This Week in Nature: The 3rd week in December - 'opihi

What's Happening in Hawaii 

During the 3rd Week in December: 

Kāpeku ka leo o ke kai,

o ho'oilo ka malama.

When the voice of the sea is harsh, 

the winter months have come.

 December usually brings the year's largest surf, generated by storms in the North Pacific. Kāpeku ("harsh") describes the thunder of big surf and refers to the ancient practice of noisily splashing the water to scare fish into a net. The winter waves have a similar effect, stirring the ocean bottom to depths as great as 240 feet, dislodging a variety of creatures and washing them to shore.

On the islands' northern and western coasts, this is a particularly dangerous time to pick 'opihi (limpets) but a good time to look for sea life on the beaches. In doing so, don't ignore the sand under your feet. The turbulence of storm surf helps create the beaches by bringing ashore the remains of millions of tiny organisms. Much of the white sand of Hawai'i is composed of shells of single-celled animals (Foraminifera, a kind of protozoa), which feed on oceanic bacteria. Some, like the "paper shell" depicted above, grow as large as a quarter of an inch across.

Images and text from "Hawaii: A Calendar of Natural Events"
published by the Bishop Museum and Kamehameha Schools in 1989

This Week in Nature: The 3rd week in November - Humpback Whales

What's Happening in Hawaii 
during the 3rd week in November:

Humpback whales are now beginning to arrive for their annual, five-month stay in island waters. Humpbacks come to calve, and preferring warm, sheltered water for this purpose, they can often be seen from shore. Arrivals can increase in December and January, with the peak population being reached in February, when much of the calving occurs. 

At least a few humpbacks winter near each of the main islands, but they can be found in greatest numbers in the enclosed waters off Maui's southern flank and over a shallow bank west of Moloka'i.

Of the several hundred adults present, perhaps 30 will bear calves, and some will also mate before setting out in April or May for their summer feeding grounds in the North Pacific. Humpbacks are known for underwater song, and their music evolves while they are here. New themes are started and old ones dropped, so that they leave with a different song than they brought. 

To see a video of singing whales, visit the Whale Trust.org Humpback Whale Song site. This site also answers many frequently asked questions about whale songs.

Visit the Discovery Channel webpage to hear Humpback whale songs as well as noises from other interesting creatures. (You may need Quicktime, RealPlayer or Windows Media player to access these audio files. DOFAW is not affiliated with Whale Trust or the Discovery Channel.)

Want to learn more about the Humpback's migration? Visit the NOAA Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary site to play a fun migration game.


If you'd like to volunteer your time and join others to watch and count whales this winter, visit the NOAA Humpback Whale Sanctuary Ocean Count Volunteer page.

Natural history info and image taken from "Hawaii: A Calendar of Natural Events," 

published by the Bishop Museum and Kamehameha Schools in 1989.

This Week in Nature:The 5th week in October - he'e

00What's Happening in Hawaii 

during the 5th week in October:

Pua ke kō, ku ka he'e.

When the sugar cane tassels, 

the octopus season is here.

Like the proverb about breadfruit, this one gives a botanical cue for food-gathering at sea. Again, the word he'e is used, but in this case, all clues point to an octopus. Sugar cane begins to form plumes in late October or early November, a time of year when large specimens of he'e mauli, the daytime octopus (Octopus cyani), are unusually abundant. He'e mauli frequent shallow water, living in holes on rocks and reef flats and feeding on crabs and shrimp. It is one of two octopuses common in Hawai'i, the other being a nocturnal feeder.

Sugar cane, kō, with tassels.

Photo by Forest & Kim Starr

Hawaiians were first to cultivate kō in the islands, using it as a sweet, a quick energy source, and a medicine. Its blossoming was a signal not only to hunt octopus but also to enjoy a seasonal form of recreation: "When the sugar cane tassels, move to the sledding course," says another proverb. But don't look for snow. Hawaiian sledding was done on hills strewn with silky kō flowers and pili grass. 

  Pili grass.
Photo by Forest & Kim Starr

For photos of  he'e mauli and more information, visit the Hanauma Bay Creature Feature page.

