Pacific Ocean Ecosystem— An Update from Hawaii

PartsVu Xchange Talks Boating spoke with Mckenzie Mungai. Mckenzie is a naturalist for PacWhale Eco Adventures, part of the Pacific Whale Foundation that offers excursions like whale watching, sunset cruises, and snorkeling adventures. Pacwhale Eco Adventures serves as a funding arm for the conservation efforts of the Pacific Whale Foundation.

Mckenzie has had some fascinating experiences. She has a wealth of expertise in marine life, including in-depth knowledge about whales, dolphins, sea turtles, and other marine animals. She has considerable Pacific Ocean ecosystem knowledge and expertise.

Mckenzie currently resides in beautiful Hawaii. Before working for PacWhale Eco Adventures, she worked as a first mate and marine biologist for Pure Dolphin Cruises in St. Petersburg, FL. She also spent time in Juneau, Alaska, working as a naturalist for Allen Marine Tours of Alaska.

Our PartsVu community shares a love of water and boating. We also have a tremendous amount of respect for marine life, so we are eager to listen to Mckenzie and better understand its mission and the work they do.

Want to hear more about conservation efforts surrounding the Pacific Ocean ecosystem? You can find PartsVu Xchange Talks Boating on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, and Stitcher.

Let’s start with the genesis of your passion. Where did your love for these amazing marine animals come from?

Mckenzie: I grew up in Pennsylvania, a land-locked state, so it wasn’t easy to go out and experience the marine life I love so much. I was fortunate to have parents who taught me from a young age to respect and care for the environment around me.

I’ve traveled all over the world, but my passion began in kindergarten. My parents took me to SeaWorld in Orlando for the first time, and I saw a killer whale at the aquarium. That experience was breathtaking for me. That inspired me to devote my life to protecting the ocean and everything that lives within it.

I’ve stayed the course for 20 years, never deviating from my original love.

Humpback whales were a very endangered species for decades. How did they become so endangered, and what’s their status today?

Mckenzie: Humpback whales were critically endangered. The species as a whole is still considered an endangered species. There are fourteen populations or stocks worldwide, and the numbers within those populations or stocks determine that particular group’s status.

People hunted Humpback whales to the brink of extinction. Whaling for them began back in 1819 when two New England ships arrived in Hawaiian waters. At this time in history, whale by-products were in high demand. For example, oil fueled lamps. Whale baleen was used in products like buggy whips for horses, umbrellas, and women’s corsets. Some of the best whaling destinations were in Japan and Alaska.

Since Hawaii is centrally located, hundreds of whaling operations would make a pit stop in Maui to restock on supplies.

Whaling activity continued to increase over time. Actually, in 1845, 734 whaling ships stopped in port that year, which was a record high. Approximately fifty thousand whales were killed annually. Hunting was depleting the humpback whale population.

Fast forward in time: In the 1960s, something remarkable happened. There was a military researcher who was conducting a study on dynamite explosions. He wanted to see what kind of sound the explosions made underwater, so he deployed a hydrophone or underwater microphone. What happened truly transformed the conservation efforts for whales.

The “songs” that the humpback whales were singing captivated the researcher. He didn’t fully grasp what was happening and didn’t understand what the whales were trying to communicate, but he shared the information with a renowned whale researcher named Roger Payne.

Payne fell in love with the song and made it his mission to distribute it to as many people as possible, including friends, family, musicians, and songwriters. His main goal was to raise awareness about the plight of humpback whales by weaving them into human culture. This song sparked the Save the Whales movement and ultimately helped save the species as a whole.

“People fell in love with these animals. They realized how complex and intelligent they were. As a result, conservation efforts continued to progress.”

In 1982, the International Whaling Commission banned deep-sea whaling. In 1992, Congress helped to create the Hawaiian Islands National Humpback Whale Marine Sanctuary, one of the largest marine protected areas in the world. I am very fortunate to work out of that area today.

We define and determine the status of each population in relation to their migration routes. We just removed the population near the Hawaiian Island, the North Pacific Humpback whales, from the endangered list in 2016. However, the species as a whole is still considered endangered.

We estimated a population of one thousand humpback whales before whaling was banned. Today, we have a total worldwide population of over ninety thousand.

