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[post_content] => Thirty-four students arrived last Monday in TCI!
TCI Ferry bringing 33 very excited students. One arrived a day late due to flight cancellations
Typically students are greeted by a warm Caribbean sun and blue skies, but not this group. It rained the first three days of program.
Town tour in torrential rain
And by rain, I mean RAIN! For alumni reading this, maybe you had three days of rain your whole semester…The sun is finally shining and everyone is excited to be in the water – field exercises, Open Water SCUBA course and recreational dives.
Already certified SCUBA divers doing orientation dive in swim zone
Everyone is excited to explore the underwater world, no matter what time day or night.
In Marine Ecology, students are learning about mangrove organisms and their interactions. Today they are wading and snorkeling in the local mangrove systems to see these interactions. They are also learning about the conch and lobster fisheries and taking trips to the docks to meet fishermen.
Students in the Resource Management course
Yesterday we were visited by community members to talk about the history of South Caicos as part of the Environmental Policy and Socioeconomic Value course. Community kids were waiting for over an hour on the first Saturday for swim lessons, crafts, and games.
We were joined by nearly 50 children ages 5 to 16. We also participated in National Wetland Clean Up Day – collecting over 6 huge bags of trash from the mangroves.
This semester we are looking forward to recording whale songs as part of a grant from The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation. Already we see the humpback whales breaching and hear them when we are diving. Humpback whales migrate between the Northeast US and TCI/Dominican Republic between January and March. Songs are used to identify pods. We are also continuing our reef assessment this semester. This is important as we are still seeing coral bleaching around the Caribbean, particularly the deeper reefs which are not as adapted to warmer temperatures.
News from the Center… This semester we welcome Lawre Doughton, Student Affairs Manager, Jourdan Bonnett, Dive Safety Officer, and Taylor Determan, Waterfront Intern. We bid farewell to Alex Kahn-Johnston, Student Affairs Manager, who contributed significantly to CMRS and the South Caicos community over the past year and a half. The roof in the commons area is being replaced, everyone will miss being rained on at meals. Several researches are expected to pass though South Caicos and we look forward to working with them on climate change impact to our reef systems. Finally, we are planning for the arrival of the TCSPCA in May – please support our four legged community members through the SFS website, and remember to designate “South Caicos Veterinary Services”
→ Marine Resource Studies in TCI
[post_title] => Three Days of Rain? Am I on South Caicos?
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[post_content] => Thirty-four students arrived last Monday in TCI!
TCI Ferry bringing 33 very excited students. One arrived a day late due to flight cancellations
Typically students are greeted by a warm Caribbean sun and blue skies, but not this group. It rained the first three days of program.
Town tour in torrential rain
And by rain, I mean RAIN! For alumni reading this, maybe you had three days of rain your whole semester…The sun is finally shining and everyone is excited to be in the water – field exercises, Open Water SCUBA course and recreational dives.
Already certified SCUBA divers doing orientation dive in swim zone
Everyone is excited to explore the underwater world, no matter what time day or night.
In Marine Ecology, students are learning about mangrove organisms and their interactions. Today they are wading and snorkeling in the local mangrove systems to see these interactions. They are also learning about the conch and lobster fisheries and taking trips to the docks to meet fishermen.
Students in the Resource Management course
Yesterday we were visited by community members to talk about the history of South Caicos as part of the Environmental Policy and Socioeconomic Value course. Community kids were waiting for over an hour on the first Saturday for swim lessons, crafts, and games.
We were joined by nearly 50 children ages 5 to 16. We also participated in National Wetland Clean Up Day – collecting over 6 huge bags of trash from the mangroves.
This semester we are looking forward to recording whale songs as part of a grant from The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation. Already we see the humpback whales breaching and hear them when we are diving. Humpback whales migrate between the Northeast US and TCI/Dominican Republic between January and March. Songs are used to identify pods. We are also continuing our reef assessment this semester. This is important as we are still seeing coral bleaching around the Caribbean, particularly the deeper reefs which are not as adapted to warmer temperatures.
News from the Center… This semester we welcome Lawre Doughton, Student Affairs Manager, Jourdan Bonnett, Dive Safety Officer, and Taylor Determan, Waterfront Intern. We bid farewell to Alex Kahn-Johnston, Student Affairs Manager, who contributed significantly to CMRS and the South Caicos community over the past year and a half. The roof in the commons area is being replaced, everyone will miss being rained on at meals. Several researches are expected to pass though South Caicos and we look forward to working with them on climate change impact to our reef systems. Finally, we are planning for the arrival of the TCSPCA in May – please support our four legged community members through the SFS website, and remember to designate “South Caicos Veterinary Services”
→ Marine Resource Studies in TCI
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[post_content] => After returning from our field trip to Providenciales, North and Middle Caicos, everyone is excited about finishing up class work and diving into their Directed Research. Our Provo trip was both fun and productive. Bryan Naqqi Manco from the TCI Department of Environmental and Coastal Research (DECR) educated us about cave formations and the local environment, which is surprisingly much different than South Caicos.
In addition to the Conch Bar (as in sand) Caves, we enjoyed lunch on one of the most beautiful beaches in the Turks and Caicos, Mudjin Harbour, while watching whales breach. Our day ended at the government farm where we learned about the Caicos pine (Pinuscaribaea) restoration project. David Stone (TC Reef Fund), David Bowen (Director, Ministry of Art and Culture), and Amdeep Sanghera (Marine Conservation Society), joined us in the evenings to discuss their projects. Day two of the field trip was spent surveying the local community about fisheries and visiting the conch farm. After a five day spring break, students are back on South.
Only one week of classes remains before the start Directed Research. Students will be tracking eagle ray populations, monitoring lemon sharks, and surveying local dock landings and perceptions of marine resource use. In the meantime, faculty research is going strong! Many of our students have been out with Dr. Aaron Henderson assisting him in catching and tagging lemon sharks. Other students are setting up a green house on site made from found material with Dr. Eduardo Guevara to grow some produce and mangroves trees as part of a small restoration project.
[post_title] => Diving into Directed Research
[post_excerpt] => After returning from our field trip, everyone is excited about finishing up class work and diving into their Directed Rresearch.
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[post_content] => The Center for Marine Resource Studies in Turks & Caicos recently welcomed over 80 South Caicos community members for “Sea Day,” which featured interactive touch tanks and various marine education stations.
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[post_content] => It’s hard to believe the semester is over. Just 95 days ago, 34 wide eye students arrived on South for an adventure which they will carry with them through their lives. I have watched amazing friendships develop in a group supportive of each other both in the classroom and the field. They have dove and snorkeled on some of the world's most beautiful coral reefs, watched turtles hatch and begin their journey, listened to fishermen's stories, learned how to “knock” conch, and have grown close to a community which depends on the results of their research data collection.
Over the past few weeks, students have studied eagle ray behavior, lemon shark habitats, turtle populations, and local ecological knowledge as part of their Directed Research projects. Three of our student groups presented their research to a community audience of over fifty, including government officials, processing plant owners and operators, local fishermen, island visitors, and children. In addition to their challenging academic work, students and staff worked together to provide a successful outreach program this semester which included swimming lessons, beach clean-ups, hands-on science featuring local marine creatures, and research trips with the local high school teachers to study sharks. Today I see a group departing who have grown to know and love the marine resources and people of South Caicos. We wish everyone the best of luck and hope you come back to visit!
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[post_date] => 2013-02-15 13:44:20
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[post_content] => Greetings from South Caicos! The Center for Marine Resource Studies is extremely excited to welcome our new Resource Management faculty Dr. Alex Tilley and his wife, Juliana. After a long winter break, our faculty and staff welcomed thirty-six very excited students to South Caicos. In just over a week, we have toured historic Cockburn Harbour and discovered some of the biodiversity our marine system has to offer.
Classes are in full swing and field exercises take up most of our afternoons. Since we are learning about the local marine life and their interactions, I have included a photo of one of the species students learn about in the ID sessions. Saturday’s community outreach included swimming lessons, a “featured creature” – this week was the West Indian sea egg (Tripneustes ventricosus) – reading and homework help, and sports. In addition, this semester students will help with the restoration of an underwater marine trail and the preparation of material for a new trail accessible to younger community members.
Students have begun participating in faculty research projects which include shark and turtle tagging and monitoring, and water quality assessment. We also hope to work with the TCI Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs (DEMA) to assess the conch stock around South Caicos. We are looking forward to an extremely productive and engaging semester!
[post_title] => Greetings from South Caicos!
[post_excerpt] => Classes are in full swing and field exercises take up most of our afternoons.
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[post_date] => 2013-05-10 06:54:07
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[post_content] => It hard to believe the students have just left. Reflecting back, this has been a memorable semester—up close encounters with migrating humpback whales, octopus and dolphin sightings, diving some of the most diverse reefs in the area, field trip to Provo, Saturday outreach, and Sunday bake-offs at the Center.
On the research front, Aaron Henderson, Marine Ecology Lecturer, and Megan Nash (Fall 2012) had a publication accepted in Marine Biodiversity Records documenting turtles hatching on South Caicos and the Center received a grant to measure and monitor erosion and accretion patterns on turtle nesting beaches around the TCI.
During the last week of the semester, students and faculty were busy working on Directed Research data analysis and preparing for their community presentations. Our Directed Research projects are designed to address resource management questions developed with local stake holders. This semester students studied eagle ray population dynamics, lionfish densities around South Caicos, worked with local community groups (citizen scientists) to document climate change on South Caicos, and assessed a local coral reef ecosystem as part of the Centers effort to identify local impact of development and climate change.
To increase community awareness about our natural resources, our students and SAM organized an Earth Day celebration. Activities at the Center included several “Featured Creatures” and discovery activities. This was followed by a parade with a band to the Conch Dock were the festivities continued. This has definitely been a great semester and we will miss everyone.
Remember the TC SPCA is coming. South Caicos animals need your help. Please donate to support this effort: https://community.fieldstudies.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=184 (in the designation box, select SOS South Caicos Veterinary Services).
[post_title] => A Memorable Semester
[post_excerpt] => Reflecting back, this has been a memorable semester—up close encounters with migrating humpback whales, octopus and dolphin sightings...
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[post_content] => We are well into our semester with mid-term exams just around the corner. It’s been a busy month with classes and field exercises—species identifications, invasive species surveys, assessing the value of ecosystems and a visual conch assessment (data will contribute to the national stock assessment).
In addition, we are working on several projects related to climate change in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI). This semester we welcome five new interns, all alumni of the SFS TCI program. They are quickly learning methodology for beach profiling as part of a Munson Foundation grant to monitor climate change as it relates to turtle nesting sites around the islands.
The Turks and Caicos Islands are an archipelago of about forty limestone islands. Most of the land habitat is scrub land, thick with dense vegetation. The mangrove forests and seagrass ecosystems that line the South Caicos coast are among the most biologically productive coastal systems. Scattered between these ecosystems and limestone cliffs are white sand, isolated beaches, which have proved to be ideal for sea turtle nesting.
The SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies believes in the importance of studying the impacts of climate change on local ecosystems and has included this research in both our Center’s program and research components. Likely impacts of climate change to marine and coastal ecosystems include temperature change on organism metabolism and water chemistry, including carbonate cycle, precipitation change on water balance, and wind and water circulation pattern changes. Studies have shown that climate change can have real and direct impacts on populations of marine turtles, first by impacting the profile of some of the most important nesting beaches, but also by directly influencing the sex ratio of the hatchlings.
Our plan for long-term data collection is thus crucially important and beneficial to stakeholders and policy makers as they undertake marine turtle management and conservation. As part of monitoring climate change in our area and with the help of our students, we are also collecting data on reef health using benthic assessments, fish surveys, and underwater photography and videography.
On Saturdays the Center is bursting at the seams! Community members join us for swim lessons, active and quiet games, and crafts with a "Featured Creature"—this week it’s the lionfish (see photo). Older community members help staff and students collect water quality data, do beach clean-ups and remove “ghost traps” (abandoned fishing gear). This semester we will also be completing our work on two marine snorkel trails.
[post_title] => Climate Change and TCI
[post_excerpt] => Our plan for long-term data collection is crucially important and beneficial to stakeholders and policy makers.
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[post_date] => 2014-03-11 04:00:40
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[post_content] => We typically go to the sea to learn about it and it’s organisms, but this week we brought the sea to the Center for "Sea Day." This event brings Grades 1 through 4 from the local schools to the Center to learn about coastal ecosystems and a week’s featured creature – this week was the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae).
Sea Day is filled with touch tanks (containing cushion sea stars (Oreaster reticulatus), slate-pencil urchins (Eucidaris tribuloides), donkey dung sea cucumbers (Holothuria mexicana), upside-down jellies (Cassiopea frondosa) and more), edible gelatin ecosystems, and “Who Am I?” games. Children also learned about humpback whales, which continue to amaze us on almost a daily basis with breaches and flipper slaps. Did you know that a humpback can only swallow food a little larger than a softball? With nearly 100 visitors, the event was a huge success. “Mad props” and “shooting stars” to Molly Roe, our Student Affairs Manager, for organizing this event as well as to Whale and Dolphin Conservation, our whale conservation partners in Plymouth MA, for sending supplies.
This has been a busy five weeks. James Squires, Our Dive Safety Officer and Marine Operations Coordinator, completed teaching an Open Water SCUBA class and is winding up Advanced Open Water SCUBA. Interns and students are busy profiling beaches as part of a Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation grant to study climate change impacts on sea turtles in the TCI and measuring water quality. Case Study 1 is winding up and exams are just around the corner. Of course, shark and turtle tagging trips continue in the evenings. It seems like we are busy all the time! Faculty have their Directed Research projects ready and are preparing for the selection process next week. We are also gearing up for the field trip to Middle and North Caicos and ending in Providenciales... stay tuned for our next post!
[post_title] => Sea Day at Brings the Underwater World into our Center
[post_excerpt] => We typically go to the sea to learn about it and it’s organisms, but this week we brought the sea to the Center.
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[post_date] => 2014-05-09 09:00:24
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[post_content] => It’s rare that the Center Director gets the opportunity to do Directed Research. This is my third semester coordinating our benthic habitat assessment with students and I’m lovin’ every minute of it! The project is an attempt to monitor long term change in our local reefs. We use methods developed as part of the Marine Ecology, Resource Management, and Environmental Policy & Socioeconomic Values courses including fish assessment (REEF method), benthic habitat assessment (AGRRA method), and coral bleaching (Coral Watch methodologies). In addition, we use underwater photography and video. This semester we are working both in the Admiral Cockburn Marine Protected Area (where no fishing is permitted) and an area frequently used by fisherman. The other day, as we worked towards the end of our 100 meter transect, we were joined by a Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). I can’t help but think he was just as curious about what we were doing as we were with him. Sadly our dive came to an end and we parted ways.
The TCl are the home of large aggregations of foraging turtles. The SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies believes in the importance of studying the impacts of climate change on local ecosystems and has included this research in both our Center’s program and research components. Climate change can impact marine turtle populations first by impacting the profile of some of the most important nesting beaches, but also by directly influencing the sex ratio of the hatchlings. We are very pleased to receive a second year of support from The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation to identify, profile, and monitor turtle nesting beaches in the TCI. Long-term data collection is crucially important and beneficial to stakeholders and policy makes as they undertake marine turtle management and conservation.
Our last week for program activities was just as full as any other. Students prepared write ups and presentation material, and on Tuesday evening we invited the community to the Center to learn about what we have been doing. This is been a memorable semester and I know everyone will be sorry to see it come to an end.
[post_title] => Benthic Habitat Assessment Research
[post_excerpt] => This is my third semester coordinating our benthic habitat assessment with students and I’m lovin’ every minute of it!
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[post_date] => 2014-07-31 05:00:49
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[post_content] => The end of our Summer II program is quickly approaching, and students are busy working on their final research projects. Their questions will assess the performance of the East Harbour and Lobster Conch Reserve in protecting reef assemblages. Students collected data on fish and invertebrate abundance, species richness (fish and coral), reef structure and function. Study breaks are spent snorkeling off the dock, visiting with community members, and exploring the island.
Despite many of the community kids being off island for the summer, our Saturday Outreach program has been full and exciting. This week we made turtles from egg crates and learned about electricity and how it works. The SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) has seen a number of visitors this summer including Cardiff University scientists working with faculty on food safety issues in the TCI and Principal Bowen from the local high school who spoke to student about changing times on South Caicos. We even had a visit from HQ staff who joined students in the field capturing and measuring turtles and exploring our local reefs.
Our last week is shaping up to be very busy with research excursions and community activities. Thanks again to everyone who sent sneakers and cleat (and balls and jerseys) to TCI this summer – the community kids are putting everything to great use. End of Summer II also means the wrap up of our Waterfront Interns who arrived last August. But not without a last visit to several of the smaller, uninhabited islands to identify turtle nesting activities and measure beach profiles.
TCI has seen a number of resource management changes this summer: turtle landing regulations have been implemented and finfish regulations are being proposed and discussed. The current topic of conversation at the docks and at evening gatherings is the proposed closing of the conch export fisheries.
As the Center Director, I don’t get to participate in field exercises or faculty research as much as I would like. Last week I joined a student group capturing and tagging turtles. This is done at night. This little fellow is a recapture and the first to try one of our new tags that records depth and temperature. This will help us better understand what turtles do and how they use our local ecosystems.
[post_title] => Summer Program Recap
[post_excerpt] => The end of our Summer II program is quickly approaching, and students are busy working on their final research projects.
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[post_date] => 2014-09-24 17:23:06
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[post_content] => The Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) is thrilled to welcome back Kathy Lockhart (SFS Alum '93) to our TCI team as the Resource Management lecturer. Having worked for the TCI Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs (DEMA) for nearly 10 years, Kathy brings to CMRS a tremendous knowledge of local fisheries – conch, lobster and finfish. Kathy will lead CMRS staff and students, DEMA officers, and fishermen on a pilot project to determine the effectiveness of lobster casitas (artificial structures that support lobsters at various stages in their life) on the Caicos Banks. As part the Resource Management course, students will also assess the conch population inside vs. outside one of the fourteen Marine Protected Areas in the TCI. Data collected by CMRS staff and students is provided to DEMA and often used in management decisions.
We also welcome five new Waterfront Interns (Emily Stokes, Travis Gomez-Phillips, Anela Akiona, Jess Bechohofer, and Connor Burke – all CMRS alumni). This semester, the interns and I will lead students on projects that monitor long term climate change impacts on our local environment. SFS believes in the importance of studying the impacts of climate change on local ecosystems and has included this research in both the Center's program and research components. Marine turtles are dependent on many habitats, making them idea for studying the impacts of climate change on coastal ecosystems.
The waters of the TCI support regionally significant foraging aggregations of green (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricate) turtles, and, to a lesser extent, loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta). We will visit beaches used by turtles for nesting. Beach profiles are measured to monitor changes in beach area and erosion and accretion patterns over time. On our last trip, Lucy Tomb (Bowdoin College) shared with us that she had used similar methods to map the Maine rocky intertidal zone. Temperature loggers are installed near nesting sites to monitor changes in temperature annually. This project has been funded through the Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation and CMRS has partnered with DEMA, who is interested in changing profiles with respect to development.
In other news… Aaron Henderson hopes to use a new Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to identify and track lemon sharks' (Negaprion brevirostris) use of habitats around South Caicos, and Edward Hind was joined by several alumni students and staff at the 3rd International Marine Conservation Congress in Glasgow, Scotland, where he organized a symposium on marine research collaborations in small island developing states and co-presented a poster with Sophia Wasserman on tourist perceptions of dolphin captivity.
As part of our ongoing community outreach program, several groups of students participated International Coastal Clean-Up Day and helped with our new Snorkel Club, a program for older boys and girls to improve snorkeling skills and increase awareness of our marine resources.
[post_title] => Updates from South Caicos
[post_excerpt] => The Center for Marine Resource Studies is thrilled to welcome back Kathy Lockhart (SFS Alum '93) to our TCI team as the Resource Management lecturer.
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[post_content] => Over the past several weeks, students and staff have been collecting and analyzing data from around South Caicos as part of their Directed Research (DR) projects. The SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) DR projects are designed to address resource management questions developed with local stakeholders.
This semester, projects included quantitative and qualitative observation of the bird population on South Caicos; a look at fishers’ knowledge to note spatial and socioeconomic changes in the local fisheries; the use of photovoice to determine local citizens' views of their terrestrial and marine ecosystems; a benthic assessment and installation of lobster casitas in partnership with local fishermen and DEMA; an assessment of the finfish industry; coral reef assessment for local anthropogenic and long-term climate change impacts; and the use of both Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and remote underwater video to assess our local elasmobranch population.
At our Open House, community members learned about new projects and were updated on continuing projects (and then we ate cake). Our local marine resources are under continuous pressure. Data collected by our staff and students is increasingly important as the TCI Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs (DEMA) proposes new fishing restrictions designed to promote sustainable harvesting of the resources.
The semester is quickly coming to an end, in fact everyone leaves tomorrow. Students are packing and saying their goodbyes to the community they have grown to know and love over the past three months. On a final note, Fall 2014 will be staff members Edd Hind's and Rob Dake's last group – for now. CMRS wishes them the very best of luck.
Students use a rapid reef assessment to determine the status of reef communities inside the Admiral Cockburn Land and Sea National Park (ACLSNP). Methods include fish surveys, coral bleaching assessment using CoralWatch, and a benthic assessment using photography. Already we have identified interesting trends in reef community with respect to depth and location within the ACLSNP.
[post_title] => Research on Marine Resource Management
[post_excerpt] => Over the past several weeks, students and staff have been collecting and analyzing data from around South Caicos.
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[post_content] => Finally, everyone is here! Snow on the east coast wreaked havoc on the arrival schedule; but, after much delay and some interesting juggling, everyone is here (with their bags) and we are catching up quickly. It didn’t take long for this group to appreciate our location… The historical walking tour of Cockburn Harbour ended with whales breaching just off shore. Waterfront is in full swing, the first dive of the Open Water SCUBA class is scheduled for tomorrow. Everyone has done a night snorkel and looking forward to turtle tagging trips.
On the academic front led by Dr. Aaron Henderson, the Marine Ecology course focuses on habitats that dominate tropical coastal areas, i.e. mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs. The taxonomy exercise is underway. Students are observing and documenting marine organisms in the field, then determine their taxonomic status. Later in this course, they will also investigate positive and negative anthropogenic impacts on the ecology of marine organisms.
Many students have already tried conch in the local restaurant either fried, blanched or in a fritter. Later this semester in Kathy Lockhart’s Principles of Resource Management, students will conduct a queen conch assessment. Conch is listed as endangered under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). To export this product, TCI must demonstrate good management practices which include a visual assessment of the local stock. During the conch assessment exercise, students work in groups to employ survey methods to collect data on size and age structure of the populations in a variety of habitats.
This semester we are very excited to welcome Dr. Liam Carr (SFS Alum, TCI ‘97) as our Environmental Policy lecturer. Dr. Carr has worked on fishery and marine science issues in Washington D.C., southeast United States, U.S. Caribbean, Mexico, Belize, and the Cayman Islands. His course introduces the students to the complex policy world that is central to determining how well our marine and coastal resources are managed both today and for the future. This semester, students will look at how we can encourage sustainable human-environment relationships.
Prior to student’s arrivals, Research Fellow Dr. Charlotte de Fontaubert visited the Center to work with Waterfront Staff to identify climate change impacts on turtle nesting beaches as part of a project funded in part by the Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation. Sea-level rise, elevated sea surface and beach temperatures, change in currents, and extreme weather conditions can dramatically affect the survival and reproductive success of marine turtles in the Turks and Caicos Islands, all species of which have been designated as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
In other news… We are very pleased to welcome Josh Zeigler, Site Manager, to our team. Emily Stokes, Waterfront Intern and SFS Fall ’12 alum, submitted and had accepted an article to The Times of the Island about our ongoing benthic assessment of South Caicos coral reefs. Aubrey Ellertson (SFS TCI '10 alum) and Benjamin Church from the NOAA Fisheries Observer Program visited South Caicos and discussed their role in Northeast fisheries management.
[post_title] => Students arrive despite winter’s attempt to keep them away…
[post_excerpt] => Finally, everyone is here! Snow on the east coast wreaked havoc on the arrival schedule; but, after much delay everyone is here.
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[post_date] => 2015-05-05 09:21:25
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[post_content] => Is seems like just yesterday that 34 wide-eyed students arrived on South. This semester we learned about the biology and ecology of our marine systems, how our resources are used and managed, and how policies are designed to sustain these resources. This all in preparation for the Directed Research component which started right after mid-semester break. Similar to other Centers, projects are designed to address resource management questions, and are developed with local and international stakeholders.
To address some of these questions, this semester, students: compared fish populations inside and outside the Admiral Cockburn Land and Sea National Park; participated in a TCI-wide conch visual assessment (part of a CITES requirement for export of conch); collected quantitative and qualitative observations on the bird population on South Caicos; used "photovoice" to determine local citizens' views of their terrestrial and marine ecosystems; assessed the effectiveness of lobster casitas (artificial lobster habitats) put out last semester in recruiting juvenile lobster; continued our long-term data collection at the docks on finfish landings (increasing importance with the introduction of new fishing regulations); and used both unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and baited remote underwater video (BRUV) to assess our local elasmobranch populations.
The SFS Center for Marine Resoruce Studies recognizes the importance of studying climate change impacts on local ecosystems by including related projects in program and research components. Impacts to marine and coastal ecosystems include those linked to temperature change on organism metabolism, water chemistry including carbonate cycle, precipitation change on water balance, and wind and water circulation pattern changes. Long-term data collection is a crucial element of observing and understanding such impacts, beneficial to stakeholders and essential to policy makers.
