February 2023 Update
MONTHLY HMAR UPDATE: February 2023
February was full of pups, albatross chicks and so much more. Read on to learn all about our busy month!
Number of Contacts Made to HMAR Hotlines in February 2023 – 1,125 (about 40 a day)
These hotline contacts were broken out as 1,011 for Hawaiian monk seals, 97 for sea turtles, and 17 for seabirds. Keep up the great work HMAR hotline operators!
Number of Field Support Actions Conducted in February 2023 – 360 (about 13 a day)
HMAR volunteers or staff members were deployed into the field to conduct a variety of protected marine animal support functions 360 times in February. That was broken out as 1 instance in the north part of Oʻahu, 189 times in the east, 30 times in the south, 140 times on the west side of Oʻahu, and once on Molokai.
It’s almost time for our wedge tailed shearwaters to return to their burrows for the beginning of nesting season. Before their return we wanted to make some improvements to the symbolic fencing at our Kailua Colony! We expanded the fence boundaries to allow more room for the naupaka and native plants to grow as well as removed some large debris and invasive species (see picture left). We hope to be able to continue making these changes over the next few years as the colony grows further.
Uʻi update. Little PO1 isn’t so little anymore! As you may recall from our social media posts, the first
Hawaiian monk seal born in the main Hawaiian Islands this year, Uʻi mea aloa (Uʻi for short and meaning “beautiful survivor” in Hawaiian) has rounded the corner on week 4 and Uʻi is getting bigger and stronger every day (see picture right)! Since this is Kaimana’s first viable pup we arenʻt sure when exactly she’ll wean, but it will be sometime in the next few weeks. Until then we’ll be keeping an eye on the both of them as they wrap up their time together before Kaimana heads out to forage and prepare for her annual molt. We will still be with Uʻi once mom leaves to continue monitoring and make sure she continues to grow properly!
Thanks to our partnership with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the North Shore Community Land Trust, and the Turtle Bay Resort, the Laysan albatross colony we support on the north shore is continuing to thrive! It is one of our busiest years at the colony so far with 11 active nests with little chicks (see picture left). We are getting to the point where the chicks are not fully supervised by their parents and are beginning to become independent. In a few months these chicks will fledge and leave the nest for the first time to go out to sea and forage.
Number of Rescues, Interventions, Stranding Responses and Escalated Field Actions in February 2023 – 15 (about one every other day)
We conducted 15 escalated field actions, interventions, rescues or stranding responses in February. This included 4 in-field operations for Hawaiian monk seals, 6 operations for sea turtles, and 5 operations for seabirds.
HMAR staff conducted a rather unusual rescue of a brown booby last month. We received a call of a downed
seabird in a field at a ranch in Waimānalo, and upon arrival we saw that not only was the seabird in the middle of a field, it was near two large intimidating rodeo bulls. Getting assistance from the ranch owner we were escorted through the field and safely rescued the seabird. A quick assessment resulted in us transporting this seabird to get veterinary support from our partners at Feather and Fur Animal Hospital.
Towards the end of the month, we received multiple reports of a sea turtle on Laniakea Beach with a portion of the carapace missing (see picture left). This sea turtle had the moto tag MA260, and with this tag number we were able to determine this was a sea turtle that had suffered a boat strike that we rescued on O’ahu in January 2022 (see picture right). After our initial assessment when we originally rescued this animal, it was then moved to our partners on Maui for recovery. We were able to confirm that MA260 had been released on Maui after its treatment and she had found her way back to O’ahu and was exhibiting normal basking behavior! This is a great example of a success story in sea turtle conservation where government agencies, multiple NGOs, and members of the public work as a team to help our protected sea turtles.
If you ever spot a sea turtle with lettering on its carapace (shell) we encourage you to call HMAR on the marine animal response hotline at (888) 256-9840 and also complete the following online form to help keep track of our moto’d honu! Mahalo
Marine Debris - Great February Results
Even the crazy weather and winds this past month couldn’t keep our Marine Debris Program (MDP) team out of the water! Over the course of 4 dives we cleaned up fishing debris that is most dangerous to Hawaiʻi’s protected marine animals. We removed 1,776 feet of monofilament line, 39 animal hazards, and 21 hooks. All in all we cleaned about 6.5 acres last month. Join us on March 11th for a partner dive with Aaron’s Dive Shop and Nudi Wear at Point Panic from 8-12. More information on our social pages!
Number of People Reached Through Face to Face Outreach and Education in February 2023 - 1,970 people
Last month was busy for our Education & Engagement Department! We had our first big public outreach event of 2023 at Sea Life Park’s Keiki Day. Talking with all the locals and tourists is always such a great experience for our team to talk about Hawaiʻi’s marine protected species! March is ramping up to be very busy with lots of classroom outreach before Earth Month in April! If you’re interested in spreading the word about Hawaiʻi’s marine protected species, sign up to join our EE team HERE!
Additional News & Updates
It's that time of year again! We are recruiting for our summer internships! Weʻre currently looking for applicants for our Field Support and Outreach (FSO) program and our Media internship. FSO interns spend the majority of their time with our Hawaiian monk seals on the beach providing outreach to the public about this special species. These interns also have the potential to participate in rescues and work with Hawaiian monk seal mom and pup pairs. Our media internship is for anyone with a creative mind for conservation and is truly what you make of it! Some of our interns are photographers, some are writers or content creators - whatever your specialty, this internship is right for you if you're passionate about spreading conservation messaging! You can apply for both of these positions HERE.
In March we are having our second new volunteer orientation of the year! If you are interested in becoming a volunteer with us, now is the time to apply. Volunteering is a great way to become engaged with the community and learn more about Hawaiʻi’s marine protected species. To apply head over HERE to get started!
As always, we can’t do the work we do without all of you! We rely heavily on donations to pay for gas, supplies, insurance, rent, truck maintenance, and all the other things we need to do our work. Marine animal response, rescue, and education is very rewarding but not inexpensive. If you want to support us, please donate or consider volunteering HERE, and every dollar helps. Mahalo for your support. Please check back with us for next month’s update!
Mahalo for your support!
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WHAT DO THESE NUMBERS MEAN?
Number of Calls - What does this mean? These are calls our hotline operators answer about any species in any situation. Whether it is a monk seal on the beach, a sea turtle of concern in the water, or a seabird that needs help. HMAR answers the calls that are made to the NOAA’s marine wildlife number for Oʻahu and Molokai and we take calls from the public, from the police, fire department, Ocean Safety as well as State of Hawaii agencies. Any call that comes into our hotline is reported here. Some calls result in a field response but many are valuable for animal sightings information or other data that can assist in research. Since our start in 2016, we’ve handled over 57,000 hotline contacts.
Number of Field Support Actions - What does this mean? This is when HMAR sends volunteer or staff resources into the field to perform a variety of actions in support of marine protected animals including Hawaiian monk seals, sea turtles, sea birds, dolphins, and whales. Since our start in 2016, we have had volunteers or staff in the field over 24,500 times.
Number of Rescues, Interventions, Stranding Responses and Escalated Field Actions - What does this mean? This number includes any field response that goes above and beyond a typical resting monk seal response. This includes responding to a seal of concern, an entangled, hooked, or injured sea turtle, a seabird in need of medical support, and other situations. Since 2016, we have performed over 2,115 of these operations.
Marine Debris Work - Each week our marine debris team removes underwater entanglement hazards (net, line, hooks) from high fishing pressure areas to reduce animal entanglements, hookings, injuries and death of protected marine animals. Since we started our underwater removal activities, our Marine Debris Program (MDP) has removed more than 4,250 animal hazards, cleaned over 265 acres of underwater habitat, and we have collected many MILES of monofilament fishing line. Taking all of this debris out of underwater habitat helps save Hawaiian monk seals, sea turtles, and seabirds.
