Caribbean

Our work in the Caribbean extends beyond the Turks and Caicos and eastern Caribbean.  In Haiti, on the island of Hispaniola, WDCS is partnering to extend our “Live Free in the Sea" and “Pier2Pier"campaigns. Our island coordinator Jamie Aquino is currently in Petite Riviere de Nippes, a rural fishing village approximately 80 miles southwest of the capital of Port Au Prince. 

WDCS’ “Live Free in the Sea" Campaign builds knowledge and awareness of the coastal and marine environment, the theme being “What we do on land affects the sea", and with a focus on keeping whales and dolphins wild in their natural environments. The Pier2Pier campaign links students in Florida with their Haitian peers.  Most recently, we have enlisted the interest and participation of international marine mammal scientists, local fishermen, government ministries from Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the American Haitian Foundation, a local marine conservation organization and a non-profit dedicated to bringing laptops and a marine-curricula to students in the Caribbean.  
 
In Haiti, we are conducting awareness-raising activities with the students at the Petite Riviere School, including presentations, beach-cleans and other activities to highlight the importance of a clean ocean.  Oswaldo Vasquez from the Dominican Republic is in Haiti now with Jamie conducting preliminary water surveys to assess the potential for a longer term marine mammal survey, while extending goodwill, technical assistance and political commitment from Haiti’s neighboring country.   A building has been donated for our use and for the eventual development of a marine sciences discovery center.  We are also exploring the potential for ecotourism activities, such as whale and dolphin watching, that might bring real income to the community.
 
As the most poverty-stricken country in the Caribbean, we are excited about the prospects that may result from the partnerships that are converging in Haiti to build not only a marine sciences center, where visiting marine mammal scientists might come to conduct valuable research, but a source of empowerment and hope for a population facing many environmental, social and political challenges.  I think the moniker H.O.P.E (Haitian Oceanic Project for the Environment) chosen by Jamie and her students is a good one. The projects and positive focus on the potential of the region may provide hope for the Haitian children and fishing community that they can play a part in changing the environment around them, while contributing to the protection of the fascinating marine mammals in their backyards that they are coming to know through our outreach.

Jamie’s account from her first few days in Haiti is provided below:

I arrived in Petite Riviere de Nippes, Haiti on Tuesday evening.  Yesterday was my first full day in the village.  With the cooperative weather, I decided it was best to get out on the water and explore the area for dolphins and whales.  I was accompanied by Oswaldo Vasquez, who works for the Dominican Republic ministry of the environment.  Oswaldo has been very successful in developing marine environmental projects in his country and is interested in working with me to do the same for neighboring Haiti.

Before venturing out on a boat, Oswaldo and I spent at least one hour talking to a young teacher from La Gonave, a small island situated 25 miles northwest of Port-au-Prince.  Our conversation focused on education of youth about marine conservation, beach clean ups and eco-tourism.

We went out on the water in a small, unstable motor boat operated by two local fishermen.  The first task was to check the coral formations.  In the two areas that we researched, there was approximately 30 percent of live coral existing and some small reef fish including clownfish.  Oswaldo then used a hydrophone to listen for sounds of dolphins and whales in the area.  At the last of five listening stations, Oswaldo and I heard some distant clicking sounds which needed to be further evaluated back on land.

We will return to the sea today with Haitian maritime expert Max Bordey, who will take us to an uninhabited bay where mangroves exist.  We will not only be searching for dolphins and whales, but also investigate the possibility of manatees in the area.  Tomorrow, Oswaldo and I will conduct a marine mammal presentation for the select group of schoolchildren who are going to be involved in this project.

On Thursday, we encountered two sperm whales approximately two miles from shore!  A third whale was seen breaching in the distance, and our hydrophone picked up the underwater clicking sounds of multiple whales.  On Friday, we left shore at 5:30AM, and encountered a small group of pilot whales!  Two species on two separate days…we are excited what else we might find in this area, and look forward to officially documenting the marine mammals in these waters with future surveys!

Protecting ocean ecosystems is a big job - one in which we all should feel that we have some part in. There are those lucky and dedicated enough that they get to blend their passion and their career. WDCS works on behalf of whales, dolphins and the oceans - pretty big scope and this brings us into contact with other great organizations and people who are likewise doing amazing work. I was fortunate enough to met one of those people in Lucy Wells.


