Bonefish Research Trip to the Northern Exuma Islands

July 28, 2015 ceiblogger

Forest Thomas, Regional collaborator from Hummingbird Cay, Exuma, shares his experience as he teams up with CEI for a Bonefish Research Adventure

Bonefish 1 — The team sets up camp on the Exuma shores.

The trip to the Northern Exuma Islands started off as you would expect: everything coming together at the last minute. Team members included Dr. Liz Wallace (FWC), CEI staff: Aaron Shultz, Zach Zuckerman, and Eric Schneider, local guide Manex Newton, and me- Forrest Thomas, the do whatever-he’s-told guy.

The purpose of this research trip was to collect data from the northern Exumas cays for the bonefish genetics study being conducting with research partners Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fisheries Conservation Foundation, and Bonefish and Tarpon Trust.

A special thanks goes out to the Bahamas National Trust and Department of Marine Resources for giving us permits to conduct this study.

On day one we started out feeling good, had a plan and worked hard. However, the first few spot seines didn’t collect any bonefish, so we found a creek to block with the net. While we waited for low tide, we had lunch on the boat. We worked until sunset, which made setting up camp harder but way more interesting. In addition to the daytime seining to collect adult bonefish, the team deployed light traps in the evenings to collect larval bonefish. This would allow the researchers to better understand bonefish recruitment patterns and how closely related local populations are around Exuma Sound.

Over the next couple of days we explored more of the northern cays. We seined at several promising locations, but found no adult bonefish. However, the light traps, deployed every evening were collecting many larval bonefish. Examining the catch in the traps every morning was fun, as other interesting larvae (like the tiny octopus pictured below) were also observed. Other species seen in the traps included eels, pipefish, filefish, Atlantic silversides, and mantis shrimp.

On day three we captured our first two adult bonefish! Fin clips from their dorsal fins were collected for genetic analysis, and they were tagged with uniquely numbered dart tags to help track their movements.

The next day we collected, tagged, and fin clipped 20 fish. During a fuel stop at Highborne Cay, we got some advice on another spot to find bonefish. After checking the map of the new area, it looked great; we were all excited and couldn’t wait to get there.

On our last field day we got to the new site at high tide, and set the net across the neck of the outlet. However we didn’t see any fish, so went looking. Further up we found a school of 60+ fis bonefish5 h. This was a great way to end the trip. It took us a good 2 hours to tag and fin clip all of the fish, but the time flew by because of all the excitement.

In the end we had an awesome and successful trip. We fin clipped and tagged 82 adult bonefish, and captured over 300 larval bonefish in the light traps. I personally can’t wait for the next big adventure with Aaron and the team. Thanks for a great trip guys and I’ll see you all soon!!

Research Programs

Students conducting dissertation projects at CEI this summer

July 26, 2015 ceiblogger

This is the 4th year that CEI has been collaborating with Newcastle University, United Kingdom, in offering research placements for their marine biology undergraduate students. Over the years student numbers have been increasing and this year we have 10 students enrolled in an 8 week session that provides an opportunity for them to each get hands on field and lab experience as well as collect data that they will go on to analyze. This fall they will write up a dissertation that contributes to their final university degree. This placement program has also expanded to more universities and this summer we welcomed a student from Reading University, UK, and Green Mountain College in Vermont as well as Master’s students. The ten students this summer are working on a range of studies withing our shark, coral, flats and sea turtle research programs and here is some information from three of the participants about their projects:

“Hi, I’m Jordan Atherton from Newcastle University, England, conducting research here at CEI for my final year thesis project. I’m looking at how the fish assemblages on the coral reef here are affected by different habitat complexities by method of underwater visual census, so plenty of diving!” “My name is Ashley Bairos and I am conducting field research towards an M.Sc. degree from Green Mountain College in Vermont. Ultimately the goal is to measure habitat suitability across various intertidal creek areas around Cape Eleuthera for the purpose of applying effective conservation strategies for green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas). By measuring benthic coverage, predation pressures, habitat structure, and various abiotic factors including water depth and substrate type, I hope to quantify the value of foraging habitats for green sea turtles.”