Number of People Reached through Face to Face Outreach - What does this mean? HMAR’s different program activities put our volunteers and staff in direct contact with Hawaii’s residents and visitors. Educating people about Hawaii’s marine protected species and our ocean ecosystem is one of our highest priorities and has an important impact on reducing threats. This number includes outreach done on the beaches as well as the work our Education and Engagement team does going to classes and community outreach events. Since our start we’ve reached over 302,000 people.
Thank you for your continued support!
January 2023 Update
MONTHLY HMAR UPDATE: January 2023
Happy New Year to all! Hard to believe we’re already a month into 2023. January kept us busy, so read on for some updates from HMAR!
Number of Contacts Made to HMAR Hotlines in January 2023 – 902 (about 30 a day)
These hotline contacts were broken out as 748 Hawaiian monk seal related, 126 sea turtle related, and 28 seabird related. Keep up the great work HMAR hotline operators!
Number of Field Support Actions in January 2023 – 263 (about 9 a day)
Our actions in the field last month were broken out as 251 Hawaiian monk seal related, 9 sea turtle related, and 3 seabird related. We responded in the field on the north side of Oʻahu 5 times, 50 times on the east side, 31 times on the south side, and 177 times on the west side of Oʻahu.
Last month was also busy with our field monitoring work at the albatross colony on the north shore! Every year, we help manage and monitor a colony of Laysan albatross on the North Shore of O’ahu and this month we had our first chicks hatch (see picture left). These chicks will be on or near the nests that their parents built until June or early July. Until then they will rely on their parents to bring them food. For now, the parents are rotating staying with the chick on the nest but in the next few weeks they will begin to stagger their timing more and more, leaving the chick to fend for itself for longer and longer periods of time before they fledge and leave the nest for the first time to find food for themselves!
And there have been more babies born in January. We now have our first Hawaiian monk seal pup of the year (designated as PO1) on Oʻahu (see picture right)! At this time we are not releasing any additional information about the pup, its mom or the location of the animals. But, what we can tell you is that the seals seem to be doing well, and we will update you all with more information in the next few weeks so keep your eyes out for that!
In other monk seal news, we’ve gotten reports of R604, who is an adult female that is visiting Oʻahu from Kauaʻi. She was spotted earlier this month with a softball sized injury to her shoulder - which we determined to be a cookie cutter shark bite (see picture left). Since that initial call we have gotten a few more observations from the public as well as photos that have helped us to determine that R604 is healing nicely. Cookie cutter shark bites are a very common occurrence with Hawaiian monk seals and are usually not life threatening. This is one of the many reasons why it is so important that if you see a seal, you call the hotline to let us know. You may have found a seal we are trying to locate and get more information on and we rely heavily on you all letting us know when we have seals out and about that may require a response. Thank you for your help!
Number of Rescues, Interventions, Stranding Responses and Escalated Field Actions Conducted in January 2023 – 13
This month was pretty calm in terms of rescues, interventions, stranding responses and escalated field actions. We had 1 Hawaiian monk seal escalated field action, 9 sea turtle stranding responses, and 3 seabird field responses. This is less activity than our regular month (good news!) and this happens from time to time. However, we did have one sea turtle intervention we wanted to share with you all. About mid-way through the month we got several calls about a sea turtle in Makaha (see picture right). This turtle looked to be in good body condition and was likely basking but we mounted a field response to assess the animal. Our response included visual observations as well as assessments of energy level, mobility, and vision to ensure that the sea turtle did not require further assistance. This turtle passed our assessments with flying colors and was re-released in the area. Hawaiian green sea turtles can bask, or rest, on beaches for up to 48 hours, or even longer sometimes, before we get more concerned for their well-being. However, if you ever see a turtle you’re concerned about, please give us a call. We can’t respond to injured or sick animals if we don’t know where they are and rely on public callers to let us know!
Our big escalated field action of the month was when Hawaiian monk seal RQ76 “Malama” returned to O’ahu (see picture left)! Malama was born in June to RH76 “Kala”. This was Kala’s first time giving birth. After weaning Malama and Kala were both noted as being noticeably thinner than average. After some monitoring, our partners at NOAA decided the best course of action was to retrieve Malama and transport her to Hawai’i Island for care at The Marine Mammal Center’s Ke Kai Ola (KKO) facility. RQ76 has been at KKO since August where they have been ensuring that she gains the weight she needs to survive on her own in the ocean. Since then she has gained 50 pounds and was given the “OK” for release at the end of January. Since her release we have been continuing to survey for her to monitor her progress in the wild! (Photo Credit: Marilynn Dunlap, NOAA Fisheries permit #24359)
Marine Debris - Great January Results
January was a productive month for our marine debris team. Our team completed 6 dives last month, cleaning just over 8 acres of underwater habitat used by Hawaiian monk seals and sea turtles. They collected 2,197 feet of monofilament line and 99 animal hazards! In addition we held a fitness test for new divers to join our team. Each one of our divers has to show their diving proficiency before they are able to join our team. We do this to ensure all our divers are safe while participating in our underwater clean-ups. This time 9 people passed their fitness test and are now able to join our MDP team. If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer member of our marine debris team you can sign up HERE!
Number of People Reached Through Face to Face Outreach and Education in January 2023 - 2,221 people
With the school year ramping back up again we are back to presentations at local schools. Over the past month we have led 8 presentations to classes around the island and on the mainland about sea turtles, marine debris and Hawaiian monk seals. We’re so excited for what the rest of the school year will bring! In February we are looking forward to working with Kahuku Elementary School to name Hawaiian monk seal pup “PO1” - so keep an eye out for that important announcement!
Additional News & Updates
This month was full of training! We started off with new interns who go through a training process before starting their semester with HMAR. Our Field Support & Outreach (FSO) interns are often the ones you see on the beaches with Oʻahu’s monk seals. This month we welcomed Ayla, Andrew, Cameron and Monty as new interns on the team who are joining our returning interns Sara and Alex! If you see them on the beach please be sure to say “Hi.” These interns also participated in a Rescue & Stranding Response training where they learned about the proper techniques and protocols for dealing with injured or stranded sea turtles, sea birds and monk seals!
We also had a new volunteer orientation. These volunteers could be going into any one of our programs - from Field Support & Outreach (FSO), to Education & Engagement (EE), Operations Support OSP) or Marine Debris (MDP). Our FSO volunteers go through a multi-part process to complete their training which includes a 6-hour classroom day followed by 3 field days and a final exam. Our goal is always that our new volunteers are well trained before we send them out on their own! All our other programs have a separate training process that prepares volunteers for their work. If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer we would love to have you join us! Head over HERE to learn more about our programs and to apply!
As always, we can’t do the work we do without all of you! We rely heavily on donations to pay for gas, supplies, insurance, rent, truck maintenance, and all the other things we need to do our work. Marine animal response, rescue, and education is very rewarding but not inexpensive. If you want to support us, please donate or consider volunteering HERE, and every dollar helps. Mahalo for your support during 2022. Please check back with us for monthly updates during 2023!
Mahalo for your support!
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WHAT DO THESE NUMBERS MEAN?
Number of Calls - What does this mean? These are calls our hotline operators answer about any species in any situation. Whether it is a monk seal on the beach, a sea turtle of concern in the water, or a seabird that needs help. HMAR answers the calls that are made to the NOAA’s marine wildlife number for Oahu and Molokai and we take calls from the public, from the police, fire department, Ocean Safety as well as State of Hawaii agencies. Any call that comes into our hotline is reported here. Some calls result in a field response but many are valuable for animal sightings information or other data that can assist in research. Since our start in 2016, we’ve handled over 56,000 hotline contacts.