Text and  he'e image taken from "Hawaii: A Calendar of Natural Events"

published by the Bishop Museum and Kamehameha Schools in 1989

This Week in Nature:The 4th week in October - 'ama'ama

What's Happening in Hawaii 

during the 4th week in October:

'Ama'ama, a native mullet, makes a six-month migration each year, beginning about this time and ending in April. On O'ahu, legend has it that schools of 'ama'ama swim from the leeward side to the windward side through an underground channel. The actual route is by sea, from 'Ewa around Koko Head and as far up the coast as Lā'ie. Mature 'ama'ama are called 'anae, and the Hawaiians distinguish 'anae-holo, migrating mullet, from 'anae-pali, cliff mullet. 'Anae spawn at sea before returning to the inshore, brackish water they generally prefer.

One of the principal fish in the Hawaiian diet, 'ama'ama are algae-eaters and were raised for royalty in a sophisticated, early form of aquaculture. Trapping nutrient-rich water from the lo'i (taro paddies), fishponds bred algae profusely and thus were ideal places to fatten 'ama'ama. The mullet was known as pua'a kai, or "sea pig," which could be given in offerings in place of an ordinary pig. Around Ke'ehi 'ama'ama were referred to as the "loud-voiced fish of Ke'ehi," owing to the noise fishermen made while driving them into nets. They also gave Wai'anae its name - "mullet waters."

Taken from "Hawaii: A Calendar of Natural Events"

published by the Bishop Museum and Kamehameha Schools in 1989

This Week in Nature: The 1st week in September - blue whale

What's Happening in Hawaii
during the 1st week in September:

 

The blue whale, largest of the whales, migrates through Hawaiian waters at this time of year. Exactly where it is going and why, no one knows, in part because it keeps to the deep seas and in part because whaling has reduced the herds so much that observation is more difficult than ever. Happily, there are signs that the population of blue whales is on the rise.

Though one report tells of small whales being driven into Hilo Bay and later consumed, it seems safe to say that the Hawaiians generally did not hunt or eat whales, which they classed together under the name koholā. Apparently the Hawaiians dealt mainly with beached whales and valued them primarily for their ivory, known as palaoa, whose most prominent use was in the royal lei niho palaoa.

A proverb says, "Above, below, the upland, the lowland, the whale that washes ashore - all belong to the ali'i."

Taken from "Hawaii: A Calendar of Natural Events"
published by the Bishop Museum and Kamehameha Schools in 1989

This Week in Nature: The 3rd week in August

What's Happening in Hawaii
during the 3rd week in August:

Schools of small akule, known alternatively as halalū or hahalalū, come into sheltered bays and harbors at this time of year. This fish is also known as Bigeye scad.

When word of their presence gets out, people with bamboo poles crowd beaches and piers day and night, landing shining blue halalū one after another. On Oahu, prime spots for this delicious fish are Poka'ī Bay, Hale'iwa Bay, and Honolulu Harbor.

Juveniles of several other fish also move close to shore in large numbers at this season. Swarms of 'oama, young of the weke (yellowstripe goatfish), appear in sandy shallows and rival halalū for the attention of pole fishermen. Throw nets are in use, too, as shadowy grey schools of moili'i - immanture moi, or threadfin - turn up along beaches and in protected coves.

*Disclaimer: Although some of this information is still relevant, it was written and published in 1989. If you are interested in more information about current fisheries and practices, please visit the Division of Aquatic Resources webpage.

Taken from "Hawaii: A Calendar of Natural Events"
published by the Bishop Museum and Kamehameha Schools in 1989

This week in Nature: The 2nd week in July

What's Happening in Nature during
the 2nd week in July: 

 Hīhīmanu, the sting ray, can be seen in Kane'ohe Bay during mid-summer.

 
Hīhīmanu means "hissing bird," and its large "wings" sometimes break the surface as it swims. Usually it lives on the bottom, using its wings to raise a cloud of sand and then lying still while the sand settles on its back. Hidden this way, it sleeps and feeds, consuming a variety of worms, crabs, mollusks, and small fish. The camouflage is so effective that prey approach quite close, and in some cases, all that a hīhīmanu has to do is open its mouth and swallow!

Hīhīmanu uses its "stinger" only in self-defense. When threatened or seized by a shark or other predator - or when accidentally stepped on - it whips its long tail, jabbing and slashing with the tail's barbed spines. In the process, venom is released from glands around the spines, with painful but rarely fatal results.

Taken from "Hawaii: A Calendar of Natural Events"

published by the Bishop Museum and Kamehameha Schools in 1989

Midway Atoll as an Introduction to Papahanaumokuakea

Educators and community leaders discuss the importance of Midway Atoll as an educational outlet to describe the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.

