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Archive for July, 2010
a visit to the tropical reef
July 29th, 2010
saving caribbean fish
July 29th, 2010
An opinion from St. Croix on the importance of sustainable fishing in the US Virgin Islands:
If you have ever enjoyed a stroll on the beach or snorkeled over the coral reefs, you can thank the parrotfish.
These colorful creatures create much of the sand on the Caribbean’s idyllic shores and keep the brilliant reefs healthy. In an intricate underwater partnership, parrotfish feed on algae that otherwise smother reefs. They also clear the way for corals to re-grow by chewing off tiny bits of coral skeleton, which are then excreted as sand. One parrotfish can create up to 200 pounds of sand each year.
Yet these important reef dwellers—critical to the survival of endangered corals—are plummeting to dangerously low population levels. People are fishing for them faster than they can reproduce.
And parrotfish are not the only fish in trouble. Many other Caribbean species, including red and Nassau grouper, are imperiled. Others, such as queen conch and vermilion snapper, are at risk of depletion.
Fortunately, the Caribbean Fishery Management Council, which sets fishing policies in U.S. Virgin Island waters, is considering new rules to place limits on catch of 35 species. Public hearings are set for 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on July 20 at the Buccaneer Hotel in St. Croix and July 21 at the Windward Passage Holiday Inn on St. Thomas. A final vote could come later this year.
Fishery managers must act decisively to help restore fish species to healthy levels for the sake of the ocean ecosystem and future fishing and tourism opportunities. Decades of overfishing in the Caribbean threaten to destroy a paradise that draws millions of tourists and powers the economy.
Studies already have linked the staggering decline of coral reefs to overfishing, and unsustainable fishing rates are the most likely cause of the loss of large predator fish, such as Nassau grouper. We must ensure we are not catching fish faster than they can replenish themselves, and that means setting sustainable fishing levels.
Read more at the St. Croix Source.
Previously on Green Antilles: St. Thomas fishermen object to lowering of catch limits.
[Photo: Cocoabiscuit]
crabs for computers in the bahamas
July 29th, 2010
A small community in the Bahamas is using traditional practices with a very modern-day objective. It’s crabs for computers:
The students of the Mangrove Cay, Andros, community are pleased to announce the start of “The Crabs for Computers Summer Initiative.” This program, the brainchild of Island Administrator Gilbert Kemp, was designed to help the students of the Mangrove Cay community purchase laptops for themselves.
Mr. Kemp, in speaking about the program, explained the multiple objectives which are expected to assist the local students and community in a very positive way. “We are getting the students of Mangrove Cay involved in positive initiatives this summer. The “Crabs for Computers” program invites every student in the community to participate by going out and catching crabs which will in turn be sold to buy laptops for participating students.
“We expect that this program will be beneficial as it teaches our children that there is reward in hard work, while at the same time gives them an opportunity to secure one of the most valuable commodities of our time, a personal computer.
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Mangrove Cay is a quaint island community with no major hotels or large businesses. The hard working and industrious residents live mainly off of the sea. They are peaceful and hard-working, a trait that can be seen in the children who each year sell crabs to help support their families.
If you’re in the Bahamas, check the complete article at bahamasislandsinfo.com for information on how to place your order and support the “crabs for computers” endeavour.
[Photo: bahamasislandsinfo.com]
LIME environmental projects in anguilla
July 29th, 2010
During the Anguilla leg of their “Winning as One” Roadshow, the LIME telecommunications company did some environmental community service:
On Friday 23 July 2010, LIME’s colleagues were engaged in a full day of activities as part of the ‘Winning as One’ road show. The Road show was a region wide event which visited each of the 13 businesses in the Caribbean where LIME operates over the past 3 months.
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[In Anguilla] the Road Show had several elements including 2 environmental community service projects…
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One of the environmental projects was a Sea Turtle Capture and Tagging exercise facilitated by the Department of Fisheries which took place in the waters between the Island Harbour Pier and Scilly Cay where 11 Green Turtles were captured, weighed, measured and put back into the sea.The second project was the planting of buttonwood seedlings at the East End Pond. This project was facilitated by the Anguilla National Trust with the assistance of the CITRUS Community Group.
Anguilla News has more, including photos of both the turtle tagging and the tree planting.
[Photo: anguillanews.com]
reef check training in the caribbean
July 29th, 2010
Coral Cay Conservation reports, via the Reef Check Foundation, that three Tobagonians were recently certified as Reef Check EcoDivers:
[T]hree key community members from Speyside in Tobago have recently completed their EcoDiver Training at the CCC Project site in Charlotteville, Tobago.
The trainees make up part of a 5-man team, recently established as the ‘Speyside Eco-Marine Park Rangers’ who are helping to drive the establishment of a marine managed area in order to protect the stunning, but highly threatened coral reefs along Tobago’s north-eastern coastline. The Rangers received a free CCC Scholarship and joined international volunteers from Coral Cay to earn PADI Advanced Open Water Diver and Reef Check EcoDiver certifications.