Over the past several semesters, I have lead teams of students to collect baseline data on the health of the local reef system. Sites were permanently marked at three depths in the Admiral Cockburn Land and Sea National Park (5 minutes from our dock), one of several marine protected area near South Caicos, so they could be revisited. The teams use several methods to assess the overall condition of the system including measures of species composition (number of different organisms observed) using the Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment protocol (AGRRA – www.agrra.org), documenting and recording fish species abundance (including the invasive lionfish), and photographing and videoing the benthic community for composition analysis using specialized software.
This semester I had the opportunity to work with students to assess the fish population inside this Marine Protected Area and compare this to a nearby reef used for fishing. We used the three methods they learned about in their Marine Ecology class – belt transects, point census, and BRUVs. Our data are proving interesting. Belt transects appear to be the most effective method for our area and reef structure while BRUV are the least effective, although attract a more interesting population (several elasmobranch species were observed). These areas may be protecting some of our species, but falling short on others. We are in the write-up phase - groups of students sit and converse about what they have seen and learned and the significance of their data. Directed Research ends with our Open House, where community members learn about new projects and were updated on continuing projects (and then we eat cake).
[post_title] => Health of Local Marine Systems
[post_excerpt] => Over the past several semesters, I have lead teams of students to collect baseline data on the health of the local reef system.
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[post_date] => 2015-08-07 07:06:43
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[post_content] => The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) advertises itself to tourists as "Beautiful by Nature." Indeed, the tourism that the country’s economy is heavily dependent on is driven by its extensive coral reefs and near pristine white sand beaches. The health of these ecosystems is in turn supported by the ecosystem goods and services provided by the widespread seagrass beds and mangrove forests. However, the "Beautiful by Nature" status, and therefore the whole economy of the TCI is under threat because of a multitude of attacks on these crucial marine ecosystems. Local threats of unsustainable fishing and coastal development are stretching marine ecosystems to their breaking point, and global impacts from climate change may very well push them over the edge to a state from which they can never recover. This situation clearly needs to be avoided. To ensure this, better environmental monitoring is needed and a more developed management plans for fisheries and coastal development.
This summer the SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) offered two new sequential monthlong courses. Tropical Marine Ecosystem: Monitoring and Management (Summer I) was an interdisciplinary course which highlighted key aspects of environmental assessment and management of tropical marine ecosystems. In addition, students explored sustainable development strategies for the TCI at both local and global scales. Students gained knowledge of sub-tropical marine ecosystem function and an understanding of challenges at the intersection of marine conservation and economic development. We were fortunate to be joined by SFS Panama Center Director Cinda Scott and Stony Brook University M.S. candidate and SFS alumna Katie Flowers.
Laura Daigle surveys coral for bleaching using the Coral Watch program protocols.Horse-eye Jack (Caranx latus) swim through the transect and are counted by students survey the reefs.
The aim of the Applied Marine Research Techniques (Summer II) course is to provide students with the opportunity to apply the scientific process in a field research project that addresses a local issue related to the management of tropical marine environments in the TCI, and specifically on the island of South Caicos. This course prepares students to develop scientific approaches to identify key problems -- such as overfishing and increased coastal development -- affecting the health of coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangrove forests that surround the island. Through this course, students have been progressively learning to implement the scientific research process while contributing to a growing body of research that informs local marine conservation and resource management decisions. CMRS was joined by SFS Panama’s Coastal Ecology Lecturer Aileen Maldonado who joined students in the field and worked with TCI faculty and staff.
The introduction of these two new courses has been both exciting and enjoyable. Everyone is looking forward to community presentations Saturday!
Students Laura Daigle and Alex Goranov survey the reef using SCUBA. Student conduct belt transect surveys of the fish population and use point surveys to determine benthic composition.
[post_title] => Tropical Marine Ecosystems
[post_excerpt] => This summer the SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) offered two new sequential monthlong courses.
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[post_date] => 2015-12-15 08:52:54
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[post_content] => As the semester draws to a close, it is inspiring to look back at where we started and where we are today. Just 3 months ago, 36 wide-eye students arrived on South for an adventure which they will carry with them through their lives. They have experienced and learned about reefs, caught and tagged turtles, listened to fishermen's stories, and grown close to a community which depends on their data collection.
Over the past few weeks as part of their Directed Research (DR) course, students have studied impacts of climate change, species interactions and habitat conditions, local fishers, and ecological knowledge. Results were presented to a community audience of government officials, processing plant owners and operators, local fishermen, island visitors and children – all of whom played an intricate part in the research process.
This semester I was again fortunate to advise five students on their DR. Individual projects included identifying correlations between coral recruitment and benthic composition (John BeBuysser, Whitman College) and species richness (Grace Dodillet, Northwestern University); a survey of the Diadema antillarum (long-spined sea urchin) population (Evanne Sager, Gonzaga University); assessment of local coral bleaching (Emma Scalisi, Wellesley College); and identifying relationships between live coral and herbivorous fish (Elisa Walters, University of Redlands). Results are part of a long-term program to assess local changes in our reef systems with respect to anthropogenic factors.
In addition to their hard academic work, students and staff worked together to provide a successful outreach program this semester which included swimming lessons, snorkel club, beach clean ups, hands-on science, and research trips to collect water quality data. I have watched amazing friendships develop in a group supportive of each other both in the classroom and the field. Today I see a group departing who have grown to know and love the marine resources and people of South Caicos.
We wish everyone the best of luck and hope you come back to visit!
[post_title] => Fall Semester Recap
[post_excerpt] => It is inspiring to look back at where we started and where we are today.
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[post_date] => 2016-04-19 10:20:18
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[post_content] => The last of our finals are just around the corner and Directed Research projects are underway. Literature reviews are done and data collection has already started on this semester's nine projects. I again am fortunate to be working with five students on a project that assesses and monitors our local reef for natural and anthropogenic impact. This is critical now more than ever with the continuing development on South Caicos. As part of this project, we are using Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) methods. Data collected includes abundance and biomass of key reef fish taxa, relative cover of reef-building organisms and their dominant competitors, assessment of coral health (including extent of coral bleaching), coral recruitment, abundance of key macro-invertebrate species, and water quality (including temperature). This collaborative effort is aimed at increasing our understanding of the processes that shape coral reefs and providing actionable advice to policy makers, stakeholders, and communities at a variety of scales. Specific questions we will address this semester include the role of herbivorous fish in maintaining a healthy reef, recovery from the recent bleaching event, and identifying coral recruit potential.
Kalla Fleger (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University) surveys fish.Amanda Paskavitz (Skidmore University) is collecting data on coral bleaching
We at the SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) believe in the importance of studying the impacts of climate change on local ecosystems, and we have included this research in both our Center’s program and research components. Likely impacts of climate change to marine and coastal ecosystems include temperature change on organism metabolism and water chemistry, including carbonate cycle, precipitation change on water balance, and wind and water circulation pattern changes. Our plan for long-term data collection is thus crucially important and beneficial to stakeholders and policy makers as they undertake marine turtle management and conservation.
Katie Rose Jacobus (University of San Diego) photographs the reef for CPCe analysis.Matt Speegle (University of Redlands) is identifying and counting coral recruits.
On Saturdays the Center is bursting at the seams! Community members join us for swim lessons, snorkel club, quiet and active games, and crafts with a Featured Creature. With the help of the Snorkel Club, we are maintaining two marine snorkel trails. As if that were not enough, the South Caicos Marine Science Club was formed this semester under the watchful eye of our Interns. Data collected by club members will be presented to the community along with our students' Directed Research at the end of the semester.
As the semester winds down we are looking forward to our visit with the Turks and Caicos Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TCISPCA). With the help of our CMRS Staff, TCSPCA will run a spay and neuter clinic May 11 - 17. Also coming to South Caicos this May is the annual board meeting for the Association of the Marine Labs of the Caribbean.
South Caicos Marine Science Club and SFS students working together to collect data on the local reef systems. Photo by Waterfront Intern Chris CasaclangErin Lyons (University of Virginia) working with Science Club member before they head out into the field. Photo by Waterfront Intern Chris CasaclangMatt Speegle (University of Redlands) working with snorkel club as they prepare for their field exerciseNicole Graziano (University of St. Thomas/Minnesota) in the field with snorkel club measuring conch→ Marine Resource Studies in the Turks & Caicos Islands
[post_title] => Climate Change and the Turks and Caicos
[post_excerpt] => The impacts of climate change on the local ecosystems is part of both our Center’s program and research components.
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[post_date] => 2016-10-11 12:42:41
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[post_content] => At the start of September 2016, a new group of students joined the Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) in South Caicos. The students have come from a variety of universities and have been excited to conduct field research. The twenty-four students began their journey with the introduction of the center and the open marine environment with field work including identification of a variety of marine organisms. The days were broken up from classroom lectures to field based observations. After a solid base of the classroom briefings and instructions, the students were ready to initiate their field work by learning and participating in a Conch Visual Survey. This activity is the first in a series of hands-on activities for better conducting research in the marine environment. These activities will assist the students with both the mid-term examinations and Directed Research ideas.
The faculty, waterfront and administrative personnel at CMRS have been actively working with each of the students to provide them the opportunity to understand how to be best prepared for scientific research. Within a week, the students will have heard about each of the Directed Research Projects that they will be able to work on for the rest of the fall 2016 semester. Projects vary from biological, anthropogenic and management. Each project has a variety of focus, but each student will obtain the opportunity to research past research (literature review), conduct hands-on field techniques, analyze of data and produce a compulsory report at the end of the project.
However, at this point the students have been exposed to the concept of field research by participating in a Conch Visual Field Exercise. Each student partook in a two-day fieldwork activity to determine the number of conch found inside the East Harbor Lobster and Conch Reserve (EHLCR) and estimate the number of conch that could be found on the Caicos Bank. Twenty-four students with mask, fins, snorkel and dive slate conducted underwater visual surveys (UVS) that were 50 meters in length and 3 meters in width. With a total of 30 sites (15 inside the EHLCR and 15 outside), three separate belt transects were laid. On each of the transects habitat type and number of dead conch were and collected. Additionally, all live conch within the belt were collected and individually measured for both lip thickness (mm) and siphonal length (mm). Initially, students were concerned with the discovered of a minimal number of live conch, but by the second day they were surprised to find that diving conch was not as easy as they had once thought. Live conch varied from one site to the next with having zero at some sites and up to 355 conch found at another site. A total of 830 live Queen Conch were found during the UVS. Students are now in the midst of analysis of the data.
Students laying the 50 meter transect for the Conch Visual Survey. All photos courtesy of Kathy LockhartLaying the transectStudent checking the transect for live Queen ConchChecking the transect
An additional day has been established for the students to complete analysis of the data collection. The students are now able to see where all the hard work in the field has now got to be explained and summarized for the public. Various analyses are to be conducted including comparisons of siphonal length and lip thickness both inside and outside the MPA; comparison of habitat to live conch abundance and estimated overall abundance for both inside the EHLCR and on the Caicos Bank.
When completed the students were be submitting four group reports on the status and trends of the Queen Conch both inside the EHLCR and on the Caicos Bank. These reports are the next step in the ladder for growth in the academic field. It will better assist them with the future Directed Research Projects. Prior to student break, the student will be taking the initiative to start working on their literary review for their directed research projects, enthusiasm is building higher.
Often students are discussing the days events and how filled the schedule appears, but never once have there been any complaints but rather increased enthusiasm. This again is a major step that our future scientist and researchers must learn when completing their educational career and entering the academic world.
Fortunately, the students at CMRS have the opportunity to provide this information directly to our stakeholders, including the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) of the Turks and Caicos Islands Government. In 2001 an underwater visual survey was conducted across the Caicos Bank, with a follow up UVS in 2014/2015. The CMRS assisted the government with the 2014/2015 UVS by completing 44 surveys of the 116 conducted. These surveys can provide an anchor point for the annual surplus production model. However, since there have been questions regarding the reliability of the model and the yet to be implemented 2014/2015 UVS anchor point, the government has set the annual total allowable catch (TAC) at 500,000 lbs. for export and 320,000 lbs. for local consumption. Since the inception of the Scientific Committee, CMRS has played an active role with provide information for the group. In September of 2016, the government has asked the scientific committee to review the Queen Conch fishery and provide a recommendation for an export quota, domestic quota, operculum export quota and decide the “conversion factor” for uncleaned meat weight.
Student measuring Queen Conch for lip thickness (mm)Student measuring Queen Conch for siphonal length (mm)Queen Conch being returned to the marine environment→ Marine Resource Studies in the Turks and Caicos Islands
[post_title] => One, Two, Three...Counting Conch!
[post_excerpt] => After a solid base of the classroom briefings and instructions, the students were ready to initiate their field work by learning and participating in a Conch Visual Survey.
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[post_date] => 2016-11-11 12:54:52
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[post_content] => The red lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) is a popular aquarium fish in the US. They can be beautiful to see but they are a menace to our waters!
In the early 1990, several were accidentally released in Florida waters. Their introduction is documented as the fastest invasion of a marine fish, and they are now recognized as one of the world’s top conservation issues. Lionfish are unique and effective predators, able to consume prey up to half their size. Juvenile lobster and groupers (economically important in the TCI) are often found in their stomachs. To top it off, they are preyed upon by few organisms.
As part of our Resource Management course, we learn about invasive species and survey them in a field exercise. This year, TCI Department of the Environment and Coastal Resources, TCReef Fund, and SFS organized a country wide Lionfish Derby. Last weekend, South Caicos teams competed against Grand Turk to land the most, largest and smallest lionfish.
Although SFS didn’t compete in the derby, CMRS students were involved in the landing. South fishers landed nearly 40 fish ranging in size from 110 to 340 mm. All fish landed on South Caicos were cleaned, cooked, and served at the Heritage Day Festival.
In other areas of research…Directed Research projects have started. This year’s projects include local landings of fin fish and lobster, shark tagging, and benthic surveys for tourism impacts. Students are spending long days in the field and then recuperating and relaxing in the cool evening weather.
→ Marine Resource Studies in the Turks and Caicos Islands
[post_title] => Lionfish Derby on South Caicos
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[post_date] => 2017-02-13 15:29:08
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[post_content] => Thirty-four students arrived last Monday in TCI!
TCI Ferry bringing 33 very excited students. One arrived a day late due to flight cancellations
Typically students are greeted by a warm Caribbean sun and blue skies, but not this group. It rained the first three days of program.
Town tour in torrential rain
And by rain, I mean RAIN! For alumni reading this, maybe you had three days of rain your whole semester…The sun is finally shining and everyone is excited to be in the water – field exercises, Open Water SCUBA course and recreational dives.
Already certified SCUBA divers doing orientation dive in swim zone
Everyone is excited to explore the underwater world, no matter what time day or night.
In Marine Ecology, students are learning about mangrove organisms and their interactions. Today they are wading and snorkeling in the local mangrove systems to see these interactions. They are also learning about the conch and lobster fisheries and taking trips to the docks to meet fishermen.
Students in the Resource Management course
Yesterday we were visited by community members to talk about the history of South Caicos as part of the Environmental Policy and Socioeconomic Value course. Community kids were waiting for over an hour on the first Saturday for swim lessons, crafts, and games.
We were joined by nearly 50 children ages 5 to 16. We also participated in National Wetland Clean Up Day – collecting over 6 huge bags of trash from the mangroves.
This semester we are looking forward to recording whale songs as part of a grant from The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation. Already we see the humpback whales breaching and hear them when we are diving. Humpback whales migrate between the Northeast US and TCI/Dominican Republic between January and March. Songs are used to identify pods. We are also continuing our reef assessment this semester. This is important as we are still seeing coral bleaching around the Caribbean, particularly the deeper reefs which are not as adapted to warmer temperatures.
News from the Center… This semester we welcome Lawre Doughton, Student Affairs Manager, Jourdan Bonnett, Dive Safety Officer, and Taylor Determan, Waterfront Intern. We bid farewell to Alex Kahn-Johnston, Student Affairs Manager, who contributed significantly to CMRS and the South Caicos community over the past year and a half. The roof in the commons area is being replaced, everyone will miss being rained on at meals. Several researches are expected to pass though South Caicos and we look forward to working with them on climate change impact to our reef systems. Finally, we are planning for the arrival of the TCSPCA in May – please support our four legged community members through the SFS website, and remember to designate “South Caicos Veterinary Services”
→ Marine Resource Studies in TCI
[post_title] => Three Days of Rain? Am I on South Caicos?
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[post_content] => We're in the thick of it with Directed Research. Everything has led up to this point – learning about local marine species and how they interact; understanding the value of marine protected areas and how resources are used; and identifying how tourism affects South Caicos. As the semester draws to a close, it is inspiring to look back at where we started and where we are today. Just 3 months ago, wide-eyed students arrived on South for an adventure which they will carry with them through their lives. They have experienced and learned about reefs, caught and tagged turtles and sharks, listened to fisherman's stories, and grown close to a community which depends on their data collection. Many have learned to SCUBA dive and are using their new skills to collect valuable data.
This semester I was again fortunate to advise three students on their Directed Research. Individual projects included identifying long-spined sea urchin (Diadema antillarum) population densities (Teddy Galgano, St. Michael’s College); assessing local coral bleaching (Ben Charo, Swathmore College; Photo 1); and identifying differences in fish diversity (Liz Miller, Bard College; Photo 2). Results are part of a long term program to assess local changes in our reef systems with respect to anthropogenic factors. The days are long but the rewards are great.
Photo 1Photo 2
This semester we were fortunate to welcome two visiting researchers. Stephan Burns from Ghent University is assessing shark species diversity and relative abundance in marine protected areas using baited remote video stations (BRUVS). This research is part of Dr. Henderson's collaboration with the Global Finprint Project (www.globalfinprint.org). Hannah Reich (SFS CMRS alumna Fall 2013) returned to South Caicos to quantify and describe Symbiodinium communities associated with reef-building corals around South Caicos with a focus on host-specificity, depth zonation, and seasonal fluctuation of Symbiodinium communities (Photo 3 - sub samples taken to Penn State for analysis). As part of her visit, she presented some of her recent research at Penn State University that focuses on climate change and coral symbionts (Photo 4).
Photo 3Photo 4
Through the generous support of The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation, Dr. Henderson has begun using acoustic tags to track turtles and sharks around South Caicos (Photos 5 and 6). Also as part of this funding, interns this semester visited turtle nesting beaches to monitor temperature and profile, both affected by long term changes in climate AND recorded migrating humpback whale songs.
Photo 5Photo 6
In addition to their hard academic work, students and staff worked together to provide a successful outreach program this semester which included swimming lessons, hands-on science, a new mural at the Iris Stubbs Elementary School, and research trips to collect water quality data. We also welcomed a visit from alumnus Jeffery Back, Kicks 4 Caribya, and his team from Cornell University who again donated boxes of sporting goods to the community and ran a soccer clinic for local kids (Photo 7).
Photo 7
I have watched amazing friendships develop in a group supportive of each other both in the classroom and the field. Soon I will see a group of people departing who have grown to know and love the marine resources and people of South Caicos. We wish everyone the best of luck and hope you come back to visit!
→ Marine Resource Studies in the Turks and Caicos Islands
[post_title] => Wrapping Up the Semester in TCI
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[post_content] => After returning from our field trip to Providenciales, North and Middle Caicos, everyone is excited about finishing up class work and diving into their Directed Research. Our Provo trip was both fun and productive. Bryan Naqqi Manco from the TCI Department of Environmental and Coastal Research (DECR) educated us about cave formations and the local environment, which is surprisingly much different than South Caicos.
In addition to the Conch Bar (as in sand) Caves, we enjoyed lunch on one of the most beautiful beaches in the Turks and Caicos, Mudjin Harbour, while watching whales breach. Our day ended at the government farm where we learned about the Caicos pine (Pinuscaribaea) restoration project. David Stone (TC Reef Fund), David Bowen (Director, Ministry of Art and Culture), and Amdeep Sanghera (Marine Conservation Society), joined us in the evenings to discuss their projects. Day two of the field trip was spent surveying the local community about fisheries and visiting the conch farm. After a five day spring break, students are back on South.
Only one week of classes remains before the start Directed Research. Students will be tracking eagle ray populations, monitoring lemon sharks, and surveying local dock landings and perceptions of marine resource use. In the meantime, faculty research is going strong! Many of our students have been out with Dr. Aaron Henderson assisting him in catching and tagging lemon sharks. Other students are setting up a green house on site made from found material with Dr. Eduardo Guevara to grow some produce and mangroves trees as part of a small restoration project.
[post_title] => Diving into Directed Research
[post_excerpt] => After returning from our field trip, everyone is excited about finishing up class work and diving into their Directed Rresearch.
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[post_content] => The Center for Marine Resource Studies in Turks & Caicos recently welcomed over 80 South Caicos community members for “Sea Day,” which featured interactive touch tanks and various marine education stations.
[post_title] => Sea Day Snapshots
[post_excerpt] => The Center for Marine Resource Studies in Turks & Caicos welcomed over 80 community members for “Sea Day.”
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[post_content] => It’s hard to believe the semester is over. Just 95 days ago, 34 wide eye students arrived on South for an adventure which they will carry with them through their lives. I have watched amazing friendships develop in a group supportive of each other both in the classroom and the field. They have dove and snorkeled on some of the world's most beautiful coral reefs, watched turtles hatch and begin their journey, listened to fishermen's stories, learned how to “knock” conch, and have grown close to a community which depends on the results of their research data collection.
Over the past few weeks, students have studied eagle ray behavior, lemon shark habitats, turtle populations, and local ecological knowledge as part of their Directed Research projects. Three of our student groups presented their research to a community audience of over fifty, including government officials, processing plant owners and operators, local fishermen, island visitors, and children. In addition to their challenging academic work, students and staff worked together to provide a successful outreach program this semester which included swimming lessons, beach clean-ups, hands-on science featuring local marine creatures, and research trips with the local high school teachers to study sharks. Today I see a group departing who have grown to know and love the marine resources and people of South Caicos. We wish everyone the best of luck and hope you come back to visit!
[post_title] => Just 95 Days Ago...
[post_excerpt] => Today I see a group departing who have grown to know and love the marine resources and people of South Caicos.
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[post_date] => 2013-02-15 13:44:20
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[post_content] => Greetings from South Caicos! The Center for Marine Resource Studies is extremely excited to welcome our new Resource Management faculty Dr. Alex Tilley and his wife, Juliana. After a long winter break, our faculty and staff welcomed thirty-six very excited students to South Caicos. In just over a week, we have toured historic Cockburn Harbour and discovered some of the biodiversity our marine system has to offer.
Classes are in full swing and field exercises take up most of our afternoons. Since we are learning about the local marine life and their interactions, I have included a photo of one of the species students learn about in the ID sessions. Saturday’s community outreach included swimming lessons, a “featured creature” – this week was the West Indian sea egg (Tripneustes ventricosus) – reading and homework help, and sports. In addition, this semester students will help with the restoration of an underwater marine trail and the preparation of material for a new trail accessible to younger community members.
Students have begun participating in faculty research projects which include shark and turtle tagging and monitoring, and water quality assessment. We also hope to work with the TCI Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs (DEMA) to assess the conch stock around South Caicos. We are looking forward to an extremely productive and engaging semester!
[post_title] => Greetings from South Caicos!
[post_excerpt] => Classes are in full swing and field exercises take up most of our afternoons.
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[post_date] => 2013-05-10 06:54:07
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[post_content] => It hard to believe the students have just left. Reflecting back, this has been a memorable semester—up close encounters with migrating humpback whales, octopus and dolphin sightings, diving some of the most diverse reefs in the area, field trip to Provo, Saturday outreach, and Sunday bake-offs at the Center.
On the research front, Aaron Henderson, Marine Ecology Lecturer, and Megan Nash (Fall 2012) had a publication accepted in Marine Biodiversity Records documenting turtles hatching on South Caicos and the Center received a grant to measure and monitor erosion and accretion patterns on turtle nesting beaches around the TCI.
During the last week of the semester, students and faculty were busy working on Directed Research data analysis and preparing for their community presentations. Our Directed Research projects are designed to address resource management questions developed with local stake holders. This semester students studied eagle ray population dynamics, lionfish densities around South Caicos, worked with local community groups (citizen scientists) to document climate change on South Caicos, and assessed a local coral reef ecosystem as part of the Centers effort to identify local impact of development and climate change.
To increase community awareness about our natural resources, our students and SAM organized an Earth Day celebration. Activities at the Center included several “Featured Creatures” and discovery activities. This was followed by a parade with a band to the Conch Dock were the festivities continued. This has definitely been a great semester and we will miss everyone.
Remember the TC SPCA is coming. South Caicos animals need your help. Please donate to support this effort: https://community.fieldstudies.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=184 (in the designation box, select SOS South Caicos Veterinary Services).
[post_title] => A Memorable Semester
[post_excerpt] => Reflecting back, this has been a memorable semester—up close encounters with migrating humpback whales, octopus and dolphin sightings...
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[post_date] => 2013-10-07 06:00:15
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[post_content] => We are well into our semester with mid-term exams just around the corner. It’s been a busy month with classes and field exercises—species identifications, invasive species surveys, assessing the value of ecosystems and a visual conch assessment (data will contribute to the national stock assessment).
In addition, we are working on several projects related to climate change in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI). This semester we welcome five new interns, all alumni of the SFS TCI program. They are quickly learning methodology for beach profiling as part of a Munson Foundation grant to monitor climate change as it relates to turtle nesting sites around the islands.
The Turks and Caicos Islands are an archipelago of about forty limestone islands. Most of the land habitat is scrub land, thick with dense vegetation. The mangrove forests and seagrass ecosystems that line the South Caicos coast are among the most biologically productive coastal systems. Scattered between these ecosystems and limestone cliffs are white sand, isolated beaches, which have proved to be ideal for sea turtle nesting.
The SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies believes in the importance of studying the impacts of climate change on local ecosystems and has included this research in both our Center’s program and research components. Likely impacts of climate change to marine and coastal ecosystems include temperature change on organism metabolism and water chemistry, including carbonate cycle, precipitation change on water balance, and wind and water circulation pattern changes. Studies have shown that climate change can have real and direct impacts on populations of marine turtles, first by impacting the profile of some of the most important nesting beaches, but also by directly influencing the sex ratio of the hatchlings.
Our plan for long-term data collection is thus crucially important and beneficial to stakeholders and policy makers as they undertake marine turtle management and conservation. As part of monitoring climate change in our area and with the help of our students, we are also collecting data on reef health using benthic assessments, fish surveys, and underwater photography and videography.
On Saturdays the Center is bursting at the seams! Community members join us for swim lessons, active and quiet games, and crafts with a "Featured Creature"—this week it’s the lionfish (see photo). Older community members help staff and students collect water quality data, do beach clean-ups and remove “ghost traps” (abandoned fishing gear). This semester we will also be completing our work on two marine snorkel trails.
[post_title] => Climate Change and TCI
[post_excerpt] => Our plan for long-term data collection is crucially important and beneficial to stakeholders and policy makers.
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[post_date] => 2014-03-11 04:00:40
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[post_content] => We typically go to the sea to learn about it and it’s organisms, but this week we brought the sea to the Center for "Sea Day." This event brings Grades 1 through 4 from the local schools to the Center to learn about coastal ecosystems and a week’s featured creature – this week was the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae).
Sea Day is filled with touch tanks (containing cushion sea stars (Oreaster reticulatus), slate-pencil urchins (Eucidaris tribuloides), donkey dung sea cucumbers (Holothuria mexicana), upside-down jellies (Cassiopea frondosa) and more), edible gelatin ecosystems, and “Who Am I?” games. Children also learned about humpback whales, which continue to amaze us on almost a daily basis with breaches and flipper slaps. Did you know that a humpback can only swallow food a little larger than a softball? With nearly 100 visitors, the event was a huge success. “Mad props” and “shooting stars” to Molly Roe, our Student Affairs Manager, for organizing this event as well as to Whale and Dolphin Conservation, our whale conservation partners in Plymouth MA, for sending supplies.
This has been a busy five weeks. James Squires, Our Dive Safety Officer and Marine Operations Coordinator, completed teaching an Open Water SCUBA class and is winding up Advanced Open Water SCUBA. Interns and students are busy profiling beaches as part of a Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation grant to study climate change impacts on sea turtles in the TCI and measuring water quality. Case Study 1 is winding up and exams are just around the corner. Of course, shark and turtle tagging trips continue in the evenings. It seems like we are busy all the time! Faculty have their Directed Research projects ready and are preparing for the selection process next week. We are also gearing up for the field trip to Middle and North Caicos and ending in Providenciales... stay tuned for our next post!
[post_title] => Sea Day at Brings the Underwater World into our Center
[post_excerpt] => We typically go to the sea to learn about it and it’s organisms, but this week we brought the sea to the Center.
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[post_date] => 2014-05-09 09:00:24
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[post_content] => It’s rare that the Center Director gets the opportunity to do Directed Research. This is my third semester coordinating our benthic habitat assessment with students and I’m lovin’ every minute of it! The project is an attempt to monitor long term change in our local reefs. We use methods developed as part of the Marine Ecology, Resource Management, and Environmental Policy & Socioeconomic Values courses including fish assessment (REEF method), benthic habitat assessment (AGRRA method), and coral bleaching (Coral Watch methodologies). In addition, we use underwater photography and video. This semester we are working both in the Admiral Cockburn Marine Protected Area (where no fishing is permitted) and an area frequently used by fisherman. The other day, as we worked towards the end of our 100 meter transect, we were joined by a Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). I can’t help but think he was just as curious about what we were doing as we were with him. Sadly our dive came to an end and we parted ways.
The TCl are the home of large aggregations of foraging turtles. The SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies believes in the importance of studying the impacts of climate change on local ecosystems and has included this research in both our Center’s program and research components. Climate change can impact marine turtle populations first by impacting the profile of some of the most important nesting beaches, but also by directly influencing the sex ratio of the hatchlings. We are very pleased to receive a second year of support from The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation to identify, profile, and monitor turtle nesting beaches in the TCI. Long-term data collection is crucially important and beneficial to stakeholders and policy makes as they undertake marine turtle management and conservation.
Our last week for program activities was just as full as any other. Students prepared write ups and presentation material, and on Tuesday evening we invited the community to the Center to learn about what we have been doing. This is been a memorable semester and I know everyone will be sorry to see it come to an end.
[post_title] => Benthic Habitat Assessment Research
[post_excerpt] => This is my third semester coordinating our benthic habitat assessment with students and I’m lovin’ every minute of it!
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[post_date] => 2014-07-31 05:00:49
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[post_content] => The end of our Summer II program is quickly approaching, and students are busy working on their final research projects. Their questions will assess the performance of the East Harbour and Lobster Conch Reserve in protecting reef assemblages. Students collected data on fish and invertebrate abundance, species richness (fish and coral), reef structure and function. Study breaks are spent snorkeling off the dock, visiting with community members, and exploring the island.
Despite many of the community kids being off island for the summer, our Saturday Outreach program has been full and exciting. This week we made turtles from egg crates and learned about electricity and how it works. The SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) has seen a number of visitors this summer including Cardiff University scientists working with faculty on food safety issues in the TCI and Principal Bowen from the local high school who spoke to student about changing times on South Caicos. We even had a visit from HQ staff who joined students in the field capturing and measuring turtles and exploring our local reefs.
Our last week is shaping up to be very busy with research excursions and community activities. Thanks again to everyone who sent sneakers and cleat (and balls and jerseys) to TCI this summer – the community kids are putting everything to great use. End of Summer II also means the wrap up of our Waterfront Interns who arrived last August. But not without a last visit to several of the smaller, uninhabited islands to identify turtle nesting activities and measure beach profiles.
TCI has seen a number of resource management changes this summer: turtle landing regulations have been implemented and finfish regulations are being proposed and discussed. The current topic of conversation at the docks and at evening gatherings is the proposed closing of the conch export fisheries.
As the Center Director, I don’t get to participate in field exercises or faculty research as much as I would like. Last week I joined a student group capturing and tagging turtles. This is done at night. This little fellow is a recapture and the first to try one of our new tags that records depth and temperature. This will help us better understand what turtles do and how they use our local ecosystems.
[post_title] => Summer Program Recap
[post_excerpt] => The end of our Summer II program is quickly approaching, and students are busy working on their final research projects.
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[post_date] => 2014-09-24 17:23:06
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[post_content] => The Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) is thrilled to welcome back Kathy Lockhart (SFS Alum '93) to our TCI team as the Resource Management lecturer. Having worked for the TCI Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs (DEMA) for nearly 10 years, Kathy brings to CMRS a tremendous knowledge of local fisheries – conch, lobster and finfish. Kathy will lead CMRS staff and students, DEMA officers, and fishermen on a pilot project to determine the effectiveness of lobster casitas (artificial structures that support lobsters at various stages in their life) on the Caicos Banks. As part the Resource Management course, students will also assess the conch population inside vs. outside one of the fourteen Marine Protected Areas in the TCI. Data collected by CMRS staff and students is provided to DEMA and often used in management decisions.
We also welcome five new Waterfront Interns (Emily Stokes, Travis Gomez-Phillips, Anela Akiona, Jess Bechohofer, and Connor Burke – all CMRS alumni). This semester, the interns and I will lead students on projects that monitor long term climate change impacts on our local environment. SFS believes in the importance of studying the impacts of climate change on local ecosystems and has included this research in both the Center's program and research components. Marine turtles are dependent on many habitats, making them idea for studying the impacts of climate change on coastal ecosystems.
The waters of the TCI support regionally significant foraging aggregations of green (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricate) turtles, and, to a lesser extent, loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta). We will visit beaches used by turtles for nesting. Beach profiles are measured to monitor changes in beach area and erosion and accretion patterns over time. On our last trip, Lucy Tomb (Bowdoin College) shared with us that she had used similar methods to map the Maine rocky intertidal zone. Temperature loggers are installed near nesting sites to monitor changes in temperature annually. This project has been funded through the Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation and CMRS has partnered with DEMA, who is interested in changing profiles with respect to development.
In other news… Aaron Henderson hopes to use a new Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to identify and track lemon sharks' (Negaprion brevirostris) use of habitats around South Caicos, and Edward Hind was joined by several alumni students and staff at the 3rd International Marine Conservation Congress in Glasgow, Scotland, where he organized a symposium on marine research collaborations in small island developing states and co-presented a poster with Sophia Wasserman on tourist perceptions of dolphin captivity.
As part of our ongoing community outreach program, several groups of students participated International Coastal Clean-Up Day and helped with our new Snorkel Club, a program for older boys and girls to improve snorkeling skills and increase awareness of our marine resources.
[post_title] => Updates from South Caicos
[post_excerpt] => The Center for Marine Resource Studies is thrilled to welcome back Kathy Lockhart (SFS Alum '93) to our TCI team as the Resource Management lecturer.
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[post_content] => Over the past several weeks, students and staff have been collecting and analyzing data from around South Caicos as part of their Directed Research (DR) projects. The SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) DR projects are designed to address resource management questions developed with local stakeholders.
This semester, projects included quantitative and qualitative observation of the bird population on South Caicos; a look at fishers’ knowledge to note spatial and socioeconomic changes in the local fisheries; the use of photovoice to determine local citizens' views of their terrestrial and marine ecosystems; a benthic assessment and installation of lobster casitas in partnership with local fishermen and DEMA; an assessment of the finfish industry; coral reef assessment for local anthropogenic and long-term climate change impacts; and the use of both Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and remote underwater video to assess our local elasmobranch population.
At our Open House, community members learned about new projects and were updated on continuing projects (and then we ate cake). Our local marine resources are under continuous pressure. Data collected by our staff and students is increasingly important as the TCI Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs (DEMA) proposes new fishing restrictions designed to promote sustainable harvesting of the resources.
The semester is quickly coming to an end, in fact everyone leaves tomorrow. Students are packing and saying their goodbyes to the community they have grown to know and love over the past three months. On a final note, Fall 2014 will be staff members Edd Hind's and Rob Dake's last group – for now. CMRS wishes them the very best of luck.
Students use a rapid reef assessment to determine the status of reef communities inside the Admiral Cockburn Land and Sea National Park (ACLSNP). Methods include fish surveys, coral bleaching assessment using CoralWatch, and a benthic assessment using photography. Already we have identified interesting trends in reef community with respect to depth and location within the ACLSNP.
[post_title] => Research on Marine Resource Management
[post_excerpt] => Over the past several weeks, students and staff have been collecting and analyzing data from around South Caicos.
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[post_content] => Finally, everyone is here! Snow on the east coast wreaked havoc on the arrival schedule; but, after much delay and some interesting juggling, everyone is here (with their bags) and we are catching up quickly. It didn’t take long for this group to appreciate our location… The historical walking tour of Cockburn Harbour ended with whales breaching just off shore. Waterfront is in full swing, the first dive of the Open Water SCUBA class is scheduled for tomorrow. Everyone has done a night snorkel and looking forward to turtle tagging trips.
On the academic front led by Dr. Aaron Henderson, the Marine Ecology course focuses on habitats that dominate tropical coastal areas, i.e. mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs. The taxonomy exercise is underway. Students are observing and documenting marine organisms in the field, then determine their taxonomic status. Later in this course, they will also investigate positive and negative anthropogenic impacts on the ecology of marine organisms.
Many students have already tried conch in the local restaurant either fried, blanched or in a fritter. Later this semester in Kathy Lockhart’s Principles of Resource Management, students will conduct a queen conch assessment. Conch is listed as endangered under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). To export this product, TCI must demonstrate good management practices which include a visual assessment of the local stock. During the conch assessment exercise, students work in groups to employ survey methods to collect data on size and age structure of the populations in a variety of habitats.
This semester we are very excited to welcome Dr. Liam Carr (SFS Alum, TCI ‘97) as our Environmental Policy lecturer. Dr. Carr has worked on fishery and marine science issues in Washington D.C., southeast United States, U.S. Caribbean, Mexico, Belize, and the Cayman Islands. His course introduces the students to the complex policy world that is central to determining how well our marine and coastal resources are managed both today and for the future. This semester, students will look at how we can encourage sustainable human-environment relationships.
Prior to student’s arrivals, Research Fellow Dr. Charlotte de Fontaubert visited the Center to work with Waterfront Staff to identify climate change impacts on turtle nesting beaches as part of a project funded in part by the Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation. Sea-level rise, elevated sea surface and beach temperatures, change in currents, and extreme weather conditions can dramatically affect the survival and reproductive success of marine turtles in the Turks and Caicos Islands, all species of which have been designated as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
In other news… We are very pleased to welcome Josh Zeigler, Site Manager, to our team. Emily Stokes, Waterfront Intern and SFS Fall ’12 alum, submitted and had accepted an article to The Times of the Island about our ongoing benthic assessment of South Caicos coral reefs. Aubrey Ellertson (SFS TCI '10 alum) and Benjamin Church from the NOAA Fisheries Observer Program visited South Caicos and discussed their role in Northeast fisheries management.
[post_title] => Students arrive despite winter’s attempt to keep them away…
[post_excerpt] => Finally, everyone is here! Snow on the east coast wreaked havoc on the arrival schedule; but, after much delay everyone is here.
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[post_content] => Is seems like just yesterday that 34 wide-eyed students arrived on South. This semester we learned about the biology and ecology of our marine systems, how our resources are used and managed, and how policies are designed to sustain these resources. This all in preparation for the Directed Research component which started right after mid-semester break. Similar to other Centers, projects are designed to address resource management questions, and are developed with local and international stakeholders.
To address some of these questions, this semester, students: compared fish populations inside and outside the Admiral Cockburn Land and Sea National Park; participated in a TCI-wide conch visual assessment (part of a CITES requirement for export of conch); collected quantitative and qualitative observations on the bird population on South Caicos; used "photovoice" to determine local citizens' views of their terrestrial and marine ecosystems; assessed the effectiveness of lobster casitas (artificial lobster habitats) put out last semester in recruiting juvenile lobster; continued our long-term data collection at the docks on finfish landings (increasing importance with the introduction of new fishing regulations); and used both unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and baited remote underwater video (BRUV) to assess our local elasmobranch populations.
The SFS Center for Marine Resoruce Studies recognizes the importance of studying climate change impacts on local ecosystems by including related projects in program and research components. Impacts to marine and coastal ecosystems include those linked to temperature change on organism metabolism, water chemistry including carbonate cycle, precipitation change on water balance, and wind and water circulation pattern changes. Long-term data collection is a crucial element of observing and understanding such impacts, beneficial to stakeholders and essential to policy makers.
Over the past several semesters, I have lead teams of students to collect baseline data on the health of the local reef system. Sites were permanently marked at three depths in the Admiral Cockburn Land and Sea National Park (5 minutes from our dock), one of several marine protected area near South Caicos, so they could be revisited. The teams use several methods to assess the overall condition of the system including measures of species composition (number of different organisms observed) using the Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment protocol (AGRRA – www.agrra.org), documenting and recording fish species abundance (including the invasive lionfish), and photographing and videoing the benthic community for composition analysis using specialized software.
This semester I had the opportunity to work with students to assess the fish population inside this Marine Protected Area and compare this to a nearby reef used for fishing. We used the three methods they learned about in their Marine Ecology class – belt transects, point census, and BRUVs. Our data are proving interesting. Belt transects appear to be the most effective method for our area and reef structure while BRUV are the least effective, although attract a more interesting population (several elasmobranch species were observed). These areas may be protecting some of our species, but falling short on others. We are in the write-up phase - groups of students sit and converse about what they have seen and learned and the significance of their data. Directed Research ends with our Open House, where community members learn about new projects and were updated on continuing projects (and then we eat cake).
[post_title] => Health of Local Marine Systems
[post_excerpt] => Over the past several semesters, I have lead teams of students to collect baseline data on the health of the local reef system.
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[post_date] => 2015-08-07 07:06:43
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[post_content] => The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) advertises itself to tourists as "Beautiful by Nature." Indeed, the tourism that the country’s economy is heavily dependent on is driven by its extensive coral reefs and near pristine white sand beaches. The health of these ecosystems is in turn supported by the ecosystem goods and services provided by the widespread seagrass beds and mangrove forests. However, the "Beautiful by Nature" status, and therefore the whole economy of the TCI is under threat because of a multitude of attacks on these crucial marine ecosystems. Local threats of unsustainable fishing and coastal development are stretching marine ecosystems to their breaking point, and global impacts from climate change may very well push them over the edge to a state from which they can never recover. This situation clearly needs to be avoided. To ensure this, better environmental monitoring is needed and a more developed management plans for fisheries and coastal development.
This summer the SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) offered two new sequential monthlong courses. Tropical Marine Ecosystem: Monitoring and Management (Summer I) was an interdisciplinary course which highlighted key aspects of environmental assessment and management of tropical marine ecosystems. In addition, students explored sustainable development strategies for the TCI at both local and global scales. Students gained knowledge of sub-tropical marine ecosystem function and an understanding of challenges at the intersection of marine conservation and economic development. We were fortunate to be joined by SFS Panama Center Director Cinda Scott and Stony Brook University M.S. candidate and SFS alumna Katie Flowers.
Laura Daigle surveys coral for bleaching using the Coral Watch program protocols.Horse-eye Jack (Caranx latus) swim through the transect and are counted by students survey the reefs.
The aim of the Applied Marine Research Techniques (Summer II) course is to provide students with the opportunity to apply the scientific process in a field research project that addresses a local issue related to the management of tropical marine environments in the TCI, and specifically on the island of South Caicos. This course prepares students to develop scientific approaches to identify key problems -- such as overfishing and increased coastal development -- affecting the health of coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangrove forests that surround the island. Through this course, students have been progressively learning to implement the scientific research process while contributing to a growing body of research that informs local marine conservation and resource management decisions. CMRS was joined by SFS Panama’s Coastal Ecology Lecturer Aileen Maldonado who joined students in the field and worked with TCI faculty and staff.
The introduction of these two new courses has been both exciting and enjoyable. Everyone is looking forward to community presentations Saturday!
Students Laura Daigle and Alex Goranov survey the reef using SCUBA. Student conduct belt transect surveys of the fish population and use point surveys to determine benthic composition.
[post_title] => Tropical Marine Ecosystems
[post_excerpt] => This summer the SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) offered two new sequential monthlong courses.
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[post_date] => 2015-12-15 08:52:54
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[post_content] => As the semester draws to a close, it is inspiring to look back at where we started and where we are today. Just 3 months ago, 36 wide-eye students arrived on South for an adventure which they will carry with them through their lives. They have experienced and learned about reefs, caught and tagged turtles, listened to fishermen's stories, and grown close to a community which depends on their data collection.
Over the past few weeks as part of their Directed Research (DR) course, students have studied impacts of climate change, species interactions and habitat conditions, local fishers, and ecological knowledge. Results were presented to a community audience of government officials, processing plant owners and operators, local fishermen, island visitors and children – all of whom played an intricate part in the research process.
This semester I was again fortunate to advise five students on their DR. Individual projects included identifying correlations between coral recruitment and benthic composition (John BeBuysser, Whitman College) and species richness (Grace Dodillet, Northwestern University); a survey of the Diadema antillarum (long-spined sea urchin) population (Evanne Sager, Gonzaga University); assessment of local coral bleaching (Emma Scalisi, Wellesley College); and identifying relationships between live coral and herbivorous fish (Elisa Walters, University of Redlands). Results are part of a long-term program to assess local changes in our reef systems with respect to anthropogenic factors.
In addition to their hard academic work, students and staff worked together to provide a successful outreach program this semester which included swimming lessons, snorkel club, beach clean ups, hands-on science, and research trips to collect water quality data. I have watched amazing friendships develop in a group supportive of each other both in the classroom and the field. Today I see a group departing who have grown to know and love the marine resources and people of South Caicos.
We wish everyone the best of luck and hope you come back to visit!
[post_title] => Fall Semester Recap
[post_excerpt] => It is inspiring to look back at where we started and where we are today.
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[post_content] => The last of our finals are just around the corner and Directed Research projects are underway. Literature reviews are done and data collection has already started on this semester's nine projects. I again am fortunate to be working with five students on a project that assesses and monitors our local reef for natural and anthropogenic impact. This is critical now more than ever with the continuing development on South Caicos. As part of this project, we are using Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) methods. Data collected includes abundance and biomass of key reef fish taxa, relative cover of reef-building organisms and their dominant competitors, assessment of coral health (including extent of coral bleaching), coral recruitment, abundance of key macro-invertebrate species, and water quality (including temperature). This collaborative effort is aimed at increasing our understanding of the processes that shape coral reefs and providing actionable advice to policy makers, stakeholders, and communities at a variety of scales. Specific questions we will address this semester include the role of herbivorous fish in maintaining a healthy reef, recovery from the recent bleaching event, and identifying coral recruit potential.
Kalla Fleger (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University) surveys fish.Amanda Paskavitz (Skidmore University) is collecting data on coral bleaching
We at the SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) believe in the importance of studying the impacts of climate change on local ecosystems, and we have included this research in both our Center’s program and research components. Likely impacts of climate change to marine and coastal ecosystems include temperature change on organism metabolism and water chemistry, including carbonate cycle, precipitation change on water balance, and wind and water circulation pattern changes. Our plan for long-term data collection is thus crucially important and beneficial to stakeholders and policy makers as they undertake marine turtle management and conservation.
Katie Rose Jacobus (University of San Diego) photographs the reef for CPCe analysis.Matt Speegle (University of Redlands) is identifying and counting coral recruits.
On Saturdays the Center is bursting at the seams! Community members join us for swim lessons, snorkel club, quiet and active games, and crafts with a Featured Creature. With the help of the Snorkel Club, we are maintaining two marine snorkel trails. As if that were not enough, the South Caicos Marine Science Club was formed this semester under the watchful eye of our Interns. Data collected by club members will be presented to the community along with our students' Directed Research at the end of the semester.
As the semester winds down we are looking forward to our visit with the Turks and Caicos Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TCISPCA). With the help of our CMRS Staff, TCSPCA will run a spay and neuter clinic May 11 - 17. Also coming to South Caicos this May is the annual board meeting for the Association of the Marine Labs of the Caribbean.
South Caicos Marine Science Club and SFS students working together to collect data on the local reef systems. Photo by Waterfront Intern Chris CasaclangErin Lyons (University of Virginia) working with Science Club member before they head out into the field. Photo by Waterfront Intern Chris CasaclangMatt Speegle (University of Redlands) working with snorkel club as they prepare for their field exerciseNicole Graziano (University of St. Thomas/Minnesota) in the field with snorkel club measuring conch→ Marine Resource Studies in the Turks & Caicos Islands
[post_title] => Climate Change and the Turks and Caicos
[post_excerpt] => The impacts of climate change on the local ecosystems is part of both our Center’s program and research components.
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[post_date] => 2016-10-11 12:42:41
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[post_content] => At the start of September 2016, a new group of students joined the Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) in South Caicos. The students have come from a variety of universities and have been excited to conduct field research. The twenty-four students began their journey with the introduction of the center and the open marine environment with field work including identification of a variety of marine organisms. The days were broken up from classroom lectures to field based observations. After a solid base of the classroom briefings and instructions, the students were ready to initiate their field work by learning and participating in a Conch Visual Survey. This activity is the first in a series of hands-on activities for better conducting research in the marine environment. These activities will assist the students with both the mid-term examinations and Directed Research ideas.
The faculty, waterfront and administrative personnel at CMRS have been actively working with each of the students to provide them the opportunity to understand how to be best prepared for scientific research. Within a week, the students will have heard about each of the Directed Research Projects that they will be able to work on for the rest of the fall 2016 semester. Projects vary from biological, anthropogenic and management. Each project has a variety of focus, but each student will obtain the opportunity to research past research (literature review), conduct hands-on field techniques, analyze of data and produce a compulsory report at the end of the project.
However, at this point the students have been exposed to the concept of field research by participating in a Conch Visual Field Exercise. Each student partook in a two-day fieldwork activity to determine the number of conch found inside the East Harbor Lobster and Conch Reserve (EHLCR) and estimate the number of conch that could be found on the Caicos Bank. Twenty-four students with mask, fins, snorkel and dive slate conducted underwater visual surveys (UVS) that were 50 meters in length and 3 meters in width. With a total of 30 sites (15 inside the EHLCR and 15 outside), three separate belt transects were laid. On each of the transects habitat type and number of dead conch were and collected. Additionally, all live conch within the belt were collected and individually measured for both lip thickness (mm) and siphonal length (mm). Initially, students were concerned with the discovered of a minimal number of live conch, but by the second day they were surprised to find that diving conch was not as easy as they had once thought. Live conch varied from one site to the next with having zero at some sites and up to 355 conch found at another site. A total of 830 live Queen Conch were found during the UVS. Students are now in the midst of analysis of the data.
Students laying the 50 meter transect for the Conch Visual Survey. All photos courtesy of Kathy LockhartLaying the transectStudent checking the transect for live Queen ConchChecking the transect
An additional day has been established for the students to complete analysis of the data collection. The students are now able to see where all the hard work in the field has now got to be explained and summarized for the public. Various analyses are to be conducted including comparisons of siphonal length and lip thickness both inside and outside the MPA; comparison of habitat to live conch abundance and estimated overall abundance for both inside the EHLCR and on the Caicos Bank.
When completed the students were be submitting four group reports on the status and trends of the Queen Conch both inside the EHLCR and on the Caicos Bank. These reports are the next step in the ladder for growth in the academic field. It will better assist them with the future Directed Research Projects. Prior to student break, the student will be taking the initiative to start working on their literary review for their directed research projects, enthusiasm is building higher.