Number of Field Support Actions - What does this mean? This is when HMAR sends volunteer or staff resources into the field to perform a variety of actions in support of marine protected animals including Hawaiian monk seals, sea turtles, sea birds, dolphins, and whales. Since our start in 2016, we have had volunteers or staff in the field over 24,000 times.
Number of Rescues, Interventions, Stranding Responses and Escalated Field Actions - What does this mean? This number includes any field response that goes above and beyond a typical resting monk seal response. This includes responding to a seal of concern, an entangled, hooked, or injured sea turtle, a seabird in need of medical support, and other situations. Since 2016, we have performed over 2,100 of these operations.
Marine Debris Work - Each week our marine debris team removes underwater entanglement hazards (net, line, hooks) from high fishing pressure areas to reduce animal entanglements, hookings, injuries and death of protected marine animals. Since we started our underwater removal activities, our Marine Debris Program (MDP) has removed more than 4,200 animal hazards, cleaned over 260 acres of underwater habitat, and we have collected many MILES of monofilament fishing line. Taking all of this debris out of underwater habitat helps save Hawaiian monk seals, sea turtles, and seabirds.
Number of People Reached through Face to Face Outreach - What does this mean? HMAR’s different program activities put our volunteers and staff in direct contact with Hawaii’s residents and visitors. Educating people about Hawaii’s marine protected species and our ocean ecosystem is one of our highest priorities and has an important impact on reducing threats. This number includes outreach done on the beaches as well as the work our Education and Engagement team does going to classes and community outreach events. Since our start we’ve reached over 300,000 people.
Thank you for your continued support!
2022 Year In Review
HMAR 2022 YEAR IN REVIEW
Hard to believe it’s 2023! 2022 was a busy year for us at HMAR with lots of surprises, challenges and successes! Read on to learn more about our 2022 highlights!
Number of Contacts Made to HMAR Hotlines in 2022 – 9,630 (about 26 each day)
Our hotline operations are one of the most integral parts of the work we do. In 2022, we handled 9,630 contacts (phone calls and texts) that came into our hotlines. Contacts come in from a variety of sources - private citizens, law enforcement agencies, partner conservation organizations, and government departments. Very often, multiple contacts between an observer and a hotline operator are needed to assemble a complete picture of a particular animal situation so keeping track of all of this incoming information is challenging. About 69% of these contacts in 2022 were related to monk seals, 17% were related to sea turtles, 7% were related to seabirds, and about 7% were regarding other things such as marine debris, or protected marine species questions. Without our hotline and dispatch team we wouldn’t know about seals on beaches, turtles in distress or downed seabirds. Although it’s not one of our more visible activities, the team members that work on our Operations Support team enable us to do all of our other work. We wouldn’t be HMAR without the hard work of our hotline operators!
Since our start in 2016, this team has responded to over 55,000 calls and texts to our hotlines involving marine protected animals that may need support. That is incredible work team, keep up the great work!
Number of Field Support Actions in 2022 – 3,205
During 2022, in-field support activity was conducted by HMAR volunteers and staff all over Oʻahu and Molokai 3,205 times. That was broken out as 573 times on the north side of Oʻahu, 919 times in east Oʻahu, 798 times in southeast Oʻahu, 860 times on Oʻahu’s west side, and 55 times on Molokai.
This work is performed by members of our Field Support & Outreach (FSO) team and they are the bread and butter of our organization. Going to beaches with Hawaiian monk seals, identifying and documenting the locations of specific animals, updating photo documentation files on animals, finding possible animal health concerns, and providing public outreach are things we do all over these islands, many times every day. And during Hawaiian monk seal pup season - typically from March to September - our team gets extra busy. And this year was no exception!
We had a total of 9 pups born on Oʻahu or our offshore islets in 2022, unfortunately 3 of those pups did not make it past their first day (born stillborn or died soon after birth) but HMAR was able to recover and transport these animals to NOAA so that post-mortem analyses could be done to determine cause of death, which is vitally important for such an endangered species. But this still left us with 6 live pups to monitor and support during the year - half of which we weren’t expecting!
Our first surprise of the 2022 pup season was when RH92 gave birth to her first pup ever, RQ64 “Laki” (meaning lucky). (see picture left) This mother seal, RH92, was born on Kauaʻi, so we had anticipated her to give birth there instead of on Oʻahu, especially since she gave birth on a beach on Oʻahu we don’t have any record of her visiting previously! Then, one day later came RQ24, “Makaʻuʻole” (meaning fearless), born on the North Shore to mom, RN58, “Luana.” (see picture right)
Soon enough, RQ76 "Malama" (light, moon, or month) and PO7 (no permanent ID) "Mahina" (moon) were then both born one day apart on an Oʻahu offshore islet!
RQ58, “Koalani” (meaning heavenly warrior) was our second surprise of pup season! (see picture left) When RH58 “Rocky” showed up on Kaimana beach in Waikīkī and gave birth for the second time on Oʻahu our team immediately sprang into action. Over the next 6 weeks we spent 14 hours each day on Kaimana Beach, watching to make sure little Koalani stayed healthy and safe with mom. Kaimana Beach pups are always incredibly challenging due to the high volume of beach goers, but they are also one of our most rewarding outreach opportunities!
And last but not least, RQ72 “Lehiwa” (which means admirable and attractive) was our third surprise of pup season! R016 “Right Spot” typically gives birth on Molokai, but instead, she decided to give birth at one of her favorite spots on Oʻahu! (see picture right)
If you’re missing those cute little faces, don’t worry! Pup season will be back before we know it!
Besides pup season and daily field response and outreach work, the FSO team also worked on a few other major events and projects in 2022.
From April to
October last year we systematically surveyed 4 offshore islands around Oʻahu for sea turtle nests in a project coordinated with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Pacific Islands Coastal Program. This is the first time this research has been conducted and the project consisted of our interns and staff going out on our “Rescue 3” kayaks or our “Rescue 1” RIB boat 51 times (see pictures left) to look for sea turtle tracks and nests. This is important to determine if, and how, sea turtles may be using these offshore islets as nesting habitat since green sea turtle nesting on Oʻahu has been on the increase. In total, we spent 104 hours on the water in 2022 surveying for nests on these remote islets. We will be continuing the project again in 2023 and we’re excited to develop this program!
The FSO team also continued its work in 2022 to maintain and support important seabird nesting habitat, perform public field outreach at seabird colonies, and conducting seabird population surveys in collaboration with the University of Hawaiʻi and Hawaiʻi Pacific University. Through this work we were able to report that at one HMAR-managed colony, we saw a 150% year-over-year increase in wedge tailed shearwaters that were nesting at the location! (see picture right)
Since our start in 2016, HMAR has deployed volunteers and staff into the field in support of marine protected species over 24,000 times. Outstanding job FSO team!
Number of Rescues, Interventions, Stranding Responses and Escalated Field Actions Conducted in 2022 – 435
In 2022, this number included 41 operations for marine mammals, 185 operations for sea turtles, and 209 operations for seabirds. This brings our total rescues, interventions, stranding responses, and escalated field actions since our start in 2016 to about 2,100 operations.
Every year has a number of notable rescues, interventions, stranding responses, and escalated field actions, and 2022 was no exception. Here are some highlights of rescues and interventions that stood out in 2022.
We started the year off in the first few days of January 2022 when a call came in for a stranded 18 foot sperm whale in ʻĀina Haina. Our team responded and along with partners from UH and NOAA we found that the whale was in fact deceased, but it was not a sperm whale. Instead, it was a humpback whale calf. After planning and preparations were made, the team was able to carefully and safely remove the calf from the shallow waters to transport it for a post-mortem cause of death analysis. It was later found that the calf had been hit by a vessel of some type and had passed away from its injuries. This incident was an important reminder that assigning a spotter at the front of any vessel and moderating your speed in channels are important ways to help maintain the safety of our marine wildlife.
