Karanga Mai

Karanga Mai, Calling out all critters in the fishpond!

April 17

Today we spent the day with Megs welcoming all critters of the fishpond to enter our 3-D Quadrate of DOOM...nawwww. Just to have a look at them! We are continuing our investigation to see if G. salicronia is a home to little critters in the fishpond!

Waiting for the coast is clear, can't scare those critters away!

Megan and Cami

Oh what can we find?

"We are segmenting the algae :(" - Nikki

She's super pregos!

April 21

On this lovely Saturday we continued our venture with Megs catching critters in the fishpond!

We were a little out of luck only catching a few things.

We managed to catch some of these guys.

Koa, desperately looking for something to catch.

Instead, Daniel and Koa decided to do "jump fishing". They would jump off the fishpond walls to quickly catch mullet (I think)!

Aunty Donnie also came to see us today after our work day. She went over several chants with us. We went over E Ala E (Sunrise chant) and E Kānehoalani (another sunrise chant). We also went over I Kū Mau Mau and 'Uhola (thank you chant). And of course Nā 'Aumākua. During my session we only did E hō mai and E Ala E. I'm glad that we are learning more chants this session. It is always great to have different chants in your repertoire for any occasion that you may be a part of. 

Mahalo e na akua.

Mahalo e na kupuna la ea.

Mahalo me ke aloha la.

-Leila

Finding Nemo & Mr. Krabs

Tuesday, March 20

This past, past Tuesday we had a Megsie day and we made her second 3D quadrant. First off, we measured the pvc pipes and cut them down to size. Then we primed and glued all the pieces together to create a 3D box. Later, after it dried, which was fairly quickly, we began to wrap the netting around the edge of the box by using hot glue as well as zip ties to make sure that the edges are as tight as they can be. This step took a while because we wanted to make sure that the box was covered very well and tight. After the 3D quadrant was finished, we went out into the field. But this part was very tricky. We had to float to the point, one quadrant went to bare sediment and the other to gracilaria/algae canopies, there we had to swiftly put the quadrant down trapping all the little critters inside, Maryane and I completed this step as everyone else had to wait on the sidelines, and then bam everyone came in for the digging. Each net placed into the quadrant and scooped up could have been a complete surprise. It was exciting every single time watching people pull up all sorts of animals from the quadrant, which we then placed into buckets to ID and measure later. This was so interesting and it was so surprising and fun every time. Leila ended up pulling up a large lizard fish and Megan pulled up quite a large crab, although it was towards the end of the quadrant! Couldn't believe that we missed it in the first place! 

Zip tying and glueing down the netting for the quadrant

Floating on down in section 27 looking for the perfect spot.

3D Quadrant finished

Waiting on the sidelines

Little critters we found in the 3D Quadrants. A Mystery Brown Crab (Right) & A Mystery Shrimp (Left)

Saturday, March 24

Saturday was our second community service day, well technically it was our third. Today, we ended up having to move pohaku (rock), which is much heavier than ko'a (coral). As always we first gathered around the lawn and introduced ourselves. This time, my two younger brothers, Ka'io and Pu'ali came with me to join on the help and fun. Then we got ready and went on out little tour of the fishpond. This time, our tour guide was Paleke, the guardian of the fishpond lol. He was very interesting and told us many ancient stories and legends regarding the fishpond and its surroundings. I was completely intrigued. We then walked out, far past the break and around the cylinder smaller wall to start passing our first pile. Oh how heavy the rocks were! It was so tiring, but yet again we had to pass the same pile adding on another each time about 4 times. At the last pile, we counted how many rocks came through and there were 389! My gosh! We must be body builders after this. We pass rocks in the same way our Ancestors did which puts mana (power) into each rock and into the kuapa or the fishpond wall. I love community service days and giving back to the fishpond, which gives so much to me. Later, Aunty Donnie joined us and told many more stories about the fishpond, Haumea and Meheanu. These stories are so intriguing, and we also talked about Haumea moments that we may have had while working at the fishpond. Megsie had the most interesting one about her Haumea dream. Aunty Donnie is always a delight to have and she always talks to us about the most interesting dreams. 

Aunty Donnie telling us legendary stories of Haumea

Sharing a laugh with Aunty Donnie and all the LAIPERS

Chili & Rice for lunch after a long community service day. 

