Waikīkī Marine Life Conservation District Field Trip. September 14, 2012

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Toby Barton
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1 Waikīkī Marine Life Conservation District Field Trip September 14, 2012

2 Aloha Students, On Friday, September 14, 2012 we re hoping to create an exciting and educational environment for everyone. The goal of the field trip to Waikīkī is to get a better understanding of the distribution of the invasive seaweed Avrainvillea amadelpha and assess the number and size of the collector urchins that were released onto the reef in June There are three jobs that students will be able to perform in Waikīkī. 1. Seaweed/Limu Mappers 2. Outplanted Urchin Locators 3. Avrainvillea Strike Force Each person will be assigned one job for the day. Only those that have passed the swim test are eligible to be Seaweed/Limu Mappers or Outplanted Urchin Locators. Students that have not passed the swim test will be part of the Avrainvillea Strike Force.

Seaweed Mappers Duties: (3 or 4 volunteers per team) Teams of Seaweed/Limu Mappers swim between the

reef. 1 or 2 spotters: Visually scan the reef for target seaweed species, then direct the waypoint

GPS to specific site of target seaweeed and logs the location (waypoint) using the GPS 1 recorder:

specific site Equipment (per team): one GPS unit in waterproof bag, one inner tube, one clipboard

3 Seaweed Mappers Duties: (3 or 4 volunteers per team) Teams of Seaweed/Limu Mappers swim between the Kapahulu groin and the Natatorium, and log the locations and densities of target seaweed along the reef. 1 or 2 spotters: Visually scan the reef for target seaweed species, then direct the waypoint logger and recorder to the specific site and informs recorder of density 1 waypoint logger: Carries GPS to specific site of target seaweeed and logs the location (waypoint) using the GPS 1 recorder: Carries clipboard with data sheet to sites of target seaweed and logs the density of seaweed at that specific site Equipment (per team): one GPS unit in waterproof bag, one inner tube, one clipboard with data sheet and pencil, masks, snorkels, and fins or other footwear Natatorium Kapahulu Groin GPS Unit

Outplanted Urchin Locators Native Collector Urchin

site for grown collector urchins (Tripneustes gratilla)

all findings on record sheet Equipment: mask, fins, and

4 Outplanted Urchin Locators Native Collector Urchin (Tripneustes gratilla) Duties: -Scan urchin outplant site for grown collector urchins (Tripneustes gratilla) - may be the size of a golf ball to that of a baseball and could be UNDER rocks, seaweed, etc. - Count all urchins seen and estimate sizes - Record all findings on record sheet Equipment: mask, fins, and snorkel, clipboard with data sheet Urchin Outplant Locations Ramp Weigh Station

Repeat until all plants Base are removed -Place removed plants in burlap sacks - Once full, take sacks to ramp Equipment: -

5 Avrainvillea Strike Force (ASF) Duties: (15 20 volunteers) - Kneel or sit on something soft like a towel or mat - Use blunt tool (i.e. butter knife or chopsticks) to dig around Avrainvillea and remove the whole plant with the base attached. Repeat until all plants Base are removed -Place removed plants in burlap sacks - Once full, take sacks to ramp Equipment: - Footwear Avrainvillea target area - Blunt weeding devices - Burlap sacks - Something waterproof and soft to kneel or sit on Ramp Weigh Station

6 Avrainvillea amadelpha (Leather Mud Weed)

7 Not to be confused with Microdictyon Halimeda

8 Microdictyon Halimeda Avrainvillea

9 Staying Safe in the Marine Environment For those snorkeling: 1. Watch out for surfers, swimmers, snorkelers, and other beach-goers. 2. While snorkeling, scan the areas all around you to avoid swimming into things. 3. There may be small breaking waves, be aware of where and how they are breaking to avoid injury. 4. Avoid standing. Stand in sandy areas between reef patches. 5. When snorkeling in shallow areas, swim using the breast stroke (swim with your arms). Avoid bending your knees too much; let your arms do most of the work. If you do get stuck on the reef, wait patiently for a small wave to come and raise the water level so you may continue swimming to a deeper area. 6. If you are snorkeling and it seems too shallow, turn around and find a deeper area to swim through. 7. If the water is murky and the visibility is low, swim with your arms outstretched in front of you. 8. Do not put your hands or feet into any holes!!!

10 Staying Safe in the Marine Environment Cont. For Everyone: 1. Please be aware of yourself and the ocean at all times 2. Be courteous of the marine environment and each other 3. Do not put your hands or feet into any holes!!! 4. Avoid touching marine life 5. Have fun!

11 Checklist o Swim suit o Towel o Sunscreen o Footwear (Crocs, Tabis, other waterproof shoes) o Wetsuit or rash guard for those snorkeling (it gets cold in the water) o Mask, snorkel, and fins o Optional for those on the Avrainvillea Strike Force: a soft seat cushion to sit on

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