Often students are discussing the days events and how filled the schedule appears, but never once have there been any complaints but rather increased enthusiasm. This again is a major step that our future scientist and researchers must learn when completing their educational career and entering the academic world.
Fortunately, the students at CMRS have the opportunity to provide this information directly to our stakeholders, including the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) of the Turks and Caicos Islands Government. In 2001 an underwater visual survey was conducted across the Caicos Bank, with a follow up UVS in 2014/2015. The CMRS assisted the government with the 2014/2015 UVS by completing 44 surveys of the 116 conducted. These surveys can provide an anchor point for the annual surplus production model. However, since there have been questions regarding the reliability of the model and the yet to be implemented 2014/2015 UVS anchor point, the government has set the annual total allowable catch (TAC) at 500,000 lbs. for export and 320,000 lbs. for local consumption. Since the inception of the Scientific Committee, CMRS has played an active role with provide information for the group. In September of 2016, the government has asked the scientific committee to review the Queen Conch fishery and provide a recommendation for an export quota, domestic quota, operculum export quota and decide the “conversion factor” for uncleaned meat weight.
Student measuring Queen Conch for lip thickness (mm)Student measuring Queen Conch for siphonal length (mm)Queen Conch being returned to the marine environment→ Marine Resource Studies in the Turks and Caicos Islands
[post_title] => One, Two, Three...Counting Conch!
[post_excerpt] => After a solid base of the classroom briefings and instructions, the students were ready to initiate their field work by learning and participating in a Conch Visual Survey.
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[post_date] => 2016-11-11 12:54:52
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[post_content] => The red lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) is a popular aquarium fish in the US. They can be beautiful to see but they are a menace to our waters!
In the early 1990, several were accidentally released in Florida waters. Their introduction is documented as the fastest invasion of a marine fish, and they are now recognized as one of the world’s top conservation issues. Lionfish are unique and effective predators, able to consume prey up to half their size. Juvenile lobster and groupers (economically important in the TCI) are often found in their stomachs. To top it off, they are preyed upon by few organisms.
As part of our Resource Management course, we learn about invasive species and survey them in a field exercise. This year, TCI Department of the Environment and Coastal Resources, TCReef Fund, and SFS organized a country wide Lionfish Derby. Last weekend, South Caicos teams competed against Grand Turk to land the most, largest and smallest lionfish.
Although SFS didn’t compete in the derby, CMRS students were involved in the landing. South fishers landed nearly 40 fish ranging in size from 110 to 340 mm. All fish landed on South Caicos were cleaned, cooked, and served at the Heritage Day Festival.
In other areas of research…Directed Research projects have started. This year’s projects include local landings of fin fish and lobster, shark tagging, and benthic surveys for tourism impacts. Students are spending long days in the field and then recuperating and relaxing in the cool evening weather.
→ Marine Resource Studies in the Turks and Caicos Islands
[post_title] => Lionfish Derby on South Caicos
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[post_date] => 2017-02-13 15:29:08
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[post_content] => Thirty-four students arrived last Monday in TCI!
TCI Ferry bringing 33 very excited students. One arrived a day late due to flight cancellations
Typically students are greeted by a warm Caribbean sun and blue skies, but not this group. It rained the first three days of program.
Town tour in torrential rain
And by rain, I mean RAIN! For alumni reading this, maybe you had three days of rain your whole semester…The sun is finally shining and everyone is excited to be in the water – field exercises, Open Water SCUBA course and recreational dives.
Already certified SCUBA divers doing orientation dive in swim zone
Everyone is excited to explore the underwater world, no matter what time day or night.
In Marine Ecology, students are learning about mangrove organisms and their interactions. Today they are wading and snorkeling in the local mangrove systems to see these interactions. They are also learning about the conch and lobster fisheries and taking trips to the docks to meet fishermen.
Students in the Resource Management course
Yesterday we were visited by community members to talk about the history of South Caicos as part of the Environmental Policy and Socioeconomic Value course. Community kids were waiting for over an hour on the first Saturday for swim lessons, crafts, and games.
We were joined by nearly 50 children ages 5 to 16. We also participated in National Wetland Clean Up Day – collecting over 6 huge bags of trash from the mangroves.
This semester we are looking forward to recording whale songs as part of a grant from The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation. Already we see the humpback whales breaching and hear them when we are diving. Humpback whales migrate between the Northeast US and TCI/Dominican Republic between January and March. Songs are used to identify pods. We are also continuing our reef assessment this semester. This is important as we are still seeing coral bleaching around the Caribbean, particularly the deeper reefs which are not as adapted to warmer temperatures.
News from the Center… This semester we welcome Lawre Doughton, Student Affairs Manager, Jourdan Bonnett, Dive Safety Officer, and Taylor Determan, Waterfront Intern. We bid farewell to Alex Kahn-Johnston, Student Affairs Manager, who contributed significantly to CMRS and the South Caicos community over the past year and a half. The roof in the commons area is being replaced, everyone will miss being rained on at meals. Several researches are expected to pass though South Caicos and we look forward to working with them on climate change impact to our reef systems. Finally, we are planning for the arrival of the TCSPCA in May – please support our four legged community members through the SFS website, and remember to designate “South Caicos Veterinary Services”
→ Marine Resource Studies in TCI
[post_title] => Three Days of Rain? Am I on South Caicos?
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[post_content] => We're in the thick of it with Directed Research. Everything has led up to this point – learning about local marine species and how they interact; understanding the value of marine protected areas and how resources are used; and identifying how tourism affects South Caicos. As the semester draws to a close, it is inspiring to look back at where we started and where we are today. Just 3 months ago, wide-eyed students arrived on South for an adventure which they will carry with them through their lives. They have experienced and learned about reefs, caught and tagged turtles and sharks, listened to fisherman's stories, and grown close to a community which depends on their data collection. Many have learned to SCUBA dive and are using their new skills to collect valuable data.
This semester I was again fortunate to advise three students on their Directed Research. Individual projects included identifying long-spined sea urchin (Diadema antillarum) population densities (Teddy Galgano, St. Michael’s College); assessing local coral bleaching (Ben Charo, Swathmore College; Photo 1); and identifying differences in fish diversity (Liz Miller, Bard College; Photo 2). Results are part of a long term program to assess local changes in our reef systems with respect to anthropogenic factors. The days are long but the rewards are great.
Photo 1Photo 2
This semester we were fortunate to welcome two visiting researchers. Stephan Burns from Ghent University is assessing shark species diversity and relative abundance in marine protected areas using baited remote video stations (BRUVS). This research is part of Dr. Henderson's collaboration with the Global Finprint Project (www.globalfinprint.org). Hannah Reich (SFS CMRS alumna Fall 2013) returned to South Caicos to quantify and describe Symbiodinium communities associated with reef-building corals around South Caicos with a focus on host-specificity, depth zonation, and seasonal fluctuation of Symbiodinium communities (Photo 3 - sub samples taken to Penn State for analysis). As part of her visit, she presented some of her recent research at Penn State University that focuses on climate change and coral symbionts (Photo 4).
Photo 3Photo 4
Through the generous support of The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation, Dr. Henderson has begun using acoustic tags to track turtles and sharks around South Caicos (Photos 5 and 6). Also as part of this funding, interns this semester visited turtle nesting beaches to monitor temperature and profile, both affected by long term changes in climate AND recorded migrating humpback whale songs.
Photo 5Photo 6
In addition to their hard academic work, students and staff worked together to provide a successful outreach program this semester which included swimming lessons, hands-on science, a new mural at the Iris Stubbs Elementary School, and research trips to collect water quality data. We also welcomed a visit from alumnus Jeffery Back, Kicks 4 Caribya, and his team from Cornell University who again donated boxes of sporting goods to the community and ran a soccer clinic for local kids (Photo 7).
Photo 7
I have watched amazing friendships develop in a group supportive of each other both in the classroom and the field. Soon I will see a group of people departing who have grown to know and love the marine resources and people of South Caicos. We wish everyone the best of luck and hope you come back to visit!
→ Marine Resource Studies in the Turks and Caicos Islands
[post_title] => Wrapping Up the Semester in TCI
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[post_content] => After returning from our field trip to Providenciales, North and Middle Caicos, everyone is excited about finishing up class work and diving into their Directed Research. Our Provo trip was both fun and productive. Bryan Naqqi Manco from the TCI Department of Environmental and Coastal Research (DECR) educated us about cave formations and the local environment, which is surprisingly much different than South Caicos.
In addition to the Conch Bar (as in sand) Caves, we enjoyed lunch on one of the most beautiful beaches in the Turks and Caicos, Mudjin Harbour, while watching whales breach. Our day ended at the government farm where we learned about the Caicos pine (Pinuscaribaea) restoration project. David Stone (TC Reef Fund), David Bowen (Director, Ministry of Art and Culture), and Amdeep Sanghera (Marine Conservation Society), joined us in the evenings to discuss their projects. Day two of the field trip was spent surveying the local community about fisheries and visiting the conch farm. After a five day spring break, students are back on South.
Only one week of classes remains before the start Directed Research. Students will be tracking eagle ray populations, monitoring lemon sharks, and surveying local dock landings and perceptions of marine resource use. In the meantime, faculty research is going strong! Many of our students have been out with Dr. Aaron Henderson assisting him in catching and tagging lemon sharks. Other students are setting up a green house on site made from found material with Dr. Eduardo Guevara to grow some produce and mangroves trees as part of a small restoration project.
[post_title] => Diving into Directed Research
[post_excerpt] => After returning from our field trip, everyone is excited about finishing up class work and diving into their Directed Rresearch.
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[post_content] => The Center for Marine Resource Studies in Turks & Caicos recently welcomed over 80 South Caicos community members for “Sea Day,” which featured interactive touch tanks and various marine education stations.
[post_title] => Sea Day Snapshots
[post_excerpt] => The Center for Marine Resource Studies in Turks & Caicos welcomed over 80 community members for “Sea Day.”
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[post_content] => It’s hard to believe the semester is over. Just 95 days ago, 34 wide eye students arrived on South for an adventure which they will carry with them through their lives. I have watched amazing friendships develop in a group supportive of each other both in the classroom and the field. They have dove and snorkeled on some of the world's most beautiful coral reefs, watched turtles hatch and begin their journey, listened to fishermen's stories, learned how to “knock” conch, and have grown close to a community which depends on the results of their research data collection.
Over the past few weeks, students have studied eagle ray behavior, lemon shark habitats, turtle populations, and local ecological knowledge as part of their Directed Research projects. Three of our student groups presented their research to a community audience of over fifty, including government officials, processing plant owners and operators, local fishermen, island visitors, and children. In addition to their challenging academic work, students and staff worked together to provide a successful outreach program this semester which included swimming lessons, beach clean-ups, hands-on science featuring local marine creatures, and research trips with the local high school teachers to study sharks. Today I see a group departing who have grown to know and love the marine resources and people of South Caicos. We wish everyone the best of luck and hope you come back to visit!
[post_title] => Just 95 Days Ago...
[post_excerpt] => Today I see a group departing who have grown to know and love the marine resources and people of South Caicos.
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[post_content] => Greetings from South Caicos! The Center for Marine Resource Studies is extremely excited to welcome our new Resource Management faculty Dr. Alex Tilley and his wife, Juliana. After a long winter break, our faculty and staff welcomed thirty-six very excited students to South Caicos. In just over a week, we have toured historic Cockburn Harbour and discovered some of the biodiversity our marine system has to offer.
Classes are in full swing and field exercises take up most of our afternoons. Since we are learning about the local marine life and their interactions, I have included a photo of one of the species students learn about in the ID sessions. Saturday’s community outreach included swimming lessons, a “featured creature” – this week was the West Indian sea egg (Tripneustes ventricosus) – reading and homework help, and sports. In addition, this semester students will help with the restoration of an underwater marine trail and the preparation of material for a new trail accessible to younger community members.
Students have begun participating in faculty research projects which include shark and turtle tagging and monitoring, and water quality assessment. We also hope to work with the TCI Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs (DEMA) to assess the conch stock around South Caicos. We are looking forward to an extremely productive and engaging semester!
[post_title] => Greetings from South Caicos!
[post_excerpt] => Classes are in full swing and field exercises take up most of our afternoons.
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[post_content] => It hard to believe the students have just left. Reflecting back, this has been a memorable semester—up close encounters with migrating humpback whales, octopus and dolphin sightings, diving some of the most diverse reefs in the area, field trip to Provo, Saturday outreach, and Sunday bake-offs at the Center.
On the research front, Aaron Henderson, Marine Ecology Lecturer, and Megan Nash (Fall 2012) had a publication accepted in Marine Biodiversity Records documenting turtles hatching on South Caicos and the Center received a grant to measure and monitor erosion and accretion patterns on turtle nesting beaches around the TCI.
During the last week of the semester, students and faculty were busy working on Directed Research data analysis and preparing for their community presentations. Our Directed Research projects are designed to address resource management questions developed with local stake holders. This semester students studied eagle ray population dynamics, lionfish densities around South Caicos, worked with local community groups (citizen scientists) to document climate change on South Caicos, and assessed a local coral reef ecosystem as part of the Centers effort to identify local impact of development and climate change.
To increase community awareness about our natural resources, our students and SAM organized an Earth Day celebration. Activities at the Center included several “Featured Creatures” and discovery activities. This was followed by a parade with a band to the Conch Dock were the festivities continued. This has definitely been a great semester and we will miss everyone.
Remember the TC SPCA is coming. South Caicos animals need your help. Please donate to support this effort: https://community.fieldstudies.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=184 (in the designation box, select SOS South Caicos Veterinary Services).
[post_title] => A Memorable Semester
[post_excerpt] => Reflecting back, this has been a memorable semester—up close encounters with migrating humpback whales, octopus and dolphin sightings...
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[post_date] => 2013-10-07 06:00:15
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[post_content] => We are well into our semester with mid-term exams just around the corner. It’s been a busy month with classes and field exercises—species identifications, invasive species surveys, assessing the value of ecosystems and a visual conch assessment (data will contribute to the national stock assessment).
In addition, we are working on several projects related to climate change in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI). This semester we welcome five new interns, all alumni of the SFS TCI program. They are quickly learning methodology for beach profiling as part of a Munson Foundation grant to monitor climate change as it relates to turtle nesting sites around the islands.
The Turks and Caicos Islands are an archipelago of about forty limestone islands. Most of the land habitat is scrub land, thick with dense vegetation. The mangrove forests and seagrass ecosystems that line the South Caicos coast are among the most biologically productive coastal systems. Scattered between these ecosystems and limestone cliffs are white sand, isolated beaches, which have proved to be ideal for sea turtle nesting.
The SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies believes in the importance of studying the impacts of climate change on local ecosystems and has included this research in both our Center’s program and research components. Likely impacts of climate change to marine and coastal ecosystems include temperature change on organism metabolism and water chemistry, including carbonate cycle, precipitation change on water balance, and wind and water circulation pattern changes. Studies have shown that climate change can have real and direct impacts on populations of marine turtles, first by impacting the profile of some of the most important nesting beaches, but also by directly influencing the sex ratio of the hatchlings.
Our plan for long-term data collection is thus crucially important and beneficial to stakeholders and policy makers as they undertake marine turtle management and conservation. As part of monitoring climate change in our area and with the help of our students, we are also collecting data on reef health using benthic assessments, fish surveys, and underwater photography and videography.
On Saturdays the Center is bursting at the seams! Community members join us for swim lessons, active and quiet games, and crafts with a "Featured Creature"—this week it’s the lionfish (see photo). Older community members help staff and students collect water quality data, do beach clean-ups and remove “ghost traps” (abandoned fishing gear). This semester we will also be completing our work on two marine snorkel trails.
[post_title] => Climate Change and TCI
[post_excerpt] => Our plan for long-term data collection is crucially important and beneficial to stakeholders and policy makers.
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[post_date] => 2014-03-11 04:00:40
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[post_content] => We typically go to the sea to learn about it and it’s organisms, but this week we brought the sea to the Center for "Sea Day." This event brings Grades 1 through 4 from the local schools to the Center to learn about coastal ecosystems and a week’s featured creature – this week was the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae).
Sea Day is filled with touch tanks (containing cushion sea stars (Oreaster reticulatus), slate-pencil urchins (Eucidaris tribuloides), donkey dung sea cucumbers (Holothuria mexicana), upside-down jellies (Cassiopea frondosa) and more), edible gelatin ecosystems, and “Who Am I?” games. Children also learned about humpback whales, which continue to amaze us on almost a daily basis with breaches and flipper slaps. Did you know that a humpback can only swallow food a little larger than a softball? With nearly 100 visitors, the event was a huge success. “Mad props” and “shooting stars” to Molly Roe, our Student Affairs Manager, for organizing this event as well as to Whale and Dolphin Conservation, our whale conservation partners in Plymouth MA, for sending supplies.
This has been a busy five weeks. James Squires, Our Dive Safety Officer and Marine Operations Coordinator, completed teaching an Open Water SCUBA class and is winding up Advanced Open Water SCUBA. Interns and students are busy profiling beaches as part of a Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation grant to study climate change impacts on sea turtles in the TCI and measuring water quality. Case Study 1 is winding up and exams are just around the corner. Of course, shark and turtle tagging trips continue in the evenings. It seems like we are busy all the time! Faculty have their Directed Research projects ready and are preparing for the selection process next week. We are also gearing up for the field trip to Middle and North Caicos and ending in Providenciales... stay tuned for our next post!
[post_title] => Sea Day at Brings the Underwater World into our Center
[post_excerpt] => We typically go to the sea to learn about it and it’s organisms, but this week we brought the sea to the Center.
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[post_date] => 2014-05-09 09:00:24
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[post_content] => It’s rare that the Center Director gets the opportunity to do Directed Research. This is my third semester coordinating our benthic habitat assessment with students and I’m lovin’ every minute of it! The project is an attempt to monitor long term change in our local reefs. We use methods developed as part of the Marine Ecology, Resource Management, and Environmental Policy & Socioeconomic Values courses including fish assessment (REEF method), benthic habitat assessment (AGRRA method), and coral bleaching (Coral Watch methodologies). In addition, we use underwater photography and video. This semester we are working both in the Admiral Cockburn Marine Protected Area (where no fishing is permitted) and an area frequently used by fisherman. The other day, as we worked towards the end of our 100 meter transect, we were joined by a Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). I can’t help but think he was just as curious about what we were doing as we were with him. Sadly our dive came to an end and we parted ways.
The TCl are the home of large aggregations of foraging turtles. The SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies believes in the importance of studying the impacts of climate change on local ecosystems and has included this research in both our Center’s program and research components. Climate change can impact marine turtle populations first by impacting the profile of some of the most important nesting beaches, but also by directly influencing the sex ratio of the hatchlings. We are very pleased to receive a second year of support from The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation to identify, profile, and monitor turtle nesting beaches in the TCI. Long-term data collection is crucially important and beneficial to stakeholders and policy makes as they undertake marine turtle management and conservation.
Our last week for program activities was just as full as any other. Students prepared write ups and presentation material, and on Tuesday evening we invited the community to the Center to learn about what we have been doing. This is been a memorable semester and I know everyone will be sorry to see it come to an end.
[post_title] => Benthic Habitat Assessment Research
[post_excerpt] => This is my third semester coordinating our benthic habitat assessment with students and I’m lovin’ every minute of it!
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[post_date] => 2014-07-31 05:00:49
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[post_content] => The end of our Summer II program is quickly approaching, and students are busy working on their final research projects. Their questions will assess the performance of the East Harbour and Lobster Conch Reserve in protecting reef assemblages. Students collected data on fish and invertebrate abundance, species richness (fish and coral), reef structure and function. Study breaks are spent snorkeling off the dock, visiting with community members, and exploring the island.
Despite many of the community kids being off island for the summer, our Saturday Outreach program has been full and exciting. This week we made turtles from egg crates and learned about electricity and how it works. The SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) has seen a number of visitors this summer including Cardiff University scientists working with faculty on food safety issues in the TCI and Principal Bowen from the local high school who spoke to student about changing times on South Caicos. We even had a visit from HQ staff who joined students in the field capturing and measuring turtles and exploring our local reefs.
Our last week is shaping up to be very busy with research excursions and community activities. Thanks again to everyone who sent sneakers and cleat (and balls and jerseys) to TCI this summer – the community kids are putting everything to great use. End of Summer II also means the wrap up of our Waterfront Interns who arrived last August. But not without a last visit to several of the smaller, uninhabited islands to identify turtle nesting activities and measure beach profiles.
TCI has seen a number of resource management changes this summer: turtle landing regulations have been implemented and finfish regulations are being proposed and discussed. The current topic of conversation at the docks and at evening gatherings is the proposed closing of the conch export fisheries.
As the Center Director, I don’t get to participate in field exercises or faculty research as much as I would like. Last week I joined a student group capturing and tagging turtles. This is done at night. This little fellow is a recapture and the first to try one of our new tags that records depth and temperature. This will help us better understand what turtles do and how they use our local ecosystems.
[post_title] => Summer Program Recap
[post_excerpt] => The end of our Summer II program is quickly approaching, and students are busy working on their final research projects.
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[post_date] => 2014-09-24 17:23:06
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[post_content] => The Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) is thrilled to welcome back Kathy Lockhart (SFS Alum '93) to our TCI team as the Resource Management lecturer. Having worked for the TCI Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs (DEMA) for nearly 10 years, Kathy brings to CMRS a tremendous knowledge of local fisheries – conch, lobster and finfish. Kathy will lead CMRS staff and students, DEMA officers, and fishermen on a pilot project to determine the effectiveness of lobster casitas (artificial structures that support lobsters at various stages in their life) on the Caicos Banks. As part the Resource Management course, students will also assess the conch population inside vs. outside one of the fourteen Marine Protected Areas in the TCI. Data collected by CMRS staff and students is provided to DEMA and often used in management decisions.
We also welcome five new Waterfront Interns (Emily Stokes, Travis Gomez-Phillips, Anela Akiona, Jess Bechohofer, and Connor Burke – all CMRS alumni). This semester, the interns and I will lead students on projects that monitor long term climate change impacts on our local environment. SFS believes in the importance of studying the impacts of climate change on local ecosystems and has included this research in both the Center's program and research components. Marine turtles are dependent on many habitats, making them idea for studying the impacts of climate change on coastal ecosystems.
The waters of the TCI support regionally significant foraging aggregations of green (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricate) turtles, and, to a lesser extent, loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta). We will visit beaches used by turtles for nesting. Beach profiles are measured to monitor changes in beach area and erosion and accretion patterns over time. On our last trip, Lucy Tomb (Bowdoin College) shared with us that she had used similar methods to map the Maine rocky intertidal zone. Temperature loggers are installed near nesting sites to monitor changes in temperature annually. This project has been funded through the Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation and CMRS has partnered with DEMA, who is interested in changing profiles with respect to development.
In other news… Aaron Henderson hopes to use a new Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to identify and track lemon sharks' (Negaprion brevirostris) use of habitats around South Caicos, and Edward Hind was joined by several alumni students and staff at the 3rd International Marine Conservation Congress in Glasgow, Scotland, where he organized a symposium on marine research collaborations in small island developing states and co-presented a poster with Sophia Wasserman on tourist perceptions of dolphin captivity.
As part of our ongoing community outreach program, several groups of students participated International Coastal Clean-Up Day and helped with our new Snorkel Club, a program for older boys and girls to improve snorkeling skills and increase awareness of our marine resources.
[post_title] => Updates from South Caicos
[post_excerpt] => The Center for Marine Resource Studies is thrilled to welcome back Kathy Lockhart (SFS Alum '93) to our TCI team as the Resource Management lecturer.
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[post_date] => 2014-12-03 12:41:16
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[post_content] => Over the past several weeks, students and staff have been collecting and analyzing data from around South Caicos as part of their Directed Research (DR) projects. The SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) DR projects are designed to address resource management questions developed with local stakeholders.
This semester, projects included quantitative and qualitative observation of the bird population on South Caicos; a look at fishers’ knowledge to note spatial and socioeconomic changes in the local fisheries; the use of photovoice to determine local citizens' views of their terrestrial and marine ecosystems; a benthic assessment and installation of lobster casitas in partnership with local fishermen and DEMA; an assessment of the finfish industry; coral reef assessment for local anthropogenic and long-term climate change impacts; and the use of both Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and remote underwater video to assess our local elasmobranch population.
At our Open House, community members learned about new projects and were updated on continuing projects (and then we ate cake). Our local marine resources are under continuous pressure. Data collected by our staff and students is increasingly important as the TCI Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs (DEMA) proposes new fishing restrictions designed to promote sustainable harvesting of the resources.
The semester is quickly coming to an end, in fact everyone leaves tomorrow. Students are packing and saying their goodbyes to the community they have grown to know and love over the past three months. On a final note, Fall 2014 will be staff members Edd Hind's and Rob Dake's last group – for now. CMRS wishes them the very best of luck.
Students use a rapid reef assessment to determine the status of reef communities inside the Admiral Cockburn Land and Sea National Park (ACLSNP). Methods include fish surveys, coral bleaching assessment using CoralWatch, and a benthic assessment using photography. Already we have identified interesting trends in reef community with respect to depth and location within the ACLSNP.
[post_title] => Research on Marine Resource Management
[post_excerpt] => Over the past several weeks, students and staff have been collecting and analyzing data from around South Caicos.
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[post_date] => 2015-02-12 14:50:01
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[post_content] => Finally, everyone is here! Snow on the east coast wreaked havoc on the arrival schedule; but, after much delay and some interesting juggling, everyone is here (with their bags) and we are catching up quickly. It didn’t take long for this group to appreciate our location… The historical walking tour of Cockburn Harbour ended with whales breaching just off shore. Waterfront is in full swing, the first dive of the Open Water SCUBA class is scheduled for tomorrow. Everyone has done a night snorkel and looking forward to turtle tagging trips.