How to whip a fish

On Tuesday we had another great day with Hi'ilei.  First we learned about the Hawaiian Moon Calendar, which was, and still is, critically important to fishpond management.  The phases of the moon are called Po Mahina, and there are 30 days in the Hawaiian Moon calendar.  Hawaiians had a unique name for the moon on every day.  The 30 days were broken into 3 phases (anahulu) of 10 days each: the ho'onui (rising) moons, the poepoe (full) moons, and the emi (falling) moons.  We learned about the practices and kapu associated with each of the phases and we also learned a nifty song and clap dance that helps you remember the phases.  The song is called Kamali'i 'ike 'ole i ka helu po (the child that doesn't know the moon phases).

Kamali'i 'ike 'ole i ka helu po
Muku nei, muku ka malama
Hilo nei, kau ka Hoaka
'Eha Ku
'Eha 'Ole
Huna, Mohalu, Hua, Akua
Hoku, Mahealani, Kulu
'Ekolu La'au
'Ekolu 'Ole
'Ekolu Kaloa
Kane, Lono, Mauli, pau.

Here we are learning and practicing it.

This ain't square dancing!

Anu was a pro and lead the rest of us through it.

Next we learned about "whip fishing" from Hi'ilei.  The name comes from the fact that you whip the pole to cast the line into the water.  As you will see, this is not a traditional fishing practice, since you use a fiberglass fishing pole with a reel, but it is still very important element of modern fishpond management.  The folks at Paepae o He'eia use whip fishing or reel fishing to catch predatory fish in the pond (those that would eat the herbivorous fish they're trying to grow).  Twice a year Paepae gets help from the community in catching these predators at open community fishing days.  Check out the fun that was had by all.

First we have to untangle the lines...

Pointers from the master

Leila is getting the swing of it

Looks like Daniel has done this before

Is that a fish, or more limu?

Success!!!

Even the "older" generation participated!

Week of March 13-17 2012

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

On Tuesday, we reviewed “dissolved oxygen” with Sherril. We discussed how it is added to and removed from a system. We also talked about what influences and affects dissolved oxygen levels. Sherril gave a small introduction to “experimental design”. We formulated a simple hypothesis to test how dissolved oxygen differs between inside an algal canopy and directly outside of an algal canopy.

Later, we divided into groups and went out into the pond to do some field work on algal cover for Sherril’s research.

First, we set up our “Algal Cover” Kit.

Then, we went out to collect data and samples.

Using the GPS to locate our site.

Koa and I preparing to collect data and samples at one of our sites.

Koa obtaining sediment core samples.

Leila recording data.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

            On Saturday, Koa gave a brief intro to dissolved oxygen for the interns and the Ocean Awareness Training (OAT) visitors.

Koa giving a talk about Dissolved Oxygen.

Later, we collected samples of dissolved oxygen through field work to test our hypothesis and performed titration to collect dissolved oxygen data.

Samples of dissolved oxygen.

Cami performing a titration. Meghan preparing samples to be titrated.

Sherril speaking with the OAT visitors.

            All in all, it was a fun week filled with experiments and collaborating in an effort to design our own experiment. It was great and fun meeting new people (OAT) and being able to introduce them to a little science. (:

Crabbing!



A quick tutorial to the interns by Hi'ilei



Being the end of the month, Hi'ilei showed us another from of fishing. This month we went crabbing! To catch the crabs we used a simple method by bating simple circle nets and setting them and checking them later.

This Tuesday we were actually crabbing for certain crabs, native crabs named the Moala and Kuahonu. We learned that out in the Bay there population is decreasing because of all the competition for resources. Here in the fishpond where it is a bit more sheltered, the populations of these two species have a better chance of growing populations.

  

A stack of nets ready for the water!



Anu and Nikki setting the traps in the pond



Doing this weekly, Hi'ilei wants to try to track the population growth of these two species in the pond. Seeing if there are certain times of the year where the populations flux. The Moala is a docile crab with long vibrant purple pincher's. The Kuahonu is named after the honu because the spots on its carapace resemble the shell of a honu.





 This is a Moala flipped over and you can see his purple pincers. We can also tell it is a male by recognizing the "V" on the bottom of the crabs body. A female will have a "U" shape instead.

To the right is the Kuahonu and on the bottom part of the carapace we see the spots that the crab is named for.

