We’ve shared posts about conch populations before but a new study led by Dr. Kough from Shedd Aquarium found that the conch population declined 71% in 2016 compared to a 2011 survey in the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park. View the full study here and a popular news article here.
An interview I did a few months ago for Quarks and Quirks on CBC radio recently aired. Yes, of course, it is more about fish pee, but I thought I would post it all the same. It is pretty funny. Scroll down a bit for the actual interview.
An exciting new publication just came out helping us better understand Nassau grouper populations in The Bahamas (article here). Using acoustic telemetry data, Dr. Craig Dahlgren and others recorded the movements of different sized Nassau grouper to examine when and where individuals would migrate to spawning aggregations. They found that individuals did not migrate to aggregation sites until they were 54 cm in total body length, suggesting a new and increased minimum size limit for fishing regulations on Nassau grouper. To illustrate, current Bahamian regulation permits a minimum catch size of 3 lbs (1.36 kg), which in our own work on Nassau grouper, we have found individuals to weigh over this amount at 43 cm, ~10 cm less than their potential size of maturation. Furthermore, their movement data also suggests that individuals migrating for the first time were slower than ‘seasoned’ individuals but their swimming speeds were similar on their return home suggesting migration movement behaviors may be learned.
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We have been working with Loggerhead Productions for the past few years on creating films and documentaries about our work in Haiti. Recently Matt just finished a new education film on our local work in Haiti that we will be distributing around to schools and communities in the area where we are working around Ile A Vache, Haiti.
Yup, more about fish pee. As a follow-up to work we have been conducting on the importance of fish excretion (pee) for coastal tropic ecosystems, we describe in a recent study how fishing pressure is reducing this source of nutrients by nearly half on coral reefs across the broader Caribbean. This study highlights an alternative way in which human […]
Last week some 3000 coral reef scientists, including the world’s foremost leaders in all aspects of coral reef ecosystems, met in Honolulu to discuss the fate of coral reefs. The goal of this convention, which is held every four years, was to focus on positive action towards improving reef ecosystems. Unfortunately, when studying coral reefs it is difficult to be optimistic. […]
In one of the top ecology journals. See page 2.
By Stephanie Wenclawski
Here is an update on our drone project looking at how human activities may affect the distribution of marine megafauna such as sea turtles, sharks, and rays (see here and here for previous posts). So far, we have seen more marine wildlife in non-developed areas with just minutes of aerial footage. For more detail on our latest data, please read more below and enjoy this short clip of a couple of clips from two of our surveys. […]
Two new papers from CEI on recent bonefish research. One is on movements around Grand Bahama (pdf here and popular press article here) and the second on how sun protection products affect released fish (pdf here and popular press article here).
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