Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine April 2016

— Continued from page 12
On February 12th, staff of the St. Maarten Nature Foundation conducted research
on the possible presence of Halophila stipulacea in Simpson Bay Lagoon. The first
unconfirmed, anecdotal report of a specimen of H. stipulacea being present in the
Lagoon was given by researchers of EcoVision in 2010, who were conducting an
environmental impact assessment on the construction of the Lagoon Causeway.
Though no photos or documentation were produced showing the presence of the
species, it was decided that based on the disconcerting nature of marine plant invasions,
research be conducted on the presence of the species. On St. Maarten the
most likely vector for transportation is the boating and yachting industry, particularly
those vessels originating in the Mediterranean or travelling from Grenada, St.
Lucia and/or Dominica.
It is unclear how the invasion of H. stipulacea will influence near-shore ecosystems.
The presence of a seagrass that is tolerant to a wide range of environmental
factors could occupy open space and thus re-shape the local marine resources, such
as near-shore fisheries. If H. stipulacea, a fast-growing species that can form dense
stands, expands into existing seagrass beds, it may result in the loss of biodiversity.
In hurricane-prone areas and in biologically depleted zones, the rapid colonization
of recently disturbed habitats by H. stipulacea could interfere with natural seagrass
succession. Likewise, if H. stipulacea is displacing native seagrasses on the island,
a loss of seagrass diversity may occur.
Further studies of H. stipulacea will be needed to resolve the question of its ecological
impacts in the Caribbean Basin. Research is currently being conducted as
to the possibilities of seeding areas with native grasses in an attempt to control
the invasion.
The species has been found on only four Caribbean islands so far, thus research
on controlling measures in the region is still in its infancy. The Nature Foundation
of St. Maarten is constantly monitoring the development of controlling methods.
Visit www.naturefoundationsxm.org for more information.
APRIL 2016 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 34
MOVING FORWARD
CARIBBEAN
Anguilla Racing
More technology.
More expertise.
More service.
The same
sailmaking team
St. Maarten Sails
and Canvas N.V
has teamed up
with Ullman Sails
Biminis and Dodgers
Cushions
Upholstery
General canvas work
Opposite Island Water World
+1(721) 544-5231 / +1(721) 520-6484
rgilders@ullmansails.com / admin@stmaartensails.com
www.stmaartensails.com
CANDICE VOLNEY, SABA CONSERVATION FOUNDATION
CARIB Tails News Flash: Saba Humpback Match!
Nathalie Ward reports: Following on last month’s news on humpback whale fluke
identification [see “Sailors’ Tales and Humpback Tails Make a Splash For Science”
in the March 2016 issue of Compass], comes the news that the Saba Conservation
Foundation contributed this winter season’s first humpback tail fluke photo on
February 20th for the CARIB Tails project — and it’s a match!
The patterns on the undersides
of humpback whale’s
tails, or flukes, are as unique
as a human’s fingerprints,
and likewise are used to identify
individuals. This tail fluke,
compared with those of more
than 8,000 known individuals
in the North Atlantic
Humpback Whale Catalog
(NAHWC), has been seen on
three occasions in the West
Indies breeding grounds. First
seen on Silver Bank
(Dominican Republic) in
This whale was photographed in 1980 and 2004
in the DR, and in 2016 in Saba
March 1980, it was re-sighted
on Silver Bank in 2004, and
then seen in February in
Yarari, Saba’s Marine Mammal
and Shark Sanctuary. The
individual is at least 36 years
old! Thanks to the crew of the Lady Rebecca for submitting the image and thanks to
the researchers from Allied Whale at the College of the Atlantic for the match!
Tail fluke photos gathered and analyzed from CARIB Tails and sister sanctuary
research partners offer new perspectives to the timing and movement patterns of
humpback whales from the southeastern Caribbean. The Caribbean Netherlands’
Yarari MMS is one of five marine sanctuaries in UNEP’s Sister Sanctuary Program/
Marine Mammal Protected Areas Network.
Visit www.caribtails.org for more information.
Call for Plastic Beach Debris Data!
Plastic pollution of the world’s oceans is a rapidly increasing issue, with an estimated
five trillion items currently floating in the surface layer and an estimated
275 million tonnes of new plastic accidentally or intentionally entering the ocean
every year. Data on the distribution
and abundance of this debris assists
research scientists and politicians to
develop management strategies to
deal with this enormous, international
issue. Beach clean-up data,
largely coordinated by volunteer
groups, provide valuable information
on the types and amounts of debris
present, in relation to factors such as
distance to cities.
In 2014, data on the density of beach
debris were collected on inhabited and
uninhabited islands in the Grenadines
with the support of Environmental
Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC). In
2015, additional data were collected
on islands further north, from St.
Maarten to the central Bahamas.
Together, these data will form the
basis of a Masters student research
thesis, supported by the University of
Dundee in Scotland.
Additional data from beaches
throughout the Caribbean is being
solicited to help in this research.
HOW TO HELP
Map out your survey area: Using a
transect tape (or measuring tape), run
a 20-metre-long transect parallel to
the waterline, at approximately the same height as the high-tide line. When searching
for debris items, you will search within one metre either side of this tape only.
Items outside this area are not to be counted.
Fill in the survey forms available at http://jenniferlavers.org/links.
E-mail your beach debris data to Jennifer.Lavers@utas.edu.au by April 30th.