There are also crabs that are in the pond that are non-native. One of those crabs are the Samoan crabs, these were introduced here to the Islands.  They can grow to a large size and be a fierce competitor when it comes to foraging for food. This is a Samoan crab that was caught in one of the traps next to a moala.

Aloha e nā poʻe o ka loko iʻa o Heʻeia

Poʻalua ma ka lā  ʻiwakāluakūmākahi o Pepeluali

Ma kēia lā, ua pau mākou i ka mea kānana no nā mea hōʻikeʻike ʻuʻuku haku no Megsie. i kēlā lā i makani ai. ua waʻu ka hapanui o ko mākou hui i nā limu manauea mai nā mea hōʻikeʻike ʻuʻuku mai ka pule aku nei. ʻai mākou i nā ʻai māmā me mākou a ua walaʻau pū mākou e pili ana i ko mākou mau lā a me nā meaʻai apau. ʻO ka lā hope o Megsie ma mua o kona haʻalele ʻana ma ka moku nui no ka ʻimi i ke kumu. Ua ʻimi mākou i nā mea hōʻikeʻike ʻuʻuku no nā holoholona liʻiliʻi loa. ua ʻimi kākou i nā mea e like me ka dorvillidae, copapoda, serilladae, a me ka syllidae. a laila, ma hope o ko mākou ʻimi ʻana i nā ʻohe nānā, komo mākou i nā holoholona i nā ʻohe heʻa kahi me nā holoholona e like me kēlā holoholona. 

          

E hana pū nei ʻO Cami a ʻO Danielle me ka mea 

  

          

ma ka ʻaoʻao hema, i nā ʻohe heʻa me nā holoholona mai nā mea hōʻikeʻike ʻuʻuku

ma ka ʻao ʻao ʻakau, e ʻakaʻaka ʻO megan i kona hana ʻana me ka ʻohe nānā me Daniel. ua ʻimi ʻO Daniel i ko Megan kākau ʻana ma ka pepa na mea likeʻole i pili i ke kumu hana.

  

ma ka ʻaoʻao hema, i ka ʻohe mai ke kahua hoʻokahi haneli a me ʻeono i ka mea hōʻikeʻike ʻuʻuku hoʻokahi ma hope o ka kānana ʻana me ka ʻelima haneli microns. 

ma ka ʻaoʻao ʻakau, ʻO ka hoʻokahi ʻohe no ka holoholona dorvillidae ma hope o koʻu ʻimi ʻana mai ka ʻohe nānā 

ʻO nā ʻohe heʻa kēia. 

Ma ka poʻaono i ka lā ʻiwakāluakūmālima o Pepeluali

Ma kēia lā, ʻO ka lā wahi noho like o ka poʻe kēlā no ka Paepae o Heʻeia. ʻO ka lā mua no mākou i ka lā wahi noho like o ka poʻe kēia. O ka mea mua, ua hui mākou i ka hui ma ka honua ma mua o ka loko iʻa. A laila, hoʻolauna mākou e pili ana ko mākou inoa a me e pili ana ka noho mākou i hea. ua hele mākou ma ke kaʻapuni o ka loko iʻa no ka poʻe ua hele ʻole. a laila, ua hele mākou ma ka paia i ka pani o ka loko iʻa, ua holo wāwae mākou i ka wāhi o ka paia a ua neʻe i na koʻa i ka ʻelua wahi ma hope o ka wahi o nā koʻa. ua kūkulu i ka paia no ka mea wahī. Ma hope o kēia, ua hiki mai ʻO Anakē Donnie e walaʻau me mākou e pili ana i ka moʻolelo o ka loko iʻa o Heʻeia. Hoihoi loa kēlā mea walaʻau a ua hauʻoli loa mākou e pili ana i ko Anakē Donnie hiki mai ʻana. 

ʻO ka manawa moʻolelo me Anakē Donnie. a Hoʻolohe ʻO Cami iā Anakē Donnie i kona moʻolelo hoihoi loa. 

E walaʻau ana ʻO Anakē Donnie.

 

ʻO ko Koa a me Megan heluhelu ʻana i ka puke moʻolelo o Kāneʻohe i nā kēia mau kiʻi.

ʻO ka kiʻi kēia o ka loko iʻa o Heʻeia ma mua o kēia mau lā i ka wā kahiko. Nani loa kēiā kiʻi.