Caribbean

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/

WDCS's work in the Caribbean extends beyond the Turks and Caicos. We have many exciting on going projects designed to promote ocean stwardship and marine mammal conservation throughout the Caribbean. One of these programs is "Live Free in the Sea". The ‘Live Free in the Sea' 2008 program educated young people on Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, and Tobago about how their actions on land can affect beaches, reefs and marine life. In partnership with ECCN (Eastern Caribbean Cetacean Network), island coordinators partnered with primary and secondary schools to conduct activities under this theme. The program on each island consisted of environmental education, environmental action, and an artistic component (for example, music, performing arts, functional or aesthetic art). Children participated in lectures, discussions and activities on the coastal and marine environment, their inhabitants and how their actions impact them.



Children on Saint Lucia participated in a beach clean-up and glass-bottom boat tour in April 2008 as part of WDCS’s ‘Live Free in the Sea’ education program in the Caribbean Region. Whales and dolphins, sea turtles and coral reefs and mangroves were topics of focus in 2008.

The whales are back!
WDCS is unable to conduct our field season this year in Turks and Caicos at the same level of past seasons. However, we are sill keeping up with the people and the whales of TCI. The whales are back, as are our friends living in TCI seasonally, like Pat and Henry Coe. You might remember Pat and Henry from last year, as they graciously donated their home for our researchers.
In getting to know the Coes, one gets to see the epitome of giving back to the community - from looking after the elder human residents to the wild donkeys and dogs of Salt Cay, I feel blessed that WDCS and whales are part of the Coes' community.

Pat sent us a whale update we wanted to share with you, it encapsulates the magic felt when spending time in nature amongst wild animals:

You never know what a day will bring. This morning Henry and I were sitting eating breakfast and watching the sea when I saw a whale breach way up out of the water and flop back in with an enormous splash. He was about a half mile north of us and we couldn't tell which way he was going, but I quickly jumped in the kayak and paddled out to the deep and headed north to see if I could get a better look. I sat there for a while and didn't see anything, slightly on edge knowing that there was a remote chance a whale could come up right under me and send me shooting skyward. Suddenly I heard the loud whoosh of a blow only 100 yards to the south of me. Three big males were surfacing, their grey /black humps gracefully arching over the water, close enough that I could see barnacles on their backs. I paddled with all my might and stayed up with them and watched them surface and spray 3 more times before they lifted their tail flukes high out of the water and dove deep. What a thrill! I've been waiting all season for a chance to be with the whales. When I went on a whale watch last week we saw 3 pods in the distance, but this was really great. When returning to shore I rode the waves and Digger (my dog) swam out to greet me. Nice way to start the day.

For me, the part of Pat's story that makes me want to hop on a plane right now is that the three humpbacks FLUKED UP when diving. Most of our encounters in the Caribbean do not include seeing the underside of the tail fluke, which without that info, answering our questions takes even longer because figuring out who the individual whales are requires more time. But this research is so important to understand better how whales are utilizing the Caribbean. Take for example a recent article on the web just a few days ago - February 18th. Political Affairs Magazine

"More than a dozen humpback whales have been seen in ocean waters off Lucrecia Point, on the northern coast of Holguin, eastern Cuba, something unusual in the island nation." Even though it is thought humpback whales might use this route while migrating, they are not commonly seen so close to shore. "After learning about the large presence of humpback whales, scientific authorities together with the Fishing Enterprise and Coastguard Forces coordinated efforts to guarantee the safety of the guests."

Especially, when considering the possible impacts of climate change on entire ocean basins, it is more important then ever to document and track habitat usage.

Courtney Vail, WDCS Caribbean program lead recently traveled to Saint Lucia as part of our "Live Free in the Sea" Caribbean education program. This year "Live Free in the Sea" focuses on Tobago, Grenada, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent. In partnership with the Eastern Caribbean Cetacean Network (ECCN), the "Live Free in the Sea" 2008 program will educate young people on these islands about how their actions on land affect beaches, reefs and marine life. The program on each island consists of environmental education and action with an artistic component. On Tobago, children took part in a beach clean up on Turtle Beach; the trash collected was then recycled to make functional art. On Saint Lucia, Courtney took children from the Laborie Boys School whale and dolphin watching with Caroline Aimable, who runs Mystic Man Tours on Saint Lucia and coordinates "Live Free in the Sea" on Saint Lucia. On their whale watch they saw Fraser's and spotted dolphins, pilot whales and pygmy and dwarf sperm whales. "It was amazing the see the excitement from the children," Courtney said. "They live so close to the sea, but so many of them had never been out on the water, or seen a whale or dolphin.


While Courtney was visiting she gave the children educational talks, and Year of the Dolphin Diplomas after beach clean ups. They also made origami whales to add to Peggy Oki's Origami Whales Project (http://www.peggy-oki.com/cu_origami.html), which is a curtain of over 30,000 origami whales ­ each signifying one of the whales taken by whaling since the 1986 international moratorium on whaling. Courtney was most excited about encouraging children that their voices are important. She said, "One of the sweetest replies that was offered by a 2nd grader when I asked 'why should we care about whales', was 'because they care about us"

Courtney Vail, WDCS Caribbean program lead recently traveled to Saint Lucia as part of our "Live Free in the Sea" Caribbean education program. This year "Live Free in the Sea" focuses on Tobago, Grenada, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent. In partnership with the Eastern Caribbean Cetacean Network (ECCN), the "Live Free in the Sea" 2008 program will educate young people on these islands about how their actions on land affect beaches, reefs and marine life. The program on each island consists of environmental education and action with an artistic component. On Tobago, children took part in a beach clean up on Turtle Beach; the trash collected was then recycled to make functional art. On Saint Lucia, Courtney took children from the Laborie Boys School whale and dolphin watching with Caroline Aimable, who runs Mystic Man Tours on Saint Lucia and coordinates "Live Free in the Sea" on Saint Lucia. On their whale watch they saw Fraser's and spotted dolphins, pilot whales and pygmy and dwarf sperm whales. "It was amazing the see the excitement from the children," Courtney said. "They live so close to the sea, but so many of them had never been out on the water, or seen a whale or dolphin.


While Courtney was visiting she gave the children educational talks, and Year of the Dolphin Diplomas after beach clean ups. They also made origami whales to add to Peggy Oki's Origami Whales Project (http://www.peggy-oki.com/cu_origami.html), which is a curtain of over 30,000 origami whales ­ each signifying one of the whales taken by whaling since the 1986 international moratorium on whaling. Courtney was most excited about encouraging children that their voices are important. She said, "One of the sweetest replies that was offered by a 2nd grader when I asked 'why should we care about whales', was 'because they care about us"