Sunday

Today was a day of classroom lectures to help us identify fish and creatures we observed on snorkels and dives.  Fish Identification and Invertebrates were covered today, and we anticipate learning about various corals tomorrow. Participants are all well and here are a few of the things we saw on the reef.

Julie's Stoplight Parrotfish over Elkhorn Coral

Kathy's Hawksbill Turtle

Nassau Grouper

Yellowhead Jawfish

We're Here!

Saturday night dinner... Shrimp bisque & Red Snapper!

Hi Everyone,

We all arrived on time, safely and with our luggage! After our check-out snorkel (everyone did really well) we snorkeled between the reef and Anthony’s Key. Loads of juvenile Angelfish and Butterflyfish, urchins, sea cucumbers, Flamingo Tongues, a spotted snake eel, and even a day time sighting of an octopus! Hope to have photos up tomorrow….

It's Lionfish and Panko Thyme!

TME participants, Don't forget to pack the Panko Bread Crumbs! Click to watch this video.

Parasites help reveal new ecological rules

"The major finding of our research is that all types of animals –– parasites or otherwise –– appear to follow exactly the same rule for how common they are," said Ryan Hechinger, lead author and associate research biologist with the Marine Science Institute at UCSB.

"This includes birds, fishes, insects, crabs, clams, and all the parasites that live inside and on them," said Hechinger. "They all seem to follow the same rule. And the rule is simple. You can predict how common an animal is just by knowing how big an individual is and how high in the food chain it is."

Read More.....

The Roatan Marine Park

The Roatan Marine Park (RMP) is a grass roots, community-based, non-profit organization located on the island of Roatan, 50 kilometers off the mainland coast of Honduras. 

The organization was formed in January 2005 when a group of concerned dive operators and local businesses united in an effort to protect Roatan’s fragile coral reefs. Initially, it was our goal to run a patrol program within the Sandy Bay-West End Marine Reserve (SBWEMR), to prevent over exploitation through unsustainable fishing practices. Over time, we expanded the scope of our environmental efforts through the addition of other programs encompassing the entire island.


Click here to visit the Roatan Marine Park web site.

Recommended Reading

Reef Fish Behavior has become a classic reference and overview of what is presently know about the behavior and ecology of reef fishes inhabiting the waters of Florida, Caribbean and Bahamas. 

Available at Amazon.com