On the academic front led by Dr. Aaron Henderson, the Marine Ecology course focuses on habitats that dominate tropical coastal areas, i.e. mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs. The taxonomy exercise is underway. Students are observing and documenting marine organisms in the field, then determine their taxonomic status. Later in this course, they will also investigate positive and negative anthropogenic impacts on the ecology of marine organisms.
Many students have already tried conch in the local restaurant either fried, blanched or in a fritter. Later this semester in Kathy Lockhart’s Principles of Resource Management, students will conduct a queen conch assessment. Conch is listed as endangered under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). To export this product, TCI must demonstrate good management practices which include a visual assessment of the local stock. During the conch assessment exercise, students work in groups to employ survey methods to collect data on size and age structure of the populations in a variety of habitats.
This semester we are very excited to welcome Dr. Liam Carr (SFS Alum, TCI ‘97) as our Environmental Policy lecturer. Dr. Carr has worked on fishery and marine science issues in Washington D.C., southeast United States, U.S. Caribbean, Mexico, Belize, and the Cayman Islands. His course introduces the students to the complex policy world that is central to determining how well our marine and coastal resources are managed both today and for the future. This semester, students will look at how we can encourage sustainable human-environment relationships.
Prior to student’s arrivals, Research Fellow Dr. Charlotte de Fontaubert visited the Center to work with Waterfront Staff to identify climate change impacts on turtle nesting beaches as part of a project funded in part by the Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation. Sea-level rise, elevated sea surface and beach temperatures, change in currents, and extreme weather conditions can dramatically affect the survival and reproductive success of marine turtles in the Turks and Caicos Islands, all species of which have been designated as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
In other news… We are very pleased to welcome Josh Zeigler, Site Manager, to our team. Emily Stokes, Waterfront Intern and SFS Fall ’12 alum, submitted and had accepted an article to The Times of the Island about our ongoing benthic assessment of South Caicos coral reefs. Aubrey Ellertson (SFS TCI '10 alum) and Benjamin Church from the NOAA Fisheries Observer Program visited South Caicos and discussed their role in Northeast fisheries management.
[post_title] => Students arrive despite winter’s attempt to keep them away…
[post_excerpt] => Finally, everyone is here! Snow on the east coast wreaked havoc on the arrival schedule; but, after much delay everyone is here.
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[post_date] => 2015-05-05 09:21:25
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[post_content] => Is seems like just yesterday that 34 wide-eyed students arrived on South. This semester we learned about the biology and ecology of our marine systems, how our resources are used and managed, and how policies are designed to sustain these resources. This all in preparation for the Directed Research component which started right after mid-semester break. Similar to other Centers, projects are designed to address resource management questions, and are developed with local and international stakeholders.
To address some of these questions, this semester, students: compared fish populations inside and outside the Admiral Cockburn Land and Sea National Park; participated in a TCI-wide conch visual assessment (part of a CITES requirement for export of conch); collected quantitative and qualitative observations on the bird population on South Caicos; used "photovoice" to determine local citizens' views of their terrestrial and marine ecosystems; assessed the effectiveness of lobster casitas (artificial lobster habitats) put out last semester in recruiting juvenile lobster; continued our long-term data collection at the docks on finfish landings (increasing importance with the introduction of new fishing regulations); and used both unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and baited remote underwater video (BRUV) to assess our local elasmobranch populations.
The SFS Center for Marine Resoruce Studies recognizes the importance of studying climate change impacts on local ecosystems by including related projects in program and research components. Impacts to marine and coastal ecosystems include those linked to temperature change on organism metabolism, water chemistry including carbonate cycle, precipitation change on water balance, and wind and water circulation pattern changes. Long-term data collection is a crucial element of observing and understanding such impacts, beneficial to stakeholders and essential to policy makers.
Over the past several semesters, I have lead teams of students to collect baseline data on the health of the local reef system. Sites were permanently marked at three depths in the Admiral Cockburn Land and Sea National Park (5 minutes from our dock), one of several marine protected area near South Caicos, so they could be revisited. The teams use several methods to assess the overall condition of the system including measures of species composition (number of different organisms observed) using the Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment protocol (AGRRA – www.agrra.org), documenting and recording fish species abundance (including the invasive lionfish), and photographing and videoing the benthic community for composition analysis using specialized software.
This semester I had the opportunity to work with students to assess the fish population inside this Marine Protected Area and compare this to a nearby reef used for fishing. We used the three methods they learned about in their Marine Ecology class – belt transects, point census, and BRUVs. Our data are proving interesting. Belt transects appear to be the most effective method for our area and reef structure while BRUV are the least effective, although attract a more interesting population (several elasmobranch species were observed). These areas may be protecting some of our species, but falling short on others. We are in the write-up phase - groups of students sit and converse about what they have seen and learned and the significance of their data. Directed Research ends with our Open House, where community members learn about new projects and were updated on continuing projects (and then we eat cake).
[post_title] => Health of Local Marine Systems
[post_excerpt] => Over the past several semesters, I have lead teams of students to collect baseline data on the health of the local reef system.
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[post_date] => 2015-08-07 07:06:43
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[post_content] => The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) advertises itself to tourists as "Beautiful by Nature." Indeed, the tourism that the country’s economy is heavily dependent on is driven by its extensive coral reefs and near pristine white sand beaches. The health of these ecosystems is in turn supported by the ecosystem goods and services provided by the widespread seagrass beds and mangrove forests. However, the "Beautiful by Nature" status, and therefore the whole economy of the TCI is under threat because of a multitude of attacks on these crucial marine ecosystems. Local threats of unsustainable fishing and coastal development are stretching marine ecosystems to their breaking point, and global impacts from climate change may very well push them over the edge to a state from which they can never recover. This situation clearly needs to be avoided. To ensure this, better environmental monitoring is needed and a more developed management plans for fisheries and coastal development.
This summer the SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) offered two new sequential monthlong courses. Tropical Marine Ecosystem: Monitoring and Management (Summer I) was an interdisciplinary course which highlighted key aspects of environmental assessment and management of tropical marine ecosystems. In addition, students explored sustainable development strategies for the TCI at both local and global scales. Students gained knowledge of sub-tropical marine ecosystem function and an understanding of challenges at the intersection of marine conservation and economic development. We were fortunate to be joined by SFS Panama Center Director Cinda Scott and Stony Brook University M.S. candidate and SFS alumna Katie Flowers.
Laura Daigle surveys coral for bleaching using the Coral Watch program protocols.Horse-eye Jack (Caranx latus) swim through the transect and are counted by students survey the reefs.
The aim of the Applied Marine Research Techniques (Summer II) course is to provide students with the opportunity to apply the scientific process in a field research project that addresses a local issue related to the management of tropical marine environments in the TCI, and specifically on the island of South Caicos. This course prepares students to develop scientific approaches to identify key problems -- such as overfishing and increased coastal development -- affecting the health of coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangrove forests that surround the island. Through this course, students have been progressively learning to implement the scientific research process while contributing to a growing body of research that informs local marine conservation and resource management decisions. CMRS was joined by SFS Panama’s Coastal Ecology Lecturer Aileen Maldonado who joined students in the field and worked with TCI faculty and staff.
The introduction of these two new courses has been both exciting and enjoyable. Everyone is looking forward to community presentations Saturday!
Students Laura Daigle and Alex Goranov survey the reef using SCUBA. Student conduct belt transect surveys of the fish population and use point surveys to determine benthic composition.
[post_title] => Tropical Marine Ecosystems
[post_excerpt] => This summer the SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) offered two new sequential monthlong courses.
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[post_date] => 2015-12-15 08:52:54
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[post_content] => As the semester draws to a close, it is inspiring to look back at where we started and where we are today. Just 3 months ago, 36 wide-eye students arrived on South for an adventure which they will carry with them through their lives. They have experienced and learned about reefs, caught and tagged turtles, listened to fishermen's stories, and grown close to a community which depends on their data collection.
Over the past few weeks as part of their Directed Research (DR) course, students have studied impacts of climate change, species interactions and habitat conditions, local fishers, and ecological knowledge. Results were presented to a community audience of government officials, processing plant owners and operators, local fishermen, island visitors and children – all of whom played an intricate part in the research process.
This semester I was again fortunate to advise five students on their DR. Individual projects included identifying correlations between coral recruitment and benthic composition (John BeBuysser, Whitman College) and species richness (Grace Dodillet, Northwestern University); a survey of the Diadema antillarum (long-spined sea urchin) population (Evanne Sager, Gonzaga University); assessment of local coral bleaching (Emma Scalisi, Wellesley College); and identifying relationships between live coral and herbivorous fish (Elisa Walters, University of Redlands). Results are part of a long-term program to assess local changes in our reef systems with respect to anthropogenic factors.
In addition to their hard academic work, students and staff worked together to provide a successful outreach program this semester which included swimming lessons, snorkel club, beach clean ups, hands-on science, and research trips to collect water quality data. I have watched amazing friendships develop in a group supportive of each other both in the classroom and the field. Today I see a group departing who have grown to know and love the marine resources and people of South Caicos.
We wish everyone the best of luck and hope you come back to visit!
[post_title] => Fall Semester Recap
[post_excerpt] => It is inspiring to look back at where we started and where we are today.
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[post_content] => The last of our finals are just around the corner and Directed Research projects are underway. Literature reviews are done and data collection has already started on this semester's nine projects. I again am fortunate to be working with five students on a project that assesses and monitors our local reef for natural and anthropogenic impact. This is critical now more than ever with the continuing development on South Caicos. As part of this project, we are using Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) methods. Data collected includes abundance and biomass of key reef fish taxa, relative cover of reef-building organisms and their dominant competitors, assessment of coral health (including extent of coral bleaching), coral recruitment, abundance of key macro-invertebrate species, and water quality (including temperature). This collaborative effort is aimed at increasing our understanding of the processes that shape coral reefs and providing actionable advice to policy makers, stakeholders, and communities at a variety of scales. Specific questions we will address this semester include the role of herbivorous fish in maintaining a healthy reef, recovery from the recent bleaching event, and identifying coral recruit potential.
Kalla Fleger (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University) surveys fish.Amanda Paskavitz (Skidmore University) is collecting data on coral bleaching
We at the SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) believe in the importance of studying the impacts of climate change on local ecosystems, and we have included this research in both our Center’s program and research components. Likely impacts of climate change to marine and coastal ecosystems include temperature change on organism metabolism and water chemistry, including carbonate cycle, precipitation change on water balance, and wind and water circulation pattern changes. Our plan for long-term data collection is thus crucially important and beneficial to stakeholders and policy makers as they undertake marine turtle management and conservation.
Katie Rose Jacobus (University of San Diego) photographs the reef for CPCe analysis.Matt Speegle (University of Redlands) is identifying and counting coral recruits.
On Saturdays the Center is bursting at the seams! Community members join us for swim lessons, snorkel club, quiet and active games, and crafts with a Featured Creature. With the help of the Snorkel Club, we are maintaining two marine snorkel trails. As if that were not enough, the South Caicos Marine Science Club was formed this semester under the watchful eye of our Interns. Data collected by club members will be presented to the community along with our students' Directed Research at the end of the semester.
As the semester winds down we are looking forward to our visit with the Turks and Caicos Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TCISPCA). With the help of our CMRS Staff, TCSPCA will run a spay and neuter clinic May 11 - 17. Also coming to South Caicos this May is the annual board meeting for the Association of the Marine Labs of the Caribbean.
South Caicos Marine Science Club and SFS students working together to collect data on the local reef systems. Photo by Waterfront Intern Chris CasaclangErin Lyons (University of Virginia) working with Science Club member before they head out into the field. Photo by Waterfront Intern Chris CasaclangMatt Speegle (University of Redlands) working with snorkel club as they prepare for their field exerciseNicole Graziano (University of St. Thomas/Minnesota) in the field with snorkel club measuring conch→ Marine Resource Studies in the Turks & Caicos Islands
[post_title] => Climate Change and the Turks and Caicos
[post_excerpt] => The impacts of climate change on the local ecosystems is part of both our Center’s program and research components.
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[post_content] => At the start of September 2016, a new group of students joined the Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) in South Caicos. The students have come from a variety of universities and have been excited to conduct field research. The twenty-four students began their journey with the introduction of the center and the open marine environment with field work including identification of a variety of marine organisms. The days were broken up from classroom lectures to field based observations. After a solid base of the classroom briefings and instructions, the students were ready to initiate their field work by learning and participating in a Conch Visual Survey. This activity is the first in a series of hands-on activities for better conducting research in the marine environment. These activities will assist the students with both the mid-term examinations and Directed Research ideas.
The faculty, waterfront and administrative personnel at CMRS have been actively working with each of the students to provide them the opportunity to understand how to be best prepared for scientific research. Within a week, the students will have heard about each of the Directed Research Projects that they will be able to work on for the rest of the fall 2016 semester. Projects vary from biological, anthropogenic and management. Each project has a variety of focus, but each student will obtain the opportunity to research past research (literature review), conduct hands-on field techniques, analyze of data and produce a compulsory report at the end of the project.
However, at this point the students have been exposed to the concept of field research by participating in a Conch Visual Field Exercise. Each student partook in a two-day fieldwork activity to determine the number of conch found inside the East Harbor Lobster and Conch Reserve (EHLCR) and estimate the number of conch that could be found on the Caicos Bank. Twenty-four students with mask, fins, snorkel and dive slate conducted underwater visual surveys (UVS) that were 50 meters in length and 3 meters in width. With a total of 30 sites (15 inside the EHLCR and 15 outside), three separate belt transects were laid. On each of the transects habitat type and number of dead conch were and collected. Additionally, all live conch within the belt were collected and individually measured for both lip thickness (mm) and siphonal length (mm). Initially, students were concerned with the discovered of a minimal number of live conch, but by the second day they were surprised to find that diving conch was not as easy as they had once thought. Live conch varied from one site to the next with having zero at some sites and up to 355 conch found at another site. A total of 830 live Queen Conch were found during the UVS. Students are now in the midst of analysis of the data.
Students laying the 50 meter transect for the Conch Visual Survey. All photos courtesy of Kathy LockhartLaying the transectStudent checking the transect for live Queen ConchChecking the transect
An additional day has been established for the students to complete analysis of the data collection. The students are now able to see where all the hard work in the field has now got to be explained and summarized for the public. Various analyses are to be conducted including comparisons of siphonal length and lip thickness both inside and outside the MPA; comparison of habitat to live conch abundance and estimated overall abundance for both inside the EHLCR and on the Caicos Bank.
When completed the students were be submitting four group reports on the status and trends of the Queen Conch both inside the EHLCR and on the Caicos Bank. These reports are the next step in the ladder for growth in the academic field. It will better assist them with the future Directed Research Projects. Prior to student break, the student will be taking the initiative to start working on their literary review for their directed research projects, enthusiasm is building higher.
Often students are discussing the days events and how filled the schedule appears, but never once have there been any complaints but rather increased enthusiasm. This again is a major step that our future scientist and researchers must learn when completing their educational career and entering the academic world.
Fortunately, the students at CMRS have the opportunity to provide this information directly to our stakeholders, including the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) of the Turks and Caicos Islands Government. In 2001 an underwater visual survey was conducted across the Caicos Bank, with a follow up UVS in 2014/2015. The CMRS assisted the government with the 2014/2015 UVS by completing 44 surveys of the 116 conducted. These surveys can provide an anchor point for the annual surplus production model. However, since there have been questions regarding the reliability of the model and the yet to be implemented 2014/2015 UVS anchor point, the government has set the annual total allowable catch (TAC) at 500,000 lbs. for export and 320,000 lbs. for local consumption. Since the inception of the Scientific Committee, CMRS has played an active role with provide information for the group. In September of 2016, the government has asked the scientific committee to review the Queen Conch fishery and provide a recommendation for an export quota, domestic quota, operculum export quota and decide the “conversion factor” for uncleaned meat weight.
Student measuring Queen Conch for lip thickness (mm)Student measuring Queen Conch for siphonal length (mm)Queen Conch being returned to the marine environment→ Marine Resource Studies in the Turks and Caicos Islands
[post_title] => One, Two, Three...Counting Conch!
[post_excerpt] => After a solid base of the classroom briefings and instructions, the students were ready to initiate their field work by learning and participating in a Conch Visual Survey.
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[post_date] => 2016-11-11 12:54:52
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[post_content] => The red lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) is a popular aquarium fish in the US. They can be beautiful to see but they are a menace to our waters!
In the early 1990, several were accidentally released in Florida waters. Their introduction is documented as the fastest invasion of a marine fish, and they are now recognized as one of the world’s top conservation issues. Lionfish are unique and effective predators, able to consume prey up to half their size. Juvenile lobster and groupers (economically important in the TCI) are often found in their stomachs. To top it off, they are preyed upon by few organisms.
As part of our Resource Management course, we learn about invasive species and survey them in a field exercise. This year, TCI Department of the Environment and Coastal Resources, TCReef Fund, and SFS organized a country wide Lionfish Derby. Last weekend, South Caicos teams competed against Grand Turk to land the most, largest and smallest lionfish.
Although SFS didn’t compete in the derby, CMRS students were involved in the landing. South fishers landed nearly 40 fish ranging in size from 110 to 340 mm. All fish landed on South Caicos were cleaned, cooked, and served at the Heritage Day Festival.
In other areas of research…Directed Research projects have started. This year’s projects include local landings of fin fish and lobster, shark tagging, and benthic surveys for tourism impacts. Students are spending long days in the field and then recuperating and relaxing in the cool evening weather.
→ Marine Resource Studies in the Turks and Caicos Islands
[post_title] => Lionfish Derby on South Caicos
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[post_content] => Thirty-four students arrived last Monday in TCI!
TCI Ferry bringing 33 very excited students. One arrived a day late due to flight cancellations
Typically students are greeted by a warm Caribbean sun and blue skies, but not this group. It rained the first three days of program.
Town tour in torrential rain
And by rain, I mean RAIN! For alumni reading this, maybe you had three days of rain your whole semester…The sun is finally shining and everyone is excited to be in the water – field exercises, Open Water SCUBA course and recreational dives.
Already certified SCUBA divers doing orientation dive in swim zone
Everyone is excited to explore the underwater world, no matter what time day or night.
In Marine Ecology, students are learning about mangrove organisms and their interactions. Today they are wading and snorkeling in the local mangrove systems to see these interactions. They are also learning about the conch and lobster fisheries and taking trips to the docks to meet fishermen.
Students in the Resource Management course
Yesterday we were visited by community members to talk about the history of South Caicos as part of the Environmental Policy and Socioeconomic Value course. Community kids were waiting for over an hour on the first Saturday for swim lessons, crafts, and games.
We were joined by nearly 50 children ages 5 to 16. We also participated in National Wetland Clean Up Day – collecting over 6 huge bags of trash from the mangroves.
This semester we are looking forward to recording whale songs as part of a grant from The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation. Already we see the humpback whales breaching and hear them when we are diving. Humpback whales migrate between the Northeast US and TCI/Dominican Republic between January and March. Songs are used to identify pods. We are also continuing our reef assessment this semester. This is important as we are still seeing coral bleaching around the Caribbean, particularly the deeper reefs which are not as adapted to warmer temperatures.
News from the Center… This semester we welcome Lawre Doughton, Student Affairs Manager, Jourdan Bonnett, Dive Safety Officer, and Taylor Determan, Waterfront Intern. We bid farewell to Alex Kahn-Johnston, Student Affairs Manager, who contributed significantly to CMRS and the South Caicos community over the past year and a half. The roof in the commons area is being replaced, everyone will miss being rained on at meals. Several researches are expected to pass though South Caicos and we look forward to working with them on climate change impact to our reef systems. Finally, we are planning for the arrival of the TCSPCA in May – please support our four legged community members through the SFS website, and remember to designate “South Caicos Veterinary Services”
→ Marine Resource Studies in TCI
[post_title] => Three Days of Rain? Am I on South Caicos?
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[post_content] => We're in the thick of it with Directed Research. Everything has led up to this point – learning about local marine species and how they interact; understanding the value of marine protected areas and how resources are used; and identifying how tourism affects South Caicos. As the semester draws to a close, it is inspiring to look back at where we started and where we are today. Just 3 months ago, wide-eyed students arrived on South for an adventure which they will carry with them through their lives. They have experienced and learned about reefs, caught and tagged turtles and sharks, listened to fisherman's stories, and grown close to a community which depends on their data collection. Many have learned to SCUBA dive and are using their new skills to collect valuable data.
This semester I was again fortunate to advise three students on their Directed Research. Individual projects included identifying long-spined sea urchin (Diadema antillarum) population densities (Teddy Galgano, St. Michael’s College); assessing local coral bleaching (Ben Charo, Swathmore College; Photo 1); and identifying differences in fish diversity (Liz Miller, Bard College; Photo 2). Results are part of a long term program to assess local changes in our reef systems with respect to anthropogenic factors. The days are long but the rewards are great.
Photo 1Photo 2
This semester we were fortunate to welcome two visiting researchers. Stephan Burns from Ghent University is assessing shark species diversity and relative abundance in marine protected areas using baited remote video stations (BRUVS). This research is part of Dr. Henderson's collaboration with the Global Finprint Project (www.globalfinprint.org). Hannah Reich (SFS CMRS alumna Fall 2013) returned to South Caicos to quantify and describe Symbiodinium communities associated with reef-building corals around South Caicos with a focus on host-specificity, depth zonation, and seasonal fluctuation of Symbiodinium communities (Photo 3 - sub samples taken to Penn State for analysis). As part of her visit, she presented some of her recent research at Penn State University that focuses on climate change and coral symbionts (Photo 4).
Photo 3Photo 4
Through the generous support of The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation, Dr. Henderson has begun using acoustic tags to track turtles and sharks around South Caicos (Photos 5 and 6). Also as part of this funding, interns this semester visited turtle nesting beaches to monitor temperature and profile, both affected by long term changes in climate AND recorded migrating humpback whale songs.
Photo 5Photo 6
In addition to their hard academic work, students and staff worked together to provide a successful outreach program this semester which included swimming lessons, hands-on science, a new mural at the Iris Stubbs Elementary School, and research trips to collect water quality data. We also welcomed a visit from alumnus Jeffery Back, Kicks 4 Caribya, and his team from Cornell University who again donated boxes of sporting goods to the community and ran a soccer clinic for local kids (Photo 7).
Photo 7
I have watched amazing friendships develop in a group supportive of each other both in the classroom and the field. Soon I will see a group of people departing who have grown to know and love the marine resources and people of South Caicos. We wish everyone the best of luck and hope you come back to visit!
→ Marine Resource Studies in the Turks and Caicos Islands
[post_title] => Wrapping Up the Semester in TCI
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[post_title] => Heidi Hertler, Ph.D.
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[post_content] => After returning from our field trip to Providenciales, North and Middle Caicos, everyone is excited about finishing up class work and diving into their Directed Research. Our Provo trip was both fun and productive. Bryan Naqqi Manco from the TCI Department of Environmental and Coastal Research (DECR) educated us about cave formations and the local environment, which is surprisingly much different than South Caicos.
In addition to the Conch Bar (as in sand) Caves, we enjoyed lunch on one of the most beautiful beaches in the Turks and Caicos, Mudjin Harbour, while watching whales breach. Our day ended at the government farm where we learned about the Caicos pine (Pinuscaribaea) restoration project. David Stone (TC Reef Fund), David Bowen (Director, Ministry of Art and Culture), and Amdeep Sanghera (Marine Conservation Society), joined us in the evenings to discuss their projects. Day two of the field trip was spent surveying the local community about fisheries and visiting the conch farm. After a five day spring break, students are back on South.
Only one week of classes remains before the start Directed Research. Students will be tracking eagle ray populations, monitoring lemon sharks, and surveying local dock landings and perceptions of marine resource use. In the meantime, faculty research is going strong! Many of our students have been out with Dr. Aaron Henderson assisting him in catching and tagging lemon sharks. Other students are setting up a green house on site made from found material with Dr. Eduardo Guevara to grow some produce and mangroves trees as part of a small restoration project.
[post_title] => Diving into Directed Research
[post_excerpt] => After returning from our field trip, everyone is excited about finishing up class work and diving into their Directed Rresearch.
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[post_content] => The Center for Marine Resource Studies in Turks & Caicos recently welcomed over 80 South Caicos community members for “Sea Day,” which featured interactive touch tanks and various marine education stations.
[post_title] => Sea Day Snapshots
[post_excerpt] => The Center for Marine Resource Studies in Turks & Caicos welcomed over 80 community members for “Sea Day.”
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[post_content] => It’s hard to believe the semester is over. Just 95 days ago, 34 wide eye students arrived on South for an adventure which they will carry with them through their lives. I have watched amazing friendships develop in a group supportive of each other both in the classroom and the field. They have dove and snorkeled on some of the world's most beautiful coral reefs, watched turtles hatch and begin their journey, listened to fishermen's stories, learned how to “knock” conch, and have grown close to a community which depends on the results of their research data collection.
Over the past few weeks, students have studied eagle ray behavior, lemon shark habitats, turtle populations, and local ecological knowledge as part of their Directed Research projects. Three of our student groups presented their research to a community audience of over fifty, including government officials, processing plant owners and operators, local fishermen, island visitors, and children. In addition to their challenging academic work, students and staff worked together to provide a successful outreach program this semester which included swimming lessons, beach clean-ups, hands-on science featuring local marine creatures, and research trips with the local high school teachers to study sharks. Today I see a group departing who have grown to know and love the marine resources and people of South Caicos. We wish everyone the best of luck and hope you come back to visit!
[post_title] => Just 95 Days Ago...
[post_excerpt] => Today I see a group departing who have grown to know and love the marine resources and people of South Caicos.