This Week in Nature: The 4th week in May - Spinner dolphins

What's happening in Hawaii 
During the 4th week in May:

Spinner dolphins, (Stenella longirostris longirostris) are brilliant aerial performers, known especially for the long, spiraling leap that has given them their common English name. Spinners frequent calm, inshore waters of all the major Hawaiian islands, entering bays and other protected areas to rest after nights spent hunting in deeper waters. In May, probably because food is plentiful, they remain near shore longer that at other times of year - up to nine hours a day - so now is a good time to look for them in places like Kealakekua Bay on Hawaii, or at Mākua and Keawa'ula on the Waianae coast of Oahu.

Hawaiians may have distinguished among dolphin species, but all went under the same name nai'a. Their cleverness and dexterity won the nai'a such respect that some families regard them as 'aumākua. And if a person jumped to conclusions, another was apt to comment, "He nai'a, he i'a lele!" - "It is a dolphin, a leaping fish!"

Taken from "Hawaii: A Calendar of Natural Events"

published by the Bishop Museum and Kamehameha Schools in 1989

Ocean Education "For The Sea" - Pearl and Hermes Atoll - Papahānaumokuākea

On a research cruise to the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument aboard the Hi'ialakai ship.
For more information please log on to: www.hawaiianatolls.org

This Week in Nature: The 2nd week in May - Honu

What's happening in Hawaii 
During the 2nd week in May:

Honu, the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), is entering its main nesting season. A few turtles can be found laying eggs on isolated windward beaches of the main islands, but most migrate hundreds of miles to uninhabited islands of the French Frigate Shoals, northwest of Kauai.

Honu, the green sea turtle.

Capture of honu was restricted by a kapu in the old days and made illegal in 1978, but the intervening years were hard, and only a few hundred females now lay eggs in a breeding season. By August, these eggs will produce thousands of young, but few will survive the 10-50 years it may take for honu to reach maturity. Hatchlings fall prey immediately to crabs, and tiger sharks pose a life-long threat.

Honu resting on the rocks at Punalu'u beach, Hawaii Island. 

Honu holds a prominent place in Hawaiian myths and is among the animals that serve some families as ‘aumākua. In a legendary battle with a Moloka‘i chief, the hero Kana of Hilo crushed a “floating hill” which was actually the back of the giant turtle Ka-honu-nui-maeleka. Each piece of the shell came alive, thus populating Hawai‘i with turtles.

Honu at Punalu'u black sand beach, Hawai'i Island. 

To find out more about the green sea turtle, visit the HEAR.org honu info page.

Text and drawn image from "Hawaii: A Calendar of Natural Events"

published by Bishop Museum and Kamehameha Schools in 1989 

This Week in Nature - The 3rd week in March - Malolo

What's Happening in Hawaii

During the 3rd Week in March:

Swarms of mālolo, the flying fish, (Cypselurus sp.) appear in March and can be found as late as June. Hawaiians described it as ka i'a lele me he manu, "the fish that flies like a bird," though it actually skims the surface, keeping its fins still rather than flapping them like wings. Often netted at night, mālolo were also called ka i'a ho'āla i ka pō, wai lama i ke ahi, "the fish that wakes people up at night and causes a glowing of torches over the water."

People are not the only ones who find mālolo tasty. Along with squid, mālolo rank among the most important foods of seabirds, and are favorites of the mahimahi, or dolphinfish. Beautifully colored and very fast, mahimahi swim just below the surface, following the mālolo. It is no coincidence that catches of both these fish reach their peak at this time of year.

Text and image from "Hawaii: A Calendar of Natural Events"

published by Bishop Museum and Kamehameha Schools in 1989

This Week in Nature - The 1st Week of March - Nana

What's Happening in Hawaii

During the First Week of March (Nana):

The beginning of the hot season is still two months off, but the weather has started to shift. Winter storms and surf are subsiding, and as the Hawaiian writer Kepelino observed, in Nana the leaves on the trees are no longer bruised by hard, driving rains.

A Hawaiian proverb also marks Nana as a month when pāpa'i (crabs) are fat. The nature of this "fatness" is not indicated, but the proverb probably refers to the presence of eggs on the underside of female pāpa'i. This phenomenon, known as berrying, reaches its heaight about this time, prior to heavy spawning that occurs in spring and summer.

Images and text from "Hawaii: A Calendar of Natural Events"

published by Bishop Museum and Kamehameha Schools in 1989.