Do the songs stay the same, or do they change year to year or period to period?

Mckenzie: The humpback whale song is one of the most complex songs in the animal kingdom. One of the interesting facts about the song is that only the males are singing this song. Another interesting fact is that the song does change from year to year; however, it does not change in its entirety. Instead, the song undergoes slight changes and modifications that don’t necessarily change the overall intent as we understand it. It seems to convey the same message but with different “words,” if you will.

Initially, researchers thought that the males were singing their songs to attract a mate. So, we deployed underwater speakers to replay the song of the particular year that we were in. However, we discovered that the males were the ones attracted to the song. So, our hypothesis was a bit off. We don’t know why the whales are singing the songs, but we know how.

Unlike humans, who use vocal cords, whales have a series of air sacks throughout their nasal passages and internally in the front spaces of their bodies. In between these air sacs, they have something called U-Fold. They expand and contract this area to run air over “ventricle cleats,” which are like accordions. The sound bounces off these ventricle cleats and off the ocean topography to travel through water.

What species are most at risk today, and what are the largest sources of threats to the animals? In short, what is the current health of the Pacific Ocean ecosystem?

Mckenzie: One of the most endangered sea animals today is the harbor porpoise. Thy’re found off the coast of California or Maine. They’re critically endangered. We estimate that the current population is less than ten.

The main threat to harbor porpoises is illegal fishing in marine protected areas. They’re often caught in gill nets. They’re usually not the primary target, but are bycatch.

How do you feel about the interconnectivity of sea life? For example, what would happen to the Pacific Ocean ecosystem if sea turtles became extinct?

Mckenzie: If sea turtles disappeared, it would create a domino effect. You can’t really have one species without the support of another.

For example, in Hawaii, the main species that we have are green sea turtles and hawksbill sea turtles. As juveniles, green sea turtles consume both vegetation and fish. However, as adults, their diets change, and they become strict herbivores meaning they primarily consume algae and sea grass off the coral reef.

Coral reefs need sunlight to survive. If there are no sea turtles, then overgrowth of plant life on coral reefs would suffocate the reefs.

So, species depend on each other for survival in many different situations.

Can you comment on any new fishing approaches designed to protect sea life?

Mckenzie: About two years ago, the Hawaii long line association replaced steel wire fishing leaders with monofilament, less lethal to non-targeted species like sharks. The idea behind the change was that sharks could bite their way free if caught, thus reducing the stress on a shark caught by accident.

The plight of oceanic white tips was the motivating factor for this modification. We estimate that long-lining methods catch about fifteen hundred each, but only sixty percent survive. So, this change is vital to helping that species survive.

Another device introduced is a TED which stands for turtle excluder device. Trawling nets often trap turtles as bycatch. Unfortunately, they cannot escape once trapped until the nets bring them to the surface. However, since turtles depend on coming to the surface to breathe, this presents a significant problem for their survival.

TED devices include mechanisms with middle bars built into the net, almost like a grape. The premise is that anything larger than ten centimeters will be unable to enter the trawling net, allowing them to escape unharmed.

Would you say that people are embracing these kinds of safer mechanisms to protect the Pacific Ocean ecosystem?

Mckenzie: I think that people in Hawaii are “ocean centric,” and are inclined to protect sea life. I think people here are open to ideas and adapt to them a little better than in other places because of the Hawaiian culture.

In regards to Hawaiian culture, what are some of the things that people can learn from native Hawaiian teachings?

Mckenzie: The culture in Hawaii is amazing. It’s based on the notion that you give back what you take from the land. Nothing will be left for future generations if everyone is constantly taking and not replenishing.

In Hawaii, Aina is “the land.” The premise in Hawaii is that the land provides so much for us that it is our responsibility to be great stewards of the land and the Pacific Ocean ecosystem to preserve it for future generations.

I would say that this concept of stewardship is one that everyone can use to ensure that we protect what we have for the future.

To learn more about McKenzie’s work in Hawaii, check out pacificwhale.org. On the site, you’ll find a wealth of information on conservation efforts and details about their amazing tours through PacWhale Eco-Adventures.

To get ready for your journey and help you enjoy your time on the water, PartsVu offers all of the boat accessories, boat parts, and products to help you enjoy every moment.