Marine Conservation Biology - Hawaii
Conserving Marine Biodiversity in the World’s Most Remote Island Chain
Archive for Marine Mammals and Ecotourism
February 5, 2007 at 3:28 pm · Filed under Marine Mammals and Ecotourism, Ship strikes and Whales
To finish off our amazing week in O'ahu, we had planned to go out on the water to watch humpback whales on Saturday. Unfortunately, when we arrived at Pier 800 to depart, we found out that problems with the boat had arisen that morning. We decided that it would be best to not go out and risk a Coast Guard rescue. Though we were all disappointed about this development, we weren’t about to let it ruin our last day.
To replace the boat excursion, we took a trip in our trusty van up the Waianae coast to see if we could see spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris). Though we did not see any dolphins, we saw that there were many other people out looking as well - boats of tourists hoping to swim with dolphins. During the day, spinners rest in sandy-bottomed bays, which makes them easy to access for boaters, kayakers, and swimmers. Though there are guidelines for how people should interact with these marine mammals, many people now recognize that a set of voluntary guidelines may not be enough. Currently, the National Marine Fishery Service is in the process of creating regulation to govern dolphin interactions. They have proposed doing partial time or area closures of dolphin resting habitats during peak rest hours.
While whale-watching at Makapu'u point, a young woman approached me and we spoke for a while about things to do in Honolulu. Among other things, she recommended that I take a certain dolphin tour where you can swim, snorkel, or snuba with dolphins. I asked her how close she was able to get, and she excitedly blurted that you could touch them. Feigning disbelief, I asked if the tour guides had said touching was safe, and she said that it was “totally fine” and that the dolphins were “friendly.” Who knows whether the tour operator was the one to blame for either not educating against (or blatantly encouraging) these sorts of interactions, or if over-zealous tourists are simply ignoring the rules, but the class felt that some sort of regulation seemed necessary to protect dolphins!
While looking for dolphins, we drove all the way up Farrington Highway to the end of the road at Kaena Point State Park, on the other side of a ridge of mountains from the North Shore where we had seen Monk Seals and Laysan albatrosses. This coast is less developed, especially further away from Honolulu. The climate is drier and sunnier than some other areas on the island, since it is on the leeward side of the mountains and receives less rain. The landscapes were quite striking, with steep mountains covered in vegetation.
This trip did not prove completely marine mammal-less, though – we saw several humpbacks on the horizon, breathing and diving. So, even without our boat trip, we were able to see them once more before heading home!
After this, we headed back toward Honolulu, since several of us were flying home that afternoon and evening. Even as far away as we were, we ran into a good deal of traffic heading into the city. Many people who cannot afford to live in Honolulu live further out in these areas and commute in to town. Also, many people who cannot afford housing at all live on the beaches along the coast in tents and vehicles.
Before we left on this trip, Andy had challenged the class to find the first native bird. Though birds are very plentiful in O'ahu, the most common ones are all exotic species – including Common Mynahs, Java Finches, and Zebra Doves. I sighted the first native at Diamond Head – a relatively inconspicuous bird called the Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis fulva). These birds breed in open nests on the ground in the arctic tundra of northern Asia and Alaska, and then migrate for the winter to southern Asia, Australasia, Hawai'i, and California. We saw these birds often throughout the trip, usually in mowed grassy areas. I saw this one just an hour or so before my flight out.
Finally, there were no SPAM sightings today, but I thought I would drop one final, valuable reference: the official website www.spam.com. We realize that you may have been inspired by our trip to taste “Hawai'ian Steak” for yourself, so here you can learn all about it. One of my favorite tidbits of info from the FAQ is that in a perfect situation, SPAM could last forever – “its like meat with a pause button!” You may even wish to join the official fan club while you are there!
Aloha,
Sarah
February 1, 2007 at 3:52 am · Filed under Monk Seals, Marine Mammals and Ecotourism, Ship strikes and Whales, Spam
Since so many of us start our day off with spam, well, actually, just Justin, I felt it would only be proper to also start my blog with a fun filled SPAM fact. In the category of did you know: Residents of a Hawai’i eat an average of four cans of SPAM per person per year, more than any other place on Earth. Onto the rest of our day…
We started the morning like so many mornings before, clamoring into our beloved van and heading out for the day. This morning we headed downtown to talk with Chris Yates and Lisa Van Atta from the NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office. Chris and Lisa have the unique jobs of implementing the management and legal side of conservation biology. We first talked about some of the concerns regarding the proposed Superferry. The Superferry is a large (105 m) high speed, around 25-35 knots, ferry 
that will facilitate inter-island transport. The proposed routes will take the Superferry right through the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, posing a threat to the many humpback whales that migrate every year to Hawaii to breed. The recommended speed to avoid and mitigate ship strikes is 13 knots. Although it would seem that humpbacks would be seemingly invincible from many threats, they, especially juveniles, are susceptible to ship strikes. If a ship going such high speeds were to hit a whale, the results would likely be catastrophic. How real is this problem? A similar ferry, made by the same ship builders, runs in the Canary Islands and has struck and killed sperm whales in the past, leaving very graphic image of dead whales.
