mlr newsletter, vol 4, no 2 oct 2011

8/3/2019 MLR Newsletter, Vol 4, No 2 Oct 2011

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O C T O B E R 2 0 1 1 F A G A T O G O , A M E R I C A N S A M O A

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MPA Program NewsletterMPA Program NewsletterMPA Program NewsletterMPA Program Newsletter

The students had received mentorship and guidance from theirteachers Teleiai Christian Ausage and Nunuimalo Apisaloma

Toleafoa in order to make this event truly representative of thSamoan Culture. The students, who are studying Samoan Politi

cal Structure were required to perform this drama of part oftheir summer curriculum and it is the first time that this col-

laboration has taken place.

Traditional Samoan food was also prepared for the audiencealong with beautiful leis. The Secretary of Samoan Affairs wa

in attendance along with Directors and Acting Directors of the

National Parks Service, the Environmental Protection Agency,ASCC Landgrant, the Samoan Studies Institute and DMWR.There were around forty other members of the audience made

up of representatives from the different resource managemenagencies and ASCC. The event aimed to raise the awareness of

conservation programs and their integration into local culture awell we fulfill the objectives of the Samoan Political Structure

curriculum for the students. It is hoped that more events will borganized under the Tatou Aleaga Fa'atasi, Combining Culture

and Conservation heading. Honorable Secretary, TufeleLi'amatua was so impressed by the event that he graciously in-

vited the program to the Office of Samoan Affairs to be per-

formed in front of other Government officials. The studentsand staff of ASCC and DMWR were both honored to receivesuch an invitation.

Such an event highlighted the importance of promoting scienceusing the Samoan language and also promoting the Samoan lan-guage and culture to convey the message of protecting the ma-

rine resources for the future.

Our constantly changing environment has brought forth chal-lenges that require adaptively comprehensive approaches. Chal-

lenges such as climate change, population growth, unsustainableuse of resources and several others in the context of American

Samoa have added to the already increasing list of challenges.Like most Pacific islands, American Samoa is facing these chal-

lenges while trying to keep their culture and language intact.

One of the ultimate goals of the DMWR No-take Marine Pro-

tected Area Program is to protect the marine resources fromthe impacts of the abovementioned challenges by promoting theprogram through various mediums and outreach workshops as

well as establishing no-take sites in the waters of AmericanSamoa. While the information provided to promote the pro-gram is derived from scientific research performed locally andelsewhere, it is culturally understood by locals that the chal-

lenges do exist and adaptation strategies are necessary. An

adaptation strategy suitable in American Samoa is the use ofthe Samoan language to promote science and understanding the

cultural protocols to assist in carrying out research in the local-ity of American Samoa.

On Wednesday 27th July, the ASCC Samoa Studies Institute incollaboration with the DMWR No-take Marine Protected AreaProgram organized a drama to promote the No-take Program

and apply the skills learned by the students in their SamoanPolitical Organization course. The drama which was called Tatou

Aleaga Faatasiwas a representation of a Village Council meet-ing in which DMWR would present its Marine Protected Area

program to the Council. It was written by Tafito Aitaoto of theno-take MPA Program and raised many of the issues that occur

in real life as well as showcasing the students hard work in pre-paring for this event.

Tatou Aleaga Faatasi Drama Event

Participants from ASCC Samoan Studies Courses perform-ing an Ava Ceremony as part of the drama event

Students from American Samoa Community CollegeSamoan Studies Division, photographed before their dram

performance on July 27th 2011.


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Ocean currents play a role in coral and larval dispersal, as well

bringing fresh oceanic water into the coastal areas. Part of thdesign of effective no-take areas includes carrying out resear

to understand and identify important sites for inclusion in thenetwork of marine protected areas. In addition to the ADCP

current survey that is on-going, a drifter survey has been con-ducted by the No-take Program with guidance from Dr. Philip

Wiles, SPREP oceanographer. Funding for this project was at-tained from NOAA and involves carrying out drifter deploy-

ments and validating a circulation model for Tutuila which willhappen in 2012. With the use of GPS/VHF transmitting dog

tracking units and a handheld GPS receiver unit, the drifterscould be deployed using a boat or a kayak.

The dog tracking units are placed in a securely sealed 3 inch P

pipe with the antennae sticking out on top to transmit signal tothe handheld GPS unit. They are then cast adrift in the ocea

and tracked from the boat. Up to nine drifters can be deployat one time and data is transferred to GIS maps or google ear

afterwards. In this way, we are gathering more and more info

mation on the surface currents around our islands. We are colaborating with Dr. Eric Treml from the University of Queen-

sland who will visit in 2012 to help set up the circulation modeand run larval simulations. Surveys are therefore being prioritized in existing or proposed protected area locations where itvery important to have such information.

