conservation Drones: How unmanned aerial systems are helping to understand and protect marine mammals”

by Charles Littnan, NOAA - 18 October “#MonkSeal: Social media and how its helping monk seal conservation”

by Mark Sullivan, NOAA - 25 October “Monk seal whispering: Using behavioral conditioning to train endangered animals to avoid dangerous situations”

by Stacie Robinson, NOAA

Photo by NOAA

Sunday afternoons 3pm to 4pm at Hanauma Bay Parking $1.00 Photo

by H.U.R.L. per vehicle

FLASHBACK: 1992 In 1992, on QUEST’s ten year anniversary, MOP students were actively involved in QUEST just as they are now! In the article, the process for students in the program was described including the memorization of approximately 200 Hawaiian species. Currently, a new group of prospective QUEST students are hard at work taking the QUEST ID classes in order to prepare for the course. If you are interested in taking a “Blast to the Past” to check out how QUEST has evolved over the last 23 years, visit the MOP office to look through the archived MOP issues from as far back as 1973.

OCTOBER 2015 |23

CALL TO ACTION Please check nearby coral reefs and report any signs of bleaching.

Make an online report: www.eorhawaii.org Send photos to:

rrcpcoordinator@gmail.com Bleached coral (on right) next to normal coral (left) at Lanikai, O‘ahu on 9/23/2014 Photo credit: C. Hunter

Multiple reports of coral bleaching have recently been received through the Eyes of the Reef Network.

‘Bleaching’ is a coral stress response, in this case likely due to high temperatures. It describes the loss of color from coral tissue, which makes the coral appear white. Corals can recover from bleaching if temperatures return to a normal range. The peak bleaching season for the Pacific is July-- September.

More examples of coral bleaching:

Photo credit: J. Kenyon Photo credit: G. Aeby

Want to know more about the EOR Network or coral bleaching? www.oerhawaii.org www.facebook.com/eyesofthereef Flyer created by and used with permission from: Eyes of the Reef 24| Seawords

If you are interested in submitting articles, photography, or art to Seawords, send us an email at seawords@hawaii.edu with the subject line “Student submission.”

We accept submissions year round.

Photo credit: Koa Matsuoka, former UHM MOP Student

Seawords Volume XXIX, Number 8, October 2015 Editor: Brijonnay Madrigal Advisor: Kathryn Lam Dr. Cynthia Hunter (éminence grise) Seawords- Marine Option Program University of Hawai‘i, College of Natural Sciences 2450 Campus Road, Dean Hall 105A Honolulu, HI 96822-2219 Telephone: (808) 956-8433 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.

OCTOBER 2015 |15

October Photo credit: Kimberly James, UHH MOP Student

Sun.

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Next month: -Nov. 11- Veteran’s Day -Nov. 21-Polynesian Voyaging Society Tour -Nov. 26 & 27- Thanksgiving Break (No School)

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Sunday’s at the Bay Hanauma Bay 3 - 4 pm “Science and the Hawaiian Monk Seal Series”

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QUEST ID Exam Dean Hall 104 6 - 8 pm

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Sunday’s at the Bay Hanauma Bay 3 - 4 pm “Science and the Hawaiian Monk Seal Series”

Sunday’s at the Bay Hanauma Bay 3 - 4 pm “Science and the Hawaiian Monk Seal Series”

25 Sunday’s at the Bay Hanauma Bay 3 - 4 pm “Science and the Hawaiian Monk Seal Series” 26| Seawords

Tour of HURL Makai Pier 8:45am-1:30pm

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Hagfish Day

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MOP & Community Events

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10 Tour of HIMB on Coconut Island Lilipuna Pier 8:45am- 2:30 pm

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Halloween

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

Thank you for reading!