This Week in Nature: The 3rd week in February

What's Happening in Hawaii

During the 3rd week in February:

 

On the atolls and islands at the northwest end of the archipelago, the Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi) is beginning to bear its young. Already 30 pounds at birth, a seal pup grows rapidly during the next five or six weeks, increasing in weight to as much as 200 pounds. Throughout this period, its mother devotes all her time to nursing the pup and teaching it to swim, not even pausing to feed herself.

The monk seal once lived throughout the archipelago and, except for the Hawaiian bat, is the only native mammal remaining on the islands.

Biologically unchanged in 15 million years, it does not flee from intruders, and after centuries of human predation and intrusion into breeding areas, the monk seal today is a federally listed endangered species.

Its Hawaiian name, ilio-holo-i-ka-uaua, means "dog running in the toughness" and probably refers to its awkward gait as well as to its doglike face.

Click here to visit a previous DOFAW blog post about the Hawaiian monk seal, including information about hiking at Kaena Point, Oahu.

Also, visit the Monk Seal Mania blog, where photos, frequent updates and even video will keep you up-to-date with Monk seal activity on Oahu.

Some text from "Hawaii: A Calendar of Natural Events"

published by the Bishop Museum and Kamehameha Schools in 1989

All photos by C. Tucker

This Week in Nature: The 1st week in February - limu pahe'e

 What's Happening in Hawaii

during the 1st Week in February:

 A highly prized seasonal seaweed, limu pahe'e (Porphyra sp.), can usually be found this time of year, growing high on rocks in areas of heavy surf where fresh water mixes with ocean water. At other times of year, this limu seems to vanish, but actually it takes on a microscopic form, producing spores which will mature only in winter or early spring, when days are short and nights long. Pahe'e means "slippery" and very accurately describes the texture of the mature limu.

Hawaiians identified more than sixty kinds of edible limu, an indication of its importance in their diet. An old saying refers to seaweed as ka i'a lauoho loloa o ke kai, "the long-haired fish of the sea," and sometimes, especially for women, it replaced fish or other foods that were kapu. Limu pahe'e was so rare that it was reserved for ali'i and forbidden to commoners, but today related species are widely cultivated in northern Asia and can be found dried and packaged on the grocery shelf under the familiar Japanese name of nori.

Image and text from "Hawaii: A Calendar of Natural Events"

published by the Bishop Museum and Kamehameha Schools in 1989

This Week in Nature: The 4th week in January - Potter's Angelfish

What's Happening in Hawaii

during the 4th week in January:

Potter's angelfish (Centropyge potteri), a native reef dweller, spawns this week - the week before the full moon. Its reproductive behavior is tied not only to the moon phase but also to the season and time of day, in a complex pattern that appears to increase the odds that its larvae will survive. Spawning occurs over high reef areas at dusk, when the lunar pull creates tides likely to carry larvae offshore, away from potential predators resting in the lower reef. At this time of year, larvae subsequently will be picked up by northwesterly ocean currents and swept along the archipelago, improving the chances that juveniles eventually will be redeposited on a Hawaiian reef.

Potter's angelfish is among the most common inhabitants of island reefs. It grows to a maximum length of five inches, and like other fish that have little or no value as food, it lacks a Hawaiian name. Today, however, this shy algae-eater has gained popularity as an aquarium fish, ranking third in commercial trade in Hawaii.

Image and text from "Hawaii: A Calendar of Natural Events"

published by the Bishop Museum and Kamehameha Schools in 1989

This Week in Nature: The 3rd week in January - aku

What's Happening in Hawaii

during the 3rd Week in January:

 

In Hawaiian tradition, a major fishing kapu was reversed at about this time, as the Makahiki season came to a close. Catching aku (Katsuwonus pelamis) was now permitted, and taking of another important fish, the 'opelu (mackerel  scad), was prohibited. This kapu served to protect the two fish, helping ensure ample supplies in years to come. Present regulations place no seasonal restrictions on aku and 'opelu fishing, but the largest catches are still made during the months allowed by the old kapu. 

Also called skipjack tuna or ocean bonito, aku move in big schools and will bite on almost anything during their daily feeding frenzies. Hawaiian fishing fleets of outrigger or double-hulled canoes exploited this trait the same way local sampans do today. Locating feeding schools by the seabirds that follow them, Hawaiian fishermen attracted aku with live nehu, the silvery native anchovy, then used mother-of-pearl lures to land fish in rapid succession. A Hawaiian warning against greedy behavior says "The aku rush to eat."   

Click here to learn more about aku from the hawaii-seafood.org website.