“My name is Izzy Lake and I am a marine biology student currently studying at Newcastle University, England. I’m here over the summer to work as part of the Sea Turtle Research Team at the Cape Eleuthera Institute. While I am here I will be conducting my undergraduate research project on understanding the environmental variables that could affect green sea turtle abundance. My field work involves conducting benthic mapping transects in local tidal creeks as well as monitoring sea turtle abundance.” We’re looking forward to the results of their work. Any enquiries about this program should be directed to annabellebrooks@ceibahamas.org

conservation, Outreach, Sea turtles

CEI Research Assistant works with sea turtle hatchlings in Costa Rica

July 23, 2015 teamcomm

For two weeks in early July, Rachel Miller, Research Assistant for the Sea Turtle Research and Conservation Program, headed to Costa Rica to lead a marine biology summer camp. This camp was comprised of 8 high school students from all over the United States who came to Costa Rica to learn more about worldwide sea turtle conservation initiatives and to help better the community.

Rachel holds one of the hawksbill hatchlings that hatched on 17 July in Pacuare

The camp worked in conjunction with WIDECAST – Pacuare, a conservation program located on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Here, Rachel and the campers had the opportunity to assist with hatchery construction, night walks, and hatchling releases. Even though it is illegal, poaching is a major issue in Costa Rica, especially in poorer communities. These communities have subsisted on the consumption and sale of turtle eggs and meat for decades. However, WIDECAST – Pacuare is working to combat poaching through the use of night walks (led by former poachers, used as an alternative source of income), a guarded hatchery (used to monitor relocated nests and protect the eggs from predators and poachers), and education initiatives (public hatchling releases, lectures, and social media).

One of nine hybrid hatchlings, the result of a successful mating between a hawksbill and a Kemp's Ridley — One of nine hybrid hatchlings, the result of a successful mating between a hawksbill and a Kemp’s Ridley

During their time in Pacuare, Rachel and the campers got to see leatherback hatchlings make their way into the sea and on the last day, they were rewarded with a hawksbill hatching! It is common for leatherbacks to nest on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica from February until the end of June and the babies begin to hatch in May until the end of July. Hawksbill sea turtles, however, nest less frequently, and there were only two hawksbill nests in the hatchery during the time the camp was taking place. Not only was the hawksbill hatching special in and of itself, but the nest consisted of 9 hybrid hatchlings– these babies were the result of a successful mating between a hawksbill and a Kemp’s Ridley. Unlike most hybrids, the offspring of a hawksbill and Kemp’s Ridley are thought to be fertile and it is believed that this is the fourth generation of these hybrids. The reason that all 120 hatchlings were not hybrids is because many sea turtle nests have multiple paternities, resulting in typical hawksbill hatchlings and hybrid hatchlings.

Leatherback babies make their way to the sea, blending in with the black sands of Costa Rica

Rachel and the campers came away from this trip with a better understanding of how conservation works outside of the United States. It is often difficult to enforce laws and regulations, especially if people are reliant on an organism for food or income and if that community has no other source of income. Sea turtle populations continue to be exploited, but conservation efforts are in effect worldwide, and protecting eggs and nesting mothers helps to aid in the redevelopment of healthy sea turtle populations on a global scale. For more information on the project in Pacuare, click here.

conservation, Lionfish, Outreach, Reef ecology, SCUBA, Student Research, The Island School

Summer update from the Reef Ecology and Conservation Program

July 21, 2015 teamcomm

With the arrival of the summer interns, undergraduate and postgraduate placement students several weeks ago, CEI researcher Dr. Jocelyn Curtis-Quick has been able to tackle many different projects this summer. These projects include propagating corals at the nursery, filleting over 150 pounds of lionfish, conducting reef monitoring and conducting parrotfish feeding studies.