On Monday 8th August, the No-take MPA team carried out a re-connaissance dive at Fagamalo No-take area in preparation for

the implementation of their biological monitoring. The rough con-ditions on the south coast made it challenging to reach the site

but the boat captain, Mike Letuane did a fantastic job of deliver-ing the team to their survey site! The method that the team

were using involves two divers taking photographs and recordingthe substrate at approximately every one minute along their dive.

Two snorkelers on the surface towed a GPS in a waterproof casein order to track the divers. Following the dive, the track andphotos were uploaded to a website where they can be viewed on a

satellite image. If you are interested in seeing the photos andtrack from the dive, go to http://gpsed.com/track/7203076968370548403#photos.

The divers covered an area of approximately 0.2 miles on the dive

and are planning to go back and carry out at least two more simi-lar dives before they will have surveyed the entire reef slope

area in the No-take area. The reason for carrying out this recon-naissance is so that the biological monitoring can be designed cor-

rectly taking into account any significant changes in habitat thatoccur inside the area and doing repeated transects in each. Themethodology worked well and the team found some interestingcorals, fish and invertebrates on the dive such as the large Long-

face Emperor (Lethrinus olivaceus) pictured above and the beau-tiful Giant Clam (Tridacna sp.). Fagamalos new no-take area ad-

joins their pre-existing Village MPA (also outlined in green above)but the no-take area extends approximately 1 mile offshore and

includes an offshore bank. The team also hopes to survey theoffshore bank in the future.

Marine-Life Reserves News, Vol. 4, No. 2, October 2011

No-take MPA Drifter Project

In the red box isFlounder one of the

drifters

Phil and Tafito putting the dog tracking collars inside the

drifter casings before heading out by boat to deploy them

Tafito Aitaotoholding the GPS

receiver unittracking the drift-ers that is in the

water during

Reconnaissance Dive in Fagamalo No-take Area

The yellow line shows the location that was surveyed by theteam. The green line indicates the village Marine Protected

Area boundary.

A picture ofthe coral

reef insideFagamalo no-take area.


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On July 19th - 20th 2011, the Department of Marine and Wildlif

Resources hosted a Summer Camp in Ofu, Manu'a. Approxi-mately forty young people ranging from ages five to twenty-

four years old attended with their parents. The participantswho were from the islands of both Ofu and Olosega were ro-tated around five activities; Fish Anatomy , Marine Protected

Areas (MPA), Coral Reefs and a Fishing Derby. In the FishAnatomy class, the participants learnt about the external andinternal anatomy of a fish. They dissected real fish and talke

about the swim bladder, liver, stomach, heart, gills, brain, gona

and the importance of all these body parts. The participantslearnt about Marine Protected Areas by playing games and hav

ing some fun with MPA activities. They talked about why MPAare important and some benefits that people can get from es-

tablishing an MPA. They also learnt about corals polyps, the dference between coral and coral reefs, what Zooxanthallae is,why coral reefs are important and what threats can kill coralsthe ocean. During the fishing derby, camp participants were

divided into three groups: boys, girls and parents. They caughlot of fish that were used for the fish anatomy class on the ne

day. The National Park Service in Ofu took some of the childrto their laboratory where they showed them coral polyps and

zooxanthallae under microscopes. At the end of each day, theparticipants had to answer a set of review questions in exchan

for prizes! Many thanks to ASCC Land Grant, Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary, NOAA PIRO, and DOC for their donations for prizes for the Le Tausagi Enviro Discoveries SummerCamps at Utulei and Ofu Manu'a.

On June 29th and 30th 2011, DMWR hosted a Teachers Workshop

for teachers from public and private schools in American Samoa.Approximately fifteen teachers attended the workshop at theTradewinds hotel in Tafuna. The Deputy Director of Marine andWildlife Resources started the workshop with a prayer and ad-

vised the teachers that the workshop was intended for them togain more knowledge about marine, wildlife and environmental

issues of importance in American Samoa. On the first day of theworkshop the teachers learned about four different themes, the

Fisheries theme, the Forestry theme, the Water Quality themeand the Soil and Water Conservation theme. The teachers learnt

hands on activities for each theme that they can use with theirstudents in the classroom.

One of the fisheries activities was the coral polyp feedingfrenzy! Teachers were asked to put their hands up in the air with

a shape of an upside down jellyfish which represent the polypsand the instructors represented currents carrying food (which

was actually cereal). The polyp depends heavily on the currentsto bring a fresh food supply particularly at night time when they

capture their prey actively. The soil and water conservation ac-tivity demonstrated soil eroding from a place where the soil is

not stabilized and a place where vetiver grass grows to stabilizethe soil. The water quality activity demonstrated how wetlandsare important habitats for animals and mangroves. The forestryactivity was a presentation of cleanup projects that the ASCC

Land Grant is doing to save village watersheds and the forest.Pollution is another issue that was discussed with teachers during

the teacher workshop.