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[post_content] => Greetings from South Caicos! The Center for Marine Resource Studies is extremely excited to welcome our new Resource Management faculty Dr. Alex Tilley and his wife, Juliana. After a long winter break, our faculty and staff welcomed thirty-six very excited students to South Caicos. In just over a week, we have toured historic Cockburn Harbour and discovered some of the biodiversity our marine system has to offer.
Classes are in full swing and field exercises take up most of our afternoons. Since we are learning about the local marine life and their interactions, I have included a photo of one of the species students learn about in the ID sessions. Saturday’s community outreach included swimming lessons, a “featured creature” – this week was the West Indian sea egg (Tripneustes ventricosus) – reading and homework help, and sports. In addition, this semester students will help with the restoration of an underwater marine trail and the preparation of material for a new trail accessible to younger community members.
Students have begun participating in faculty research projects which include shark and turtle tagging and monitoring, and water quality assessment. We also hope to work with the TCI Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs (DEMA) to assess the conch stock around South Caicos. We are looking forward to an extremely productive and engaging semester!
[post_title] => Greetings from South Caicos!
[post_excerpt] => Classes are in full swing and field exercises take up most of our afternoons.
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[post_content] => It hard to believe the students have just left. Reflecting back, this has been a memorable semester—up close encounters with migrating humpback whales, octopus and dolphin sightings, diving some of the most diverse reefs in the area, field trip to Provo, Saturday outreach, and Sunday bake-offs at the Center.
On the research front, Aaron Henderson, Marine Ecology Lecturer, and Megan Nash (Fall 2012) had a publication accepted in Marine Biodiversity Records documenting turtles hatching on South Caicos and the Center received a grant to measure and monitor erosion and accretion patterns on turtle nesting beaches around the TCI.
During the last week of the semester, students and faculty were busy working on Directed Research data analysis and preparing for their community presentations. Our Directed Research projects are designed to address resource management questions developed with local stake holders. This semester students studied eagle ray population dynamics, lionfish densities around South Caicos, worked with local community groups (citizen scientists) to document climate change on South Caicos, and assessed a local coral reef ecosystem as part of the Centers effort to identify local impact of development and climate change.
To increase community awareness about our natural resources, our students and SAM organized an Earth Day celebration. Activities at the Center included several “Featured Creatures” and discovery activities. This was followed by a parade with a band to the Conch Dock were the festivities continued. This has definitely been a great semester and we will miss everyone.
Remember the TC SPCA is coming. South Caicos animals need your help. Please donate to support this effort: https://community.fieldstudies.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=184 (in the designation box, select SOS South Caicos Veterinary Services).
[post_title] => A Memorable Semester
[post_excerpt] => Reflecting back, this has been a memorable semester—up close encounters with migrating humpback whales, octopus and dolphin sightings...
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[post_date] => 2013-10-07 06:00:15
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[post_content] => We are well into our semester with mid-term exams just around the corner. It’s been a busy month with classes and field exercises—species identifications, invasive species surveys, assessing the value of ecosystems and a visual conch assessment (data will contribute to the national stock assessment).
In addition, we are working on several projects related to climate change in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI). This semester we welcome five new interns, all alumni of the SFS TCI program. They are quickly learning methodology for beach profiling as part of a Munson Foundation grant to monitor climate change as it relates to turtle nesting sites around the islands.
The Turks and Caicos Islands are an archipelago of about forty limestone islands. Most of the land habitat is scrub land, thick with dense vegetation. The mangrove forests and seagrass ecosystems that line the South Caicos coast are among the most biologically productive coastal systems. Scattered between these ecosystems and limestone cliffs are white sand, isolated beaches, which have proved to be ideal for sea turtle nesting.
The SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies believes in the importance of studying the impacts of climate change on local ecosystems and has included this research in both our Center’s program and research components. Likely impacts of climate change to marine and coastal ecosystems include temperature change on organism metabolism and water chemistry, including carbonate cycle, precipitation change on water balance, and wind and water circulation pattern changes. Studies have shown that climate change can have real and direct impacts on populations of marine turtles, first by impacting the profile of some of the most important nesting beaches, but also by directly influencing the sex ratio of the hatchlings.
Our plan for long-term data collection is thus crucially important and beneficial to stakeholders and policy makers as they undertake marine turtle management and conservation. As part of monitoring climate change in our area and with the help of our students, we are also collecting data on reef health using benthic assessments, fish surveys, and underwater photography and videography.
On Saturdays the Center is bursting at the seams! Community members join us for swim lessons, active and quiet games, and crafts with a "Featured Creature"—this week it’s the lionfish (see photo). Older community members help staff and students collect water quality data, do beach clean-ups and remove “ghost traps” (abandoned fishing gear). This semester we will also be completing our work on two marine snorkel trails.
[post_title] => Climate Change and TCI
[post_excerpt] => Our plan for long-term data collection is crucially important and beneficial to stakeholders and policy makers.
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[post_date] => 2014-03-11 04:00:40
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[post_content] => We typically go to the sea to learn about it and it’s organisms, but this week we brought the sea to the Center for "Sea Day." This event brings Grades 1 through 4 from the local schools to the Center to learn about coastal ecosystems and a week’s featured creature – this week was the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae).
Sea Day is filled with touch tanks (containing cushion sea stars (Oreaster reticulatus), slate-pencil urchins (Eucidaris tribuloides), donkey dung sea cucumbers (Holothuria mexicana), upside-down jellies (Cassiopea frondosa) and more), edible gelatin ecosystems, and “Who Am I?” games. Children also learned about humpback whales, which continue to amaze us on almost a daily basis with breaches and flipper slaps. Did you know that a humpback can only swallow food a little larger than a softball? With nearly 100 visitors, the event was a huge success. “Mad props” and “shooting stars” to Molly Roe, our Student Affairs Manager, for organizing this event as well as to Whale and Dolphin Conservation, our whale conservation partners in Plymouth MA, for sending supplies.
This has been a busy five weeks. James Squires, Our Dive Safety Officer and Marine Operations Coordinator, completed teaching an Open Water SCUBA class and is winding up Advanced Open Water SCUBA. Interns and students are busy profiling beaches as part of a Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation grant to study climate change impacts on sea turtles in the TCI and measuring water quality. Case Study 1 is winding up and exams are just around the corner. Of course, shark and turtle tagging trips continue in the evenings. It seems like we are busy all the time! Faculty have their Directed Research projects ready and are preparing for the selection process next week. We are also gearing up for the field trip to Middle and North Caicos and ending in Providenciales... stay tuned for our next post!
[post_title] => Sea Day at Brings the Underwater World into our Center
[post_excerpt] => We typically go to the sea to learn about it and it’s organisms, but this week we brought the sea to the Center.
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[post_date] => 2014-05-09 09:00:24
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[post_content] => It’s rare that the Center Director gets the opportunity to do Directed Research. This is my third semester coordinating our benthic habitat assessment with students and I’m lovin’ every minute of it! The project is an attempt to monitor long term change in our local reefs. We use methods developed as part of the Marine Ecology, Resource Management, and Environmental Policy & Socioeconomic Values courses including fish assessment (REEF method), benthic habitat assessment (AGRRA method), and coral bleaching (Coral Watch methodologies). In addition, we use underwater photography and video. This semester we are working both in the Admiral Cockburn Marine Protected Area (where no fishing is permitted) and an area frequently used by fisherman. The other day, as we worked towards the end of our 100 meter transect, we were joined by a Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). I can’t help but think he was just as curious about what we were doing as we were with him. Sadly our dive came to an end and we parted ways.
The TCl are the home of large aggregations of foraging turtles. The SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies believes in the importance of studying the impacts of climate change on local ecosystems and has included this research in both our Center’s program and research components. Climate change can impact marine turtle populations first by impacting the profile of some of the most important nesting beaches, but also by directly influencing the sex ratio of the hatchlings. We are very pleased to receive a second year of support from The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation to identify, profile, and monitor turtle nesting beaches in the TCI. Long-term data collection is crucially important and beneficial to stakeholders and policy makes as they undertake marine turtle management and conservation.
Our last week for program activities was just as full as any other. Students prepared write ups and presentation material, and on Tuesday evening we invited the community to the Center to learn about what we have been doing. This is been a memorable semester and I know everyone will be sorry to see it come to an end.
[post_title] => Benthic Habitat Assessment Research
[post_excerpt] => This is my third semester coordinating our benthic habitat assessment with students and I’m lovin’ every minute of it!
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[post_date] => 2014-07-31 05:00:49
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[post_content] => The end of our Summer II program is quickly approaching, and students are busy working on their final research projects. Their questions will assess the performance of the East Harbour and Lobster Conch Reserve in protecting reef assemblages. Students collected data on fish and invertebrate abundance, species richness (fish and coral), reef structure and function. Study breaks are spent snorkeling off the dock, visiting with community members, and exploring the island.
Despite many of the community kids being off island for the summer, our Saturday Outreach program has been full and exciting. This week we made turtles from egg crates and learned about electricity and how it works. The SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) has seen a number of visitors this summer including Cardiff University scientists working with faculty on food safety issues in the TCI and Principal Bowen from the local high school who spoke to student about changing times on South Caicos. We even had a visit from HQ staff who joined students in the field capturing and measuring turtles and exploring our local reefs.
Our last week is shaping up to be very busy with research excursions and community activities. Thanks again to everyone who sent sneakers and cleat (and balls and jerseys) to TCI this summer – the community kids are putting everything to great use. End of Summer II also means the wrap up of our Waterfront Interns who arrived last August. But not without a last visit to several of the smaller, uninhabited islands to identify turtle nesting activities and measure beach profiles.
TCI has seen a number of resource management changes this summer: turtle landing regulations have been implemented and finfish regulations are being proposed and discussed. The current topic of conversation at the docks and at evening gatherings is the proposed closing of the conch export fisheries.
As the Center Director, I don’t get to participate in field exercises or faculty research as much as I would like. Last week I joined a student group capturing and tagging turtles. This is done at night. This little fellow is a recapture and the first to try one of our new tags that records depth and temperature. This will help us better understand what turtles do and how they use our local ecosystems.
[post_title] => Summer Program Recap
[post_excerpt] => The end of our Summer II program is quickly approaching, and students are busy working on their final research projects.
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[post_date] => 2014-09-24 17:23:06
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[post_content] => The Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) is thrilled to welcome back Kathy Lockhart (SFS Alum '93) to our TCI team as the Resource Management lecturer. Having worked for the TCI Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs (DEMA) for nearly 10 years, Kathy brings to CMRS a tremendous knowledge of local fisheries – conch, lobster and finfish. Kathy will lead CMRS staff and students, DEMA officers, and fishermen on a pilot project to determine the effectiveness of lobster casitas (artificial structures that support lobsters at various stages in their life) on the Caicos Banks. As part the Resource Management course, students will also assess the conch population inside vs. outside one of the fourteen Marine Protected Areas in the TCI. Data collected by CMRS staff and students is provided to DEMA and often used in management decisions.
We also welcome five new Waterfront Interns (Emily Stokes, Travis Gomez-Phillips, Anela Akiona, Jess Bechohofer, and Connor Burke – all CMRS alumni). This semester, the interns and I will lead students on projects that monitor long term climate change impacts on our local environment. SFS believes in the importance of studying the impacts of climate change on local ecosystems and has included this research in both the Center's program and research components. Marine turtles are dependent on many habitats, making them idea for studying the impacts of climate change on coastal ecosystems.
The waters of the TCI support regionally significant foraging aggregations of green (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricate) turtles, and, to a lesser extent, loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta). We will visit beaches used by turtles for nesting. Beach profiles are measured to monitor changes in beach area and erosion and accretion patterns over time. On our last trip, Lucy Tomb (Bowdoin College) shared with us that she had used similar methods to map the Maine rocky intertidal zone. Temperature loggers are installed near nesting sites to monitor changes in temperature annually. This project has been funded through the Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation and CMRS has partnered with DEMA, who is interested in changing profiles with respect to development.
In other news… Aaron Henderson hopes to use a new Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to identify and track lemon sharks' (Negaprion brevirostris) use of habitats around South Caicos, and Edward Hind was joined by several alumni students and staff at the 3rd International Marine Conservation Congress in Glasgow, Scotland, where he organized a symposium on marine research collaborations in small island developing states and co-presented a poster with Sophia Wasserman on tourist perceptions of dolphin captivity.
As part of our ongoing community outreach program, several groups of students participated International Coastal Clean-Up Day and helped with our new Snorkel Club, a program for older boys and girls to improve snorkeling skills and increase awareness of our marine resources.
[post_title] => Updates from South Caicos
[post_excerpt] => The Center for Marine Resource Studies is thrilled to welcome back Kathy Lockhart (SFS Alum '93) to our TCI team as the Resource Management lecturer.
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[post_date] => 2014-12-03 12:41:16
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[post_content] => Over the past several weeks, students and staff have been collecting and analyzing data from around South Caicos as part of their Directed Research (DR) projects. The SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) DR projects are designed to address resource management questions developed with local stakeholders.
This semester, projects included quantitative and qualitative observation of the bird population on South Caicos; a look at fishers’ knowledge to note spatial and socioeconomic changes in the local fisheries; the use of photovoice to determine local citizens' views of their terrestrial and marine ecosystems; a benthic assessment and installation of lobster casitas in partnership with local fishermen and DEMA; an assessment of the finfish industry; coral reef assessment for local anthropogenic and long-term climate change impacts; and the use of both Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and remote underwater video to assess our local elasmobranch population.
At our Open House, community members learned about new projects and were updated on continuing projects (and then we ate cake). Our local marine resources are under continuous pressure. Data collected by our staff and students is increasingly important as the TCI Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs (DEMA) proposes new fishing restrictions designed to promote sustainable harvesting of the resources.
The semester is quickly coming to an end, in fact everyone leaves tomorrow. Students are packing and saying their goodbyes to the community they have grown to know and love over the past three months. On a final note, Fall 2014 will be staff members Edd Hind's and Rob Dake's last group – for now. CMRS wishes them the very best of luck.
Students use a rapid reef assessment to determine the status of reef communities inside the Admiral Cockburn Land and Sea National Park (ACLSNP). Methods include fish surveys, coral bleaching assessment using CoralWatch, and a benthic assessment using photography. Already we have identified interesting trends in reef community with respect to depth and location within the ACLSNP.
[post_title] => Research on Marine Resource Management
[post_excerpt] => Over the past several weeks, students and staff have been collecting and analyzing data from around South Caicos.
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[post_date] => 2015-02-12 14:50:01
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[post_content] => Finally, everyone is here! Snow on the east coast wreaked havoc on the arrival schedule; but, after much delay and some interesting juggling, everyone is here (with their bags) and we are catching up quickly. It didn’t take long for this group to appreciate our location… The historical walking tour of Cockburn Harbour ended with whales breaching just off shore. Waterfront is in full swing, the first dive of the Open Water SCUBA class is scheduled for tomorrow. Everyone has done a night snorkel and looking forward to turtle tagging trips.
On the academic front led by Dr. Aaron Henderson, the Marine Ecology course focuses on habitats that dominate tropical coastal areas, i.e. mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs. The taxonomy exercise is underway. Students are observing and documenting marine organisms in the field, then determine their taxonomic status. Later in this course, they will also investigate positive and negative anthropogenic impacts on the ecology of marine organisms.
Many students have already tried conch in the local restaurant either fried, blanched or in a fritter. Later this semester in Kathy Lockhart’s Principles of Resource Management, students will conduct a queen conch assessment. Conch is listed as endangered under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). To export this product, TCI must demonstrate good management practices which include a visual assessment of the local stock. During the conch assessment exercise, students work in groups to employ survey methods to collect data on size and age structure of the populations in a variety of habitats.
This semester we are very excited to welcome Dr. Liam Carr (SFS Alum, TCI ‘97) as our Environmental Policy lecturer. Dr. Carr has worked on fishery and marine science issues in Washington D.C., southeast United States, U.S. Caribbean, Mexico, Belize, and the Cayman Islands. His course introduces the students to the complex policy world that is central to determining how well our marine and coastal resources are managed both today and for the future. This semester, students will look at how we can encourage sustainable human-environment relationships.
Prior to student’s arrivals, Research Fellow Dr. Charlotte de Fontaubert visited the Center to work with Waterfront Staff to identify climate change impacts on turtle nesting beaches as part of a project funded in part by the Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation. Sea-level rise, elevated sea surface and beach temperatures, change in currents, and extreme weather conditions can dramatically affect the survival and reproductive success of marine turtles in the Turks and Caicos Islands, all species of which have been designated as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
In other news… We are very pleased to welcome Josh Zeigler, Site Manager, to our team. Emily Stokes, Waterfront Intern and SFS Fall ’12 alum, submitted and had accepted an article to The Times of the Island about our ongoing benthic assessment of South Caicos coral reefs. Aubrey Ellertson (SFS TCI '10 alum) and Benjamin Church from the NOAA Fisheries Observer Program visited South Caicos and discussed their role in Northeast fisheries management.
[post_title] => Students arrive despite winter’s attempt to keep them away…
[post_excerpt] => Finally, everyone is here! Snow on the east coast wreaked havoc on the arrival schedule; but, after much delay everyone is here.
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[post_content] => Is seems like just yesterday that 34 wide-eyed students arrived on South. This semester we learned about the biology and ecology of our marine systems, how our resources are used and managed, and how policies are designed to sustain these resources. This all in preparation for the Directed Research component which started right after mid-semester break. Similar to other Centers, projects are designed to address resource management questions, and are developed with local and international stakeholders.
To address some of these questions, this semester, students: compared fish populations inside and outside the Admiral Cockburn Land and Sea National Park; participated in a TCI-wide conch visual assessment (part of a CITES requirement for export of conch); collected quantitative and qualitative observations on the bird population on South Caicos; used "photovoice" to determine local citizens' views of their terrestrial and marine ecosystems; assessed the effectiveness of lobster casitas (artificial lobster habitats) put out last semester in recruiting juvenile lobster; continued our long-term data collection at the docks on finfish landings (increasing importance with the introduction of new fishing regulations); and used both unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and baited remote underwater video (BRUV) to assess our local elasmobranch populations.
The SFS Center for Marine Resoruce Studies recognizes the importance of studying climate change impacts on local ecosystems by including related projects in program and research components. Impacts to marine and coastal ecosystems include those linked to temperature change on organism metabolism, water chemistry including carbonate cycle, precipitation change on water balance, and wind and water circulation pattern changes. Long-term data collection is a crucial element of observing and understanding such impacts, beneficial to stakeholders and essential to policy makers.
Over the past several semesters, I have lead teams of students to collect baseline data on the health of the local reef system. Sites were permanently marked at three depths in the Admiral Cockburn Land and Sea National Park (5 minutes from our dock), one of several marine protected area near South Caicos, so they could be revisited. The teams use several methods to assess the overall condition of the system including measures of species composition (number of different organisms observed) using the Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment protocol (AGRRA – www.agrra.org), documenting and recording fish species abundance (including the invasive lionfish), and photographing and videoing the benthic community for composition analysis using specialized software.
This semester I had the opportunity to work with students to assess the fish population inside this Marine Protected Area and compare this to a nearby reef used for fishing. We used the three methods they learned about in their Marine Ecology class – belt transects, point census, and BRUVs. Our data are proving interesting. Belt transects appear to be the most effective method for our area and reef structure while BRUV are the least effective, although attract a more interesting population (several elasmobranch species were observed). These areas may be protecting some of our species, but falling short on others. We are in the write-up phase - groups of students sit and converse about what they have seen and learned and the significance of their data. Directed Research ends with our Open House, where community members learn about new projects and were updated on continuing projects (and then we eat cake).
[post_title] => Health of Local Marine Systems
[post_excerpt] => Over the past several semesters, I have lead teams of students to collect baseline data on the health of the local reef system.
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[post_content] => The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) advertises itself to tourists as "Beautiful by Nature." Indeed, the tourism that the country’s economy is heavily dependent on is driven by its extensive coral reefs and near pristine white sand beaches. The health of these ecosystems is in turn supported by the ecosystem goods and services provided by the widespread seagrass beds and mangrove forests. However, the "Beautiful by Nature" status, and therefore the whole economy of the TCI is under threat because of a multitude of attacks on these crucial marine ecosystems. Local threats of unsustainable fishing and coastal development are stretching marine ecosystems to their breaking point, and global impacts from climate change may very well push them over the edge to a state from which they can never recover. This situation clearly needs to be avoided. To ensure this, better environmental monitoring is needed and a more developed management plans for fisheries and coastal development.
This summer the SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) offered two new sequential monthlong courses. Tropical Marine Ecosystem: Monitoring and Management (Summer I) was an interdisciplinary course which highlighted key aspects of environmental assessment and management of tropical marine ecosystems. In addition, students explored sustainable development strategies for the TCI at both local and global scales. Students gained knowledge of sub-tropical marine ecosystem function and an understanding of challenges at the intersection of marine conservation and economic development. We were fortunate to be joined by SFS Panama Center Director Cinda Scott and Stony Brook University M.S. candidate and SFS alumna Katie Flowers.
Laura Daigle surveys coral for bleaching using the Coral Watch program protocols.Horse-eye Jack (Caranx latus) swim through the transect and are counted by students survey the reefs.
The aim of the Applied Marine Research Techniques (Summer II) course is to provide students with the opportunity to apply the scientific process in a field research project that addresses a local issue related to the management of tropical marine environments in the TCI, and specifically on the island of South Caicos. This course prepares students to develop scientific approaches to identify key problems -- such as overfishing and increased coastal development -- affecting the health of coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangrove forests that surround the island. Through this course, students have been progressively learning to implement the scientific research process while contributing to a growing body of research that informs local marine conservation and resource management decisions. CMRS was joined by SFS Panama’s Coastal Ecology Lecturer Aileen Maldonado who joined students in the field and worked with TCI faculty and staff.
The introduction of these two new courses has been both exciting and enjoyable. Everyone is looking forward to community presentations Saturday!
Students Laura Daigle and Alex Goranov survey the reef using SCUBA. Student conduct belt transect surveys of the fish population and use point surveys to determine benthic composition.
[post_title] => Tropical Marine Ecosystems
[post_excerpt] => This summer the SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) offered two new sequential monthlong courses.
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[post_date] => 2015-12-15 08:52:54
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[post_content] => As the semester draws to a close, it is inspiring to look back at where we started and where we are today. Just 3 months ago, 36 wide-eye students arrived on South for an adventure which they will carry with them through their lives. They have experienced and learned about reefs, caught and tagged turtles, listened to fishermen's stories, and grown close to a community which depends on their data collection.
Over the past few weeks as part of their Directed Research (DR) course, students have studied impacts of climate change, species interactions and habitat conditions, local fishers, and ecological knowledge. Results were presented to a community audience of government officials, processing plant owners and operators, local fishermen, island visitors and children – all of whom played an intricate part in the research process.
This semester I was again fortunate to advise five students on their DR. Individual projects included identifying correlations between coral recruitment and benthic composition (John BeBuysser, Whitman College) and species richness (Grace Dodillet, Northwestern University); a survey of the Diadema antillarum (long-spined sea urchin) population (Evanne Sager, Gonzaga University); assessment of local coral bleaching (Emma Scalisi, Wellesley College); and identifying relationships between live coral and herbivorous fish (Elisa Walters, University of Redlands). Results are part of a long-term program to assess local changes in our reef systems with respect to anthropogenic factors.
In addition to their hard academic work, students and staff worked together to provide a successful outreach program this semester which included swimming lessons, snorkel club, beach clean ups, hands-on science, and research trips to collect water quality data. I have watched amazing friendships develop in a group supportive of each other both in the classroom and the field. Today I see a group departing who have grown to know and love the marine resources and people of South Caicos.
We wish everyone the best of luck and hope you come back to visit!
[post_title] => Fall Semester Recap
[post_excerpt] => It is inspiring to look back at where we started and where we are today.
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[post_content] => The last of our finals are just around the corner and Directed Research projects are underway. Literature reviews are done and data collection has already started on this semester's nine projects. I again am fortunate to be working with five students on a project that assesses and monitors our local reef for natural and anthropogenic impact. This is critical now more than ever with the continuing development on South Caicos. As part of this project, we are using Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) methods. Data collected includes abundance and biomass of key reef fish taxa, relative cover of reef-building organisms and their dominant competitors, assessment of coral health (including extent of coral bleaching), coral recruitment, abundance of key macro-invertebrate species, and water quality (including temperature). This collaborative effort is aimed at increasing our understanding of the processes that shape coral reefs and providing actionable advice to policy makers, stakeholders, and communities at a variety of scales. Specific questions we will address this semester include the role of herbivorous fish in maintaining a healthy reef, recovery from the recent bleaching event, and identifying coral recruit potential.
Kalla Fleger (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University) surveys fish.Amanda Paskavitz (Skidmore University) is collecting data on coral bleaching
We at the SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) believe in the importance of studying the impacts of climate change on local ecosystems, and we have included this research in both our Center’s program and research components. Likely impacts of climate change to marine and coastal ecosystems include temperature change on organism metabolism and water chemistry, including carbonate cycle, precipitation change on water balance, and wind and water circulation pattern changes. Our plan for long-term data collection is thus crucially important and beneficial to stakeholders and policy makers as they undertake marine turtle management and conservation.
Katie Rose Jacobus (University of San Diego) photographs the reef for CPCe analysis.Matt Speegle (University of Redlands) is identifying and counting coral recruits.
On Saturdays the Center is bursting at the seams! Community members join us for swim lessons, snorkel club, quiet and active games, and crafts with a Featured Creature. With the help of the Snorkel Club, we are maintaining two marine snorkel trails. As if that were not enough, the South Caicos Marine Science Club was formed this semester under the watchful eye of our Interns. Data collected by club members will be presented to the community along with our students' Directed Research at the end of the semester.
