Marine Conservation Biology - Hawaii
Conserving Marine Biodiversity in the World’s Most Remote Island Chain
September 8, 2007 at 8:14 am · Filed under Notices and Updates
This is the student weblog for MARINE CONSERVATION BIOLOGY (B295S & ENV 324)
The course is offered by the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, at the D
uke University Marine Laboratory and will be taught next during Spring 2008
The instructors for the course are:
Andy Read (aread@duke.edu) - see website
Dave Johnston (Dave.Johnston@noaa.gov) - see website
In this course we examine the challenges associated with managing and conserving protected, threatened and endangered marine species in the Hawaiian Archipelago. We will use a variety of examples from the Hawaiian islands as case studies.
- Recovery programs for endangered monk seals across the Archipelago;
- The undesired effects of tourism on marine mammals;
- Using marine protected areas to conserve coral reef ecosystems;
- Conserving and protecting breeding seabirds in the NWHI;
- Managing the effects of invasive species in the NWHI;
- Assessing and managing the effects of marine debris accumulation in the NWHI;
- Studying the effects of climate change and sea-level rise on NWHI atolls.
The course includes a field trip to Hawaii, including a 10 day excursion to Midway Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, where we examine these issues first-hand with the assistance of scientists and managers working for Federal natural resource agencies. Indeed, students taking this course get unprecedented access to the professionals charged with ensuring the sustainability of protected species in Hawaii.
Below you will find the entries posted by last years students. These postings will provide you with an excellent overview of the course and what you will experience during the field portion of the course.
September 25, 2007 at 10:10 am · Filed under Notices and Updates
On May 1-2, 2007, a workshop was held to discuss NMFS Higher Education
Programs. The goals of the workshop were the following:
- To develop the first comprehensive catalog of all current NOAA Fisheries higher education programs (both undergraduate and graduate programs that focus on student education and training),
- To present and discuss a wide range of effective methodologies (e.g. marketing, student selection, skills training, program
evaluation),
- To ascertain Science Board priorities regarding higher education programs,
- To map the catalog of current higher education programs to Science Board priorities in order to identify and strategically address gaps needed to be filled in the future.
The Marine Conservation Biology - Hawaii course was included in the assessment. The final project catalog from the workshop can be downloaded here.
February 6, 2007 at 7:26 am · Filed under Notices and Updates
As you can see from the entries below, we had a great week on Oahu. I'd like to thank all the stakeholders who took time out from their busy schedules to share their perspectives on marine conservation issues with us. Direct access to such a wide diversity of important decision makers is what makes this class so special. 
Special thanks to Dave and Kerry for their wonderful hospitality, and for making everything work in Honolulu, and to Janna, Debbie and Patty for their support in Beaufort.
Finally, I'd like to acknowledge the students themselves - Amy, Andrew, Ellen, Emily, Jen, Justin, Kelly, Michael and Sarah - for their thoughtful blog entries and, more importantly, for their intellectual energy and good humo(u)r, which made this experience so fun and rewarding for all of us.
See you next year.
Aloha and mahalo,
Andy
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 2, 2007 at 11:27 pm · Filed under Conserving Coral Reefs, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, Spam
Friday morning began by meeting with Kerry Irish to discuss the design of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument. On June 15th, 2006, President Bush designated an area 1200 statute miles long by 100 nautical miles wide as a protected monument by power of the Antiquities Act of 1906. This area houses about 7,000 species, a quarter of which are endemic to Hawaii. There has never before been an aquatic monument established under this act, so Kerry is working to determine how exactly to manage this monument. The Antiquities Act's lack of defined guidelines has presented Kerry with 'A real opportunity to make a difference' during the design of this monument. Previously, the area had been listed as a sanctuary by President Clinton, but President Bush's move to make the area a monument offers much greater legal protection. Currently, the State of Hawaii, the Department of the Interior, and the Department of Commerce serve as co-trustees of this magnificent marine monument.
Despite the absolute protection now offered to this vast area of coral reefs and the marine life inhabiting it, there is much controversy surrounding the monument itself. Native Hawaiians, fishermen, the scientific community, lawyers, and the 
public all have differing and diverse opinions about the establishment and usefulness of this monument. This has caused much frustration in the community as progress has been made through the natural growing pains of the design process. It was a unique experience and absolutely fascinating to listen to Kerry talk as she walked us through the various issues that must be dealt with during the design process. Also, the amount of governmental red-tape that must be navigated to implement procedures for protection blew me away, and the task Kerry faces appears to be truly monumental.
After talking with Kerry, we hopped in our beloved econovan, and moved onto our next exotic locale, Hanauma Bay. Hanauma Bay is a remarkable example of marine conservation in action. As recently as 1988, an estimated 10,000 people visited the bay a day. This number is mind-boggling after seeing the small size of the beach and bay. Luckily, restrictive measures were employed during the 1990's, and now only around 3,000 people are allowed daily. Just imagine 10,000 people on this beach, and also look at the stream of people entering the bay as viewed from the reef:
Upon entering the park, we were required to listen to a brief orientation followed by an educational video. This orientation is designed to educate visitors to the delicate nature of this amazing reef ecosystem, teaching tourists safe and environmentally friendly snorkeling practices. After entering the beach, we immediately witnessed many individuals standing on the reef, an action that was specifically deemed as harmful during the orientation. There wasn't much we could do, so we found a nice spot to settle, and geared-up to go for a snorkel.
Now, Emily was excited to go on another sea turtle hunt, but I think I was equally excited to try out my new underwater casing for my digital camera. Amy, Emily and myself buddied up and headed in. After about 5 minutes we spotted our first Honu (green sea turtle).
Emily was PSYCHED, but like a good ecotourist, she withheld the urge to dive down and hug the turtles. As we continued our snorkel, we saw a variety of reef life, here are some pictures of just a few of the fish we saw:
Unfortunately, our Hanauma Bay experience had to come to an end, but I think it is safe to say that everyone enjoyed a wonderful day of snorkeling which just so happened to occur on the most beautiful day we experienced on our trip. To end a great day, Dave Johnston and Kerry Irish had us over for a dinner of Ahi, Opa, Mahi-Mahi, and veggie burgers, a fabulous night to help wind down a remarkable trip. Sadly, no Spam was served as Costco only sold six-packs.
-Andrew
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