Hawaiian Monk Seal Support
The Hawaiian Monk Seal has been in existence for more than 13 million years, but in 1976 it was listed as an endangered species. Currently, a newborn monk seal has only a twenty percent chance of surviving to adulthood. With the Hawaiian Monk Seal population dwindling from sickness, injury, entanglement in ocean trash, or premature weaning by their mothers, they could benefit from medical facilities. Each and every monk seal counts and a hospital for monk seals would allow Hawaii to return some of these sick animals back to the ocean.
The Marine Mammal Center and the Hawaii Wildlife Fund have joined forces to raise $2 million to build a Hawaiian Monk Seal healthcare facility in Kona, on the Big Island. For the last decade, The Marine Mammal Center has worked closely with government agencies and other nonprofits to provide medical assistance to monk seals, often flying out teams of its veterinarians, veterinary technicians and trained volunteers to provide hands-on medical care in temporary and make-shift facilities in Hawaii.
On Saturday, September 4, 2010, Team Hawaiian Monk Seal from The Marine Mammal Center will compete in the Maui Channel Swim to support the Center’s efforts to raise funds to build a hospital for monk seals. The swimmers will join 52 teams and 20 solo swimmers from around the world in a daring crossing of the Au Au channel (from the beach at Lanai to Black Rock on the shores of Kaanapali). Support the team as they race 10 miles to protect this fragile species.
More monk seals are dying each year than are being born… every seal matters.
Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale Report
NOAA has produced a report on the health of humpback whales within the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. The report provides a summary of the status of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) and their related habitats in the sanctuary, pressures on those resources, current condition and trends, and management responses to the pressures that threaten the health of humpback whales and their habitat.
The sanctuary was designated to protect the humpback whale and its breeding and calving waters around the main Hawaiian Islands. This area encompasses 1,370 square miles and supports more than half of the North Pacific humpback whale population. Although their overall population is increasing in the sanctuary, their health rating is “fair” because of an increase in reported collisions, entanglements, and associated impacts.
Entanglement and whale-vessel collisions have been widely identified as the primary human cause of mortality for humpback whales, both in Hawaii and around the world. Therefore, these two issues have been identified as immediate and pressing concerns for the sanctuary. This report reaffirms why humpbacks need protection. Through management, resource protection, education, outreach, research and cultural activities, the sanctuary strives to protect humpback whales and their habitat in Hawaii.
This condition report also includes the most up-to-date information from SPLASH (Structure of Populations, Levels of Abundance and Status of Humpbacks). The SPLASH project represents the largest and most complete examination of humpback whale migrations in the world and has revealed a far more complex pattern of movements than had been previously documented. You can read the entire condition report on the health of humpback whales here.
Napali Challenge 2010
The Garden Island Canoe Racing Association is hosting the 2010 Na Pali Challenge on August 14. Each year paddlers from the Hawaiian Islands and around the world gather on the north shore of Kauai for this unique outrigger canoe race. Each team of six kane (men) and six wahine (women) take turns in the canoe (making changes every 30 minutes) while racing down the Na Pali Coast.
The race starts in Hanalei passing some of the most beautiful coastline in Hawaii, majestic cliffs, sea caves, and arches, and finishing in Kekaha for a distance of 38 miles. The six-man and six-woman crews alternate in the boat, making changes on the fly in the open ocean. This year’s field will have around 40 boats lining up at the starting line.
Humpback Whale Season Ending
The first whale sighting in the Hawaiian islands for the 2009-2010 season was at the end of October, and now the time is coming to say good-bye to the humpback whales as they migrate north to Alaska for the summer. The whales need to return to cooler waters so they can feed upon the large schools of small fish that are the mainstay of their diet.
The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary is the nation’s primary mating and calving grounds for the endangered humpback whale. The population of North Pacific humpback whales has recently been increasing about five percent each year. During the Sanctuary Ocean Count in March, volunteers spotted 1,208 humpback whales off the coast of Maui.