Also in January, we rescued a female green sea turtle (honu) at Laniakea with a large wound on the top of her shell (carapace) from a boat strike. (see picture left) She had an 8” long, 4” wide hole in her carapace. But she was still incredibly active and broke our transport carrier trying to escape! She was then moved to a partner facility on Maui for further care. Since then, “Aloha” as she is called, has continued to improve and we are hopeful for a full recovery and release soon.
In June we said goodbye to one of Oʻahu's most famous seals - RE74 “Benny” (see picture right). At 20 years old, Benny was found deceased on the North Shore where HMAR responded for the recovery. Benny was a staple of the Oʻahu Hawaiian monk seal community and was well known by our staff, volunteers and the public for his ability to stir up a little bit of trouble every once in a while! Benny will surely be missed, but his passing is a reminder to us all that we must continue the important work that we, our partners, and our engaged public do everyday to support the survival, preservation, and recovery of this iconic and beloved species.
July was a busy month for seal escalations! At the beginning of the month we got reports that RQ64 “Laki,” a young recently-weaned pup was entangled around her neck with rope (see picture left). Our team, along with our partners at NOAA, immediately made a game plan to survey for Laki until she was found to attempt a disentanglement. After days of search activity, we were lucky enough to find her near the original sighting location. NOAA and HMAR staff immediately set their plan in motion and arrived on site to remove the entanglement. Thankfully, the capture and removal of the rope from around Laki’s neck was successful! Since then we’ve seen her several times and she is behaving like a normal young seal.
Then, on the afternoon of July 4th, we responded to RK28 “KC” who had hauled out onto the side of the road at a bus stop near Kualoa Ranch (see picture right). With help from HPD who restricted traffic, the HMAR team was able to safely get KC off the side of the road and back into the water. A few weeks later KC returned to Kauaʻi to give birth to her pup!
In September we also had a memorable sea turtle rescue when an adult female green sea turtle was reported wedged in the rocks and unable to free herself on the North Shore. In difficult conditions, which included waves washing over the rocks, and rising seas that could drown the sea turtle (see picture left), our HMAR team was able to carefully extract this beauty without injury, assess her condition, and release her back to her ocean home. Thanks go out to two members of the public who were nearby and willing to assist in this rescue.
And of course, during the last quarter of 2022 we had seabird fallout season! This is a period of time when our young wedge tailed shearwaters (ʻuaʻu kani) leave their burrows. They nest underground (see picture right) so they are very vulnerable to invasive predators (i.e. cats and mongoose), sea level rise, and off-trail hikers. This time of year, the young fledglings leave their burrows to take to the skies at night for the first time and sometimes become distracted by artificial light. This confuses these young birds and instead of flying out to sea guided by moonlight, they instead fly towards artificial sources of light on land, ultimately become exhausted, and are forced to the ground (“fall out”). In 2022 we rescued 209 seabirds, many of which were during fallout season, a time of year that keeps us running around the island rescuing as many as 10 birds in a single day!
Then, on the last day of the year, we were called to rescue a Laysan albatross (mōlī) on the North shore that had an injury to one of its legs and was having great difficulty walking (see picture left). Seabirds the size of an albatross can be quite challenging but two HMAR team members were able to safely and carefully collect the animal and bring it in for a veterinary evaluation provided by our partners at Feather & Fur Animal Hospital.
Of course, there were hundreds of other responses in 2022 that we can’t list here. From supporting interventions for monk seals, to sea turtles needing help, and rescuing injured seabirds, we respond to conduct rescues, interventions, stranding responses, and escalated field actions almost every day. These operations require specialized training that our staff, interns and rescue volunteers go through to ensure the safety and health of the animals we are supporting as well as the safety of our team. Please remember that handling a marine protected animal in distress, without proper training, experience, or having the necessary and required government permits, is dangerous for you and can cause further animal injuries or complications. Instead, please call the NOAA Marine Wildlife Hotline at 888-256-9840 so that we can respond.
Marine Debris Removal - 2022 Successes!
Our Marine Debris Program (MDP) team worked incredibly hard underwater in 2022 removing fishing debris that can injure and kill our iconic marine protected species! (see picture right) Here are some of the most exciting numbers and successes from 2022.
- Number of HMAR-lead marine debris removal dives conducted: 52
- Number of HMAR Beat Debris project citizen science dives conducted: 125
- Feet of monofilament line removed: 52,656 (thatʻs 10 MILES!)
- Number of hooks removed: 1,520
- Number of animal hazards removed: 1,491
- Acres of underwater habitat cleaned: 78
Since starting our Marine Debris Program in 2019, HMAR team members have now conducted 162 underwater dive operations while our citizen science Beat Debris project participants have conducted an additional 337 underwater dives. Collectively, we’ve removed about 198,000 feet (thatʻs about 38 MILES!) of monofilament line and 4,600 hooks, and cleared out over 4,100 underwater animal hazards before these items can kill or injure our wildlife. This has resulted in the cleaning of 263 acres of underwater habitat. Great job HMAR team divers! Great job Beat Debris citizen science divers! Keep up the great work team!
In other HMAR MDP activity, in 2022 we got approval to install an additional 6 new fishing debris bins around Oʻahu! One along the Kaiwi shoreline, two at Sand Island and three at Kaʻena Point State Park! This brings our total of bins deployed to 15 and we have many more planned. If youʻve never seen these bins before, let us explain! Around the island at popular fishing spots we have set up these bins (see picture left) for fishers to deposit their discarded line and hooks. Because of these bins, hooks, line, and weights donʻt end up left on the pier or shoreline to find its way back into the ocean where it can injure or kill wildlife. Plus, we take the line and it is recycled to turn it into baby fish habitat. These bins prevent hooking or entanglement hazards from entering the nearshore ocean environment in the first place. Good job fishers! Keep up the good work of stuffing these bins with fishing line, hooks, and weights.
We're proud of the work our MDP team and our engaged citizen science divers do and we look forward to more great results in 2023!
Number of People Reached Through Face to Face Outreach and Education in 2022 - 39,705
2022 was a record breaking year for our Education & Engagement (EE) department. With COVID cases finally on a steady decline we were able to go to classes and public outreach events in person for the first time in two years. Compared to 2021 we more than doubled our number of events and people reached in 2022! In total we did 133 presentations and reached 8,665 people in 2022 - educating about Hawaiian monk seals, sea turtles, marine debris and more. 
In 2022 we also stepped up our efforts to provide education in underserved and underrepresented communities around the island and 63% of the presentations we provided were in underserved areas! 
Meanwhile, during 2022 while our EE team was doing their great work in schools, community events and other presentations, our busy FSO team in the field also continued their excellent job of performing public outreach while conducting marine protected species support activity, reaching an additional 30,000+ people.
Reaching residents and visitors through outreach and education is a key part of what we do and since our start in 2016, we’ve now reached over 305,000 people! This work is vital so that we can inform, build support, and affect change for marine protected animals and the ocean.
Additional News & Updates
Before we sign off for 2022, our staff members want to acknowledge some really important key people or groups that help HMAR do what we do. We are incredibly grateful to each and every one of you, and here are some special shout outs!
Emily Greene (Education & Engagement Manager) - I’m so grateful for all of our interns who support our work each and every day. Managing our internship program this year has taught me a lot and I’m so thankful that I get to watch our students grow and learn as they move through their internships. They put in so many long hours and really do go above and beyond - we couldn’t do what we do without them!
