Honu Count: how shell-etchings, participatory science, and a novel online survey are improving assessments of the Hawaiian Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) population.

Insights on the demography of cryptic nesting by green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the main Hawaiian Islands from genetic relatedness analysis

Endangered Species and the use of a Biological Opinion During Spill Response In 2001, six Federal agencies signed an Interagency Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) regarding Oil Spill Planning and Response Activities under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act's National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The agencies participating in the MOA include the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of the Interior's Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's—National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) and National Ocean Service (NOS). In the MOA, NOAA Fisheries and USFWS determined that oil spill response activities qualify as an emergency action, as defined by regulations implementing the ESA in 50 CFR 402.02. As such, the emergency continues to exist until the removal operations are completed and the case is closed in accordance with 40 CFR 300.320(b). To reduce the burden of processing emergency consultation paperwork during every routine oil spill clean-up action that occurs in the Northwest, the USCG and the EPA initiated formal consultation (pursuant to 50 CFR 402.14(c)) with the Northwest Regional Office of NOAA Fisheries on November 12, 2002, and submitted a programmatic biological assessment (BA). The Aassessed the effects of most response activities on ESA-listed species that may be present in the inland waters of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho (salmonids) and the offshore waters out to 200 nautical miles (salmonids, large whales, Steiler sea lion, and sea turtles). On November 6, 2003, NOAA Fisheries completed and signed the nation's first programmatic biological opinion (BO) on oil spill response activities. While NOAA Fisheries determined that the proposed action was not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of listed species or result in the destruction or adverse modification of critical habitat, the agency included reasonable and prudent measures with non-discretionary terms and conditions. The terms and conditions now serve as a “job aid” for oil spill responders in the Northwest and ensure that effects on listed species and their critical habitat are minimized during most response methods that are used. There has been some disagreement regarding the value of conducting formal consultation prior to an actual oil spill event. In addition to the upfront staff time and related costs, there is always the possibility that an incident-specific BA and BO may still have to be done. Moreover, the USCG and EPA have not yet initiated an analogous programmatic consultation with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) so incident-specific consultations are ongoing for ESA-listed species under their jurisdiction. This paper presents the background, process, and outcomes (including pros and cons) in the development of a successful programmatic consultation on oil spill activities.

Stranding data are critical for monitoring threats to sea turtles. By analyzing four decades of green turtle (Chelonia mydas) strandings from the Main Hawaiian Islands, we elucidate temporal and spatial trends. In Hawai'i, fibropapillomatosis (FP) has been the dominant threat for stranded turtles since records began in 1982. In the last decade (2010-2019), FP constituted on average 25% of stressors in stranded turtles, followed by fishing lines (22%), hooks (8%), shark predation (5%), boat strikes (5%), and net entanglements (3%). As of 2016, fishing line injuries constitute the most common primary threat. Turtles injured by lines and hooks were often found and released alive (hooks: 86% alive, lines: 64% alive), underscoring the importance of timely reporting and response. O'ahu was found to be the main hotspot for hook-and-line strandings, while there was more variation across islands for the other stressors. Spatial predictions highlighted areas without prior stranding observations, suggesting that some strandings may go undetected. As the main hotspot for fishing line strandings, we modelled the presence of derelict line around O'ahu using data from in-water debris cleanup efforts; we found that (1) derelict fishing line was positively associated with shore access points and boat harbors and (2) negatively associated with human population density. The increase in strandings with fishing line could be a result of the recovering turtle population and their overlap with year-round coastal fishing activities. Our findings emphasize the need for sustained cleanup efforts and measures to reduce fishing gear losses and interactions with non-target species.