The Pacific Whale Foundation reported three sightings of humpback whale calves without their mothers this season. Calves may be without their mothers for a number of reasons – either the mother was accidentally separated from her calf, or she abandoned the calf after deciding it had a health problem which would not allow it to reach maturity, or that the mother died shortly after birth.
Just as the whales do not arrive all at once, they do not depart all at once. Immature whales of both sexes that are still growing and not yet ready to breed usually depart early. Mature males stay here as long as mature females are around (no surprise there). Mothers and young calves are often the last ones to leave Hawaii allowing the calves grow as fat and strong as possible before making the 3,000 mile migration. Mothers will have lost nearly 10,000 pounds by the time they return to the feeding grounds.
In 2009 the last whale sighting in Hawaiian waters occurred as late as mid June.
Hawaiian Shells and Niihau
Ni’ihau Island (pronounced Nee-ee-how) is a 72 square mile privately owned island just southwest of the island of Kauai where time has stood still. Purchased from King Kamehameha V in 1864, this island is inhabited by about 200 locals preserving many of the traditional ways of life and speaking Hawaiian as their primary language. Not affected by modern progress, these proud people continue to fish and hunt for their main staples of food with ropes and knives and spears and nets. Niihau is in the rain shadow of Mt Waialeale on Kauai, which averages 400 inches of rain per year, leaving it dry and barren. While the other Hawaiian islands are known for their beautiful flower leis, this arid island which lacks tropical flowers has been famous for their beautiful shell leis for centuries. Captain Cook returned from his first explorations with a Ni’ihau Shell Lei which now resides in the British Museum.
The main shell collecting period is from October to March when the winter seas generate high surf and deposit large quantities of shells on the North shore. Whole families are involved in collecting the shells from the beaches which are anywhere from two to nine miles walking distance from the village. They usually leave early in the day to avoid the intense sun and spend hours lying on the beach slowly scanning across the hot sand inch by inch for the tiny shells used to make leis. Ranging in size from 3 to 10 mm in size, an average day of collecting may produce a small baby food jar full, while a good day may produce a 16 oz jar. Later they are sorted by size and color. Shells are rated in color from light to good to strong, with the strongest colors being the rarest and most prized. Certain of the strong, brown, striped variety may only be found in one month of the year, in one particular section, of one particular beach, on this one amazing island.
Hawaiian Coral Reefs
Hawaiian coral reefs provide important habitats for fish, invertebrates, monk seals, green sea turtles, and thousands of other species of animals and plants. There are more than 150 different coral species in Hawaiian waters (25% are endemic to the Hawaiian Islands). The most common corals are lobe corals, rice coral, blue coral, and cauliflower coral, found in active shallow waters. Delicate, branching corals such as sea fan, shelf, and finger coral are the most common Hawaiian corals growing in calmer, deeper waters.
Coral species in Hawaiian waters help support many of the 860 native algae species, which include more than 80 endemic algae. There are also more than 1,140 fish native to the Hawaiian Islands, including 149 endemic fish. Coral reefs around the Hawaiian Islands also help support native invertebrate species, such as crabs, sea urchins, and shrimp. More than 9,270 native Hawaiian invertebrates have been documented, including more than 7,230 endemic species.
Growing less than one inch per year, coral reefs can take hundreds of years to form. Many Hawaiian corals spawn, or rejuvenate, just once or twice a year. Rice coral spawns in June and July two days after a full moon between 8 and 10 pm. Mushroom coral spawns one to four days after a full moon between 5 and 7 am between the months of June and September.
Coral reefs are living communities that provide shelter, food, and living space for an incredible diversity of species. Among the great variety of organisms on Hawaii’s reefs are species that hold potential for natural medicines, like a chemical found in Hawaiian sponges that has recently shown promise in fighting tumors and malaria. Medical researchers have also found that ground-up coral is accepted by the human body and works well for bone grafts. And many corals have evolved unique compounds that naturally shield them against UV radiation, providing researchers with insights into improving sunscreens.
