The overfishing of sea cucumbers is detailed in our Fiji report. Here are some observations on sea cucumber fishing that we made during our research in Fiji in 2013. June 2013 Throughout the Lau Province it’s typical to find sea
Our new Fiji report features detailed information about numbers of Sea cucumbers in Fiji. We also talk about what that means for the health of the reefs. Here’s a look back at our notes on Sea cucumbers during our field
We recently published our final report from our research in Fiji. Here’s an article we wrote while we collected all the data, and conducted the underwater research in 2013. From the Field Fiji’s coral reefs house some 333 species of
Expedition Log: Maldives – Day 18 Over a short three-week period, our team of four scientists collected over 7,500 crown of thorns starfish (COTS) from three locations off North Malé Atoll and South Malé Atoll in the Maldives. While this
Expedition Log: Maldives – Day 17 Our third area of research in the Maldives involved recent outbreaks of COTS reported from South Malé Atoll near Anantara Dhigu and Veli. Marine Biologists Marta Rigo and Alba had first observed starfish in the
Expedition Log: Maldives – Day 16 The Sweetlips are a family of fish easily identified by their big, fleshy lips. The family is a large one with 120 species found around the world in tropical and temperate seas. Juvenile sweetlips
Expedition Log: Maldives – Day 15 Often misidentified as a brittle star, yet plant-like in appearance, with long, flexible and highly contorted feathery arms, crinoids are the most ancient class of spiny skinned animals in the Phylum Echinodermata. Dating back
Expedition Log: Maldives – Day 14 Crown of thorns starfish (COTS) have undergone population explosions since at least the 1960s and scientists and managers have tried to control these outbreaks for just as long. The standard practice to control COTS
Expedition Log: Maldives – Day 13 Corals have very few defenses against crown of thorns starfish (COTS). Their shape may partially protect them, especially species with long, closely spaced branches that are inaccessible to the stomach of the starfish. There
Expedition Log: Maldives – Day 10 Crown of thorns starfish (COTS) are novel among the animal kingdom for many reasons. They can shed an appendage, or even lose more than half their body and survive by quickly re-growing the injured