Using Bayesian state-space modelling to assess the recovery and harvest potential of the Hawaiian green sea turtle stock

Validation and application of noninvasive glucocorticoid and thyroid hormone measures in free-ranging Hawaiian monk seals

The U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) is a powerful environmental law protecting imperiled plants and animals, and a growing number of marine species have been protected under this law as extinction risk in the oceans has increased. Marine mammals and sea turtles comprise 38% of the 163 ESA-listed marine “species”, which includes subspecies and distinct population segments, yet analyses of recovery trends after listing are lacking. Here we gathered the best available annual abundance estimates for geographically delimited populations of all 62 marine mammal and sea turtle species listed under the ESA. Of these, we chose representative populations of species that were listed before 2012, occur and reproduce in U.S. waters, and have data of sufficient quality and timespan for trend analyses. Thus, we quantitatively analyzed population trends, magnitude of population change, and recovery status for 23 and 8 representative populations of 14 marine mammal and 5 sea turtle species, respectively. Using generalized linear and non-linear models, we found that 18 marine mammal (78%) and 6 sea turtle (75%) populations significantly increased after listing; 3 marine mammal (13%) and 2 sea turtle (25%) populations showed non-significant changes; while 2 marine mammal (9%), but no sea turtle populations declined after ESA protection. Overall, the 24 populations that increased in abundance were from species listed for 20 years or more (e.g., large whales, manatees, and sea turtles). Conservation measures triggered by ESA listing such as ending exploitation, tailored species management, and fishery regulations, and other national and international measures, appear to have been largely successful in promoting species recovery, leading to the delisting of some species and to increases in most populations. These findings underscore the capacity of marine mammal and sea turtle species to recover from substantial geographical population declines when conservation actions are implemented in a timely and effective manner.

Scalloped hammerhead sharks Sphyrna lewini are a circumglobal species found in tropical and subtropical waters. Globally, populations of S. lewini have undergone dramatic declines in recent decades, and 4 of 6 distinct population segments are at risk of extinction and listed under the United States Endangered Species Act. Despite this, limited data exist on movement behavior or habitat use requirements of S. lewini, especially in the Central Pacific region. In this long-term (2009-2020) telemetry study, 27 S. lewini (24 males [22 adults, 2 juveniles], and 3 juvenile females) ranging in size from 106 to 310 cm (total length) were tagged with a combination of acoustic and/or satellite tags in a known nursery area, Kāne‘ohe Bay, Hawai‘i. Acoustic data revealed repeated movements of adult male S. lewini to Kāne‘ohe Bay between May and September across multiple years. Horizontal movements away from the Bay indicate these individuals are highly associated with the Hawaiian Archipelago (i.e. Northwestern and main Hawaiian Islands), while vertical movements were dynamic, with repeated, nocturnal deep dives to depths beyond 800 m and temperatures as low as 5.0°C. We conclude that adult male and juvenile S. lewini tagged in Kāne‘ohe Bay exhibit fairly restricted movements throughout the Hawaiian Archipelago, and mature males specifically exhibit strong seasonal site fidelity to Kāne‘ohe Bay. These data add crucial baseline information on habitat preferences of S. lewini around the Hawaiian Islands, and can be used to help structure conservation strategies for a portion of the Central Pacific population.

Summary Stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope analysis (SIA) has proven useful in addressing fundamental questions in ecology such as reconstructing trophic interactions, habitat connections and climate regime shifts. The temporal scales over which SIA can be used to address ecological problems vary depending on the protein turnover times of the analysed tissue. Hard, inert tissues, such as teeth, bones and mollusc shells, grow in regular intervals (i.e. daily or annually), and sequential sampling of these growth layers provides a time series of isotopic patterns. As a result, SIA on these tissues is useful for elucidating behaviour and ecology of animals over time, especially those with cryptic life‐history stages, such as marine turtles that retain growth layers in their humerus bones. To date, there exists no standard protocol for the sequential sampling of cortical bone samples taken from fresh, modern samples for SIA. We tested two different methods, micromilling untreated bone cross sections and biopsy coring bone cross sections processed for skeletochronology, for sequentially sampling individual growth layers from marine turtle humerus bones. We present a standard protocol for sequential bone growth layer sampling for SIA, facilitating direct comparison of future studies. We recommend using the micromilling sampling technique on untreated bone cross sections, as it facilitated higher precision sampling of growth layers that were not affected by chemical processing, and minimized sample handling, thereby reducing chances for contamination. This is the first study to present a standardized method to sequentially sample annual bone growth layers for stable isotope analysis and facilitates direct comparison among future studies.

Observers monitored the explosive removal of oil and gas structures in the Gulf of Mexico to protect sea turtles and marine mammals from adverse impacts. More than 7,000 monitoring hours at 131 structure removals were conducted during 1993. Sixteen individual sea turtles were observed including 6 loggerheads, 1 Kemp's ridley, 1 green, and 8 unidentified sea turtles. Aerial surveys were approximately ten times more effective in observing sea turtles than day or night surface surveys.