During March 2014, CEI installed a coral reef nursery at Tunnel Rock in collaboration with the University of Miami RSMAS and NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Metrological Laboratories and CEI Research Manager Annabelle Brooks. In the face of rapid coral population declines, growing coral through nurseries has been an initiative to replenish wild coral. The team measured the growth progress and refragmented the coral that has been steadily amassing at CEI’s nursery.

Fragmentation of coral refers to splitting of coral to help increase coral colonies and therefore increase reproduction. Half of the fragments were re-attached to the coral nursery at Tunnel Rock, and the other half were set up at a new nursery site closer to The Island School. This summer, the team will compare the growth and survival rates of the coral at these two different sites. The long-term goal is to transplant the coral frags out on the reef.

This summer the team is also being kept busy with the success of the Slayer campaign and has filleted over 150 pounds of lionfish- and has over 200 lbs to do! Over the past couple of weeks, a few local fishermen have delivered hundreds of pounds of lionfish for CEI’s “You Slay, We Pay Campaign.” These lionfish are also dissected to examine gonad development and stomach content, which can offer important insight on the invasion impacts.

Additionally, the team prepared for parrotfish behavioral research this summer. This prep has involved dive teams using a herding technique to catch the juvenile parrotfish, as well as setting up raceways in the lab to conduct a feeding behavior experiment.

A few other exciting events include three of the reef interns completing their Advanced Diving Certification and starting on their Rescue, as well visit of a teenager Earthwatch group who assisted with research for a week. Additionally, working with The Island School students to sample inland ponds and dissection lionfish was great fun. The whole team is pumped for the rest of the summer and getting much more achieved.

conservation, Student Research, Sustainable Fisheries, Visiting Scientists

Graduate student update: Matthew Smith

July 16, 2015 teamcomm

Matthew Smith is a Master’s student of the Ecology and Environment Lab from the University of Exeter in the UK. The main focus of his study is the effects of anthropogenic noise on reef fish populations, vocalisations and behaviour. There have been many studies on the effects of anthropogenic noise on marine mammals, but substantially fewer studies have be conducted concerning how noise pollution is affecting reef fish. Hearing and vocalisations are very important to many species found in the patch reefs such as those off of the coast of Cape Eleuthera. Boat traffic is an emerging threat that is often forgotten when assessing the threats to marine populations.

The team out on the boat, simulating acoustic pollution near experimental reefs

The primary study has involved selecting pairs of patch reefs with similar characteristics before splitting the pair into either treatment group, to receive increased or reduced boat traffic. By conducting fish surveys at regular intervals and recording using a hydrophone, Matthew is able to decipher if the changing levels of boat traffic is having an effect on the community living on each patch reef.

A secondary study is looking at the effect of boat traffic on damselfish (Stegastes spp.). Damselfish aggressively defend territories within which they preen a ‘garden’ of algae and have a heavy influence on algae populations on reefs as well as the behavior of fish in and around their territories. Using reefs that are less frequently exposed to boats, cameras are set up in front of damselfish territories to record how exposure to boat traffic affects their behavior. The end goal is to be contribute towards a better assessment of how anthropogenic noise pollution is affecting fish populations.

conservation, Research Programs, Sea turtles, Student Research

Sea Turtle Earthwatch Team visits CEI

July 14, 2015 teamcomm

The girls show off the first turtle caught of the trip, Seawater, caught by Jules

The Sea Turtle Research Team recently said goodbye to their first Earthwatch team of the summer, and we are sad to see them go. The group of 7 students and 4 chaperones from Santa Maria, California were very enthusiastic and eager to participate in all activities. The group’s visit was concurrent with the summer intern’s first week at the Cape Eleuthera Institute, so lots of learning was had by all. Our work done in the field with Earthwatch included abundance surveys, BRUVS (baited remote underwater video survey) setting, as well as catching and tagging turtles through seining and capture off the boat. Jules, a fast swimming student from the Earthwatch team, caught the first turtle, named ‘Seawater,’ setting the mood for the week to come. Our most successful turtle capture was on the last day, with a total of 10 turtles caught in our seine net at Half Sound! With one recapture and 9 new individuals being tagged, it added a significant amount of turtle individuals to our overall count with sizes varying from 257mm- 357mm.