McKinley Walter (Oʻahu Field Support Manager) and Evelyn Macias (Oʻahu Field Support Technician) - Thank you to our volunteers. These dedicated people put in thousands of hours each year to support our mission here at HMAR. We would not be able to do the work that we do without all of their hard work, dedication and passion. A huge thank you to all of our volunteers from the HMAR staff!
Michael Tillman (Operations Support Manager) - Thank you to the federal, state, and county agencies we partner with, as well as the many commercial businesses and land owners that have helped our efforts in conservation for Hawaiʻi's marine protected species during 2022!
Anabel Cepero (Marine Programs Technician) - I want to thank Kekai Mar from the Hawaii DLNR Division of State Parks, for his support this past year. With Kekai’s assistance, weʻre installing six additional fishing debris bins across the island. The installation of these much-needed bins creates a collection point for any leftover fishing gear and line, which could end up in the ocean and become a potential hazard to marine life. He went above and beyond to help us through the permit process and invited our team to community events that allowed us to share more about HMAR, our programs, and to get people involved.
Todd Yamashita (Molokai Community Programs Manager) - The Molokai community is a lot like a family... We look out for each other and help care for the things we love. Big mahalo island-wide to everyone helping to look after our Molokai monk seals!
Jon Gelman (Founder & President of HMAR) - I am thankful for our individual private contributors, people like you, who donate hard-earned dollars to help us. Grants and corporate sponsors are incredibly important to back our activity but these funders only cover a portion of our costs. Therefore, private individuals who make the sacrifice to donate make a huge difference for us! We are so appreciative of your generosity and in awe that you go out of your way to support us from near and far.
As always, we can’t do the work we do without all of you! We rely heavily on donations to pay for gas, supplies, insurance, rent, truck maintenance, and all the other things we need to do our work. Marine animal response, rescue, and education is very rewarding but not inexpensive. If you want to support us, please donate or consider volunteering HERE, and every dollar helps. Mahalo for your support during 2022. Check back with us for monthly updates during 2023!
Thank you for your continued support!
November 2022 Update
MONTHLY HMAR UPDATE: November 2022
Birds, birds and more birds! Here’s what HMAR was up to in November across the spectrum of our work.
Number of Calls to HMAR – 596 (about 20 per day)
Our hotline operators were busy in November with 596 calls, that’s almost double from the prior month! 301 calls were for Hawaiian monk seals, 62 calls were for sea turtles, and 233 calls were for seabirds.
Number of Field Support Actions – 161 (about 4 each day)
Field support activity was conducted by HMAR volunteers and staff all over O'ahu: 5 times in the north, 23 in the east, 20 in the southeast, and 113 times on the west side.
We spent a lot of time in Ko Olina last month! Some days we had up to four seals at the same spot at the same time. Although monk seals are typically solitary, sometimes we do have specific beaches that attract multiple seals at a time. Granted, because these seals are generally solitary, frequently there can be interactions (see picture left) between seals that are on beaches together, which we saw many times in November.
Our Rescue & Stranding Response team participated in our annual seabird banding project conducted in partnership with the University of Hawai'i at a large shearwater colony that HMAR manages on the north shore. The goal is to band wedgetail shearwaters (ʻuaʻu kani) before they leave their burrows for the first time. This project helps monitor the population and activity of these wonderful seabirds.
November also saw the start of our annual Laysan albatross (mōlī) monitoring efforts up at the colony we support in partnership with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the North Shore Community Land Trust, and the Turtle Bay Resort. So far we have identified and mapped 11 nests! Our volunteers and staff were super excited to get up there and get started looking for birds, they’ve seen a lot of returning pairs (see picture right) as well as some new birds to the colony. We can’t wait to see what the rest of the season holds!
Number of Rescues, Interventions, Stranding Responses and Escalated Field Actions – 144 (more than 4 each day)
This critical part of our work was divided into all areas of O'ahu: 10 cases in the north, 34 in the east, 69 in the southeast, and 31 cases on the west side.
The back end of November marked the beginning of seabird fallout season - when young wedgetailed shearwaters leave their burrows for the first time after fledging (going from their downy chick feathers to their waterproof adult ones) and are meant to follow the light of the moon to find their way out to sea. Unfortunately artificial light like house and street lights can confuse these birds and turn them inland, eventually they become too tired to continue flying and land wherever they can to rest. However, a lot of the time they don’t land in the safest spots, so our team goes out to rescue these birds (see picture left) and get them veterinary support from our friends at Feather and Fur Animal Hospital in Kailua for treatment and eventual release. In just the last two weeks of November, we intervened to help 133 seabirds.
Of the total 144 escalated field actions in November, 10 were for sea turtles. At the beginning of the month we responded to two hawksbill sea turtle ('ea) hatchlings (see picture right) that washed up on the east side of O'ahu. These turtles, however, were not from O'ahu and they likely hatched on other islands to the east and southeast of O'ahu and got stuck in ocean currents and strong winds that brought them here to us! These young turtles hatch with limited energy stores to make the long journey out to the deep ocean, so when they show up on O'ahu we have to act fast. With “washbacks” as we call them, we usually transport them to the leeward shore, where we release them offshore into the ocean away from waves and where winds blowing out to sea give them a better chance of survival by pushing them in the right direction. Good luck little ones!
Last month we also conducted a rescue in Hale'iwa for a green sea turtle (honu) with fishing line tightly wrapped around its right fore flipper and we were concerned about the condition of the tissue (see picture left). We transported the turtle for veterinary evaluation and it was determined that the flipper had become necrotic and needed to be amputated.
The sea turtle was sent to a partner facility on Maui for the procedure and the turtle also passed 1,425 centimeters of braided fishing line! (See picture right) This sea turtle’s condition continues to improve so we’re hoping for a full recovery and that we’ll see this turtle back on O'ahu soon.
We also conducted an escalated field action for a monk seal last month. Following up on a report of a live monk seal pup being seen on Moku Nui island off of Lanikai, HMAR’s Rescue 1 vessel (see picture right) was dispatched to conduct surveys from offshore while HMAR personnel searched the island on foot to look for a pup. None was found.
Remember, we rely on the public to notify us regarding marine protected animal activity. Please report ALL monk seals seen, as well as any sea turtles, seabirds, dolphins, or whales of concern to the statewide NOAA marine wildlife hotline at (888) 256-9840. On O'ahu and Molokai, HMAR will take your call.
Marine Debris - More Great Results for November!
This month our marine debris team completed 5 dives. Over the course of the month they collected 877 feet of monofilament, 125 animal hazards and cleaned over 10 acres of underwater habitat! (see picture left) Our BEAT DEBRIS citizen-science competition is also still going strong through the end of December. In November, our citizen-science divers removed an additional 375 feet of line, 29 hooks and 63 fishing weights! Good job all!
If you’ve never heard of our BEAT DEBRIS citizen-science project, here’s some info. If you are ever diving and collect derelict fishing gear, you can report it HERE to be entered to win a prize. Our current contest is going through the end of December and the winner will receive a $100 gift card from Aaron’s Dive shop in Kailua!
In November, HMAR also hosted another clean up at Kakaako Beach Park with Aaron’s Dive Shop and had a great time working with our partners and the community to clean up the area. Keep an eye on our social media for future cleanups.
Number of People Reached Through Face to Face Outreach - 1,564
In November, we continued our focus on education in underrepresented and underserved communities. We finished our series of classes at Kahuku Elementary School and Waianae Intermediate School (see picture right). This semester we have gone to these schools multiple times to work with the same students and teachers on different topics in the marine conservation world. We are also in the process of finishing up this education series with Hau‘ula Elementary School.
