Whales as ecosystem engineers
cool new article detailing just how important whales are .. article here
In the News: Fishy Dilemma for Restaurants
I think we have all heard by now of the detrimental impacts Lionfish have on our fish communities in the Atlantic. Many of us have tried various methods, plans, and events to help rid our waters of this ferocious predator, including adding them to our menus. In fact, areas are having such a demand that local culling may not be […]
A new paper on hammerhead shark conservation
A new paper published today in BioScience by researchers from University of Miami’s R. J. Dunlap Marine Conservation Program, and The Dept. of Applied Ecology at NC State has just come out discussing extinction proneness in wild populations. The paper uses hammerhead sharks as a model, or case study, to argue that suites of highly derived adaptations make taxa […]
Friends Field Course Fun!
Despite the visit from our friend Tropical Storm Arthur, the students enrolled in a conservation based summer course at Friends were excited to get out and snorkel Snake Cay during a short rain break. At this site, we reviewed the many juvenile fish that utilize mangroves as nursery habitats.
Because […]
Plastic Densities in Ocean Surface Waters Less Than Previously Estimated
A new study has compiled samples from 3,070 different sites worldwide to quantify plastics in ocean surface waters. Approximately 7,000 to 35,000 tons of plastics cover ocean surface waters. Interestingly, previous estimates for plastics in ocean surface waters were much higher (almost 100 times greater) than what was found in this study. Although this new estimate is much lower […]
Mangroves are beautiful, and so is this video
A brief video featuring the beauty of and spreading the word about the importance of mangrove forests. All was shot in Bimini, and it’s quite good.
Rare to New Sighting: An Octopus with a Cowfish
During our fish surveys this week, one of our structurally complex patch reefs had a very interesting event occurring on it. There was an octopus half way on the highest point of our reef with the other half tangled within the PVC structure. It was strange enough for us to see an octopus out in the open, but he or […]
Nautilus Deep Sea Cruise in the Florida Straits
Just last week a research vessel cruised through the Florida Straits, a trough that separates Florida from Cuba and The Great Bahamas Bank. Here is a link to some of the creatures they came across on the cruise! The Nautilus has several cruises lined up this summer with live feed throughout the cruises so be sure to tune […]
Natural History story on the social lives of Hermit crabs
Natural History magazine features one of The Bahamas most charismatic critters, the hermit crab and their varied social behaviors!
http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/features/122719/the-social-lives-of-hermits
In the News: Red Mangroves in Peril in Abaco’s Marls?
Here is a short write-up featured in Coastal Angler magazine about the Red Mangrove die-off in the Marls.