Pacific Islands: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

06/12/2024

Screen time? Stream time! Cast your worries aside and join the first meeting of the summer U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fire Virtual Youth Fish and Wildlife Club (YFWC).

The popular program is back on Wednesday, June 12th with a fin-tastic line up of fishies, and fishing knowledge from host and casting extraordinaire, Marye! Visit the link in the comments for more information and join instructions.

YFWC aims to tap into youth curiosity and wonder, foster appreciation for nature and culture, engage young people informally with science, and teach proficiency in outdoor skills. Programs are geared towards youth ages 8-12 but all are welcome, including the younger kiddos and curious adults.

Join the fun at 2:30pm HST on our website https://ow.ly/vK7N50SgAm5 or on Facebook at https://ow.ly/kMJl50SgAm6

06/08/2024

The public is invited to attend presentations on the renaming process of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument during the Festival of the Pacific Arts and Culture at the Convention Center in Honolulu.

Join us during presentations, discussions, and interactive displays about the process between June 10 - 14 from 10AM - 6PM at Room 312.

06/05/2024

Can a bird change its "feathers?" We know a parrotfish can.

This week's Fish of the Week podcast episode by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Alaska features the bumphead parrotfish. Also known as uhu in Hawaiian, atuhong in CHamoru, uluto’i, laea-uluto’i, or galo uluto’i in Samoan, the bumphead parrotfish is found all throughout the Pacific Ocean.

While most parrotfish will start life as female and change their s*x throughout the course of their life in a process called protogynous hermaphroditism, bumphead parrotfish go through a non-functional s*x change. Some will evolve into males before they reach s*xual maturity, but will retain the go**ds of both genders, though they aren't functional s*x changes like other parrotfish.

The bumphead parrotfish eats coral and throughout the course of a year, a single parrotfish can eat and remove over 5 tons of calcium carbonate from a reef.

‎Show Fish of the Week!, Ep Bumphead Parrotfish: Bulldozer of the Sea - Jun 2, 2024

05/31/2024

Fish of the Week!

A wonderful podcast hosted by our Service ʻohana up in Alaska, this weeks episode features awa, also known as milk fish. Able to get up to 5 feet in length, awa can sometimes get mistaken for sharks.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Alaska sat down with Keli'i Kotubetey, assistant executive director of Paepae o Heʻeia on Oʻahu, to talk about awa and their importance to Hawaiʻi and Hawaiian culture.

Quickly and easily listen to Fish of the Week! for free!

05/21/2024

Come celebrate World Fish Migration Day with us!

Our rivers and streams connect our mountains to our oceans, and what happens one place will affect the other. Hawaiʻi World Fish Migration Day is an annual event where members of the community can help restore the mauka to makai connection.

Please join us this Saturday, May 25, to help us restore Oʻahu's waterways.

When: May 25, 2024, from 9:00a.m. to 1:00p.m.
Where: 46-403 Haiku Rd., Kaneohe, HI 96744

To learn more about the event and how you can join visit: https://ow.ly/nPMk50RO9wF or contact Gordon Smith at [email protected]

05/21/2024

The world of conservation can be daunting. It is a race against time and resources to save species that teeter on the brink of extinction. There could be some who argue that it is a losing battle, however, there are others who refuse to quit the fight. For them it is a drive of passion to save plants and animals that are linked to culture, heritage, and the foundation of this planet.

Koa Matsuoka is a biologist in the Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office in Honolulu. From a young age he has been driven by his passion to save species that are linked to Hawaiʻi’s culture and history. With a background in biology and hands-on field experience, Koa has brought his passion and skillset to the Service in an effort to save endangered species in the Pacific Islands.

Of course there is more to a person than words on a page can express. Who is Koa? Why don't we let him tell you about himself...

https://ow.ly/cwjt50RO6wA

05/17/2024

Managing species recovery is challenging, especially in the Pacific Islands that are know as the "Endangered Species Capital of the World." Luckily, the Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office has someone to help strategize, coordinate, and quantify data in a way that is more efficient and accessible to a larger audience.

Susan Machida is a cartographer for the Pacific Island's office. As part of the Strategic Habitat Conservation Program, she uses geographic information system and mapping tools, develops and manages data systems, and leverages graphic design skills. Through her work she makes data accessible and provides context, so it informs conservation planning, decisions, and actions. Simply put, she makes complex information understandable, relatable, and digestible.

While the work Susan provides her peers is invaluable, within her 26-years of service she has also created life-long friendships and engaged the communities she serves by allowing them to connect with and care about the plants and wildlife.

Get to know Susan better: https://ow.ly/ullT50RJ2qE

Photo by the Machida ʻOhana.

05/10/2024

The Pacific Islands are known for their lush coral communities. They are hubs teaming with vibrant colors and busy sea life. But there is a whole exotic world just meters bellow. These are the mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCE), coral communities found from 30 meters (100 feet) to more than 150 meters (492 feet) deep.

The Deep Coral Reef Ecosystem Studies Program team has begun a four-year-long project into the MCEs of American Samoa to learn study coral ecosystems that tend to get overlooked. The Deep CRES Program team is a partnership comprised of NOAA Coastal Ocean Science, the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology - HIMB, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, and Old Dominion University.

