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Journal Day 8 - Lisianski Island

by Keeley Belva

Don’t forget—if you’re in Honolulu, you can learn more about the Monument at the Outrigger Waikiki Beach hotel when NWHI researchers “talk story” Saturdays in July from 9-11am.

Click here to see where the Hi'ialakai is now.
Click here to see current data from the ship.

Today we are at Lisianski Island and far off in the distance you can make out the greenish color of the clouds above the sandy shoals of the island.  Sunlight reflected upward from the shallow reefs gives the clouds an aquamarine tint.  And somewhere out there are the research boats.  One of the research boats has mechanical trouble so we have had to adjust which teams are going out when for the last couple of days. 

This area has been a good environment for the teams working on coralline algae and apex predator tagging.  In fact on our initial trip to the shallow waters off the island, we saw a tiger shark almost immediately.  Luckily the researchers retrieved the receiver that collects data on tagged animals before the shark noticed us. 

Carl Meyer & Yannis Papastamatiou, HIMB scientists researching habitat range of apex predators. Credit: Ziggy Livnat

The receiver was placed there about a year ago and the team, led by Carl Meyer, was bringing it back to the ship to see if any of the animals that had been tagged the previous year had gotten close enough to register on it.  The receiver picks up the frequency of a transmitter that has been implanted into the animal—in this case sharks.  The transmitter is about the size of a finger and is inserted through an incision that is no more than an inch long. Through the information collected by the receivers, the researchers can learn where the animal moves to or if it stays in the same area.  This information on the animals’ habitat range and movement patterns gives managers more information on how to better protect Monument resources.

Implanting a transmitter into a large shark. Credit: Keeley Belva

The coralline algae team, led by Cheryl Squair, is also excited to be spending a few days at Lisianski.  This team is investigating crustose coralline algae, which are hard, calcified organisms that make up much of the reef structure.  This algae is what strengthens reefs as an initial substrate and later provides habitat for organisms including coral.  At northern latitudes such as the NWHI, coralline algae are even more important than corals in building reef structure, yet their taxonomy and diversity are very poorly understood.  The sampling that is taking place on this trip is a first attempt to assess diversity and identify habitat in order to establish a baseline in the Monument. 

Corraline algae at Lisianski Island. Credit: Cheryl Squair

After two busy days at Lisianski, we depart Tuesday for our next stop:  Pearl and Hermes Atoll.  Check back soon!

Don’t forget—if you’re in Honolulu, you can learn more about the Monument at the Outrigger Waikiki Beach hotel when NWHI researchers “talk story” Saturdays in July from 9-11am.

Click here for maps of the region