Humpback whales are protected under a variety of laws: The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and the National Marine Sanctuaries Act. Both the MMPA and the ESA prohibit the ‘taking’ of a marine mammal or listed species. ‘Taking’ includes killing the whale, but it also includes harassing the animal. The Superferry has not completed an Environmental Impact Statement which would detail the environmental impacts of the ferry to both whales and other species, nor have they consulted with NOAA regarding the ESA. Unfortunately, right now it is a bit of a waiting game to see what will happen next.
However, when it comes to protecting Spinner Dolphins, NOAA is trying to prevent harassment before it really starts. Spinner Dolphins, so named for their interesting acrobatics, feed in the deeper waters off the islands during the night, and then use protected coves and bays during the day to rest. It is during this resting period that these dolphins are exposed to human interaction. Many people are fascinated by dolphins and want to experience them up close and personal. Often there are many people in the water in and around the dolphins while they are trying to rest. It is probably the equivalent of people standing in your bedroom while you are sleeping and talking loudly, telling you how cute you are, and trying to pet you. It is unlikely you would feel very rested in the morning. While the exact impacts of these interactions are unknown, NOAA is trying to protect the dolphins while balancing the desires of people to interact with these animals. And, these are just a few of the issues facing Chris and Lisa. Not an easy job, but definitely an essential aspect of marine mammal conservation.
After thanking Chris and Lisa we hopped back in the van and were off to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument Office to talk with Jason Baker about Monk Seals. An interesting note: Within the offices for the monument are photos from the book Archipelago: Portraits of Life in the World’s Most Remote Island Sanctuary by David
Littschwager. These photos are some of the most amazing marine photos I have ever seen. It is really neat to be able to see them blown up larger than life, and gives us a since of the place. It also does not hurt that the first image you see when you get off the elevator is a monk seal, which is what I was originally talking about. The monk seals, like many of the marine mammals that we have talked about, present a unique conservation issue. Within the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, an area with less than 100 humans, the monk seals are not doing very well. But, in the Main Hawaiian Islands with over a million people and countless interactions with humans, they are fat and happy. Jason spoke with us regarding much of the new scientific information regarding monk seals distribution and threats. Not only are monk seals facing threats such as fishing gear, and lack of food, but they are also facing threats from global climate change. As sea level rises it will decrease the amount of land available for the seals to haul out. It is remarkable that even in such a remote place, the impacts from humans can be felt.
Our day was not yet over as we once again we piled back into the van and headed back downtown again to meet 
with Paul Achitoff, an attorney for Earthjustice. All too often in conservation litigation is a necessary tool to enforce and implement the law. Yesterday we talked to Sean Martin regarding conservation measures the longline fishery is using to prevent bycatch. It was the lawsuit from Earthjustice and Paul that pushed fisherman to find ways to minimize bycatch and greatly reduced the numbers of turtles taken in this fishery. Although often unpopular, litigation is just one of the many tools used in conservation.
At the end of the day we all headed back to the van, but decided to take the bus instead.
Tomorrow: more SPAM and more Van.
Aloha,
Ellen
January 29, 2007 at 8:55 am · Filed under Marine Mammals and Ecotourism, Ship strikes and Whales, Protected Species and Longlines, Notices and Updates
Today was our first full day in Hawaii! In the morning we got up and met Dave Johnston at NOAA and discussed conservation issues in Hawaii. The main things we talked about were the possible impacts of the new Superferry on whales, human interactions with Spinner Dolphins, and how populations of false killer whales can
be affected by longline fisheries. Dave spoke to us about how much tourism the MHI experience and I definitely got to experience that first-hand today! After meeting at NOAA our group went to Diamond Head National Monument for a hike. The hike itself was short but a pretty intense climb. What I noticed on our trip up was the incredible number of people on the trail. There was a steady stream of people utilizing the trail to the point where
I would say it was congested. The hike definitely brought to life some of the issues with heavy tourism we have been discussing since I could see how heavily used the trail is. I am looking forward to opportunities later in the week to see how such active tourism (such as with eco-tours) can affect marine systems here. Upon reaching the top of Diamond Head we were rewarded with a truly incredible view.
What was the most interesting to me was being able to see all the development on the island. We had a pretty clear view of Waikiki and I was struck by all of the tall buildings and houses scattered all over the island. Oahu is definitely more populated than I expected it to be.
After a lunch of Mexican food we headed out to the beach to snorkel. I can honestly say that this experience was one of the highlights of my life! We saw two green sea turtles and I managed to watch one of them for 
quite a while. My life long dream of seeing a wild sea turtle was realized! I managed to stay a respectful distance away from the turtle but the experience made me think more about our discussions about tourism's effects on the Spinner Dolphins. In one's excitement to see an animal I can see how it could be hard to think about how our actions might be negatively impacting the animal. It clearly is a difficult task to balance the interests of different groups (tour operators, conservationists, etc.) when trying to implement a management system. Other than the turtles we saw a few different fish but unfortunately the sun had gone in and it started raining. We headed back for dinner and the chance to catch up on our sleep! I am very much looking forward to the rest of the week and learning more about Hawaii's conservation issues! -Emily
