Category Archives: Conch

Conch, Flats, Lionfish, Sea turtles, Sharks, Student Research

Parents Weekend Spring 2013

This past weekend, the CEI and Island School campus had many visitors eager to hear about CEI research- Island School parents! Parents attended presentations given by IS students on current research projects that the students have been working on since they arrived in March. Research presentations discussed during the event included:

  • The abundance and distribution of sea turtles in Half Sound
  • Effects of longline capture on shark physiology
  • Competitive interactions between lobsters and lionfish
  • Identifying ideal nursery habitat for juvenile queen conch
  • Effects of climate change on bonefish and other mangrove species
  • The relationship between herbivore abundance on patch reefs and proximity to mangroves
  • Assessing settlement of post-larval lionfish
Parents Weekend Spring 2013
SP’13 IS students posing for a group picture after research presentations.

Each presentation was followed by a question and answer session, where students demonstrated their extensive knowledge on the background and applications of their study. Parents also got the opportunity to learn about all of the research happening at CEI, and to meet with research advisors.

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Conch, Outreach

Conchservation Launch at Saturday’s Earth Day Event

Claire measuring queen conch lip thickness.
Claire measuring queen conch lip thickness.

This past Saturday was the launch of the national Conchservation campaign, as part of One Eleuthera’s Earth Day event at the Rock Sound Ocean Hole. CEI had researchers and staff from Educational Programs to man a booth aimed at educating the public on queen conch life history and reproductive ecology.

 

Deep Creek Middle School students working the CEI Conchservation booth
Deep Creek Middle School students working the CEI Conchservation booth

The booth was also manned by a group of 8 students from the Deep Creek Middle School. They talked to community members about the important of saving conch, so that we have conch in the future! CEI and One Eleuthera are only two parties in the team effort of Conchservation- other partners include Bahamas National Trust, with Jared Dillet spearheading the campaign, BREEF, Friends of the Environment, the Shedd Aquarium (Chicago, IL), the Moore Foundation, Community Conch, and the Department of Marine Resources. Continue reading →

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Conch, Flats, Lionfish, Research Programs, Sea turtles, Sharks, Student Research

Island School students present introductions to their research projects

This past week, the SP13 Island School students presented Project Introduction presentations to their peers, staff, faculty, and the many visitors on campus. These presentations gave the students a chance to stand up in front of a crowd, and display their knowledge of the background, purpose, and methodology of their specific research projects.

Research projects this year include 1) lionfish and lobster competition, 2) shark physiology after longline capture, 3) effects of climate change on bonefish swimming capacity, 4) effects of decreasing pH on mangrove fish, 5) identifying juvenile queen conch nurseries, 6) green sea turtle habitat use, 7) the settlement of juvenile lionfish, and 8) coral vs. algae cover on patch reefs. These projects are led by CEI researchers, and the students have the chance to work closely with with researchers for the duration of their Island School research class. The class culminates with a Research Symposium, where the students present a scientific poster on the findings of their projects. Continue reading →

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Aquaculture, Aquaponics, Conch, Flats, Lionfish, Outreach, Sharks, Sustainable Systems

CEI has an outreach booth at the Rock Sound Homecoming!

CEI attended the 2013 Rock Sound Homecoming as part of their community outreach, and engaged the local community members in a conversation about marine conservation.

The CEI booth was packed with information on a range of issues including plastics awareness, conch conservation, sharks, climate change, bonefish best handling practices, aquaponics, and aquaculture info. We also had free giveaways! The fried lionfish and tilapia samples were a big hit, especially with all the local kids! The aquaculture mini system and free lettuce was also very popular. The day in Rock Sound was great fun – thank-you to all the CEI staff and interns who help run the booth. Look forward to the next homecoming!

 

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Conch, Outreach, Research Programs

BNNHC Update #3

The Bahamas National Natural History Conference wrapped up on Friday Mar. 8. The fourth and final day of the conference included an informative session dealing with queen conch ecology and management. CEI’s Claire Thomas gave a presentation on the status of queen conch populations in South Eleuthera. The populations are in decline, and Claire presented powerful graphs showing a significant decrease in adult conch in Cape Eleuthera, utilizing data collected by previous CEI queen conch researchers Erin Cash and Steve Auscavitch. Catherine Booker from Community Conch also spoke on reconsidering queen conch management in the Bahamas, and showed data from population surveys that Community Conch has done, revealing a disturbing trend that remaining stocks may not have high enough densities for mating to occur. Following the conch talks was a roundtable discussion, where a steering committee was formed to address the new idea of “conch”servation. The committee consists of government officials, representatives from NGOs including CEI, the Bahamas National Trust, and BREEF, and conch fishermen. Continue reading →

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