Learn more about the coral ecosystems shrouded in twilight: https://ow.ly/pFI750RB1JX

Photo by Richard Pyle/Bishop Museum

05/04/2024

May The 4th Be With You.

Happy Star Wars Day! While we don't live in a galaxy far, far away, you can be a Jedi Knight and help our sea turtles this nesting season.

Honu (green sea turtles), honuʻea (Hawaiian hawksbill), and olive ridley turtles nest across Hawaiʻi beaches from mid-April through September, but even as far into December. The people of Hawaiʻi are encouraged to report nesting sea turtles, , or any baby turtles (or hatchlings) found along the beaches of Hawaiʻi to NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Marine Wildlife Hotline at 1-888-256-9840.

You can also remember to view them from a respectful distance, avoid using bright lights on or near the beach after sunset, keep your dogs leashed, and properly dispose of fishing lines and trash.

Be the galaxy's hero this nesting season and remember, the 4th will be with you, always.

05/02/2024

Which Hogwarts house does ʻalalā belong to? We're thinking Ravenclaw with a pedigree for Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Happy International Harry Potter Day! Declared an international holiday by the United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron in 2012, May 2nd was chosen because it was the date Voldemort was finally defeated.

The ʻalalā are sacred in Hawaiian culture. Regarded as ʻaumākua, spiritual guardians, but also associated with ʻanāʻanā (Hawaiian dark magic). Very intelligent, ʻalalā are known for their loud and varied calls. Able to communicate with 24 different types of vocalizations, if ʻalalā was seen or heard upon entering a place, this was seen as a warning sign to not continue on.

ʻAlalā are important to Hawaiʻi's ecosystem as they disperse native plant seeds and eat insects throughout the forests. Today, ʻalalā exist only in captivity, but hope remains that they will once again grace our forests with their calls.

Learn more about The 'Alalā Project and by visiting https://ow.ly/tKGF50RrnY3


Photo by Koa Matsuoka.

05/01/2024

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is inviting the public to attend a webinar on the results of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument Renaming and Cultural Recognition Assessment.

During this webinar, we will share the results of the report, answer any questions about the report, and share information on upcoming engagement events.

Registration link for the Microsoft Teams webinar for15 May Wednesday 7:30am ChST/14 May, Tuesday at 11:30am HST:
https://ow.ly/rnw750Rt2Fs

To see the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument Renaming and Cultural Recognition Assessment, link here: https://ow.ly/6Jbi50Rt2Gv

The Service appreciates Office of Insular Affairs for helping share this exciting news with the communities you serve .

04/26/2024

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Bring a Kid to Work Day is an annual event and was held at James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge this year. The theme "Inspire 2 Aspire" was selected in order to instill a mindset that children can choose their own future.

Whatever career path our keiki choose, may they always be mindful of the impacts to our environment and native species, and find ways, big or small, to give back to our communities.

Photos by Nanea Valeros/USFWS

04/19/2024

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serviceand Oʻahu Army Natural Resource Program held a two-day partner exchange in March.

On the first day, members from OANRP visited the Kalealoa Unit of the Pearl Harbor National Wildlife Refuge to see the work the Service does to protect endangered, endemic plants, view the ʻōpae ʻula (Hawaiian anchialine shrimp) pools, and help maintain overgrowth. The second day, members from the Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office hiked out to the Palikea in the Waianae Mountains to see the kāhuli or pūpū kani oe (Oʻahu tree snail) enclosures and the work OANRP does to protect them, while also helping to cut back overgrowth.

Conservation partnerships in Hawaiʻi are important towards protecting native and endemic species. Knowing who those partners are, the work they do, and seeing the challenges they deal with first hand allow greater collaboration and strengthen bonds in the conservation community.

Video by: Jordan Akiyama/USFWS

04/16/2024

Looking for something fun and relevant to do for your planet during Earth Day weekend in O‘ahu?

Much marine debris accumulates on O‘ahu shorelines and the shores of James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge could use your caring help.
We welcome you to join us on April 20th from 10 am - 2 pm at James Campbell NWR to help clean up debris along the coastal sand dunes.

See flyer for RSVP contact and for more information.

03/22/2024

When cultural practices and land meet.

This week, Hui Hōʻai ʻIke visited James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge to plant lāʻī (tī leaf) and remove weeds from the seabird enclosure. The event brought together different departments of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Honolulu office. Service members also brought out their families to learn about the importance of our refuges and how cultural knowledge plays a part in managing those refuges.

Hui Hōʻai ʻIke is made up of Department of the Interior employees who share traditional and historic knowledge of the indigenous and local communities in the Pacific. Because conservation in Hawaiʻi involves the natural and cultural resources of the Native Hawaiian community, Hui Hōʻai ʻIke helps to incorporate traditional ecological knowledge, values, and practices into work across DOI offices and bureaus.

Photos by Koa Matsuoka/USFWS

03/15/2024

Hawaiʻi County Mayor Mitch Roth has signed a proclamation recognizing 2024 as Ka Makahiki o Nā Manu Mahele, The Year of The Forest Birds.