Lucy wrote a blog for us so that you will know about the other on-going projects in TCI to protect our vulnerable oceans. Lucy's contract with the TCI government is now over and she's on to her next adventure, but we plan to keep up with her and keep you informed about her future projects in ocean conservation.

Here's Lucy's blog:

Since the age of 8 I have wanted to be a Marine Biologist, I’m pretty sure that Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ inspired me and I have not looked back! I graduated from the University of Southampton, England after 3 years of study and was keen to travel and do my part in marine conservation. I first came to Grand Turk in 2008 to work with cruise ship tourists taking them on tours on a semi-submarine. Fresh out of university I was keen to share my passion for the ocean and everything in it with as many people as possible. After a year of this, I moved on to work with the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) as Reef Restoration Project Manager. My main responsibility was to manage the two artificial reef projects in place and install a new one after careful research and monitoring.

The main project I worked on in Grand Turk utilized Biorock technology, a cheap and innovative way to increase coral growth rates in areas where corals are in danger of declining. The system works by first deploying underwater, a framework structure made up of construction grade steel to which a negatively charged cathode and a positively charged anode are attached. A low voltage direct electric current, which is safe for swimmers, runs between them causing a composition of limestone and brucite, to precipitate from seawater and adhere to the framework. It is similar to the composition of natural coral reefs and tropical white sand but has a mechanical strength akin to concrete. The current provides calcareous substrate for corals to settle on and gives the corals additional energy to grow its skeleton, leaving the coral with more metabolic energy for growth, reproduction and resisting environmental stress. These reefs have been shown to increase coral growth to 3-5 times faster in a natural setting and also heal up to 20 times faster from stress and bleaching. Another implication that is important if sea temperatures rise from global warming, is that the corals on the Biorock can survive temperatures 16-50 times higher than current temperatures.

These projects have been immensely successful and are now one of the biggest and best of their kind in the Caribbean. My goal during my 15 month contract was to bring the reefs up to a point where they were fully operational and finished so that they could just be monitored and maintained on a quarterly basis. As well as increase the awareness of the reefs to the local children in schools, tourist visiting the island and residents, I wrote articles which were published in newspapers worldwide and online. Just before my departure, I organized the installation of a new artificial reef to enable more corals to be salvaged and improve the snorkeling in the area too. The project is funded by the DECR, and supported Carnival Cruise Line, Oasis Divers, Bluewater Divers and Grand Turk Diving and of course all the volunteers.

I first came into contact with the WDCS through the department and met Sue Rocca. Together we did educational presentations in the schools (see previous blogs) and I accompanied her on my first whale watch in the area. We saw a few tail flukes and backs but learnt a lot more from her experiences and learnt the all important chant to summon the whales “Owa tagu sayem"?. Sue and Vale Vivaldelli also joined the volunteer divers to assist with coral rescue and were a huge asset to the team whilst on Grand Turk – Thanks guys!!

One of the most fantastic days I experienced was when I had just co-ordinated a coral salvage operation to relocate stressed corals to one of the Biorock reefs and we were just finishing when the ‘Prince of Whales’ whale watching boat came past and pointed out a couple of whales a short distance away from us. Many of the volunteer divers from the coral move were on the boat along with Sue and we all watched the whales surface and dive down, then the whale watchers went off to Salt Cay for the rest of their tours. We with the whales for a while and they seemed to not care we were there so we gently slipped into the water, just 4 of us. The whales came so close and even mimicked the movements of my fiance as he free dived. We do not believe it is right to intrude on them, but they stayed so long that we eventually climbed back on board leaving. They still came alongside after we got out and the spray from their blowholes was sprinkling us. It was a truly unforgettable experience, i think it was a little thanks from mother nature for helping out with the corals.

I loved my time in grand Turk, I met some amazing people and made great friends, I had some truly memorable underwater experiences and enjoyed my job, but eventually I had to move on. So the next time you are visiting the Caribbean, stop by this tiny island and see the amazing migrating humpbacks, dive one of the amazing wall dives just offshore and snorkel over these amazing feats of coral conservation. Photos can be seen http://www.flickr.com/photos/22251472@N04/