How Does Caribbean Wave Action Impact Grazing Herbivorous Reef Fish?

How Does Wave Action Impact Grazing Reef Fish?

August 13, 2011

Written by Expedition Scientist

, Kit van Wagner

The Golden Shadow is back on the western shore of Great Inagua and the day has been packed with activity, as team members leave and arrive, new research projects are launched, and scientific surveys around Great Inagua continue. Early this morning we bid farewell to our Bahamian friends who have been on board since the beginning of the expedition helping with scientific surveys of Great Inagua and Hogsty Reef. Two new team members joined us today, Alannah Vellacott, a student at College of The Bahamas, and Tavares Thompson, Park Warden with the Bahamas National Trust.

One research team in particular is excited to begin following-up on previous research projects from the Cay Sal expedition (26 April to 18 May 2011). Team Parrotfish is studying herbivorous reef fish, and is made up of Dr. Sonia Bejarano, a Living Oceans Foundation Fellow, and Christian Clark, the current North American Rolex Scholar. Dr. Bejarano has been studying herbivorous reef fish internationally. In the Bahamas, these are usually species of parrotfish and surgeonfish. She is attempting to understand how many herbivorous fish live in an area (their abundance) and how much they feed in and around the coral reefs. During the Cay Sal expedition, Dr. Bejarano used fish counts and underwater video cameras to record herbivorous reef fish abundance and feeding behavior respectively.

The Princess Parrotfish (Scarus taeniopterus) is a common herbivorous reef fish around Great Inagua

The Doctorfish (Acanthurus chirurgus) is type of surgeonfish and a common herbivorous reef fish in waters around Great Inagua — The Doctorfish (Acanthurus chirurgus) is type of surgeonfish and a common herbivorous reef fish on reefs around Great Inagua

Assisting Sonia is Christian Clark, a recent graduate of the University of Hawaii, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Global Environmental Science. Christian is a Divemaster, an accomplished scientific and technical diver and an avid photographer and videographer. He has been diving for over ten years and has logged more than 400 scientific dives. Among his scientific accomplishments, Christian studied shark migration in the Hawaiian Islands and has participated in three research cruises to Antarctica. As a Rolex Scholar and part of the One World Underwater Scholarship Society, Christian now has a year to explore career possibilities that combine his diving, research, and media communication skills to the best advantage. The Living Oceans Foundation is pleased to have Christian on board as a valuable team member and scientific diver.

Christian Clark, North American Rolex Scholar and Living Oceans Foundation research team member

During the Inaguas expedition, Sonia and Christian will set up experiments to explore patterns in the abundance of herbivorous reef fish in relation to wave exposure in a particular area. In other words, if an area consistently experiences waves and strong currents, are there more or less herbivorous fish in this location? Revealing spatial patterns of the herbivorous reef fish in the Inaguas could contribute to scientific understanding of how well different reefs can cope with environmental disturbances that encourage algal growth. Dr. Bejarano’s research results may influence future decisions about how and where to manage and conserve Bahamian reefs.

Dr. Sonia Bejarano loads her gear in preparation for deploying her reef fish experiment

Written by Kit van Wagner

(Photo/Images by: 1 – 2 Ken Marks, 3 CAPT Philip Renaud, 4 Amanda Williams)

To follow along and see more photos, please visit us on Facebook! You can also follow the expedition on our Global Reef Expedition page, where there is more information about our research and our team members.

From Dialogue to Action: Ocean Foundations Gather in Stockholm

What can philanthropy accomplish when foundations working across ocean science, conservation, and sustainable development come together around a shared purpose?

That question was at the heart of the 6th UN Ocean Decade Foundations Dialogue, held September 7–9 in Stockholm, Sweden. The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation joined philanthropic organizations from around the world for three days of discussion, collaboration, and planning focused on accelerating progress during the second half of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

Facilitated by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), the UN Ocean Decade Foundations Dialogue is a growing network of more than 30 philanthropic organizations committed to advancing ocean science, collaboration, and action. Since its creation within the framework of the Ocean Decade, the Dialogue has provided foundations with a space to exchange ideas, develop partnerships, and explore how philanthropy can help advance a healthy and resilient ocean.

Hosted by the Voice of the Ocean Foundation (VOTO), this year’s gathering began with From Depth to Action, an Opening Forum that brought nearly 100 leaders from the Swedish and international ocean community together at…

Meet IFAN: Helping Bring Navigate with Care to the Next Generation

If you’ve ever seen a lighthouse flashing from the shore or a brightly colored buoy bobbing in the water, you’ve seen Aids to Navigation at work.

Aids to Navigation, often called AtoNs, help mariners navigate safely. They can mark channels, warn of hazards, help vessels determine their position, and provide other information people need to make safe decisions on the water. Around the world, these systems help guide everything from small recreational boats to large commercial or container ships.

But safe navigation isn’t only about protecting vessels and the people aboard them. The choices mariners make can also affect the animals and ecosystems beneath and around them.

That connection between maritime safety and ocean conservation is at the heart of this year’s Science Without Borders® Challenge—and of our partnership with this year’s theme sponsor, the International Foundation for Aids to Navigation (IFAN).

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