We also reached hundreds of other people on the shoreline as we conducted our regular ongoing field response and monitoring of Hawaiian monk seals on beaches.
In addition, we were honored in November to have been chosen by the East-West Center YSEALI Program to partner with them in providing important conservation education and certifying them as a Hawai'i Marine Steward. They can now carry and pass on critically important conservation information regarding Hawai'i’s marine protected species and our ocean ecosystem. (See picture left). The Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) is the United States government's signature leadership development program for Southeast Asian youth from ASEAN member countries (Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) and Timor-Leste.
Additional News & Updates
We are continuing to recruit for our spring semester internships. If you or someone you know is interested in marine conservation, head over HERE and check it out! We offer internships in field work, marine debris, education, media, and sea turtle nest monitoring.
As always, we can’t do the work we do without all of you! We rely heavily on public donations to pay for gas, supplies, staff, and all the other things we need to do our work. Marine animal response, rescue, and education is important work and is very rewarding but not inexpensive. If you want to support us, you can donate HERE, and every dollar helps.
As we enter December 2022, every one of us at HMAR wants to wish all of you a healthy and joyful holiday season.
Mahalo for your support in 2022!
______________________________________________________________________________
WHAT DO THESE NUMBERS MEAN?
Number of Calls - What does this mean? These are calls our hotline operators answer about any species in any situation. Whether it is a monk seal on the beach, a sea turtle of concern in the water, or a seabird that needs help. HMAR answers the calls that are made to the NOAA’s marine wildlife number for Oahu and Molokai and we take calls from the public, from the police, fire department, Ocean Safety as well as State of Hawaii agencies. Any call that comes into our hotline is reported here. Some calls result in a field response but many are valuable for animal sightings information or other data that can assist in research. Since our start in 2016, we’ve taken nearly 50,000 calls.
Number of Field Support Actions - What does this mean? This is when HMAR sends volunteer or staff resources into the field to perform a variety of actions in support of marine protected animals including Hawaiian monk seals, sea turtles, sea birds, dolphins, and whales. Since our start in 2016, we have had volunteers or staff in the field over 22,500 times.
Number of Rescues, Interventions, Stranding Responses and Escalated Field Actions - What does this mean? This number includes any field response that goes above and beyond a typical resting monk seal response. This includes responding to a seal of concern, an entangled, hooked, or injured sea turtle, a seabird in need of medical support, and other situations. Since 2016, we have performed over 1,850 of these actions.
Marine Debris Work - Each week our marine debris team removes underwater entanglement hazards (net, line, hooks) from high fishing pressure areas to reduce animal entanglements, hookings, injuries and death of protected marine animals. Since we started our underwater removal activities, our Marine Debris Program (MDP) has removed more than 3,600 animal hazards, cleaned over 230 acres of underwater habitat, and we have collected many miles of monofilament fishing line. Taking all of this debris out of underwater habitat helps save Hawaiian monk seals, sea turtles, and seabirds.
Number of People Reached through Face to Face Outreach - What does this mean? HMAR’s different program activities put our volunteers and staff in direct contact with Hawaii’s residents and visitors. Educating people about Hawaii’s marine protected species and our ocean ecosystem is one of our highest priorities and has an important impact on reducing threats. This number includes outreach done on the beaches as well as the work our Education and Engagement team does going to classes and community outreach events. Since our start we’ve reached nearly 300,000 people.
Thank you for your continued support!
October 2022 Update
MONTHLY HMAR UPDATE: October 2022
Check out what HMAR has been up to in October and a sneak peek of what's to come over the next month!
Number of Calls to HMAR – 357 (about 12 per day)
Our hotline operators were busy this month, taking 357 calls! Of these, 268 were related to Hawaiian monk seals, 71 calls were for sea turtles, and there were 18 calls related to seabirds.
Number of Field Support Actions Conducted by HMAR Personnel – 131 Total (about 4 each day) - divided by area of O'ahu as follows: 3 North, 45 East, 46 Southeast, and 37 on the West side of O'ahu
This month marked the official end of the 2022 pup season for us when our last pup of the year, RQ72 "Lehiwa," left her birth location (see picture left) for the first time to explore other parts of the island. This pup season has been long but incredibly rewarding, with six surviving 
pups from April to September! And in just a few short months we will be back in the swing of the 2023 pup season!
October has been marked by a ton of seal haul-outs! RH58 “Rocky” went through her annual molt (see picture right) after weaning her pup RQ58 "Koalani"in August and spent a lot of her time on the beaches of Waikiki. We also spent a lot of time with RL12 “Aukai” who has been regularly hanging out on the west side of the island!
We are continuing to opportunistically monitor R016 “Right Spot” and hope to have another update on her soon!
Now that it's October we are beginning preparations for seabird fallout season to really kick-in in November! If you haven’t heard of fallout before, it is when young seabird chicks of certain species go from their fluffy down coats to the adult feathers, a process called fledging, and leave the nest for the first time. When they first leave to fly out to sea and forage, they instinctually follow the light of the moon. However, sometimes artificial human-caused light sources can distract and disorient these young birds and they fly inland instead. After some time they become too tired to continue flying and “fall out” of the sky, landing wherever they can to rest. But, where they land isn’t always the best spot for them, including in the road, on people’s lawns and everywhere in between. If over the next few months you see a young seabird that appears to have fallen out, please call the NOAA Marine Wildlife Hotline at 888-256-9840, we will come out, assess and carefully transport the bird for care if needed. To help ensure there are less artificial light sources to distract these young birds we also ask that you turn off outside lights and close your curtains at night from November to early January!
Number of Rescu
es, Interventions, Stranding Responses and Escalated Field Actions – 24 Total (that's almost one each day) - 3 in the North, 13 on the East side, 3 in the Southeast, 5 on the West side
This month, being the beginning of the fledging season, meant that we had a number of bird rescues, everything from wedge-tailed shearwaters to petrels and boobies (see picture left)! One of our most memorable rescues this month was of a red-footed booby in Waialua. We received a call that a woman had found a booby on the beach, unable to fly. She kept the bird in her care until responders were able to arrive, carefully assess the animal, and safely transport the bird to Feather & Fur Animal Hospital for care. This bird has since been sent to a rehab facility for further care and we hope for a full recovery soon!
October was a fairly slow month for sea turtle rescues (a good thing), but we did have a very interesting encounter on a Waikiki beach at the end of the month! A sea turtle was reported to us with
about 6 inches of line extending from its mouth (see picture right). We were able to immediately mobilize two members of our team to respond to the animal. Once on site they discovered that the sea turtle had ingested a whole lot more line than just a few inches, and with no hook in sight we were concerned that the turtle was potentially hooked in its esophagus or stomach. We immediately transported the turtle to NOAA for a more in-depth examination than we could provide on the beach. It was later found that this little fighter had thankfully not ingested a hook, but did pass about 50 inches of line! At this point, the turtle is doing well and we are hopeful for a full recovery. We’ll update you if we have any more news.
We had another sea turtle hatchling again this month (see picture left)! We got a report of a green sea turtle (honu) hatchling in Waimānalo - the little guy had decent energy levels but couldn’t make it out past the breakers since the surf was so high. We often get these hatchlings during times when there are strong currents and the turtles cannot make it out past them, or they are carried to shore from a distant hatching location by winds and currents. We typically take these hatchlings to the west or southeast side of the island for release offshore so that they do not need to fight through the current to make it out to pelagic waters where they will be for the next 5-7 years. This hatchling was successfully released off of Electric Beach. Good luck little one!
Marine Debris - More Great Results in October!
For those who may not be aware, here is a bit about HMAR’s unique Marine Debris Program (MDP) and our activity in October.