The second day was a field day where Zero Iaulualo taughtteachers how to swim and they also learnt how to snorkel. Zero

taught the teachers different swimming strokes they can usewith their students if they have field trips to the ocean andother water activities. He also taught some basic life savingswimming strokes so teachers can teach their families. Teachers

received a certificate of appreciation for taking their time toattend the teacher workshop. We would like to say thank you to

those of them that attended and helped during the summercamps at Utulei Beach in July 2011. Malo Le Galulue!

Marine-Life Reserves News, Vol. 4, No. 2, October 2011 Page

Participants of the Teacher Workshop 2011 along withrepresentatives from various government agencies

Le Tausagi Teacher Workshop 2011Le Tausagi Enviro Discoveries Summer Camp

Ofu, Manua 2011

Ofu and Olosega participants during the DMWR SummeCamp in Ofu, Manua

Ofu and Olosega kids duringthe water activity with Alice

Lawrence, Sione Lam Yuen Jrand Ricky Misaalefua

Shey Auelua and Afa

Uikirifi measuring fishfrom their Fishing Derbthat they had with Summer Camp participant


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4Marine-Life Reserves News, Vol 4, No 2, October 2011 Page

Marine-Li

Reserves N

Editor-in-Chi

Lucy Jacob

Authors and P

Assistant

Sione Lam Yu

Tafito Aitaoto

Layout Artist

Sione Lam Yu

Editorial Boa

Chair - Ufaga

Tulafono, Dire

Department of

rine and Wildl

Resources

All content has

written by the

-Life Reserves

editorial staff u

otherwise attrib

Marine-Life Re

News is funded

Federal Aid in

Fish Restoratio

(Dingell-Johns

the Wallop-BrAmendment)

Director a Res

to: Marine-Lif

Reserves New

Department of

rine and Wildl

Resources,P.O

3730, Pago Pa

American Sam

96799, E

mpa.americans

@gmail.com

Tel: (684) 633

Fax: (684) 633

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Check out our

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From July 12th-14th 2011, Le Tausagi hosted another Enviro

Discovery Summer Camp at Utulei Beach. Approximately50 children attended the camp and were divided into twogroups this year, the Ocean group and the Land group.

The ocean group learnt about coral reefs and how coralpolyps feed. The symbiotic relationship between coral andzooxanthallae, which is a single celled algae that requires

light to photosynthesize, was explained to them. They alsolearnt about how the coral polyps use their tentacles dur-

ing night time to capture zooplankton that is carriedaround by the currents. The land group learnt about soil

conservation by stabilization with plants in particularVetiver grass which is being promoted in American Samoa.

Children worked on their journals during their free time.Their journals consisted of puzzles, questions based on

fisheries, forests, soil and water conservation and fun car-toons. On the second day of the camp, the children ro-

tated through several activities including kayaking andswimming safety. In the evenings they had a camp fire and

were told Samoan legends about proverbs that derive fromthe ocean by our ancestors.

On the last day of the camp, the children went on a field

trip to three places on island. First they went to the Mu-seum in Fagatogo where they learnt how to weave baskets

and wrist bands with the Territorial Administration on Ag-ing. Next they went to the ASCC Land Grant tree plot

where they saw native trees and learnt about their impor-

tance for holding the soil together, producing oxygen,shade and providing habitats for insects and forest ani-mals. Lastly, they went to the Wetland Watch Stand at

Lions Park which is a viewpoint from which they could seethe mangroves forest. The children learned a lot during

the Enviro Discoveries Summer Camps and received prizesand a certificate of appreciation for attending the Le Tau-

sagi Summer Camps. Thanks to our sponsors; Panamex Pa-cific, Trophies and Things, Blue Sky, Soil and Water Con-

servation and ASCC EFNEP for your donations! Thank youalso to all the agencies that participated in making the

camps enriching for all of these who attended.

Did You Know? What is coral bleach-

ing? Coral Bleaching is when coral pol-

yps lose the zooxanthallae that pro-vides food, energy source and the col-

oration for corals. Studies done byDouglas Fenner a coral expert at theDepartment of Marine and WildlifeResources that American Samoa had a

moderate coral bleaching event back

in 1994, 2002 and 2003.

Le Tausagi Enviro Discoveries Summer Camps

Utulei Beach 2011

Derek Toloumu during his coral presentation toStudents at the Summer Camps 2011

Tony Maugalei arepresentativefrom the ASCC

Land Grant duringhis presentation at

the Tree Plot atTaputimus Field

Trip

One of the groupat the TeachersWorkshop duringthe Coral Polyp

Activity

Teachers during

the MPA activity atthe LeTausagi TeacherWorkshop 2011

Teachers gettingready for Water

Safety activity withIaulualo Zeon atUtulei Beach dur-ing the workshop

ASCC studentsduring the

drama eventdiscussing

their villageMPA

mlr newsletter, vol 4, no 2 oct 2011

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