Nā manu nahele (forest birds), comprise at least 84 species among all Hawaiian forests, including honeycreepers, honeyeaters, flycatchers, thrushes, warblers, hawks, owls and crows.

Hawai‘i is experiencing a bird extinction crisis, with roughly two-thirds of its known native manu nahele species having become extinct. Nearly all of the remaining 26 species are facing critical threats.

On Hawai‘i Island, the first statewide Hawai‘i forest bird surveys – which started in 1976 – confirmed what pre-contact Native Hawaiians already knew when they named an area on the slopes of Mauna Kea “Hakalau” (“many perches”); there is a high density of forest birds within and around this area.

In 1985, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with the active involvement and support of The Nature Conservancy, purchased these lands and established the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge to protect and manage endangered Hawaiian forest birds and their habitat.

Located on high on the windward slopes of Mauna Kea, the Hakalau Forest unit consists of 32,830 acres of some of the finest remaining stands of native montane rain forest in Hawai‘i and habitat for 29 critically endangered species including seven birds, one insect, one mammal and 20 plants found nowhere else in the world.

Success within the Hakalau Forest has demonstrated the effectiveness of the resource restoration and protection thanks to the efforts of many partners, including thousands of volunteers over the past nearly 40 years.

To view the proclamation link here: https://ow.ly/Hgml50QTWah

Photo courtesy: County of Hawai‘i

03/12/2024

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated critical habitat for 12 species, all found only on Hawaiʻi island.

The critical habitat occurs across six ecosystems, from forest to grass and shrublands, and from wet elevations to dry coastal areas. These species face threats of habitat loss and degradation by introduced ungulates, fire, drought, as well as habitat modifying invasive plants and predation from non-native insects.

Critical habitat is a tool that supports the continued conservation of imperiled species by guiding cooperation within the federal government. Identifying critical habitat also informs landowners and the public which specific areas are important to a species’ conservation and recovery. It raises awareness of the habitat needs of imperiled species and focuses efforts of our conservation partners.

Read the story at: https://ow.ly/FyPq50QQQg5

Photo by USFWS

03/01/2024

Call It a Comeback

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have announced an environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact for the pilot release of the ʻalalā (Hawaiian crow) on East Maui. Listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, ʻalalā is native to Hawaiʻi island but has been extinct in the wild since 2002.

The proposed pilot release would allow managers to evaluate if ʻalalā are successful at breeding in wet forest on East Maui and have better survival in habitat absent of ʻio (Hawaiian hawk). The proposed action fulfills the Hawaii DLNR (Department of Land and Natural Resources) and Service’s mandates to promote long term conservation and recovery of the endangered ʻalalā.

A 30-day public comment period was held by both the State of Hawaiʻi and the Service. A public meeting was also held on November 8, 2023, at the Kula Community Center on Maui. All public comments have been reviewed and considered in the publication of the EA.

To read the story visit: https://ow.ly/w93250QJEyA

02/03/2024

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to adopt the National Park Service's Final Environmental Assessment (EA) entitled “Suppression of Invasive Mosquito Populations to Reduce Transmission of Avian Malaria to Threatened and Endangered Forest Birds on East Maui.”

The Service has conducted its independent evaluation and determined the EA meets all the requirements for adoption. The Service has concluded a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) that is based on documentation and analysis provided in the NPS's EA.

https://ow.ly/olGI50QxtUb

Kiwikiu photo by Zach Pezillo

01/31/2024

Palmyra Atoll NWR Rainforest Realignment Volunteer Positions

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is accepting applications for 4 (four) Rainforest Realignment volunteer positions supporting Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge from early June to mid-October 2024.

If you are passionate about conservation, possess a strong physical and mental constitution, and are flexible under changing conditions, then this is the perfect opportunity for you. This island-level experiment aims to increase native tree species and seabird populations and improve island and coral reef resiliency to climate change.

Appointees will have the rare opportunity to live in this remote setting surrounded by rainforest, seabirds, land crabs and thriving coral reefs.
Volunteers will spend roughly 2 weeks in Honolulu in preparation before deploying to Palmyra for 4 (four) months.

If you are interested, don't wait! The last day to apply for this amazing opportunity is February 19.
Learn more about this opportunity and how to apply at:
https://ow.ly/9jFc50Qw7gC
Photo credit: USGS

01/30/2024

Great interagency kick-off to makahiki o nā manu nahele

This past week Hakalau Forest NWR in collaboration with the Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office and the Division of Forestry and Wildlife hosted Kula Manu (Bird Field School) 2024 at the Refuge. Kula Manu was designed to train volunteers to become primary bird surveyors. It was an awesome week with beautiful weather and with our manu Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian birds).

12/08/2023

On December 7, 1941, just hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces attacked the U.S. Marine Corps base on the island of Midway with two destroyers, Sazanami and Ushio. This year is the 82nd Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. We honor the survivors and remember the fallen in the attacks on Pearl Harbor, Midway Atoll, and Wake Island.

📷 credit: Dan Rapp/USFWS (Navy Memorial at Midway Atoll)