Earthwatch Volunteers, Leaders and Interns enjoy each others company at a farewell beach bbq

Other highlights of the week included excursions to the ocean hole and caves in Rock Sound as well as a down island trip with lots of stops along the way. On a day off, the team got to see a bit more of Eleuthera, stopping at the Glass Window Bridge, and Governors Harbor. Evenings consisted of presentations given by Cape Eleuthera Institute faculty about their research including information on sea turtles and manta rays. They also spent two evenings recording data from the BRUVS they had set out earlier in the day by watching the film and looking for predators and they saw- barracuda, nurse sharks, and even a green turtle. “I genuinely will miss this place and will cherish everything forever,” said Eugene Kim, one of the student volunteers as his closing remarks. Our next group arrives at the end of July!

conservation, Outreach, Research Programs, SCUBA

CEI Research Manager attends Coral Reef Strategic Planning Workshop

July 6, 2015 teamcomm

Cape Eleuthera institute coral reefs bahamas — Attendees develop results chains for various parts of the strategy

The Bahamas National Trust invited the Cape Eleuthera Institute to participate in a Strategic Planning Workshop intended to develop a national strategy for improving the health of coral reef ecosystems and species that depend on them. The workshop took place June 23^rd – 26^th at the British Colonial Hilton in Nassau and was led by Dr. Craig Dahlgren. The aim of the meeting was to incorporate knowledge of island-specific and national issues, threats, and current or planned activities into the overall strategic plan.

Dr. Craig Dahlgren provides a review of coral reef ecology and threats present in The Bahamas.

Representatives from local research, conservation and education organizations also discussed ways to implement national strategies on a local level throughout The Bahamas.The Plan will integrate island specific and national coral reef conservation, education, restoration, management and policy efforts. The Disney Conservation Fund supported the workshop, and the Bahamas National Trust are also looking to build strategic partnerships to maximize the benefits from existing funding sources and to collaborate to target additional funding for island specific and national projects.

Partners included: Bahamas Reef Environment Education Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Department of Marina Resources, Save The Bays, Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute, Young Marine Explorers, Atlantis, Friends of the Environment, AGGRA, Shedd Aquarium, Andros Conservancy and Trust, and the New England Aquarium.

CEI is excited to be involved!

Lionfish, SCUBA

Lionfish June Patch Reef Surveys

July 2, 2015 teamcomm

The lionfish team recently completed their quarterly surveys of lionfish and other reef fish in the patch reef system of South Eleuthera, part of a longterm study.

Adrian (SP 15 intern) does a great job removing a lionfish

This time around the team saw a few unfamiliar fish species on the reef. First on the list are juvenile Bluelip parrotfish; these fish are not a usual site on the reefs and this may be the first time they were spotted in these parts. Next the team saw the spotted hawk fish; which can be difficult to identify. Lastly, a Bandtailed puffer popped in on one of the surveys. Sadly the Bigeye that has been hanging out on one patch for the last nine months had moved on.

One of the lionfish removed during surveys

A total 91 lionfish were spotted from the 16 sites visited over the four days of diving. However,the team speared/netted 30 of those lionfish from removal reefs! The biggest one caught was 27 cm long and the smallest was 4 cm. Interestingly, they caught quite a few lionfish that were under 10 cm, which is great that they can remove the little ones off the reef before they have a chance to reproduce.

Student Research, The Island School, Visiting Scientists

The Island School Partners With Hurricane Island Outward Bound to Offer Sailing Expeditions

July 1, 2015 teamcomm

Hurricane Island Outward Bound School (HIOBS) is partnering with The Island School to launch an expeditionary sailing program to be operated out of The Island School’s campus in Cape Eleuthera, The Bahamas. Thanks to seed funding from the Mactaggart Third Fund, the two organizations are looking forward to hosting groups and students starting in 2016.

