Hawaii Five-O-Yeah!

Surprise! I'm in Hawaii! I just started my new job with the Monk Seal Recovery Project in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands! I am in Honolulu for the next few weeks training with NOAA/PIFSC/MMRP (way too many acronyms to remember) and getting ready to go out into the deep blue nowhere! The NW Hawaiian Islands are those really tiny islands that usually aren't shown on the maps of Hawaii. They are really small islets and some of them are just atolls (what is left over when a volcanic island sinks and all that is left is the fringing coral reef that used to surround it). I'm stationed at Laysan Island, one of the bigger islands. It is about 1mi x 1.5 mi and is 7mi in circumference, with a very salty lake in the middle. Laysan has the trifecta of animals with Monk Seals, Laysan Albatross, and Laysan Duck - all really awesome sights that I am super excited to see!

So I am in Honolulu packing up lots of 5 gallon buckets with equipment, clothes and food. Laysan and many of the others (Kure, Pearl and Hermes Reef, Lisianski, Midway) are quarantine islands which means you have to wear special clothes that have only been on that island or new. These islands also do not have fresh water, and some do not have buildings, or other people stationed on them. French Frigate Shoals group is lucky because they actually have buildings, wireless internet, fresh water...etc! Fish and Wildlife does have a permanent camp on Laysan, so we won't be totally alone - there are only 3 of us working on the monk seals (me, Gretchen, and Amarisa).

I finally got into the water this weekend and snorkeled! I saw 2 green sea turtles, lots of tropical fish, cool sea urchins, christmas tree worms, coral, trumpet fish, puffer fish... And, I also the chaos of Waikiki! There are sooo many tourists, it's ridiculous!

Today we watched the veterinarian perform a necrospy on a dead female weaner monk seal from 2 years ago on French Frigate Shoals. Have fun with the pictures! And, he couldn't determine the cause of death after the butchering...

Poor Pup - she also has a shark bite on her flipper:


She has no eyes (after Bob cut them out):


Getting brain fluid!


Trachea:


Splayed!


Heart:


Skull removed, can you find it?


Skull:


Golden Plover!