Image and text from "Hawaii: A Calendar of Natural Events"

published by the Bishop Museum and Kamehameha Schools in 1989

"Blue Oceans Day" at the Hawaii State Capital, January 13th, 2010

You are invited to come to the Hawaii State Capital building on January 13th for "Blue Oceans Day,” 11am-3pm on the 4th floor lanai.

Show your support for stronger federal protection of ocean, coast, estuary and Great Lake ecosystems by participating in Blue Oceans Day any way you can.

January 13th at the state capital, there will be door prizes, an "open-mic" for video messages to the president, and informational displays from organizations including: Conservation Council for Hawaii, Eyes on the Reef, Hanalei Watershed Hui, Hawaii Community Stewardship Network E Alu Pu, KAHEA: The Hawaiian Environmental Alliance, Lost Fish Coalition, Marine Conservation Biology Institute, Makai Watch, Malama Hanalei, Malama Haena, Malama Maunalua, Malama Waikiki, NOAA Coral Reefs and Fisheries Local Action Strategy, NOAA Protected Species, Reef Check, Sea Grant, and Surfrider Foundation.

This event is scheduled only weeks before the White House Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force delivers its final recommendations to President Obama.

Participants are encouraged to wear blue shirts and to gather on the capital 4th floor lanai at noon for a group photo to send to President Obama with the message "Malama Our Oceans!" The first 200 people to arrive at the capital will receive free blue shirts featuring cartoon characters Finley and Clawdia the Crab from Jim Toomey's nationally syndicated cartoon strip, "Sherman's Lagoon."

Finley and Clawdia the Crab from "Sherman's Lagoon" by Jim Toomey

Event organizers suggest other ways to get involved on January 13th: 

• Go to school or work in blue (like the Coast Guard) and explain to classmates or co-workers why you are wearing blue on January 13th.
•  Videotape yourself and your friends in blue, post it and send it to wearblueforoceans.org.
• Talk about wearing blue to Oprah, Ellen, Ed Begley, Laird Hamilton and Jack Johnson. 
• Spread the word through twitter, blogs, facebook, emails, action alerts, newsletters, and YouTube.
• Can you think of other ways you can show your support for our oceans?
  

For more about the national effort, visit the "Wear Blue For Oceans" website here.

Save Our Seabirds! Simple steps to reducing light distraction.

Each fall, the keiki of Hawaii's native seabirds begin to fledge and fly to the ocean for the first time using the moonlight on the sea to navigate their way. These young birds are leaving the land for the first time and traveling to the ocean to find food and begin their adult lives. The light of the moon is their primary navigational tool.

Wedge-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus pacificus)

 

Unfortunately on their way to the sea, they cross lands covered with glaring lights. 

 Full moon behind Poipu Resort

These threatened and endangered birds are attracted to lights and often end up circling them until they are exhausted, and they can be injured by their fall to the ground.

Hawaiian petrel (Pterodroma sandwichensis)

This sad story can have a happy ending, though, and you can do your part, simply by making sure that your outdoor lights point DOWN instead of up!  

Uplighting creates a large amount of unnecessary light pollution. By simply changing light fixtures so they point down or are shielded, you can make a big difference for these special endangered birds. 

Visit the Seabird Protection and Impact Reduction webpage for more information about lighting strategies, examples of light fixtures that reduce light distraction, and info about fallen seabirds.

Click here to read "Turn Off the Lights for the Birds" on the Maui News website from December 2009. Check out the section with tips for "what to do/what not to do" if you encounter a fallen bird.

This Week in Nature: The last week in December - Fin whale

What's Happening in Hawaii
during the last week in December:

Fin whales pass the islands about now, en route to the warm waters of the equatorial region.  Second only in size to blue whales, fin whales average 65 feet in length and may attain swimming speeds as high as 20 miles an hour. Usually they keep to the deep sea, but occasional sightings and strandings have been reported in Hawaii. A fin whale spotted off Hale'iwa was apparently enjoying a meal of 'ōpelu.

Their passage through Hawaiian waters coincides with fin whales' peak calving and mating period, so newborns - 19 feet long at birth - are likely to be among our visitors. Mating may occur here as well. Recordings made off Ka'ena Point indicate that females swim south first, followed by males singing courting songs.

To learn more about fin whales, visit the NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources' Marine Mammals page. 

Taken from "Hawaii: A calendar of Natural Events" 

published by the Bishop Museum and Kamehameha Schools in 1989