Humans have long been in the habit of naming exceptional trees. The General Sherman sequoia, the Methuselah bristlecone pine, and a certain specimen of Ficus religiosa better known as the Bodhi Tree are three such notable individuals. Humans don’t live
The Broadclub Cuttlefish (Sepia latimanus)—the second largest species of cuttlefish (to 50 cm)—is the most commonly seen species of cuttlefish on tropical reefs. Though it ranges from the Andaman Sea in the west to as far east as Fiji, this
Parrotfishes represent one of the most conspicuous members of the Indo-Pacific coral reef fauna. They are ideal study subjects for addressing questions regarding population and community ecology for several reasons, including their high diversity and abundance, complex reproductive life histories
It’s 6am in Neiafu, Vava’u. We’re driving down to the wharf in the dark because at first light, local community fishing boats return from an evening of hard work offshore. As another spectacular sunrise emerges from the low hills surrounding
This past month, we’ve been having a lot of conversations with fishermen in Tonga. Here is a short summary of what we’ve been hearing. Fishing in Tonga targets reef fish and pelagic fish species, as well as other reef organisms
Over the past two weeks we’ve been meeting up with local leaders and fishers of the Vava’u island group in Tonga. The shallow-water reefs and lagoons surrounding the islands provide a vital source of protein for local people. The sharing
The Tonga fishers of Vava’u have recently come together to form a fishing association. As part of this effort, the fisheries department in Tonga agreed to give the fishing organization a building next to the government fisheries office. And this
The hunt for marine invertebrates begins… It is 6:30 in the morning, and Nathaniel (“Nat”) Evans and Daphné Grulois depart with the film crew (Alison Barrat, Ernie Kovacs) to Surprise Atoll. Depositing Alison and Ernie at their filming location, Nat
Sometimes the most exciting marine wildlife encounters happen at the surface rather than under the water. On this particular occasion we were on our surface interval between the first and second dives on the southern tip of Huon Atoll. A
Today we finished survey work at Huon Atoll, in the north west of the D’entrecasteaux Atolls Natural Park. As I descended on my dive, I was greeted by the now common site of a couple of grey reef sharks, a
