The Shark Research team posts footage of their deepwater research with the Medusa!

The Island School Deepwater Sharks Research Team with the Medusa
The Island School Deepwater Sharks Research Team with the Medusa

The Cape Eleuthera Institute and The Island School have recently begun their deepwater exploration of The Exuma Sound with almost 100 hours of footage from the deep ocean. This study is being run as an Island School research project in collaboration with Dr. Edith Widder of the Ocean Research and Conservation Association (ORCA: http://www.teamorca.org) and has seen the successful completion of six drops in depths ranging from 661 – 912 meters. This has been made possible through the loan and use of Medusa – a deep ocean camera system that was responsible for the first ever live images of the giant squid.

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Wemyss Bight Primary visits CEI again

Recently, twelve smiling faces from Mrs. Sweeting’s 6th grade class at Wemyss Bight Primary came to visit Cape Eleuthera Institute to supplement their pollution unit. The afternoon started off with a lively game to lighten the mood, followed by an engaging lesson on natural resources and pollution in the scenic “floating” gazebo. Students then explored some of the sustainable systems on campus including the mangrove wetland, CEI’s green buildings, the resource center, solar & wind power, the wetlab & aquaponic beds, as well as the farm. The adventure continued with fun activities on ocean pollution with CEI’s outdoor educator, Liz Slingsby, followed by a short clip from the movie “Bag it” on gyres and the North Pacific garbage patch.

WBP-OP

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Lionfish team completes December surveys

GOPR7323Wetsuits were in order as the lionfish team took to the seas for their December surveys of the patch reefs.  A three-day blitz with eighteen dives brought us to sixteen sites and ninety-one transects in 73°F water.  Neither impending exhaustion nor chattering teeth could dampen our spirits as we conducted REEF surveys of fish abundances, counted and sized lionfish and their competitors, and photographed the benthic environment for habitat assessment at each of the sites.  We saw napping nurse sharks, spotted morays, a tiny bandtail puffer, and a rarely sighted cherub fish.GOPR7301 (1)

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Wrapping up a successful bonefish tagging trip in Andros South

Flats intern Stacey Dorman fishes from the bow of the boat.
Flats intern Stacey Dorman fishes from the bow of the boat.

Interns from the Flats Ecology and Conservation Program and Shark Research and Education Program at the Cape Eleuthera Institute (Stacey Dorman and Carl Treyz) and Zack Jud from the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust finished their four day bonefish tagging trip in South Andros, which was very successful! A total of 654 fish were tagged around South Andros, including the west side and the cays on the southernmost tip of the island. The overall goal was to tag bonefish in areas that are heavily fished by recreational anglers, so that they can be later recaptured, and information about bonefish population movement and growth can be collected.   Continue reading

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Update on RA semester project: Ian Bouyoucos

Preliminary data collection and preparation are underway for the yellow stingray immunology study. Following experimental wounding to illicit an immune response, stingrays will be subjected to low-pH conditions, acidified with CO2. However, prior to conducting these trials, it is imperative to understand how yellow stingrays react to low-pH conditions. To do so, 10 stingrays (six males and four females) were observed under increasingly acidic conditions to determine their tolerance for low pH. Water pH was lowered by approximately 0.1 units every minute until stingrays ceased spiracle contraction (i.e., stingrays became too stressed to ventilate). Under our experimental conditions cessation of spiracle contractions occurred at a mean pH of 5.35.

This methodology was adapted from Aaron Shultz’s doctoral research, which is observing how extreme environmental conditions in mangrove creeks affect several fishes. In preparation for the immunological study, however, researchers are learning more about the seasonal (lack of) abundance of yellow stingrays. A first replicate of 20 stingrays should be completed by December.

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New acoustic tracking study on bonefish in Grand Bahama

bonefishThroughout the islands of The Bahamas, bonefishing is not only popular sport, but also an important component of the tourism industry that contributes greatly to the economic health of many communities. For such a valuable fishery, surprisingly little is known about bonefish movements, particularly when it comes to migrations associated with their reproduction.  A recently implemented joint study in Grand Bahama is designed to help provide that information. Continue reading

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Tilapia harvest at CEI

Kitchen ladies filleting tilapia.
Kitchen ladies filleting tilapia.

Last month, CEI conducted its first tilapia harvest since March 2013.  This exciting process began on Sunday morning when 160 tilapia were selected for harvest for an Island School parent’s weekend meal and a fundraising event in Nassau. All of the fish were within the ideal harvest size range and were selected from our current stock of over 3000 fish. They were then placed in a holding tank and were not fed over the next 48 hours to clear their digestive tracts of food and waste, thus lending to a more sterile process.  On Tuesday morning, the process began when the fish were removed from their tank and humanely euthanized by being netted into an ice water slurry.  These fish were then transported to the kitchen and were filleted by a team of researchers and kitchen staff.   Continue reading

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Beach Plastic Christmas Ornament Workshop in Tarpum Bay

ornament 1ballTwo weeks ago, several CEI team members went up to the Eleuthera Arts and Cultural Center in Tarpum Bay to participate in a beach plastic Christmas ornament workshop, hosted by artist Barbra Devries. The event was a success and inspired everyone to think creatively and view beac hplastic in a different light.

The goal of the workshop was to empower locals to utilize discarded resources found on a beach and use it to develop artwork for a profit. CEI team members were able to participate and create their own plastic Christmas ornaments, and everyone had a great time!

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