As the semester winds down we are looking forward to our visit with the Turks and Caicos Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TCISPCA). With the help of our CMRS Staff, TCSPCA will run a spay and neuter clinic May 11 - 17. Also coming to South Caicos this May is the annual board meeting for the Association of the Marine Labs of the Caribbean.
South Caicos Marine Science Club and SFS students working together to collect data on the local reef systems. Photo by Waterfront Intern Chris CasaclangErin Lyons (University of Virginia) working with Science Club member before they head out into the field. Photo by Waterfront Intern Chris CasaclangMatt Speegle (University of Redlands) working with snorkel club as they prepare for their field exerciseNicole Graziano (University of St. Thomas/Minnesota) in the field with snorkel club measuring conch→ Marine Resource Studies in the Turks & Caicos Islands
[post_title] => Climate Change and the Turks and Caicos
[post_excerpt] => The impacts of climate change on the local ecosystems is part of both our Center’s program and research components.
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[post_content] => At the start of September 2016, a new group of students joined the Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) in South Caicos. The students have come from a variety of universities and have been excited to conduct field research. The twenty-four students began their journey with the introduction of the center and the open marine environment with field work including identification of a variety of marine organisms. The days were broken up from classroom lectures to field based observations. After a solid base of the classroom briefings and instructions, the students were ready to initiate their field work by learning and participating in a Conch Visual Survey. This activity is the first in a series of hands-on activities for better conducting research in the marine environment. These activities will assist the students with both the mid-term examinations and Directed Research ideas.
The faculty, waterfront and administrative personnel at CMRS have been actively working with each of the students to provide them the opportunity to understand how to be best prepared for scientific research. Within a week, the students will have heard about each of the Directed Research Projects that they will be able to work on for the rest of the fall 2016 semester. Projects vary from biological, anthropogenic and management. Each project has a variety of focus, but each student will obtain the opportunity to research past research (literature review), conduct hands-on field techniques, analyze of data and produce a compulsory report at the end of the project.
However, at this point the students have been exposed to the concept of field research by participating in a Conch Visual Field Exercise. Each student partook in a two-day fieldwork activity to determine the number of conch found inside the East Harbor Lobster and Conch Reserve (EHLCR) and estimate the number of conch that could be found on the Caicos Bank. Twenty-four students with mask, fins, snorkel and dive slate conducted underwater visual surveys (UVS) that were 50 meters in length and 3 meters in width. With a total of 30 sites (15 inside the EHLCR and 15 outside), three separate belt transects were laid. On each of the transects habitat type and number of dead conch were and collected. Additionally, all live conch within the belt were collected and individually measured for both lip thickness (mm) and siphonal length (mm). Initially, students were concerned with the discovered of a minimal number of live conch, but by the second day they were surprised to find that diving conch was not as easy as they had once thought. Live conch varied from one site to the next with having zero at some sites and up to 355 conch found at another site. A total of 830 live Queen Conch were found during the UVS. Students are now in the midst of analysis of the data.
Students laying the 50 meter transect for the Conch Visual Survey. All photos courtesy of Kathy LockhartLaying the transectStudent checking the transect for live Queen ConchChecking the transect
An additional day has been established for the students to complete analysis of the data collection. The students are now able to see where all the hard work in the field has now got to be explained and summarized for the public. Various analyses are to be conducted including comparisons of siphonal length and lip thickness both inside and outside the MPA; comparison of habitat to live conch abundance and estimated overall abundance for both inside the EHLCR and on the Caicos Bank.
When completed the students were be submitting four group reports on the status and trends of the Queen Conch both inside the EHLCR and on the Caicos Bank. These reports are the next step in the ladder for growth in the academic field. It will better assist them with the future Directed Research Projects. Prior to student break, the student will be taking the initiative to start working on their literary review for their directed research projects, enthusiasm is building higher.
Often students are discussing the days events and how filled the schedule appears, but never once have there been any complaints but rather increased enthusiasm. This again is a major step that our future scientist and researchers must learn when completing their educational career and entering the academic world.
Fortunately, the students at CMRS have the opportunity to provide this information directly to our stakeholders, including the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) of the Turks and Caicos Islands Government. In 2001 an underwater visual survey was conducted across the Caicos Bank, with a follow up UVS in 2014/2015. The CMRS assisted the government with the 2014/2015 UVS by completing 44 surveys of the 116 conducted. These surveys can provide an anchor point for the annual surplus production model. However, since there have been questions regarding the reliability of the model and the yet to be implemented 2014/2015 UVS anchor point, the government has set the annual total allowable catch (TAC) at 500,000 lbs. for export and 320,000 lbs. for local consumption. Since the inception of the Scientific Committee, CMRS has played an active role with provide information for the group. In September of 2016, the government has asked the scientific committee to review the Queen Conch fishery and provide a recommendation for an export quota, domestic quota, operculum export quota and decide the “conversion factor” for uncleaned meat weight.
Student measuring Queen Conch for lip thickness (mm)Student measuring Queen Conch for siphonal length (mm)Queen Conch being returned to the marine environment→ Marine Resource Studies in the Turks and Caicos Islands
[post_title] => One, Two, Three...Counting Conch!
[post_excerpt] => After a solid base of the classroom briefings and instructions, the students were ready to initiate their field work by learning and participating in a Conch Visual Survey.
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[post_date] => 2016-11-11 12:54:52
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[post_content] => The red lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) is a popular aquarium fish in the US. They can be beautiful to see but they are a menace to our waters!
In the early 1990, several were accidentally released in Florida waters. Their introduction is documented as the fastest invasion of a marine fish, and they are now recognized as one of the world’s top conservation issues. Lionfish are unique and effective predators, able to consume prey up to half their size. Juvenile lobster and groupers (economically important in the TCI) are often found in their stomachs. To top it off, they are preyed upon by few organisms.
As part of our Resource Management course, we learn about invasive species and survey them in a field exercise. This year, TCI Department of the Environment and Coastal Resources, TCReef Fund, and SFS organized a country wide Lionfish Derby. Last weekend, South Caicos teams competed against Grand Turk to land the most, largest and smallest lionfish.
Although SFS didn’t compete in the derby, CMRS students were involved in the landing. South fishers landed nearly 40 fish ranging in size from 110 to 340 mm. All fish landed on South Caicos were cleaned, cooked, and served at the Heritage Day Festival.
In other areas of research…Directed Research projects have started. This year’s projects include local landings of fin fish and lobster, shark tagging, and benthic surveys for tourism impacts. Students are spending long days in the field and then recuperating and relaxing in the cool evening weather.
→ Marine Resource Studies in the Turks and Caicos Islands
[post_title] => Lionfish Derby on South Caicos
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[post_content] => Thirty-four students arrived last Monday in TCI!
TCI Ferry bringing 33 very excited students. One arrived a day late due to flight cancellations
Typically students are greeted by a warm Caribbean sun and blue skies, but not this group. It rained the first three days of program.
Town tour in torrential rain
And by rain, I mean RAIN! For alumni reading this, maybe you had three days of rain your whole semester…The sun is finally shining and everyone is excited to be in the water – field exercises, Open Water SCUBA course and recreational dives.
Already certified SCUBA divers doing orientation dive in swim zone
Everyone is excited to explore the underwater world, no matter what time day or night.
In Marine Ecology, students are learning about mangrove organisms and their interactions. Today they are wading and snorkeling in the local mangrove systems to see these interactions. They are also learning about the conch and lobster fisheries and taking trips to the docks to meet fishermen.
Students in the Resource Management course
Yesterday we were visited by community members to talk about the history of South Caicos as part of the Environmental Policy and Socioeconomic Value course. Community kids were waiting for over an hour on the first Saturday for swim lessons, crafts, and games.
We were joined by nearly 50 children ages 5 to 16. We also participated in National Wetland Clean Up Day – collecting over 6 huge bags of trash from the mangroves.
This semester we are looking forward to recording whale songs as part of a grant from The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation. Already we see the humpback whales breaching and hear them when we are diving. Humpback whales migrate between the Northeast US and TCI/Dominican Republic between January and March. Songs are used to identify pods. We are also continuing our reef assessment this semester. This is important as we are still seeing coral bleaching around the Caribbean, particularly the deeper reefs which are not as adapted to warmer temperatures.
News from the Center… This semester we welcome Lawre Doughton, Student Affairs Manager, Jourdan Bonnett, Dive Safety Officer, and Taylor Determan, Waterfront Intern. We bid farewell to Alex Kahn-Johnston, Student Affairs Manager, who contributed significantly to CMRS and the South Caicos community over the past year and a half. The roof in the commons area is being replaced, everyone will miss being rained on at meals. Several researches are expected to pass though South Caicos and we look forward to working with them on climate change impact to our reef systems. Finally, we are planning for the arrival of the TCSPCA in May – please support our four legged community members through the SFS website, and remember to designate “South Caicos Veterinary Services”
→ Marine Resource Studies in TCI
[post_title] => Three Days of Rain? Am I on South Caicos?
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[post_content] => We're in the thick of it with Directed Research. Everything has led up to this point – learning about local marine species and how they interact; understanding the value of marine protected areas and how resources are used; and identifying how tourism affects South Caicos. As the semester draws to a close, it is inspiring to look back at where we started and where we are today. Just 3 months ago, wide-eyed students arrived on South for an adventure which they will carry with them through their lives. They have experienced and learned about reefs, caught and tagged turtles and sharks, listened to fisherman's stories, and grown close to a community which depends on their data collection. Many have learned to SCUBA dive and are using their new skills to collect valuable data.
This semester I was again fortunate to advise three students on their Directed Research. Individual projects included identifying long-spined sea urchin (Diadema antillarum) population densities (Teddy Galgano, St. Michael’s College); assessing local coral bleaching (Ben Charo, Swathmore College; Photo 1); and identifying differences in fish diversity (Liz Miller, Bard College; Photo 2). Results are part of a long term program to assess local changes in our reef systems with respect to anthropogenic factors. The days are long but the rewards are great.
Photo 1Photo 2
This semester we were fortunate to welcome two visiting researchers. Stephan Burns from Ghent University is assessing shark species diversity and relative abundance in marine protected areas using baited remote video stations (BRUVS). This research is part of Dr. Henderson's collaboration with the Global Finprint Project (www.globalfinprint.org). Hannah Reich (SFS CMRS alumna Fall 2013) returned to South Caicos to quantify and describe Symbiodinium communities associated with reef-building corals around South Caicos with a focus on host-specificity, depth zonation, and seasonal fluctuation of Symbiodinium communities (Photo 3 - sub samples taken to Penn State for analysis). As part of her visit, she presented some of her recent research at Penn State University that focuses on climate change and coral symbionts (Photo 4).
Photo 3Photo 4
Through the generous support of The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation, Dr. Henderson has begun using acoustic tags to track turtles and sharks around South Caicos (Photos 5 and 6). Also as part of this funding, interns this semester visited turtle nesting beaches to monitor temperature and profile, both affected by long term changes in climate AND recorded migrating humpback whale songs.
Photo 5Photo 6
In addition to their hard academic work, students and staff worked together to provide a successful outreach program this semester which included swimming lessons, hands-on science, a new mural at the Iris Stubbs Elementary School, and research trips to collect water quality data. We also welcomed a visit from alumnus Jeffery Back, Kicks 4 Caribya, and his team from Cornell University who again donated boxes of sporting goods to the community and ran a soccer clinic for local kids (Photo 7).
Photo 7
I have watched amazing friendships develop in a group supportive of each other both in the classroom and the field. Soon I will see a group of people departing who have grown to know and love the marine resources and people of South Caicos. We wish everyone the best of luck and hope you come back to visit!
→ Marine Resource Studies in the Turks and Caicos Islands
[post_title] => Wrapping Up the Semester in TCI
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Heidi Hertler, Ph.D.
Center Director
Three Days of Rain? Am I on South Caicos?
Posted: February 13, 2017
Thirty-four students arrived last Monday in TCI!
TCI Ferry bringing 33 very excited students. One arrived a day late due to flight cancellations
Typically students are greeted by a warm Caribbean sun and blue skies, but not this group. It rained the first three days of program.
Town tour in torrential rain
And by rain, I mean RAIN! For alumni reading this, maybe you had three days of rain your whole semester…The sun is finally shining and everyone is excited to be in the water – field exercises, Open Water SCUBA course and recreational dives.
Already certified SCUBA divers doing orientation dive in swim zone
Everyone is excited to explore the underwater world, no matter what time day or night.
In Marine Ecology, students are learning about mangrove organisms and their interactions. Today they are wading and snorkeling in the local mangrove systems to see these interactions. They are also learning about the conch and lobster fisheries and taking trips to the docks to meet fishermen.
Students in the Resource Management course
Yesterday we were visited by community members to talk about the history of South Caicos as part of the Environmental Policy and Socioeconomic Value course. Community kids were waiting for over an hour on the first Saturday for swim lessons, crafts, and games.
We were joined by nearly 50 children ages 5 to 16. We also participated in National Wetland Clean Up Day – collecting over 6 huge bags of trash from the mangroves.
This semester we are looking forward to recording whale songs as part of a grant from The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation. Already we see the humpback whales breaching and hear them when we are diving. Humpback whales migrate between the Northeast US and TCI/Dominican Republic between January and March. Songs are used to identify pods. We are also continuing our reef assessment this semester. This is important as we are still seeing coral bleaching around the Caribbean, particularly the deeper reefs which are not as adapted to warmer temperatures.
News from the Center… This semester we welcome Lawre Doughton, Student Affairs Manager, Jourdan Bonnett, Dive Safety Officer, and Taylor Determan, Waterfront Intern. We bid farewell to Alex Kahn-Johnston, Student Affairs Manager, who contributed significantly to CMRS and the South Caicos community over the past year and a half. The roof in the commons area is being replaced, everyone will miss being rained on at meals. Several researches are expected to pass though South Caicos and we look forward to working with them on climate change impact to our reef systems. Finally, we are planning for the arrival of the TCSPCA in May – please support our four legged community members through the SFS website, and remember to designate “South Caicos Veterinary Services”
Only one week of classes remains before the start Directed Research. Students will be tracking eagle ray populations, monitoring lemon sharks, and surveying local dock landings and perceptions of marine resource use. In the meantime, faculty research is going strong! Many of our students have been out with Dr. Aaron Henderson assisting him in catching and tagging lemon sharks. Other students are setting up a green house on site made from found material with Dr. Eduardo Guevara to grow some produce and mangroves trees as part of a small restoration project.
[post_title] => Diving into Directed Research
[post_excerpt] => After returning from our field trip, everyone is excited about finishing up class work and diving into their Directed Rresearch.
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[post_date] => 2012-04-30 13:57:37
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[post_content] => The Center for Marine Resource Studies in Turks & Caicos recently welcomed over 80 South Caicos community members for “Sea Day,” which featured interactive touch tanks and various marine education stations.
[post_title] => Sea Day Snapshots
[post_excerpt] => The Center for Marine Resource Studies in Turks & Caicos welcomed over 80 community members for “Sea Day.”
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[post_date] => 2012-12-13 14:17:07
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[post_content] => It’s hard to believe the semester is over. Just 95 days ago, 34 wide eye students arrived on South for an adventure which they will carry with them through their lives. I have watched amazing friendships develop in a group supportive of each other both in the classroom and the field. They have dove and snorkeled on some of the world's most beautiful coral reefs, watched turtles hatch and begin their journey, listened to fishermen's stories, learned how to “knock” conch, and have grown close to a community which depends on the results of their research data collection.
Over the past few weeks, students have studied eagle ray behavior, lemon shark habitats, turtle populations, and local ecological knowledge as part of their Directed Research projects. Three of our student groups presented their research to a community audience of over fifty, including government officials, processing plant owners and operators, local fishermen, island visitors, and children. In addition to their challenging academic work, students and staff worked together to provide a successful outreach program this semester which included swimming lessons, beach clean-ups, hands-on science featuring local marine creatures, and research trips with the local high school teachers to study sharks. Today I see a group departing who have grown to know and love the marine resources and people of South Caicos. We wish everyone the best of luck and hope you come back to visit!
[post_title] => Just 95 Days Ago...
[post_excerpt] => Today I see a group departing who have grown to know and love the marine resources and people of South Caicos.
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[post_date] => 2013-02-15 13:44:20
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[post_content] => Greetings from South Caicos! The Center for Marine Resource Studies is extremely excited to welcome our new Resource Management faculty Dr. Alex Tilley and his wife, Juliana. After a long winter break, our faculty and staff welcomed thirty-six very excited students to South Caicos. In just over a week, we have toured historic Cockburn Harbour and discovered some of the biodiversity our marine system has to offer.
Classes are in full swing and field exercises take up most of our afternoons. Since we are learning about the local marine life and their interactions, I have included a photo of one of the species students learn about in the ID sessions. Saturday’s community outreach included swimming lessons, a “featured creature” – this week was the West Indian sea egg (Tripneustes ventricosus) – reading and homework help, and sports. In addition, this semester students will help with the restoration of an underwater marine trail and the preparation of material for a new trail accessible to younger community members.
Students have begun participating in faculty research projects which include shark and turtle tagging and monitoring, and water quality assessment. We also hope to work with the TCI Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs (DEMA) to assess the conch stock around South Caicos. We are looking forward to an extremely productive and engaging semester!
[post_title] => Greetings from South Caicos!
[post_excerpt] => Classes are in full swing and field exercises take up most of our afternoons.
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[post_date] => 2013-05-10 06:54:07
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[post_content] => It hard to believe the students have just left. Reflecting back, this has been a memorable semester—up close encounters with migrating humpback whales, octopus and dolphin sightings, diving some of the most diverse reefs in the area, field trip to Provo, Saturday outreach, and Sunday bake-offs at the Center.
On the research front, Aaron Henderson, Marine Ecology Lecturer, and Megan Nash (Fall 2012) had a publication accepted in Marine Biodiversity Records documenting turtles hatching on South Caicos and the Center received a grant to measure and monitor erosion and accretion patterns on turtle nesting beaches around the TCI.
During the last week of the semester, students and faculty were busy working on Directed Research data analysis and preparing for their community presentations. Our Directed Research projects are designed to address resource management questions developed with local stake holders. This semester students studied eagle ray population dynamics, lionfish densities around South Caicos, worked with local community groups (citizen scientists) to document climate change on South Caicos, and assessed a local coral reef ecosystem as part of the Centers effort to identify local impact of development and climate change.
To increase community awareness about our natural resources, our students and SAM organized an Earth Day celebration. Activities at the Center included several “Featured Creatures” and discovery activities. This was followed by a parade with a band to the Conch Dock were the festivities continued. This has definitely been a great semester and we will miss everyone.
Remember the TC SPCA is coming. South Caicos animals need your help. Please donate to support this effort: https://community.fieldstudies.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=184 (in the designation box, select SOS South Caicos Veterinary Services).
[post_title] => A Memorable Semester
[post_excerpt] => Reflecting back, this has been a memorable semester—up close encounters with migrating humpback whales, octopus and dolphin sightings...
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[post_date] => 2013-10-07 06:00:15
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[post_content] => We are well into our semester with mid-term exams just around the corner. It’s been a busy month with classes and field exercises—species identifications, invasive species surveys, assessing the value of ecosystems and a visual conch assessment (data will contribute to the national stock assessment).
In addition, we are working on several projects related to climate change in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI). This semester we welcome five new interns, all alumni of the SFS TCI program. They are quickly learning methodology for beach profiling as part of a Munson Foundation grant to monitor climate change as it relates to turtle nesting sites around the islands.
The Turks and Caicos Islands are an archipelago of about forty limestone islands. Most of the land habitat is scrub land, thick with dense vegetation. The mangrove forests and seagrass ecosystems that line the South Caicos coast are among the most biologically productive coastal systems. Scattered between these ecosystems and limestone cliffs are white sand, isolated beaches, which have proved to be ideal for sea turtle nesting.
The SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies believes in the importance of studying the impacts of climate change on local ecosystems and has included this research in both our Center’s program and research components. Likely impacts of climate change to marine and coastal ecosystems include temperature change on organism metabolism and water chemistry, including carbonate cycle, precipitation change on water balance, and wind and water circulation pattern changes. Studies have shown that climate change can have real and direct impacts on populations of marine turtles, first by impacting the profile of some of the most important nesting beaches, but also by directly influencing the sex ratio of the hatchlings.
Our plan for long-term data collection is thus crucially important and beneficial to stakeholders and policy makers as they undertake marine turtle management and conservation. As part of monitoring climate change in our area and with the help of our students, we are also collecting data on reef health using benthic assessments, fish surveys, and underwater photography and videography.
On Saturdays the Center is bursting at the seams! Community members join us for swim lessons, active and quiet games, and crafts with a "Featured Creature"—this week it’s the lionfish (see photo). Older community members help staff and students collect water quality data, do beach clean-ups and remove “ghost traps” (abandoned fishing gear). This semester we will also be completing our work on two marine snorkel trails.
[post_title] => Climate Change and TCI
[post_excerpt] => Our plan for long-term data collection is crucially important and beneficial to stakeholders and policy makers.
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[post_date] => 2014-03-11 04:00:40
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[post_content] => We typically go to the sea to learn about it and it’s organisms, but this week we brought the sea to the Center for "Sea Day." This event brings Grades 1 through 4 from the local schools to the Center to learn about coastal ecosystems and a week’s featured creature – this week was the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae).
Sea Day is filled with touch tanks (containing cushion sea stars (Oreaster reticulatus), slate-pencil urchins (Eucidaris tribuloides), donkey dung sea cucumbers (Holothuria mexicana), upside-down jellies (Cassiopea frondosa) and more), edible gelatin ecosystems, and “Who Am I?” games. Children also learned about humpback whales, which continue to amaze us on almost a daily basis with breaches and flipper slaps. Did you know that a humpback can only swallow food a little larger than a softball? With nearly 100 visitors, the event was a huge success. “Mad props” and “shooting stars” to Molly Roe, our Student Affairs Manager, for organizing this event as well as to Whale and Dolphin Conservation, our whale conservation partners in Plymouth MA, for sending supplies.
This has been a busy five weeks. James Squires, Our Dive Safety Officer and Marine Operations Coordinator, completed teaching an Open Water SCUBA class and is winding up Advanced Open Water SCUBA. Interns and students are busy profiling beaches as part of a Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation grant to study climate change impacts on sea turtles in the TCI and measuring water quality. Case Study 1 is winding up and exams are just around the corner. Of course, shark and turtle tagging trips continue in the evenings. It seems like we are busy all the time! Faculty have their Directed Research projects ready and are preparing for the selection process next week. We are also gearing up for the field trip to Middle and North Caicos and ending in Providenciales... stay tuned for our next post!
[post_title] => Sea Day at Brings the Underwater World into our Center
[post_excerpt] => We typically go to the sea to learn about it and it’s organisms, but this week we brought the sea to the Center.
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[post_date] => 2014-05-09 09:00:24
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[post_content] => It’s rare that the Center Director gets the opportunity to do Directed Research. This is my third semester coordinating our benthic habitat assessment with students and I’m lovin’ every minute of it! The project is an attempt to monitor long term change in our local reefs. We use methods developed as part of the Marine Ecology, Resource Management, and Environmental Policy & Socioeconomic Values courses including fish assessment (REEF method), benthic habitat assessment (AGRRA method), and coral bleaching (Coral Watch methodologies). In addition, we use underwater photography and video. This semester we are working both in the Admiral Cockburn Marine Protected Area (where no fishing is permitted) and an area frequently used by fisherman. The other day, as we worked towards the end of our 100 meter transect, we were joined by a Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). I can’t help but think he was just as curious about what we were doing as we were with him. Sadly our dive came to an end and we parted ways.
The TCl are the home of large aggregations of foraging turtles. The SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies believes in the importance of studying the impacts of climate change on local ecosystems and has included this research in both our Center’s program and research components. Climate change can impact marine turtle populations first by impacting the profile of some of the most important nesting beaches, but also by directly influencing the sex ratio of the hatchlings. We are very pleased to receive a second year of support from The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation to identify, profile, and monitor turtle nesting beaches in the TCI. Long-term data collection is crucially important and beneficial to stakeholders and policy makes as they undertake marine turtle management and conservation.
Our last week for program activities was just as full as any other. Students prepared write ups and presentation material, and on Tuesday evening we invited the community to the Center to learn about what we have been doing. This is been a memorable semester and I know everyone will be sorry to see it come to an end.
[post_title] => Benthic Habitat Assessment Research
[post_excerpt] => This is my third semester coordinating our benthic habitat assessment with students and I’m lovin’ every minute of it!
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[post_date] => 2014-07-31 05:00:49
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[post_content] => The end of our Summer II program is quickly approaching, and students are busy working on their final research projects. Their questions will assess the performance of the East Harbour and Lobster Conch Reserve in protecting reef assemblages. Students collected data on fish and invertebrate abundance, species richness (fish and coral), reef structure and function. Study breaks are spent snorkeling off the dock, visiting with community members, and exploring the island.
Despite many of the community kids being off island for the summer, our Saturday Outreach program has been full and exciting. This week we made turtles from egg crates and learned about electricity and how it works. The SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) has seen a number of visitors this summer including Cardiff University scientists working with faculty on food safety issues in the TCI and Principal Bowen from the local high school who spoke to student about changing times on South Caicos. We even had a visit from HQ staff who joined students in the field capturing and measuring turtles and exploring our local reefs.
Our last week is shaping up to be very busy with research excursions and community activities. Thanks again to everyone who sent sneakers and cleat (and balls and jerseys) to TCI this summer – the community kids are putting everything to great use. End of Summer II also means the wrap up of our Waterfront Interns who arrived last August. But not without a last visit to several of the smaller, uninhabited islands to identify turtle nesting activities and measure beach profiles.
