Category Archives: Research Programs

Research Programs, SCUBA, Sustainable Systems

Interested in a CEI summer or fall internship?

Call for marine ecology, sustainable food production, and renewable energy-related intern applicants!

Interested in gaining experience in the marine sciences?  Perhaps sustainable living and food production?  Please note the approaching application deadlines:

Summer 2013 intern application deadline: April 1, 2013
Fall 2013 intern application deadline: May 1, 2013

The Cape Eleuthera Institute, The Bahamas, is accepting intern applications for the following research programs:

Flats Ecology and Conservation Program
Queen Conch Ecology and Conservation Program
Shark Research and Conservation Program
Open Ocean Aquaculture
Aquaponics and Permaculture
Lionfish Research and Educational Outreach Program
Engineering and Sustainable Systems
Biodigestion and Sustainable Development

Visit http://ceibahamas.org/internships.aspx for internship descriptions and instructions for applying.

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Flats, Research Programs

Ice, Ice, Baby; It’s Getting Hot in Here!

Researchers with the Flats Ecology and Conservation Program are studying the critical thermal minimums (CTmin) and maximums (CTmax) of fish species representative of tropical nearshore flats and mangrove creek ecosystems. Specifically, bonefish, yellowfin mojarra, checkered puffer, and schoolmaster snapper were included in the study as model fishes due to their ecological (i.e., nutrient transporters and availability as forage for predatory species) and economic (i.e., sustenance and commercial fishing of snapper, and sport angling of bonefish) importance. The critical thermal is often used to quantify fish tolerance to extreme high or low temperatures and to determine fish resistance to different thermal events.

To test the capacity of these fishes for seasonal temperature acclimation, fish were collected from local mangrove creeks during either summer (warm seawater) or winter (cool seawater) months. During CT experiments, fish were placed in individual flow-through containers, and water temperature was gradually increased by electric water heater or decreased by ice for CTmax and CTmin trials, respectively. Periodically throughout each trial, researchers observed the rate of gill movements (i.e., “breathing” rate) and behavior of the fish. The experiment was finished when all fish lost equilibrium, or lost their ability to stay righted. Each fish was then brought back to ambient temperature, and were released following a full recovery.

Picture captions: Top left CEI researchers and high school students collect checkered puffer from a nearby creek; Bottom right Researchers observe fish during a CT experiment.

Continue reading →

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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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Flats, Research Programs

Intern profile: Melissa Dick

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Here is a short bio from the Flats intern Melissa:

I grew up in the countryside of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada where I developed a love for the outdoors and learning about the natural world. I pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography at Carlton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada which exposed me to an array of interesting research questions associated with the physical environment. I had the amazing opportunity to be directly involved in research projects, leading to a directed study in dendroarchaeology in which I found the year of origin of heritage log buildings based on the tree-ring sequence sampled from the structure. For my undergraduate thesis, I studied the influence of watershed characteristics and lake chemistry variables on concentrations of mercury in 12 lakes in the Gatineau Park, Quebec, Canada.

I couldn’t get enough of doing field work on lake and stream systems, so in the autumn of 2012 I worked as a field assistant for both the Geography department of Carleton University and the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, which included catching fish in lakes of the Gatineau Park and taking muscle biopsy samples which were tested for mercury concentrations, and collecting and identifying benthic macroinvertebrates to assess the health of streams. Continue reading →

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Flats, Outreach, Research Programs

BNNHC Update #2

Day 2 of the Bahamas National Natural History Conference had a session devoted to new research on life history and management of a popular gamefish of the Bahamas, the bonefish (Albula vulpes). The bonefish session, moderated by Dr. Dave Philipp, Executive Director of the Fisheries Conservation Foundation (FCF), started off with a talk by UMass PhD student Chris Haak, who discussed his findings on the early life history of bonefish. With his findings, he theorized that juvenile bonefish actually mimic another species in the flats ecosystem, mottled mojarra, as a way to blend in with their schools for protection from predation.

Next to speak was Dr. Karen Murchie from the College of the Bahamas, talking about movement patterns in bonefish and experiments with acoustic telemetry. She found that bonefish move regularly among tidal creeks in South Eleuthera, and was able to follow some fish for almost two years! Dave Philipp then discussed the reproductive ecology of bonefish, and some implications for conservation in the Bahamas. He emphasized the importance of determining source/sink populations to inform management. Continue reading →

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Lionfish, Research Programs, Sharks

Scientists from CEI head to Bahamas National Natural History Conference in Nassau, Update #1

On Tuesday, March 5th, 4 scientists from the Cape Eleuthera Institute made the trip to Nassau for the first Bahamas National Natural History Conference, co-hosted by the Bahamas National Trust and the College of Bahamas. On this first day of the conference, the audience got to hear from Dr. Jocelyn Curtis-Quick, manager of the Lionfish Research and Education Program, discussing the positive impact of removing lionfish from Bahamian reefs. Presenting data collected by Dr. Stephanie Green from Simon Fraser University, Dr. Curtis-Quick showed the audience a model for determining the effects of lionfish on native fish production, and posed the idea that although total eradication of lionfish is unlikey, partial removals (from targeted removals and derbies) can be an effective management strategy.

