Thanks to Oceana and founding member Ted Dansen for helping to push through a total ban on on Bottom Trawling in Belize. This is a particularly destructive fishing technique. Our challenge now is to stop Gill netting. Gill netting indiscriminately kills marine life by trapping and killing any organism that comes in contact with it. […]
Night Dive (or snorkel) is probably the most exciting event of the week! There are always students that are a little fearful of this activity. They always have a new sense of confidence by the end of the night. These are some of the things you will see. Night Snorkel list Playfull Squid , Octopus, […]
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:12:57 -0400 From: “Jennifer.Moore” <Jennifer.Moore@noaa.gov> Subject: [Coral-List] Acropora Spawning Blog To: coral-list@coral.aoml.noaa.gov Message-ID: <4C77F219.7090000@noaa.gov> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed All, For three years we’ve had a blog to track the Caribbean Acropora Spawning event – http://acroporaspawn.blogspot.com. Please consider posting your observations from this years event. If you posted last year, you […]
Date: Tue, 7 Sep 2010 23:04:40 -0400 From: Peter Sale <sale@uwindsor.ca> Subject: [Coral-List] Connectivity Handbook for Coral Reef Managers now available To: coral-list@coral.aoml.noaa.gov Message-ID: <OFB20D1E24.28943026-ON85257797.0073E282-85257798.0010EA66@uwindsor.ca> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=”ISO-8859-1″ Connectivity Handbook is now available Reef areas that support the well-being of over half the world?s population are compromised by management practices that fail to recognize ecosystem […]
TREC welcomes New England College for its first exploration of Coral Reef Biology in Belize. We have, to date, escaped any of the promised severe hurricanes for the 2010 season but the worst part still approaches. The Goliath is safely moored in the mangroves.
Our battle with invasive lionfish started in November of 2009. Through the season we have killed 14. Stomach content analysis showed either empty stomachs or shrimp. We have been encouraged by not finding a single fish in their stomachs to date. All students are asked to notify us immediately when they see a lionfish so […]
Our 2009-10 season ended in spectacular fashion when the class from the University of Southern Indiana entered the water at Turtle Rock Island. Dr. Brent Summers was immediately greeted by a manatee. The snorkel continued with loggerhead turtles, southern stingrays, horseshoe rays, spotted eagle rays, nurse sharks and many other species that visit the site.
The 3rd Meeting of the IAC Consultative Committee was held March 24-26,2010 in Belize City, Belize. “Turtle steak” – it’s considered a delicacy in Belize but one that’s increasingly hard to find, first, because it’s illegal and second, because the population of hawksbill turtles is on the decline. Well, that’s true all over the region […]
Extensive coral bleaching occurred on the reef near Ambergris Caye in 2009. Species affected include boulder coral, lettuce leaf, finger coral, shallow water starlet and brain. The vast majority of damaged coral has recovered. Agaricia and Porites porites showed permanently dead areas. Some regions showed a high mortality of about 10% in Montastrea annularis. There […]
What happens when wild American crocodiles are illegally fed for entertainment? They begin to associate man with food and will approach anyone who looks like they are offering a meal. Case in point, a couple weeks ago this young man lured a huge croc in from the WASA lagoon south of San Pedro with nothing […]