HMAR’s MDP is unique in several important ways. First, we are the only organized marine debris program in Hawai'i that has won support from NOAA, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the University of Hawai'i Sea Grant College. This means we’ve developed and adhere to extensive diving
safety protocols and procedures for free diving (see picture right) and SCUBA diving, and produce documented results. We are focused on removing specific types of debris that injure and kill protected marine species like sea turtles, Hawaiian monk seals, and seabirds. That means we conduct in-water dives to collect hooks, fishing line, net material, and other hazards. We dive several times each month, often from 
shoreline access points, but also from our HMAR Rescue 1 boat (see picture left) that allows us the flexibility to launch from any boat ramp, to get to our dive location quickly, and this enables us to get to places that traditional dive boats don’t go. We dive on a scheduled basis, but because HMAR is a response and rescue organization, we also have the ability to quickly respond to reports of dangerous in-water debris and remove it before it can cause harm. An example of this is an in-water response we conducted in October to remove a dangerous mass of netting in Hanauma Bay where we frequently see sea turtles and Hawaiian monk seals (see picture right below).
Here is a summary of our marine debris removal activity in October:
- HMAR-lead debris removal dives conducted: 8
- HMAR Beat Debris citizen science dives conducted: 8
- Monofilament line removed: 3,461 ft
- Net material removed: 1 floating net mass collected plus another submerged and derelict illegal throw net retrieved
- Hooks removed: 1,289
- Weights removed: 338
- Animal hazards removed: 258
- Number of underwater acres cleaned: 9.5
Number of People Reached Through Face to Face Outreach - 2,337
We had a number of Halloween events at the end of the month that were a big hit! We collaborated with Aaron’s Dive Shop and KidZArt Windward to host a Halloween themed beach cleanup. It was wonderful to see returning clean-up crew members as well as new community members who joined us. The last two weekends of October we were also at Sea Life Park talking with lots of people about Hawai'i’s marine protected species and how people can help them! Plus we got to dress up, play games, and do some trick or treating which was loads of fun!
Additional News & Updates
October was a month of training for both new and current volunteers!
Our rescue volunteers and interns participated in a bird handling training this month with Dr. David Hyrenbach from our partners at Hawai'i Pacific University. They learned about the inʻs and outʻs of safely handling seabirds as well as important data and information to collect when we respond to deceased birds. This training is really all about ensuring that our volunteers are comfortable and careful handling seabirds. After this training, we are all set and ready for fallout season to begin!
On October 15th we had our last new volunteer orientation of the year! We had 13 people attend and each of our 6 programs were represented! Training is always a lot of work for our staff, but we love welcoming new volunteers to our team and seeing them learn and grow! If you’re interested in volunteering, you can learn about volunteer opportunities HERE. Our next volunteer orientation will be in January!
As always, we can’t do the work we do without all of you! We rely heavily on public donations to pay for gas, supplies, staff, and all the other things we need to do our work. Marine animal response, rescue, and education is rewarding but not inexpensive. If you want to support us, you can donate HERE, and every dollar helps.
Mahalo for your support!
______________________________________________________________________________
WHAT DO THESE NUMBERS MEAN?
Number of Calls - What does this mean? These are calls our hotline operators answer about any species in any situation. Whether it is a monk seal on the beach, a sea turtle of concern in the water, or a seabird that needs help. HMAR answers the calls that are made to the NOAA’s marine wildlife number for Oahu and Molokai and we take calls from the public, from the police, fire department, Ocean Safety as well as State of Hawaii agencies. Any call that comes into our hotline is reported here. Some calls result in a field response but many are valuable for animal sightings information or other data that can assist in research. Since our start in 2016, we’ve taken nearly 50,000 calls.
Number of Field Support Actions - What does this mean? This is when HMAR sends volunteer or staff resources into the field to perform a variety of actions in support of marine protected animals including Hawaiian monk seals, sea turtles, sea birds, dolphins, and whales. Since our start in 2016, we have had volunteers or staff in the field over 22,500 times.
Number of Rescues, Interventions, Stranding Responses and Escalated Field Actions - What does this mean? This number includes any field response that goes above and beyond a typical resting monk seal response. This includes responding to a seal of concern, an entangled, hooked, or injured sea turtle, a seabird in need of medical support, and other situations. Since 2016, we have performed over 1,850 of these actions.
Marine Debris Work - Each week our marine debris team removes underwater entanglement hazards (net, line, hooks) from high fishing pressure areas to reduce animal entanglements, hookings, injuries and death of protected marine animals. Since we started our underwater removal activities, our Marine Debris Program (MDP) has removed more than 3,600 animal hazards, cleaned over 230 acres of underwater habitat, and we have collected many miles of monofilament fishing line. Taking all of this debris out of underwater habitat helps save Hawaiian monk seals, sea turtles, and seabirds.
Number of People Reached through Face to Face Outreach - What does this mean? HMAR’s different program activities put our volunteers and staff in direct contact with Hawaii’s residents and visitors. Educating people about Hawaii’s marine protected species and our ocean ecosystem is one of our highest priorities and has an important impact on reducing threats. This number includes outreach done on the beaches as well as the work our Education and Engagement team does going to classes and community outreach events. Since our start we’ve reached nearly 300,000 people.
Thank you for your continued support!
September 2022 Update
MONTHLY HMAR UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 2022
Check out what HMAR has been up to in September and a sneak peek of what's to come over the next month! We feel like every month rushes by, but it's seriously true, and September was no exception! Happy Fall, all, here's our September update!
Number of Calls to HMAR – 394 (about 13 per day)
Our hotline operators were busy this month, taking 394 calls! Of these, 292 were related to Hawaiian monk seals, 76 calls were for sea turtles, and there were 26 calls related to seabirds.
Number of Field Support Actions – 204 Total (about 7 times each day)
Our activity in the field in September was divided by areas of the island: North - 2, East - 100, Southeast - 13, West - 89).
First things first, PO9 “Lehiwa” (see picture left) now has an official permanent ID of RQ72! On September 12th, our responder arrived to monitor Lehiwa and her mom R016 “Right Spot” to find no mom in sight! A few days later, NOAA gave Lehiwa her permanent ID and tags! Since weaning, Lehiwa has been hanging out in her little tide pool where she was born and learning how to forage. As we have seen with other monk seal "weaners" (weaned pups), Lehiwa has been observed playing with and biting sea cucumbers. This can result in the sticky guts of the sea cucumber getting stuck to the animals' pelage (fur) and vibrissae (whiskers). Sometimes, without examining photographs closely, this organic material can look like monofilament fishing line or even a hook. There has also been some concern for Right Spot. To get more information on her, see our previous post on our Facebook and Instagram. At this point, HMAR and NOAA are actively monitoring her body condition and behaviors as frequently as possible.
We’re also continuing to monitor RQ58 “Koalani” since he was relocated from Waikiki to his new home (see picture right). He is still doing well and we are observing him frequently in his new area. We are so glad that he seems to be adjusting well to his new home!
Since April, our Marine Operations team has been working to survey many of the offshore islets for sea turtle nests in a project with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. We’ve completed surveys using our HMAR kayaks or on our Rescue 1 vessel each week. At the end of September, we officially finished our surveys for the year to learn how the offshore islets are being used by sea turtles for nesting. Unfortunately, we didn’t find any confirmed nests this year but did see some possible activity. We also got to see numerous Hawaiian monk seals, sea turtles, and spinner dolphins. Science takes effort and we’re hopeful for next year!
Number of Rescues, Interventions, Stranding Responses and Escalated Field Actions – 31 Total (about 1 each day)
In September, this was broken out as Hawaiian monk seals - 0, sea turtles - 18, seabirds - 13, and cetaceans - 0. These activities were divided by areas of the island: North - 7, East - 18, Southeast - 6, West - 0).
