Kiholo Bay Tagging Trip

Kiholo Bay, September 26, 2019

A team of six HPA students (4 upper school and 2 middle school), Laura Jim and Marc Rice traveled to Kiholo Bay and conducted a sea turtle capture and tagging event.  This is part of the ongoing area monitoring program and the Hawaiian Honu Sex Ratio Project.  As mentioned in earlier blogs, since turtles sex is determined by the temperature of incubation, there is fear that increasing environmental temperatures might cause more female turtles to be produced and cause the feminization of the population.  To determine if this is true, we are joining NOAA's Marine Turtle Biology and Assessment Program to try and determine the current sex ratio of juvenile and sub-adult turtles in Hawaii.
This trip, in addition to monitoring honu health and growth, was focused on obtaining blood samples from each captured turtle in order to determine its sex.
During the trip, we captured and worked-up 8 turtles.  5 of them were recaptures and 3 were new captures. Blood samples were obtained from 6 of the honu.
A special thanks to the Nature Conservancy for hosting our team during the day and for always being so cooperative and welcoming.

Below are a series of images of our days work.

Kiholo Bay above with the arrow showing the location of our sampling area.

Ms. Jim retrieves a honu from the net while students assist with a carrying container.

It is protocol that blood samples should be drawn withing 15 minutes of capture to lessen the effect on hormone levels.  Here an HPA student draws 6 ml. of blood from the dorsal blood sinus.

After the blood is drawn, students weigh  the honu.

Students assisting with the assessment of a honu.

Using a bird speculum to look in the mouth.

Students help to control a honu while Marc Rice obtains a skin tissue sample for DNA analysis.

The head of a honu is gently supported by Penelope while the ventral measurements are taken.

A honu, all samples and measurements taken, is safely and harmlessly released back into the environment.

Releasing another honu.

Releasing

Releasing a Honu.

The HPA team along with Barbara Sidel (The Nature Conservancy) our host for the day.

Back in the laboratory at HPA, the blood samples are spun and the plasma extracted and frozen at -40 degrees C for later analysis of testosterone levels.

Pipetting off the supernatant plasma.

The team giving a shout out to one of our alum benefactors for his donation of the centrifuge, without which this project would not be possible.

Mauna Lani Keiki Honu Monthly Checkup

August 27, 2019

Once again we joined Pi'i Laeha at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel to  assist in the monthly measurement of the 6 yearling Sea Life Park honu that are in residence at the hotel.  Laura Jim's Marine Turtle Enrichment class assisted in the weighing and measureing of the 6 little turtles.  Each group of students had a picture of the right and left side of the head head of one of the little honu and had to identify which turtle we were measuring based on the head scale pattern.
It was a beautiful day and everyone had a great time assisting in the monthly evaluation.
Below are a series of images of the activities of the day.

Mauna Lani Bay Hotel- yearling turtles

July 26, 2019

Today we joined Pi'i Laeha at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel to observe and assist in the monthly measurement of the 6 yearling Sea Life Park honu that are in residence at the hotel.  Laura Jim's marine studies class joined us in assisting in the capture and measurement of the 6 little turtles.
It was a beautiful day and everyone had a great time assisting in the monthly evaluation.
Below are a series of images of the activities of the day.

The turtle pond... temporary as the hotel is renovated.

Turtle number 83 surfacing to take a breath.

A neat shot of turtle 81 and its shadow.

Pi'i collects one of the yearling turtles.

They were placed in carry containers and transported to the work area for weighing and measuring.

The HPA team holds a honu so that Ms Jim can take a picture of the left facial scales for future identification.

Taking data.

Bring one of the honu to the measuring table after weighing.

Ms Jim measures the straight width while students control the honu.

Releasing one of the honu after it has been weighed and measured.

Taking a picture ofthe right side for facial recognition.

Pi'i Laeha with the HPA student team.

Releasing the last of 6 honu back into the pond.

Wailea Bay Research Project

7/24/2019

A few weeks ago, Bill White (Parent of HPA grads Paul and Ryan White) contacted Laura Jim and Marc Rice about our possible participation in a research project surrounding the protection of Wailea Bay, Hawaii Island.  We were, of course, thrilled to take part in the project as it will allow many of our students to participate in gathering and analyzing data, mapping coral in the bay using ARCGIS online, conducting under water transects to formulate a baseline of coral health in the bay and publishing the information for public consumption.
NOTE: Thanks to Bill Wiecking and the E Lab for providing the drone and a special thanks to Ethan Goore for doing all of the hard work of piloting and garnering the images!

Wailea Bay with the Marine Life Conservation District (MLCD) mauka of the yellow line.

To start off the project, we were asked if we could map fresh water outflow into the bay.  Utilizing a FLIR infrared camera we took pictures of the bay using a DJI Mavic drone to see if we could
differentiate fresh water from salt water based on the fact that the fresh ground water flowing into the bay would be colder that ocean water.  We have yet to look at the pictures but we did go down and fly the mission.  Ethan Goore (HPA class of '21) piloted the drone using Drone Deploy software.  Below are a few pictures of the days activities.  As soon as we get the pictures stitched together, I will share them with you.

Pilot Ethan Goore and Wailea resident Bill White.

Just about ready to take off.

The Mavic pro drone with FLIR IR camera.

          

Ethan landing the drone by "hand capture".

A picture of the south side of Wailea Bay at 1000 h on 7/24/2019.

The north end of Wailea Bay at 1000 h on 7/24/2019.

Thirtieth Turtle Independence Day Celebration

7/4/2019
HPA Summer School Students, Laura Jim and Marc Rice joined a small group of observers to assist in the release of two Mauna Lani turtles.  This years celebration was very much smaller because the Mauna Lani Hotel is still under renovation.
For a more complete recap of the days activities please see MLBH RELEASE.

HPA Summer School Students released one of the turtles on July 4th.

HPA / NOAA Sea Turtle Sex Ratio Project

During the Week of April 8 to April 11, a team of NOAA scientists from the Marine Turtle Biology and Assessment Program joined the HPA Sea Turtle Research Programs Laura Jim, Marc Rice and HPA students to study the sex-ratios of green sea turtle foraging in shallow coastal waters around the state of Hawaii.  One day was give to logistics and presentations by the NOAA scientists and three days were field tagging days where we were able to capture and tag/sample 47 green turtles.  To learn more about the project and the students participating in the project please go to our Sex-Ratio Project Blog