Later in the day, Dr. Edd Brooks, manager of the Shark Ecology and Conservation Program, spoke about his six years of research on the Caribbean Reef shark in the Bahamas, an ecologically important apex predator. Dr. Brooks showed interesting sex differences in depth that the sharks inhabit, based on data he obtained from satellite tags that tracked the shark’s movements over a period of 8 months.Both talks were well attended, and were a great way to start off the conference. Aaron Shultz, Director of CEI, and Claire Thomas, who studies queen conch ecology, will present later in the week. Thanks for representing CEI!

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Flats, Research Programs

Another update on the North Eleuthera Bonefish Seining trips!

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We have tagged many bonefish around South Eleuthera (around 2500 fish) over the last few years, and several more over the last three months off Abaco and Grand Bahama (a little over 1500 fish).  To fill in the gap in effort between those sites, however, we recently took our seines and tags up to the north end of Eleuthera.  Working out of the Rainbow Inn, our FAVORITE home base in all of Eleuthera for field work outside of CEI, Dave Philipp and Chris Haak from the Fisheries Conservation Foundation and Mickey Philipp, an IS SP09 alum and current sophomore at University of Vermont, teamed up with Zev Wasserman and Gershom Rolle from the Rainbow Inn to hunt the wily bonefish on the flats around the Current, way up at the northwest tip of Eleuthera.

Because Gershom seemed to know exactly where bonefish were going to be hanging out, we had great luck, tagging over 300 fish in our first net haul (just south of the road) and almost 200 in our second haul (over on Current Island).  On the island, Jonathon Rahming, a local resident that was justifiably concerned over strangers netting fish in front of his house, gave us his perspective on fisheries, evolution, and life in general…a fun and enlightening experience.  We then moved to Corrie Sound, where our efforts were not nearly as successful (or physically easy!).  At the end of two days, however, we had tagged over 500 fish in a great location to test bonefish movements — both down island to the Cape and across the deep water of the Bahamas strait to Abaco or Grand Bahama Island. Continue reading →

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Research Programs, Sharks

Historic Bahamian Shark Abundance Project Update #3

The Historic Project shark team has begun to examine and compare the preliminary results from the November 2012 expedition with the previous two expeditions. The data from both November expeditions seems to show similar patterns of a higher Caribbean reef shark species abundance compared to tiger sharks; the two dominate total species captured for this project.  This is the opposite of the historic data, as tiger sharks historically had a higher abundance.  

The total catch for November 2011 was 52 sharks over 5 scientific longline sets. The catch per unit effort (CPUE; number of sharks caught per unit of time) from November 2011 was 0.12 Caribbean reef sharks per hour, dominating catch rates at 79% of the total catch.  The CPUE for tiger sharks was 0.02 sharks per hour and 17% of the total catch, with the rest of the catch consisting of silky sharks.  November 2012 total catch was 36 sharks over 4 research sets. CPUE for Caribbean reef sharks was 0.07 sharks per hour, comprising of 86% of the total catch.  The remainder of the catch consisted of tiger sharks, with a CPUE of 0.01 sharks per hour.  Due to rough weather the crew was only able to set 4 research lines, resulting in a fewer number of sharks in November 2012 than 2011, although the numbers are still comparable.  Interestingly, the March 2012 expedition showed a more equivalent species catch rate.  Thirty-two sharks were caught over 6 sets, with Caribbean reef sharks’ CPUE at 0.039 sharks per hour and 47% of the total catch, and tiger sharks’ CPUE at 0.044 sharks per hour and the rest of the total catch. Continue reading →

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Research Programs, Sharks

New CEI research on migratory behavior of oceanic whitetip sharks can help shape conservation strategies

In association with Microwave Telemetry, Inc. and the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at Stony Brook University, Edd Brooks and CEI’s Shark Research and Conservation program have discovered new findings while studying the migratory behaviors of ocean whitetip sharks that can help shape conservation strategies. Some sharks spend extended time periods in the protected waters of The Bahamas yet roam long distances when they leave. For the full article, read below or click here.

As the nations of the world prepare to vote on measures to restrict international trade in endangered sharks in early March, a team of researchers has found that one of these species – the oceanic whitetip shark – regularly crosses international boundaries. Efforts by individual nations to protect this declining apex predator within their own maritime borders may therefore need to be nested within broader international conservation measures.

The research team, which included researchers from Microwave Telemetry, Inc., the Cape Eleuthera Institute, and the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at Stony Brook University, attached pop-up satellite archival tags to one male and 10 female mature oceanic whitetip sharks off Cat Island in The Bahamas in May 2011, and monitored the sharks for varying intervals up to 245 days. The tags recorded depth, temperature, and location for pre-programmed periods of time. At the end of the time period, the tags self-detached from the sharks, and reported the data to orbiting satellites. Their findings, published online today in the journal PLOS ONE, show that some of these sharks roamed nearly 2,000 kilometers from the spot where they were caught, but all individuals returned to The Bahamas within a few months. Continue reading →

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