The Rangers will be conducting ongoing scientific monitoring work around Speyside’s reefs as well as make other community members aware of its vital importance to the island of Tobago as a healthy biodiversity hotspot. The EcoDiver certification is of great value to Speyside community members as it empowers them to play an active role in the development and management of the Speyside marine area.
Read more at the Reef Check website.
EcoDiver training was also recently carried out on Nevis and on Montserrat.
Previously on Green Antilles: Montserrat Dive Festival and Reef Check, BVI Reef Check results, and Coral Cay Conservation in Tobago.
[Photo: Alan Wolf]
birdlife conservation group meets with aruba governor
July 29th, 2010
The Governor of Aruba has pledged his support for the work of Aruba Birdlife Conservation:
Recently, Aruba Birdlife Conservation (which was established in May 2010) visited the Governor of Aruba, Mr Fredis Refunjol. The Governor was informed of the role the foundation intends to play in conserving Aruba’s nature in general and more specifically the island’s wild birds.
The foundation has been receiving regular signals from the Aruban community that the numbers of birds on the island are rapidly declining.
The main causes are the huge increase in construction projects during the past few years, leading increased fragmentation of critical habitat and secondly, the presence of the invasive Boa constrictor.
The foundation also voiced its serious concerns about Aruba’s arrears in ratifying and implementing international nature treaties.
Unfortunately, at the local level insufficient attention is given to nature. For example, Aruba’s nature protection legislation is not being implemented. The foundation intends to focus on ensuring enforcement of this legislation to prevent further structural damage to Aruba’s nature.
There’s more about the meeting at birdlife.org.
[Photo: birdlife.org]
concerns about tourism development at font hill, jamaica
July 28th, 2010
Dr. Peter Marra of the Smithsonian Institute continues to express his concern about plans for tourism development at Font Hill in Jamaica:
Respected animal ecologist and conservation scientist Dr Peter Marra has waded into the debate over Font Hill in St Elizabeth, insisting that the site ought not to be developed given its ecological value.
“Intact and undisturbed mangrove, coastal beach and coral reef habitats are all extremely important but also extremely rare habitats in Jamaica and throughout the Caribbean. Much of Jamaica’s coastal areas have been developed into high-end or high-occupancy tourist destinations. It is essential that some coastal areas be left intact to maintain at least some of Jamaica’s natural resources for future generations,” Marra, a terrestrial animal ecologist with the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Centre, told Environment Watch.
“(Font Hill) represents such an extraordinary natural area, with the intact black mangrove full of crocodiles, gorgeous untouched beaches essential for nesting sea turtles as well as for the Jamaican endemic, resident and migratory birds,” he added.
Marra was responding to news earlier this year that the Government of Jamaica could develop the 3,000-acre property, which is owned by the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica and deemed ideal for a “high-end tourism and new town development”.
The full article is at the Jamaica Observer.
Previously on Green Antilles: Tourism development planned for Font Hill, Jamaica.
[Photo: Op. Deo at Wikipedia]
west indian breeding seabird atlas
July 28th, 2010
The West Indian Breeding Seabird Atlas can be found at wicbirds.net:
The atlas tracks reports of breeding by seabirds in the West Indies and Caribbean region. Most seabird populations throughout this region are declining. The information presented here was in part generated by the Seabird Working Group of the Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds.
The Atlas provides a list of breeding seabird species in the region, as well as information about important and threatened seabird colonies.
One of the authors of the Atlas also maintains a blog at wicbirds.blogspot.com.
explore arkive by island
July 28th, 2010
I’ve linked to ARKive often from Green Antilles: it is a great, user-friendly resource for learning more about threatened and endangered species.
Today I became aware of a feature that I hadn’t noticed before: the ability to explore the site by geography. This allows you to select a country and see a list of the species, both marine and terrestrial, found there. See, for examples, the lists for Barbados (sorted alphabetically by scientific name) and for Jamaica (sorted alphabetically by common name). A very handy feature for students and other researchers.
climate change threatens jamaica’s biodiversity
July 28th, 2010
Scientists in Jamaica are warning that climate change is having an adverse effect on the island’s biodiversity:
Jamaica’s biodiversity is at risk from climate change, local scientists have warned.
They say the changing climate, which threatens warmer temperatures, rising sea levels and more extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and droughts, will likely put such species as the American crocodile, sea turtles and frogs in jeopardy.
“There are 21 endemic frog species in Jamaica and 81 per cent or 17 of them, based on the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Red List criteria, are considered to be threatened with extinction. And of all of those, the reasons that they are threatened is because the forests they live in are lands undergoing continuing degradation,” noted Dr Byron Wilson, a conservation ecologist.
“The problem with climate change is that you will have the forest getting drier and when you have moisture-dependent things like frogs, that ain’t good.”
Read more from the Jamaica Observer.
Pictured with this article is the Jamaica Laughing Frog (Osteopilus brunneus), one of Jamaica’s endemic species of frog. Remember, 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity.
[Photo: kingsnake.com]
