2011 Papahānaumokuākea Intertidal Monitoring Cruise Survey Team Reflections: Ilysa Iglesias – Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Dispatch from Nihoa: Questions, questions, questions, in science that is what we are expected to ask, to take an observation from our natural world and craft a question which helps explain the observed patterns of life around us. As a marine biologist at the University of Hawaii I have many questions about the coastal marine environment of Hawaii, specifically, which habitats are important for the early life stages of marine fishes. Around the island of Oahu I have found that tidepools are filled with juvenile fishes that depend on these intertidal pools as a nursery habitat. Thus, it was with extreme excitement that I discovered I would be able to join the expedition to Papahānaumokuākea to monitor the intertidal environment of a pristine ecosystem. Questions flooded my mind: will juvenile fish utilize the tidepools in the same way they do in the main Hawaiian Islands? What will I learn from the perspectives of my fellow cruise-mates who each have their own unique diverse and knowledgeable backgrounds of the marine environment? Will I suffer from seasickness?

As is typical with the best questions, as I write answers have only brought on more questions! (Although when it comes to seasickness there was a definitive yes) The distribution and abundance of intertidal organisms varied greatly across the basalt islands we visited with each island having its own host of intertidal inhabitants. I was able to sample tidepools from each of the islands we visited and each pool, like each of the participants on this trip, was unique and filled with life. While I did discover juvenile fish utilizing these pools, once I saw the full extent of the Hawaiian islands and the cultural significance of these sites all I could think about was conservation and how Papahānaumokuākea could help inform our actions in the Main Hawaiian Islands. When I sample tidepools on Oahu I am constantly battling discarded fishing equipment and trash to peer into the pools and can only imagine the impact this holds for the juvenile fish reliant on this habitat for protection from predators and preferable conditions. There is so much I have learned from being a visitor to Papahānaumokuākea and if I could sum it up in a word it would be respect. Respect for the natural environment and the perpetuation of life in the intertidal on islands separated by so much sea, respect for the Hawaiian people who were able to voyage to these remote waters and thrive, and finally respect for the perspectives of the wonderful members of this project. Each participate brought their own unique background to Papahānaumokuākea, and perhaps the most important answers I got from this trip is the interconnectedness of subtidal marine systems with the intertidal zone and the connections each of us has to the ocean and to each other.

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