TCI has seen a number of resource management changes this summer: turtle landing regulations have been implemented and finfish regulations are being proposed and discussed. The current topic of conversation at the docks and at evening gatherings is the proposed closing of the conch export fisheries.
As the Center Director, I don’t get to participate in field exercises or faculty research as much as I would like. Last week I joined a student group capturing and tagging turtles. This is done at night. This little fellow is a recapture and the first to try one of our new tags that records depth and temperature. This will help us better understand what turtles do and how they use our local ecosystems.
[post_title] => Summer Program Recap
[post_excerpt] => The end of our Summer II program is quickly approaching, and students are busy working on their final research projects.
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[post_date] => 2014-09-24 17:23:06
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[post_content] => The Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) is thrilled to welcome back Kathy Lockhart (SFS Alum '93) to our TCI team as the Resource Management lecturer. Having worked for the TCI Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs (DEMA) for nearly 10 years, Kathy brings to CMRS a tremendous knowledge of local fisheries – conch, lobster and finfish. Kathy will lead CMRS staff and students, DEMA officers, and fishermen on a pilot project to determine the effectiveness of lobster casitas (artificial structures that support lobsters at various stages in their life) on the Caicos Banks. As part the Resource Management course, students will also assess the conch population inside vs. outside one of the fourteen Marine Protected Areas in the TCI. Data collected by CMRS staff and students is provided to DEMA and often used in management decisions.
We also welcome five new Waterfront Interns (Emily Stokes, Travis Gomez-Phillips, Anela Akiona, Jess Bechohofer, and Connor Burke – all CMRS alumni). This semester, the interns and I will lead students on projects that monitor long term climate change impacts on our local environment. SFS believes in the importance of studying the impacts of climate change on local ecosystems and has included this research in both the Center's program and research components. Marine turtles are dependent on many habitats, making them idea for studying the impacts of climate change on coastal ecosystems.
The waters of the TCI support regionally significant foraging aggregations of green (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricate) turtles, and, to a lesser extent, loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta). We will visit beaches used by turtles for nesting. Beach profiles are measured to monitor changes in beach area and erosion and accretion patterns over time. On our last trip, Lucy Tomb (Bowdoin College) shared with us that she had used similar methods to map the Maine rocky intertidal zone. Temperature loggers are installed near nesting sites to monitor changes in temperature annually. This project has been funded through the Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation and CMRS has partnered with DEMA, who is interested in changing profiles with respect to development.
In other news… Aaron Henderson hopes to use a new Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to identify and track lemon sharks' (Negaprion brevirostris) use of habitats around South Caicos, and Edward Hind was joined by several alumni students and staff at the 3rd International Marine Conservation Congress in Glasgow, Scotland, where he organized a symposium on marine research collaborations in small island developing states and co-presented a poster with Sophia Wasserman on tourist perceptions of dolphin captivity.
As part of our ongoing community outreach program, several groups of students participated International Coastal Clean-Up Day and helped with our new Snorkel Club, a program for older boys and girls to improve snorkeling skills and increase awareness of our marine resources.
[post_title] => Updates from South Caicos
[post_excerpt] => The Center for Marine Resource Studies is thrilled to welcome back Kathy Lockhart (SFS Alum '93) to our TCI team as the Resource Management lecturer.
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[post_content] => Over the past several weeks, students and staff have been collecting and analyzing data from around South Caicos as part of their Directed Research (DR) projects. The SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) DR projects are designed to address resource management questions developed with local stakeholders.
This semester, projects included quantitative and qualitative observation of the bird population on South Caicos; a look at fishers’ knowledge to note spatial and socioeconomic changes in the local fisheries; the use of photovoice to determine local citizens' views of their terrestrial and marine ecosystems; a benthic assessment and installation of lobster casitas in partnership with local fishermen and DEMA; an assessment of the finfish industry; coral reef assessment for local anthropogenic and long-term climate change impacts; and the use of both Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and remote underwater video to assess our local elasmobranch population.
At our Open House, community members learned about new projects and were updated on continuing projects (and then we ate cake). Our local marine resources are under continuous pressure. Data collected by our staff and students is increasingly important as the TCI Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs (DEMA) proposes new fishing restrictions designed to promote sustainable harvesting of the resources.
The semester is quickly coming to an end, in fact everyone leaves tomorrow. Students are packing and saying their goodbyes to the community they have grown to know and love over the past three months. On a final note, Fall 2014 will be staff members Edd Hind's and Rob Dake's last group – for now. CMRS wishes them the very best of luck.
Students use a rapid reef assessment to determine the status of reef communities inside the Admiral Cockburn Land and Sea National Park (ACLSNP). Methods include fish surveys, coral bleaching assessment using CoralWatch, and a benthic assessment using photography. Already we have identified interesting trends in reef community with respect to depth and location within the ACLSNP.
[post_title] => Research on Marine Resource Management
[post_excerpt] => Over the past several weeks, students and staff have been collecting and analyzing data from around South Caicos.
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[post_date] => 2015-02-12 14:50:01
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[post_content] => Finally, everyone is here! Snow on the east coast wreaked havoc on the arrival schedule; but, after much delay and some interesting juggling, everyone is here (with their bags) and we are catching up quickly. It didn’t take long for this group to appreciate our location… The historical walking tour of Cockburn Harbour ended with whales breaching just off shore. Waterfront is in full swing, the first dive of the Open Water SCUBA class is scheduled for tomorrow. Everyone has done a night snorkel and looking forward to turtle tagging trips.
On the academic front led by Dr. Aaron Henderson, the Marine Ecology course focuses on habitats that dominate tropical coastal areas, i.e. mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs. The taxonomy exercise is underway. Students are observing and documenting marine organisms in the field, then determine their taxonomic status. Later in this course, they will also investigate positive and negative anthropogenic impacts on the ecology of marine organisms.
Many students have already tried conch in the local restaurant either fried, blanched or in a fritter. Later this semester in Kathy Lockhart’s Principles of Resource Management, students will conduct a queen conch assessment. Conch is listed as endangered under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). To export this product, TCI must demonstrate good management practices which include a visual assessment of the local stock. During the conch assessment exercise, students work in groups to employ survey methods to collect data on size and age structure of the populations in a variety of habitats.
This semester we are very excited to welcome Dr. Liam Carr (SFS Alum, TCI ‘97) as our Environmental Policy lecturer. Dr. Carr has worked on fishery and marine science issues in Washington D.C., southeast United States, U.S. Caribbean, Mexico, Belize, and the Cayman Islands. His course introduces the students to the complex policy world that is central to determining how well our marine and coastal resources are managed both today and for the future. This semester, students will look at how we can encourage sustainable human-environment relationships.
Prior to student’s arrivals, Research Fellow Dr. Charlotte de Fontaubert visited the Center to work with Waterfront Staff to identify climate change impacts on turtle nesting beaches as part of a project funded in part by the Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation. Sea-level rise, elevated sea surface and beach temperatures, change in currents, and extreme weather conditions can dramatically affect the survival and reproductive success of marine turtles in the Turks and Caicos Islands, all species of which have been designated as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
In other news… We are very pleased to welcome Josh Zeigler, Site Manager, to our team. Emily Stokes, Waterfront Intern and SFS Fall ’12 alum, submitted and had accepted an article to The Times of the Island about our ongoing benthic assessment of South Caicos coral reefs. Aubrey Ellertson (SFS TCI '10 alum) and Benjamin Church from the NOAA Fisheries Observer Program visited South Caicos and discussed their role in Northeast fisheries management.
[post_title] => Students arrive despite winter’s attempt to keep them away…
[post_excerpt] => Finally, everyone is here! Snow on the east coast wreaked havoc on the arrival schedule; but, after much delay everyone is here.
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[post_date] => 2015-05-05 09:21:25
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[post_content] => Is seems like just yesterday that 34 wide-eyed students arrived on South. This semester we learned about the biology and ecology of our marine systems, how our resources are used and managed, and how policies are designed to sustain these resources. This all in preparation for the Directed Research component which started right after mid-semester break. Similar to other Centers, projects are designed to address resource management questions, and are developed with local and international stakeholders.
To address some of these questions, this semester, students: compared fish populations inside and outside the Admiral Cockburn Land and Sea National Park; participated in a TCI-wide conch visual assessment (part of a CITES requirement for export of conch); collected quantitative and qualitative observations on the bird population on South Caicos; used "photovoice" to determine local citizens' views of their terrestrial and marine ecosystems; assessed the effectiveness of lobster casitas (artificial lobster habitats) put out last semester in recruiting juvenile lobster; continued our long-term data collection at the docks on finfish landings (increasing importance with the introduction of new fishing regulations); and used both unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and baited remote underwater video (BRUV) to assess our local elasmobranch populations.
The SFS Center for Marine Resoruce Studies recognizes the importance of studying climate change impacts on local ecosystems by including related projects in program and research components. Impacts to marine and coastal ecosystems include those linked to temperature change on organism metabolism, water chemistry including carbonate cycle, precipitation change on water balance, and wind and water circulation pattern changes. Long-term data collection is a crucial element of observing and understanding such impacts, beneficial to stakeholders and essential to policy makers.
Over the past several semesters, I have lead teams of students to collect baseline data on the health of the local reef system. Sites were permanently marked at three depths in the Admiral Cockburn Land and Sea National Park (5 minutes from our dock), one of several marine protected area near South Caicos, so they could be revisited. The teams use several methods to assess the overall condition of the system including measures of species composition (number of different organisms observed) using the Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment protocol (AGRRA – www.agrra.org), documenting and recording fish species abundance (including the invasive lionfish), and photographing and videoing the benthic community for composition analysis using specialized software.
This semester I had the opportunity to work with students to assess the fish population inside this Marine Protected Area and compare this to a nearby reef used for fishing. We used the three methods they learned about in their Marine Ecology class – belt transects, point census, and BRUVs. Our data are proving interesting. Belt transects appear to be the most effective method for our area and reef structure while BRUV are the least effective, although attract a more interesting population (several elasmobranch species were observed). These areas may be protecting some of our species, but falling short on others. We are in the write-up phase - groups of students sit and converse about what they have seen and learned and the significance of their data. Directed Research ends with our Open House, where community members learn about new projects and were updated on continuing projects (and then we eat cake).
[post_title] => Health of Local Marine Systems
[post_excerpt] => Over the past several semesters, I have lead teams of students to collect baseline data on the health of the local reef system.
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[post_date] => 2015-08-07 07:06:43
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[post_content] => The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) advertises itself to tourists as "Beautiful by Nature." Indeed, the tourism that the country’s economy is heavily dependent on is driven by its extensive coral reefs and near pristine white sand beaches. The health of these ecosystems is in turn supported by the ecosystem goods and services provided by the widespread seagrass beds and mangrove forests. However, the "Beautiful by Nature" status, and therefore the whole economy of the TCI is under threat because of a multitude of attacks on these crucial marine ecosystems. Local threats of unsustainable fishing and coastal development are stretching marine ecosystems to their breaking point, and global impacts from climate change may very well push them over the edge to a state from which they can never recover. This situation clearly needs to be avoided. To ensure this, better environmental monitoring is needed and a more developed management plans for fisheries and coastal development.
This summer the SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) offered two new sequential monthlong courses. Tropical Marine Ecosystem: Monitoring and Management (Summer I) was an interdisciplinary course which highlighted key aspects of environmental assessment and management of tropical marine ecosystems. In addition, students explored sustainable development strategies for the TCI at both local and global scales. Students gained knowledge of sub-tropical marine ecosystem function and an understanding of challenges at the intersection of marine conservation and economic development. We were fortunate to be joined by SFS Panama Center Director Cinda Scott and Stony Brook University M.S. candidate and SFS alumna Katie Flowers.
Laura Daigle surveys coral for bleaching using the Coral Watch program protocols.
Horse-eye Jack (Caranx latus) swim through the transect and are counted by students survey the reefs.
The aim of the Applied Marine Research Techniques (Summer II) course is to provide students with the opportunity to apply the scientific process in a field research project that addresses a local issue related to the management of tropical marine environments in the TCI, and specifically on the island of South Caicos. This course prepares students to develop scientific approaches to identify key problems -- such as overfishing and increased coastal development -- affecting the health of coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangrove forests that surround the island. Through this course, students have been progressively learning to implement the scientific research process while contributing to a growing body of research that informs local marine conservation and resource management decisions. CMRS was joined by SFS Panama’s Coastal Ecology Lecturer Aileen Maldonado who joined students in the field and worked with TCI faculty and staff.
The introduction of these two new courses has been both exciting and enjoyable. Everyone is looking forward to community presentations Saturday!
Students Laura Daigle and Alex Goranov survey the reef using SCUBA. Student conduct belt transect surveys of the fish population and use point surveys to determine benthic composition.
[post_title] => Tropical Marine Ecosystems
[post_excerpt] => This summer the SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) offered two new sequential monthlong courses.
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[post_date] => 2015-12-15 08:52:54
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[post_content] => As the semester draws to a close, it is inspiring to look back at where we started and where we are today. Just 3 months ago, 36 wide-eye students arrived on South for an adventure which they will carry with them through their lives. They have experienced and learned about reefs, caught and tagged turtles, listened to fishermen's stories, and grown close to a community which depends on their data collection.
Over the past few weeks as part of their Directed Research (DR) course, students have studied impacts of climate change, species interactions and habitat conditions, local fishers, and ecological knowledge. Results were presented to a community audience of government officials, processing plant owners and operators, local fishermen, island visitors and children – all of whom played an intricate part in the research process.
This semester I was again fortunate to advise five students on their DR. Individual projects included identifying correlations between coral recruitment and benthic composition (John BeBuysser, Whitman College) and species richness (Grace Dodillet, Northwestern University); a survey of the Diadema antillarum (long-spined sea urchin) population (Evanne Sager, Gonzaga University); assessment of local coral bleaching (Emma Scalisi, Wellesley College); and identifying relationships between live coral and herbivorous fish (Elisa Walters, University of Redlands). Results are part of a long-term program to assess local changes in our reef systems with respect to anthropogenic factors.
In addition to their hard academic work, students and staff worked together to provide a successful outreach program this semester which included swimming lessons, snorkel club, beach clean ups, hands-on science, and research trips to collect water quality data. I have watched amazing friendships develop in a group supportive of each other both in the classroom and the field. Today I see a group departing who have grown to know and love the marine resources and people of South Caicos.
We wish everyone the best of luck and hope you come back to visit!
[post_title] => Fall Semester Recap
[post_excerpt] => It is inspiring to look back at where we started and where we are today.
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[post_date] => 2016-04-19 10:20:18
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[post_content] => The last of our finals are just around the corner and Directed Research projects are underway. Literature reviews are done and data collection has already started on this semester's nine projects. I again am fortunate to be working with five students on a project that assesses and monitors our local reef for natural and anthropogenic impact. This is critical now more than ever with the continuing development on South Caicos. As part of this project, we are using Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) methods. Data collected includes abundance and biomass of key reef fish taxa, relative cover of reef-building organisms and their dominant competitors, assessment of coral health (including extent of coral bleaching), coral recruitment, abundance of key macro-invertebrate species, and water quality (including temperature). This collaborative effort is aimed at increasing our understanding of the processes that shape coral reefs and providing actionable advice to policy makers, stakeholders, and communities at a variety of scales. Specific questions we will address this semester include the role of herbivorous fish in maintaining a healthy reef, recovery from the recent bleaching event, and identifying coral recruit potential.
Kalla Fleger (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University) surveys fish.
Amanda Paskavitz (Skidmore University) is collecting data on coral bleaching
We at the SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) believe in the importance of studying the impacts of climate change on local ecosystems, and we have included this research in both our Center’s program and research components. Likely impacts of climate change to marine and coastal ecosystems include temperature change on organism metabolism and water chemistry, including carbonate cycle, precipitation change on water balance, and wind and water circulation pattern changes. Our plan for long-term data collection is thus crucially important and beneficial to stakeholders and policy makers as they undertake marine turtle management and conservation.
Katie Rose Jacobus (University of San Diego) photographs the reef for CPCe analysis.
Matt Speegle (University of Redlands) is identifying and counting coral recruits.
On Saturdays the Center is bursting at the seams! Community members join us for swim lessons, snorkel club, quiet and active games, and crafts with a Featured Creature. With the help of the Snorkel Club, we are maintaining two marine snorkel trails. As if that were not enough, the South Caicos Marine Science Club was formed this semester under the watchful eye of our Interns. Data collected by club members will be presented to the community along with our students' Directed Research at the end of the semester.
As the semester winds down we are looking forward to our visit with the Turks and Caicos Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TCISPCA). With the help of our CMRS Staff, TCSPCA will run a spay and neuter clinic May 11 - 17. Also coming to South Caicos this May is the annual board meeting for the Association of the Marine Labs of the Caribbean.
South Caicos Marine Science Club and SFS students working together to collect data on the local reef systems. Photo by Waterfront Intern Chris Casaclang
Erin Lyons (University of Virginia) working with Science Club member before they head out into the field. Photo by Waterfront Intern Chris Casaclang
Matt Speegle (University of Redlands) working with snorkel club as they prepare for their field exercise
Nicole Graziano (University of St. Thomas/Minnesota) in the field with snorkel club measuring conch
→ Marine Resource Studies in the Turks & Caicos Islands
[post_title] => Climate Change and the Turks and Caicos
[post_excerpt] => The impacts of climate change on the local ecosystems is part of both our Center’s program and research components.
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[post_date] => 2016-10-11 12:42:41
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[post_content] => At the start of September 2016, a new group of students joined the Center for Marine Resource Studies (CMRS) in South Caicos. The students have come from a variety of universities and have been excited to conduct field research. The twenty-four students began their journey with the introduction of the center and the open marine environment with field work including identification of a variety of marine organisms. The days were broken up from classroom lectures to field based observations. After a solid base of the classroom briefings and instructions, the students were ready to initiate their field work by learning and participating in a Conch Visual Survey. This activity is the first in a series of hands-on activities for better conducting research in the marine environment. These activities will assist the students with both the mid-term examinations and Directed Research ideas.
The faculty, waterfront and administrative personnel at CMRS have been actively working with each of the students to provide them the opportunity to understand how to be best prepared for scientific research. Within a week, the students will have heard about each of the Directed Research Projects that they will be able to work on for the rest of the fall 2016 semester. Projects vary from biological, anthropogenic and management. Each project has a variety of focus, but each student will obtain the opportunity to research past research (literature review), conduct hands-on field techniques, analyze of data and produce a compulsory report at the end of the project.
However, at this point the students have been exposed to the concept of field research by participating in a Conch Visual Field Exercise. Each student partook in a two-day fieldwork activity to determine the number of conch found inside the East Harbor Lobster and Conch Reserve (EHLCR) and estimate the number of conch that could be found on the Caicos Bank. Twenty-four students with mask, fins, snorkel and dive slate conducted underwater visual surveys (UVS) that were 50 meters in length and 3 meters in width. With a total of 30 sites (15 inside the EHLCR and 15 outside), three separate belt transects were laid. On each of the transects habitat type and number of dead conch were and collected. Additionally, all live conch within the belt were collected and individually measured for both lip thickness (mm) and siphonal length (mm). Initially, students were concerned with the discovered of a minimal number of live conch, but by the second day they were surprised to find that diving conch was not as easy as they had once thought. Live conch varied from one site to the next with having zero at some sites and up to 355 conch found at another site. A total of 830 live Queen Conch were found during the UVS. Students are now in the midst of analysis of the data.
Students laying the 50 meter transect for the Conch Visual Survey. All photos courtesy of Kathy Lockhart
Laying the transect
Student checking the transect for live Queen Conch
Checking the transect
An additional day has been established for the students to complete analysis of the data collection. The students are now able to see where all the hard work in the field has now got to be explained and summarized for the public. Various analyses are to be conducted including comparisons of siphonal length and lip thickness both inside and outside the MPA; comparison of habitat to live conch abundance and estimated overall abundance for both inside the EHLCR and on the Caicos Bank.
When completed the students were be submitting four group reports on the status and trends of the Queen Conch both inside the EHLCR and on the Caicos Bank. These reports are the next step in the ladder for growth in the academic field. It will better assist them with the future Directed Research Projects. Prior to student break, the student will be taking the initiative to start working on their literary review for their directed research projects, enthusiasm is building higher.
Often students are discussing the days events and how filled the schedule appears, but never once have there been any complaints but rather increased enthusiasm. This again is a major step that our future scientist and researchers must learn when completing their educational career and entering the academic world.
Fortunately, the students at CMRS have the opportunity to provide this information directly to our stakeholders, including the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) of the Turks and Caicos Islands Government. In 2001 an underwater visual survey was conducted across the Caicos Bank, with a follow up UVS in 2014/2015. The CMRS assisted the government with the 2014/2015 UVS by completing 44 surveys of the 116 conducted. These surveys can provide an anchor point for the annual surplus production model. However, since there have been questions regarding the reliability of the model and the yet to be implemented 2014/2015 UVS anchor point, the government has set the annual total allowable catch (TAC) at 500,000 lbs. for export and 320,000 lbs. for local consumption. Since the inception of the Scientific Committee, CMRS has played an active role with provide information for the group. In September of 2016, the government has asked the scientific committee to review the Queen Conch fishery and provide a recommendation for an export quota, domestic quota, operculum export quota and decide the “conversion factor” for uncleaned meat weight.
Student measuring Queen Conch for lip thickness (mm)
Student measuring Queen Conch for siphonal length (mm)
Queen Conch being returned to the marine environment
→ Marine Resource Studies in the Turks and Caicos Islands
[post_title] => One, Two, Three...Counting Conch!
[post_excerpt] => After a solid base of the classroom briefings and instructions, the students were ready to initiate their field work by learning and participating in a Conch Visual Survey.
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[post_date] => 2016-11-11 12:54:52
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[post_content] => The red lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) is a popular aquarium fish in the US. They can be beautiful to see but they are a menace to our waters!
In the early 1990, several were accidentally released in Florida waters. Their introduction is documented as the fastest invasion of a marine fish, and they are now recognized as one of the world’s top conservation issues. Lionfish are unique and effective predators, able to consume prey up to half their size. Juvenile lobster and groupers (economically important in the TCI) are often found in their stomachs. To top it off, they are preyed upon by few organisms.
As part of our Resource Management course, we learn about invasive species and survey them in a field exercise. This year, TCI Department of the Environment and Coastal Resources, TCReef Fund, and SFS organized a country wide Lionfish Derby. Last weekend, South Caicos teams competed against Grand Turk to land the most, largest and smallest lionfish.
Although SFS didn’t compete in the derby, CMRS students were involved in the landing. South fishers landed nearly 40 fish ranging in size from 110 to 340 mm. All fish landed on South Caicos were cleaned, cooked, and served at the Heritage Day Festival.
In other areas of research…Directed Research projects have started. This year’s projects include local landings of fin fish and lobster, shark tagging, and benthic surveys for tourism impacts. Students are spending long days in the field and then recuperating and relaxing in the cool evening weather.
→ Marine Resource Studies in the Turks and Caicos Islands
[post_title] => Lionfish Derby on South Caicos
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[post_content] => Thirty-four students arrived last Monday in TCI!
Photo 1
Photo 2
This semester we were fortunate to welcome two visiting researchers. Stephan Burns from Ghent University is assessing shark species diversity and relative abundance in marine protected areas using baited remote video stations (BRUVS). This research is part of Dr. Henderson's collaboration with the Global Finprint Project (www.globalfinprint.org). Hannah Reich (SFS CMRS alumna Fall 2013) returned to South Caicos to quantify and describe Symbiodinium communities associated with reef-building corals around South Caicos with a focus on host-specificity, depth zonation, and seasonal fluctuation of Symbiodinium communities (Photo 3 - sub samples taken to Penn State for analysis). As part of her visit, she presented some of her recent research at Penn State University that focuses on climate change and coral symbionts (Photo 4).
Photo 3
Photo 4
Through the generous support of The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation, Dr. Henderson has begun using acoustic tags to track turtles and sharks around South Caicos (Photos 5 and 6). Also as part of this funding, interns this semester visited turtle nesting beaches to monitor temperature and profile, both affected by long term changes in climate AND recorded migrating humpback whale songs.
Photo 5
Photo 6
In addition to their hard academic work, students and staff worked together to provide a successful outreach program this semester which included swimming lessons, hands-on science, a new mural at the Iris Stubbs Elementary School, and research trips to collect water quality data. We also welcomed a visit from alumnus Jeffery Back, Kicks 4 Caribya, and his team from Cornell University who again donated boxes of sporting goods to the community and ran a soccer clinic for local kids (Photo 7).
Photo 7
I have watched amazing friendships develop in a group supportive of each other both in the classroom and the field. Soon I will see a group of people departing who have grown to know and love the marine resources and people of South Caicos. We wish everyone the best of luck and hope you come back to visit!
→ Marine Resource Studies in the Turks and Caicos Islands
[post_title] => Wrapping Up the Semester in TCI
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[post_content] => After returning from our field trip to Providenciales, North and Middle Caicos, everyone is excited about finishing up class work and diving into their Directed Research. Our Provo trip was both fun and productive. Bryan Naqqi Manco from the TCI Department of Environmental and Coastal Research (DECR) educated us about cave formations and the local environment, which is surprisingly much different than South Caicos.
In addition to the Conch Bar (as in sand) Caves, we enjoyed lunch on one of the most beautiful beaches in the Turks and Caicos, Mudjin Harbour, while watching whales breach. Our day ended at the government farm where we learned about the Caicos pine (Pinuscaribaea) restoration project. David Stone (TC Reef Fund), David Bowen (Director, Ministry of Art and Culture), and Amdeep Sanghera (Marine Conservation Society), joined us in the evenings to discuss their projects. Day two of the field trip was spent surveying the local community about fisheries and visiting the conch farm. After a five day spring break, students are back on South.
