Tobago Coastal Ecosystem Mapping Project Update-August 2007
Added to website: 16 October 2007
Tobago Coastal Ecosystem Mapping Project
Project Update August 2007
Project Scientist: Katherine Yates
Project Brief
Tobago’s coral reefs face serious and urgent challenges. However, their status has not been comprehensively documented. The Tobago Coastal Ecosystem Mapping Project (TCEMP) is a two-year (2007-2009) collaborative effort to develop detailed habitat maps of the coral reefs around Tobago as well as recording human impacts and the prevalence of coral diseases. The programme also provides training and conservation education opportunities for local Tobagonians. The project is a component of the Caribbean-wide Integrated Watershed and Coastal Area Management project and will help ensure the long-term protection and sustainable use of Tobago’s precious coastal ecosystem.
Location: Arnos Vale, Tobago, Trinidad & Tobago, Caribbean
Surveys
CCC is conducting two main types of surveys in Tobago. Reef Check surveys provide a rapid assessment of the health of coral reefs. CCC Baseline Surveys give a more detailed picture of the diversity and abundance of a wide range of target organisms in Tobago’s coastal waters. Our survey teams have conducted 8 baseline surveys this month, covering almost a kilometre of seabed, as well as several 50m surveys that will be completed next month.
Science Training
CCC Tobago had a very busy training month in August; the science team took an impressive 12 people through the CCC Skills Development Programme. One of these was our August scholar, Christopher Carter. Chris is a student at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and is very passionate about coral reef conservation. It was a pleasure to have Chris on site, and he made a real contribution to the project. August also saw our first two Reef Check Scholars, Gian Lalsingh and Bridgette Lee Chow, who joined us for two weeks during which they received SCUBA training to Advanced Open Water and Reef Check training. Gian is the Project and Education Coordinator for Environment Tobago, a local NGO that CCC collaborates with on educational outreach work. Bridgett is a Student at the University of the West Indies, in Trinidad. We were able to train them both to the level of a Reef Check trainers and Gain is looking to set up a Reef Check network on the island.
Partners and Outreach
We were very excited to receive four special volunteers in August courtesy of a new partnership with The Jack Petchey Foundation, a charity based in London, UK. The Foundation provides opportunities for individuals to undertake activities they would not otherwise have access to. Afsana, Ana, Jade and Amaeze joined us for three memorable weeks. During those three weeks the girls truly came out of their shells and made a fantastic contribution to the daily life of the expedition. They all overcame personal challenges and showed true character. It was an entirely new, and in their own words, life changing experience for them all. At least two of them are talking about careers in conservation and they all want to return to a CCC expedition in the future. We would be very glad to have them back! They were the first trial group, wholly funded by the Foundation, and we are looking forward to having up to 30 individuals per year join the expedition through this partnership.Danny damselfish and friends were out and about again in August, spreading awareness of coral reefs and the risks they face. The puppet show visited Mount Pleasant Community Centre and a Scarborough Youth Project where the kids had a great time learning about the fascinating reefs surrounding their island and what they can do to help protect them.
Fish of the day
This month has undoubtedly been the month of the Moray eel. Moray Eels live in both tropical and subtropical areas. They have very poor eyesight but a keen sense of smell, which they use to locate a variety of prey including fish, octopi and crustaceans. CCC volunteers have seen two species, green (Gymnothaorax funebris) and spotted (Gymnothorax moringa) morays, poking their heads out of their hiding spaces in the reef with reasonable regularity. However this month they were out in force. On three separate occasions large green morays, which can reach up to a length of 2.5m, were seen swimming freely over the reefs. As green morays normally hide in recesses during the day, and usually only leave them to forage at night, it was a rare opportunity for volunteers to see the size these remarkable fish can attain.Not to be out done Spotted Morays were also seen on several occasions foraging in Arnos Vale Bay. Volunteers got to watch them swimming in and out of recesses in the reef, twisting and turning through all the nooks and crannies, hunting prey. The star of the month though was the far less common Goldentail Moray, Gymnothorax miliaris. These attractive small morays, usually 1-1½ ft, are occasionally seen hiding in recesses, but this month our lucky volunteers saw a free swimming 2ft Goldentail in our very own Arnos Vale Bay!
Download the full report here.
To learn more about the CCC Tobago project, to join the expedition or to find out about local scholarships, visit Tobago Project.