Alaska Fisheries Science Center Publications Database

Climate change can alter marine ecosystems through changes in ocean temperature, acidification, circulation, and productivity. Over the last decade, the United States northeast continental shelf (U.S. NES) has warmed faster than any other marine ecosystem in the country and is among the fastest warming regions of the global ocean. Many living marine resources in the U.S. NES ranging from recreational and commercial fish stocks to protected species have shifted their distribution in response to ocean warming. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) is responsible for the assessment, protection, and sustainable use of the nation’s living marine resources. In the U.S. NES, NOAA Fisheries has made substantial progress on climate research related to fish, fisheries, and protected species. However, more research is needed to help inform tactical management decisions with the goal of climate-ready living marine resource management. This is a major challenge because the observed physical and biological changes are unprecedented, and the majority of marine species assessments and management decisions do not utilize environmental data. Here we review the research accomplishments and key needs for NOAA Fisheries in the U.S. NES in the context of climate change and living marine resource management. Key research needs and products are: 1) Infrastructure with continued and enhanced ocean surveys that includes cooperative research with the fishing industry and other NOAA line offices and partners; 2) Tracking and projecting change, and understanding mechanisms including state of the ecosystem reporting, improved regional ocean and ecosystem hindcasts, forecasts, and projections, and continued process-based laboratory and field studies, 3) climate-informed management, including stock assessments that account for climate where possible, translation of changing species distributions into spatial management, climate vulnerability assessment and scenario planning, ecosystem-based management, management strategy evaluations, and increased multidisciplinary science that includes economic and social indicators.

ESR Endangered Species Research Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsSpecials ESR 10:107-121 (2010) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00258 Movements and habitat use of satellite-tagged false killer whales around the main Hawaiian Islands Robin W. Baird1,*, Gregory S. Schorr1, Daniel L. Webster1, Daniel J. McSweeney2, M. Bradley Hanson3, Russel D. Andrews4 1Cascadia Research Collective, 2181⁄2 West 4th Avenue, Olympia, Washington 98501, USA 2Wild Whale Research Foundation, PO Box 139, Holualoa, Hawai‘i 96725, USA 3NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center, 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, Washington 98112, USA 4School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska 99709, and Alaska SeaLife Center, 301 Railway Avenue, Seward, Alaska 99664, USA *Email: rwbaird@cascadiaresearch.org ABSTRACT: There are 2 recognized stocks of false killer whales Pseudorca crassidens in the US Exclusive Economic Zone surrounding Hawai‘i, a small demographically isolated population around the main Hawaiian Islands and a larger offshore (‘pelagic’) population. Recent evidence suggests the insular population may have declined precipitously over the last 20 yr, and one possible contributing factor is interactions with offshore longline fisheries or other hook and line fisheries. To assess movements and habitat use, satellite tags were remotely deployed on individuals in 3 groups from the insular population and one from the offshore population. Although tagged off the leeward side of the island of Hawai‘i, individuals from the insular population regularly moved to the windward sides of the islands. Some insular individuals moved extensively and rapidly among islands, while other individuals remained associated with the island of Hawai‘i for extended periods before moving among the other islands. Comparisons of distances between tagged individuals indicated that individuals within groups disassociated and re-associated over periods of days, occasionally moving more than 100 km apart before re-associating. The offshore individual, tagged 123.8 km offshore, approached to within 62 km of land, inshore of the longline fishery exclusion boundary. The 3 insular groups moved a maximum of 83, 87 and 96 km offshore, respectively, indicating that the distance from shore cannot be used as a strict boundary between the populations, and that individuals from the insular population may overlap with the longline fishery. When combined with photo-identification the results suggest that boundaries between these 2 stocks should be revised. KEY WORDS: Longline fishing · Population boundaries · Group dynamics · Habitat use Full text in pdf format Supplementary material PreviousNextCite this article as: Baird RW, Schorr GS, Webster DL, McSweeney DJ, Hanson MB, Andrews RD (2010) Movements and habitat use of satellite-tagged false killer whales around the main Hawaiian Islands. Endang Species Res 10:107-121. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00258Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in ESR Vol. 10. Online publication date: February 09, 2010 Print ISSN: 1863-5407; Online ISSN: 1613-4796 Copyright © 2010 Inter-Research.