September was the month of happy sea turtle rescues! We don’t always have happy endings. Sadly, often our turtle rescues result in finding a deceased sea turtle, or a sea turtle that is later euthanized because it is the most humane thing to do. But, this month, we had some happy endings we wanted to share!
On a very busy Friday with four turtle calls, our responder Evelyn (see picture right) headed to the North Shore to respond to a report of a sea turtle stuck
in between two rocks (see picture left). This sometimes happens when turtles are in the 
wrong place at the wrong time. Due to wave action and difficult conditions, this was a challenging rescue for us as we had to be incredibly careful of how we were going to un-wedge the sea turtle without causing injury to the sea turtle or our responders. This rescue required 3 HMAR responders as well as several members of the public. It required Evelyn to get underneath the sea turtle with a towel in very tight quarters while other HMAR responders and the public helped from above. Using the waves' power, the team successfully removed the sea turtle from the rocks after a bit of adjustment. Then, after our health assessment of the animal, the sea turtle was deemed ready for release right there! It quickly swam away just as we had hoped (see video below)!
A few weeks later, McKinley and Emily responded to a sea turtle hauled out at Laniakea Beach with a hook and line in her neck. After an exam and check on the hook, our responders, along with our partners at NOAA, decided that removing the hook was too risky on the beach. Instead, we cut the line and released the sea turtle. Now, this might sound surprising, that the sea turtle was re-released with the hook still in its neck. Thankfully, sea turtles have thick skin and although the hook was embedded, this sea turtle is in good
body condition (see picture right) and in a location where we can continue to monitor her with help from our friends at Malama i na Honu. For now, we want to give her the chance to live a healthy life at sea; the hook will likely rust out and not cause any further harm.
Marine Debris - More Great Results in September!
In September, our Marine Debris Program (MDP) conducted four dives (see picture left)! We collected 1,819 feet of monofilament lines and 81 animal hazards. And we cleaned a total of 7.3 acres! During September, many marine animals visited us while conducting our marine debris dives. From honu, squids, and eels to an inquisitive monk seal! The seal stopped by to observe our operations. Though he was quite curious, our group maintained a proper distance. Once satisfied with our work, he swam over to our dive float and inspected it for quite a while before departing! Visits from these animals like these remind us why it’s so important to remove derelict fishing gear and other hazards from the ocean. It gives these amazing creatures the space to roam about freely and safely.
Number of People Reached Through Face to Face Outreach - 2,337
With the school year in full swing, HMAR’s Education team headed up by Emily (see picture right) has started a new school program, a recurring educational series! We had our first session with Hau’ula Elementary, and we will continue to meet with their fourth graders each month for the rest of the school year, discussing a different topic each time. We will also complete this series with Waianae Intermediate, Kahuku Elementary, and other schools this year!
October will be full of Halloween events! We are partnering again with Aaron’s Dive Shop and KidZArt Kailua to host a community beach cleanup! The event will be on October 22nd from 8 am-11 am at Kailua Beach Park. Since it's so close to Halloween, we’ll also be dressing up in costumes, and there will be games!
Additional News & Updates
Two of our employees, Anabel and Emily (center in picture left), attended NOAA’s Motorboat Operator Certification Course (MOCC) this month. This means 5 of our 6 Oahu employees have now been certified! MOCC includes classroom and practical exercises such as docking, confined space maneuvering and obstacle avoidance. Anabel manages our Marine Operations Program and our Marine Debris Program while Emily is our Education & Engagement Program Manager. This course is a great experience for our staff; they have lots of fun, and it provides great training we can use on HMAR vessels as we support marine debris removal, surveys for animals of concern, rescues, and stranding responses!
HMAR has an upcoming volunteer orientation! October 15th is the next orientation and training date for new volunteers (see picture left)! If you have ever been interested in volunteering with us before, this is the best time to apply HERE! We will get back to you ASAP and get you into the October training date!
We have had several new and returning sponsors this month as well! Among them are Aaron’s Dive Shop, Nudi Wear, and Cora Ball! Keep an eye on our social media in the next few days to learn more about these amazing organizations and support their work!
Now that September is over, "fallout season" is coming up quickly! Some seabird chicks, like wedge-tailed shearwaters, will soon be leaving their burrows (see picture right) for the first time to head out to sea. Artificial lighting from buildings, houses and street lights can confuse the birds, who end up so disoriented and exhausted that they “fall out” of the sky leaving them vulnerable to predation, getting hit by vehicles, and other risks. Thankfully most of these birds are typically just fine after a bit of rest but our team is ready for a busy season of seabird rescues. So, how can you help? For the last three months of the year, turn off all outside lights and close your curtains at night. And if you see a downed bird at any time of the year, please give these birds a good shot at recovery by calling the NOAA Marine Wildlife Hotline at 888-256-9840.
On September 30th, our Quarter 3 internship ended, and we said goodbye to three awesome interns! Josh, Haylie, and Jace have been an integral part of HMAR for the past four months, spending dozens of hours at Kaimana Beach with Koalani or on the west side with seals. Our interns are an important part of our organization, and we couldn’t operate without them! Interested in interning with us? Go HERE to apply! We’re currently signing up interns for the Spring 2023 semester!
Thank You!
As always, we can’t do the work we do without all of you! We rely heavily on public donations to pay for gas, supplies, staff, and all the other things we need to do our work. Marine animal response, rescue, and education is rewarding, but not inexpensive. If you want to support us, you can donate HERE and every dollar helps. Mahalo for your support!
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WHAT DO THESE NUMBERS MEAN?
Number of Calls - What does this mean? These are calls our hotline operators answer about any species in any situation. Whether it is a monk seal on the beach, a sea turtle of concern in the water, or a seabird that needs help. HMAR answers the calls that are made to the NOAA’s marine wildlife number for Oahu and Molokai and we take calls from the public, from the police, fire department, Ocean Safety as well as State of Hawaii agencies. Any call that comes into our hotline is reported here. Some calls result in a field response but many are valuable for animal sightings information or other data that can assist in research. Since our start in 2016, we’ve taken nearly 50,000 calls.
Number of Field Support Actions - What does this mean? This is when HMAR sends volunteer or staff resources into the field to perform a variety of actions in support of marine protected animals including Hawaiian monk seals, sea turtles, sea birds, dolphins, and whales. Since our start in 2016, we have had volunteers or staff in the field over 22,500 times.
Number of Rescues, Interventions, Stranding Responses and Escalated Field Actions - What does this mean? This number includes any field response that goes above and beyond a typical resting monk seal response. This includes responding to a seal of concern, an entangled, hooked, or injured sea turtle, a seabird in need of medical support, and other situations. Since 2016, we have performed over 1,850 of these actions.
Marine Debris Work - Each week our marine debris team removes underwater entanglement hazards (net, line, hooks) from high fishing pressure areas to reduce animal entanglements, hookings, injuries and death of protected marine animals. Since we started our underwater removal activities, our Marine Debris Program (MDP) has removed more than 3,600 animal hazards, cleaned over 220 acres of underwater habitat, and we have collected many miles of monofilament fishing line. Taking all of this debris out of underwater habitat helps save Hawaiian monk seals, sea turtles, and seabirds.
Number of People Reached through Face to Face Outreach - What does this mean? HMAR’s different program activities put our volunteers and staff in direct contact with Hawaii’s residents and visitors. Educating people about Hawaii’s marine protected species and our ocean ecosystem is one of our highest priorities and has an important impact on reducing threats. This number includes outreach done on the beaches as well as the work our Education and Engagement team does going to classes and community outreach events. Since our start we’ve reached nearly 280,000 people.