In 2012, The Island School developed the concept of a sailing program. After deciding a partnership was the best option, The Island School was introduced to HIOBS’ Executive Director Eric Denny in 2013. It was in May 2015 when the dream took shape when a veteran crew from HIOBS sailed on an epic expedition from Florida, across the Gulf Stream and the Bahamas Bank to Eleuthera to deliver two sailboats, Avelinda and Eliza Sue, to The Island School’s Cape Eleuthera campus. Avelinda and Eliza Sue are 30-foot twin masted sailboats designed to sail quickly and navigate into shallow waters with extractable center boards. In keeping with the “human-powered” expedition ethos of Outward Bound, these open boats are oar powered by students when there is little wind. Designed and built specifically for Outward Bound, the boats can carry up to 8 participants and 2 instructors and will allow expeditions to sail out across the Exuma Sound to the Exuma Sound to the Exuma Land and Sea Park, the oldest marine protected area in the world.

“I see this partnership as a model for non-profits in the coming decade,” states Denny. “It brings two world-class organizations together to share their complementary areas of expertise to create an exceptional program that neither organization could accomplish on its own.”

The first step in this partnership is to integrate sailing into the existing expeditionary curriculum of The Island School’s 100-day fall and spring semesters and Gap Year program beginning fall 2015. In 2016, HIOBS and Island School will launch a 21-day expedition that includes sailing, exploring and studying around Eleuthera’s neighboring islands. The trip will include research, a coastal marine ecology and conservation course, focus on island sustainability, teach seamanship and leadership skills, and allow for team and leadership development.

About Hurricane Island Outward Bound

Outward Bound is a non-profit educational organization and expedition school that serves people of all ages and backgrounds through active learning expeditions that inspire character development, self-discovery and service both in and out of the classroom. Outward Bound delivers programs using unfamiliar settings as a way for participants across the country to experience adventure and challenge in a way that helps students realize they can do more than they thought possible. The organization established its first sea-based school on the coast of Maine in 1964. Hurricane Island, a remote island approximately 75 miles northeast of Portland, served as the summer base camp for sailing, sea kayaking, and rock climbing programs. For more information, visit www.hiobs.org.

Research Programs, Sharks, Visiting Scientists

Graduate student update: Ian Bouyoucos on the Shark Team

June 30, 2015 teamcomm

Longline fishing is the predominant capture method of sharks in both targeted fisheries and fisheries that incidentally catch sharks. There is a growing body of research determining the immediate physiological responses of sharks to this prolific capture method, but researchers are just beginning to skim the surface on understanding the long-term responses to capture that may influence vital life-history processes such as growth and reproduction. The extent to which sharks allocate energy to recovery from capture away from processes like locomotion, growth, and reproduction is completely unknown and a compelling question toward shark conservation research.

An acceleration data-logging tag used to observe activty and behavior in wild sharks.

A juvenile lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris) in a respirometry chamber that is used to measure metabolic rates, or rates of energy consumption.

Researchers at the Cape Eleuthera Institute (CEI) have recently begun conducting research to determine how much energy (i.e., calories) sharks consume when caught by longline gear relative to the energy consumed during routine, daily activity. This project combines biotelemetry (tracking behavior and activity in wild animals) and respirometry (a method of estimating energy consumption by measuring rates of oxygen consumption) approaches to estimate energy consumption in wild sharks. Specifically, acceleration data-logging tags will be used to characterize routine and exhaustive activity in wild sharks, and respirometry techniques will be employed to quantify the energetic costs of those activities. These data have the potential for conservation and fisheries management application by linking behaviors exhibited during the capture response with adverse physiological outcomes.

University of Illinois M.Sc. student, Ian Bouyoucos – a previous CEI intern – will be heading the field and lab work on site in The Bahamas. This research is being conducted in collaboration with Dr. Edd Brooks of the Shark Research and Conservation Program at CEI, and longtime shark program collaborators, Dr. John Mandelman of the New England Aquarium, and Dr. Cory Suski of the University of Illinois.