In this study we (1) synthesized 65 yr of odontocete stranding data around the main Hawaiian Islands (1937Islands ( -2002)); (2) analyzed stranding patterns and trends over time; and (3) compared occurrence patterns based on sightings of live animals with stranding data and evaluated the compatibility of these data sets. From 1937 to 2002, 202 odontocete strandings were recorded by the National Marine Fisheries Service, Pacific Islands Regional Office. Strandings increased through time due to increased reporting effort and occurred throughout the year. The four most common of 16 species reported were Kogia spp. (18%), spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) (15%), striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) (11%), and sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) (10%). The highest proportion of strandings was recorded on O'ahu (48%), followed by Maui/ La na'i (24%), Kaua'i (12%), Hawai'i (11%), and Moloka'i (5%). Comparison with four previously published live animal survey studies suggests that stranding records are a good indicator of species composition and yield reasonable data on the frequency of occurrence of species in the region they cover.

The main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) are the principal breeding ground for humpback whales in the North Pacific. Over the past 3 decades, population recovery from whaling-era losses has resulted in a steady increase in the number of whales wintering in Hawaiian waters and a geo- graphic expansion of their distribution in the MHI. Until recently, no existing evidence showed that this expansion included the islands, atolls, and banks of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI). To better understand the occurrence of humpback whales in the NWHI, 9 ecological acoustic recorders (EARs) were deployed at sites throughout the archipelago to record the occurrence of humpback whale song, an indicator of winter breeding activity. Song was found to be prevalent at Maro Reef, Lisianski Island, and French Frigate Shoals but was also recorded at Kure Atoll, Midway Atoll, and Pearl and Hermes Atoll. Both the timing and abundance of song at several locations closely followed trends observed on Oahu, which is one of the MHI, strongly suggesting that humpback whales use the NWHI as a wintering area. This finding is of particular relevance in light of recent suggestions that, based on photo-identification data, a yet undocumented wintering area exists somewhere in the central North Pacific. We propose that the NWHI could be that area.

Shortnose sturgeon Acipenser brevirostrum is federally listed as ‘‘an endangered species threatened with extinction’’ in the U.S. but its listing status is currently under review. As part of this process, the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service will determine if shortnose sturgeon are divided into Distinct Population Segments (DPS) across its distribution. In this regard, we sought to determine if shortnose sturgeon occur in genetically “discrete population segments,” and if so, the boundaries of each. We used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region sequence analysis to assess the genetic discreteness of 14 of 19 river populations that were recommended as DPS in the 1998 Final Recovery Plan for Shortnose Sturgeon. Nine of the 14 proposed DPS proved significantly discrete (P < 0.05 after Bonferoni correction) from both of their bracketing populations, the exceptions being those in the Penobscot River, Chesapeake Bay, Cooper River, and Ogeechee River (our sample from the Cape Fear River was insufficient to statistically analyze). Haplotype frequencies in the newly “rediscovered” Penobscot River collection were almost identical to those in the proximal Kennebec River system. Genetic data in combination with tagging results suggest that shortnose sturgeon in the Penobscot River are probably migrants from the Kennebec. Likewise, shortnose sturgeon found today within the Chesapeake Bay appear to be migrants from the Delaware River. While haplotype frequencies in the remnant Santee River population in Lake Marion differed significantly from those in nearby Winyah Bay, they did not differ significantly from those in the Cooper River. This suggests that the Cooper River harbors descendants of the Santee River population that are unable to access their historical spawning locales. The Ogeechee River collection was not genetically distinct from that in the nearby Savannah River, suggesting that it may host descendants of hatchery-reared individuals of Savannah River ancestry. Our genetic results indicate that most, but not all, rivers with shortnose sturgeon host genetically discrete populations, constituting important information in the consideration of DPS designations. However, shortnose sturgeon migrations through coastal waters to proximal rivers and release of hatchery-reared fish may confound results from genetic studies such as ours and lead to the possible misidentification of discrete population segments.