Reef Relief

Reef Relief Goals

 

 

 

 

 

• Increase public awareness of the importance and value of living coral reef ecosystems
• Increase scientific understanding and knowledge of living coral reef ecosystems
• Strengthen grassroots community-based efforts to protect coral reef ecosystems
• Design, develop, and help implement strategies for marine protected areas associated with coral reef ecosystems
• Encourage and support eco-tourism as part of sustainable community development that protects and preserves coral reef ecosystems
• Strengthen our organizational capacity to carry out our mission
• Reef Relief’s goal is S.E.A. for C.P.R.

Reef Relief has great educational resources at their site.

Student's Coral Reef Art Inspires Marine Conservation

A large-scale (10-feet wide and nearly 15-feet high) ceramic coral reef art installation will be on display from April 15 to June 15, 2011 in the lobby of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration headquarters in the Herbert C. Hoover Building, US Department of Commerce, 14th Street NW at Constitution Avenue, Washington, DC.

The work of art brings to the surface, and to the capital, a submarine scene more commonly viewed through a diving mask. Each piece in the installation is handcrafted ceramic. Various species of coral and other marine life—in varying states of vitality or degradation—populate the scene and tell a story of impacts to reefs from human-caused threats. In the photo: Dr. Lubchenco, NOAA Administrator, with the artist during the opening reception of the installation. Photo credit: NOAA, Derek Parks
Read more and check out NOAA's Coral Reef Resources

Ocean Acidification and Coral Reefs: An Emerging Big Picture

John E. N. Veron
Review: Ocean Acidification and Coral Reefs: An Emerging Big Picture
Abstract: This article summarises the sometimes controversial contributions made by the different sciences to predict the path of ocean acidification impacts on the diversity of coral reefs during the present century.

Download PDF Full-Text [153 KB, uploaded 30 May 2011 09:46 CET]

Mucous Sleeping Bags vs. Vampire Crustaceans

Sleep tight; don't let the bed bugs bite. As you may have observed during night dives, for mucus-producing reef fish such as parrotfish and wrasse, that means snuggle up in your mucous cocoon to ward off the parasites.
Click here to read this article from DAN.

Lionfish Update and great video...

Dear Coral List,

Earlier this year I read this post with interest as I have seen evidence of the Carribean Lionfish invasion on all my trips to the area. I was due to visit Roatan Island and was curious to see the behaviour recorded and how it fit into the local authorities attempts to manage the species. The post below initiated a lot of discussion on the list so I thought the video produced of what I found on the island would be of relevance.

Here is the link: http://vimeo.com/channels/jonslayer

Best Regards,

Jon

Jon Slayer
jon@jonslayer.net
www.jonslayer.net

Dear Colleagues,
Last week I had an amazing dive in Roatan during which a nassau grouper and mutton snapper closely followed our fearless lionfish hunter - and the mutton snapper actually ended up eating the lionfish.

Snorkeling Man-O-War Key

From The RIMS Instructor's Guide....

Red Mangrove roots

There are two approaches to exploring the mangroves around Man-O-War Key. One approach is by snorkeling through the shallow tidal creeks. Snorkeling allows the students to look at the dense communities attached to the prop roots. Communities found associated with the mangrove roots include algae, seagrass, invertebrates, fish and phytoplankton. Some species of algae associated with the prop roots include Bostrichia spp., Dasycladus vermicularis, Caulerpa spp. and Acetabularia spp. In addition Halimeda spp., Udotea spp., Avrainvillea spp., Penicillus spp., Caulerpa spp., Rhipocephelus phoenix and other Chlorophytes can be found in the extensive Turtle Grass (Thallasia testudinum) beds and the mud adjacent to the roots. The second approach is to wade on shore and explore the tangles of prop roots from land. It’s important to observe both the above water and below water communities that mangroves create. Walking around the key allows students to examine and identify characteristics of the Red Mangroves and the more landward Black Mangroves found in areas with less tidal submergence. Students can also identify some of the important terrestrial organisms associated with mangroves.

Man-O-War Key is outside of the marine reserve. Collection is allowed.
INVERTEBRATE FAUNA Specifically Associated with Mangroves:
Fire Sponge (Tedania ignis)
Green Sponge (Haliclona viridis)
White Sponge (Geodia gibberosa)
Pale Anemones (Aiptasia pallida)
Corkscrew Anemone (Bartholomea annulata)
Stinging Mangrove Anemone (Bunodeopsis antilliensis)
Collared Sand Anemone (Actinostella flosculifera)
Upside-down Sea Jelly (Cassiopea xamachana, C. frondosa)
Sea Wasp (Carybdea alata)
Fireworm (Hermodice carunculata)
Magnificent Banded Fanworm (Sabellestarte magnifica)
Banded Featherduster (Sabella melanostigmata)
Medusa Worm (Loimia medusa)
Coffee Bean Snail (Melampus coffeeus)
Mangrove Periwinkle (Littorina angulifera)
Lettuce Sea Slug (Tridachia crispatus)
Mangrove Oyster (Isognomon alatus)
Mangrove Star Barnacle (Chthamulus fragilis)
Ghost Shrimp (Ocypode quadrata)
Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus)
Land Crab (Cardisoma guanhumi)
Mangrove Crab (Aratus pisonii)
Spotted Mangrove Crab (Goniopsis cruentata)
Spiny Lobster (Panularis argus)
Black Encrusting Tunicate (Botrylloides nigrum)
Mangrove Tunicate (Ecteinascidia turbinata)
Variable Encrusting Tunicate (Botryllus planus)
Green Encrusting Tunicate (Symplegma viride)

NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program

We have a new tool for educators to help them teach about the concept of ocean acidification! Check out the FREE Webinar our staff are giving with colleagues from the National Science Teachers Association on Thursday, April 14 at 6:30 pm eastern. The Webinar is targeted to high school science teachers, but open to all interested parties. Follow the link to learn more or register:

http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/news/coralsinthenews/11archive/crcpstories/nsta_webinar/welcome.

coralreef.noaa.gov

COSEE Scholarship Still Available!

We still have one or possibly two COSEE Scholarships available. Please call if you are interested.

Garry (I will be in the Science Center on Monday April 4. Phone number is on the downloadable enrollment form in the right side bar.)

NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program

Learn about "Caribbean Marine Etiquette" before your next visit. Academy Award-winning actor Benicio del Toro voiced the video’s main character, a smooth trunkfish, who teaches us to be good stewards of the marine environment by not collecting corals and marine life as souvenirs.

Caribbean Marine Etiquette PSA

The Caribbean Marine Etiquette PSA is an entertaining visual experience starring Academy Award winner Benicio Del Toro. It engages, intrigues and educates residents, tourists, and children alike with stunning underwater imagery of the Caribbean Islands....

TME Information Night

Join us at 7:00 PM on March 29, 2011 at the Science Center, 10001 Route 60, Fredonia for an informational presentation about Tropical Marine Ecology. Applications and scholarship requests may be submitted at the meeting. Light refreshments will be served. Please call 716-679-3419 if you have questions or are interested but unable to attend.

TME 2011 -Dates, Prices & Scholarships!

The 2011 TME trip information to Roatan is now available! Download links for the Flyer with Enrollment Form and COSEE Scholarship Application may be found on the right side of the Blog.


DATES: July 30 to August 6, 2011


COST: $1664.00 for COSEE Scholars and $2414.00 without scholarship. COSEE-GL will offer ten scholarships to educators in the amount of $750.00 each. See the application for details.

Globe's coral reefs take second worst beating on record during 2010

Record warm ocean temperatures across much of Earth's tropical oceans during the summer of 2010 created the second worst year globally for coral-killing bleaching episodes. The warm waters, fueled in part by the El Niño phenomena, caused the most coral bleaching since 1998, when 16 percent of the world's reefs were killed off. "Clearly, we are on track for this to be the second worst (bleaching) on record," NOAA coral expert Mark Eakin in an interview last month. "All we're waiting on now is the body count." The summer 2010 bleaching episodes were worst in Southeast Asia, where El Niño warming of the tropical ocean waters during the first half of the year was significant. In Indonesia's Aceh province, 80% of the bleached corals died, and Malaysia closed several popular dive sites after nearly all the coral were damaged by bleaching. However, in the Caribbean's Virgin Islands, coral bleaching was not as severe as experienced in 2005, according to National Park Service fisheries biologist Jeff Miller. I'll discuss the reasons for this in a future blog post. In other portions of the Caribbean, such as Venezuela and Panama, coral bleaching was worse than that experienced in 2005.


Figure 1. An example of coral bleaching that occurred during the record-strength 1997-1998 El Niño event. Image credit: Craig Quirolo, Reef Relief/Marine Photobank, in Climate, Carbon and Coral Reefs

Read the whole article at

Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog

Ocean Connections: National Environmental Education Week

April 10-16, 2011

Photo Credit: Jiangang Luo/Marine Photobank

The ocean covers nearly three quarters of our planet's surface, provides 70 percent of the oxygen in the atmosphere and houses about 20 percent of the known species on Earth. It regulates climate and weather and provides food and energy resources for humans worldwide. No matter how far from the coast, water in every stream or river on the planet eventually ends up in the ocean, and all life on Earth is dependent upon its health. Recognizing the importance of protecting the health of our ocean and understanding our dependence upon it regardless of its proximity, EE Week's 2011 theme is Ocean Connections. Register today to participate in EE Week 2011.

Save the Date

Green Moray Cleaning

Tropical Marine Ecology 2011 is set for July 30-August 6, 2011. We are planning to use the RIMS facility at Anthony's Key Resort on the island of Roatan. Stay tuned for details....