Quarterly Research Newsletter April 2019

Recent Accomplishments and Upcoming Projects

RESCUE AND RELEASE OF A HAWKSBILL TURTLE

Pictured in the murky waters of the pond,
the Hawksbill had no access to food.
CEI researchers quickly prepare the turtle
for transport to a nearby beach.
In mid-January this year, we received a surprising phone call. Several
researchers from St. Olaf’s College in Minnesota, USA had been
exploring the many alkaline ponds that are scattered throughout
Eleuthera and in one of these ponds they had discovered an unusual
inhabitant – a hawksbill turtle. Even though sea turtles will occasionally
swim into inland lagoons via subterranean channels connecting to the
ocean, this pond was over a mile inland, making it rather unlikely that
this turtle swam here naturally. We concluded that this turtle had either
swam into this pond and was unable to return the way it came, or it
had been placed here by someone. Regardless, as hawksbill turtles are
predominately sponge-eaters and no such food was available in this
pond, it was clear that the turtle would not survive much longer unless
action was taken. Thus, we decided to remove the turtle and return
it a more suitable habitat. As the turtle was rather lethargic, further
indicating that it had not been eating well, it was easy to capture by
hand. We then carefully transported the turtle to the nearest patch reef
systems, which are common habitats for hawksbill turtles, and released
the turtle back into the wild.

SATELLITE TAGGING SILKY SHARKS IN THE EXUMA SOUND

Silky sharks are some of the world’s most
threatened pelagic sharks. They are often caught
intentionally for their fins as well as accidentally
in numerous fisheries around the world, where
mortality rates can be quite high. In the Gulf
of Mexico and western Atlantic regions, these
interactions have led to regional population
declines that have led to their listing as ‘Near
Threatened’ by the International Union for the
Conservation of Nature.
A silky shark glides through the deep waters of
the Exuma Sound.
Our team leading the Exuma Sound Ecosystem
Research Project (EXERP) is lucky to regularly
see juvenile silky sharks in Exuma Sound, which led to an interest in satellite tagging some of these individuals
to better understand their vertical and horizontal movements in both the Bahamas Shark Sanctuary and in
international waters where they may be susceptible to commercial fishing.

The team had a great start to 2019 when they deployed the first sat tag of the project on a small male! More
to come as additional tags arrive in March and the team gets back on the water in search of these blue water
predators.
 Tagging Pelagic Sharks in San Salvador

An oceanic whitetip glides through the blue waters off

of San Salvador. Photo by Andy Mann.

This January, CEI Research Associate Eric Schneider and past Research Technician Candace Fields spent two
weeks in San Salvador in the eastern Bahamas supporting a project investigating pelagic fish use of sea mounts.
The work, led by Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou and Dr. Demian Chapman from Florida International University and Dr.
Edd Brooks from CEI, is working towards learning how pelagic fish utilize the area around a seamount off shore
from San Salvador. This area is known for its productive sportfishing but may also be a hotspot for threatened
pelagic sharks.

Seamounts, similar to underwater mountains, are unique geologic features that frequently attract higher abundances
of marine life. Off the shores of San Salvador, the seamount being studied is also a known aggregation site for
oceanic whitetip and silky sharks, both of which are highly threatened pelagic fish that likely travel long distances
before and after visiting The Bahamas. Because these sharks have been seen concentrated in this specific area
on the seamount, research is being conducted to understand when and how this feature is being used.

The project combined a wide suite of different methods

to gather as much useful information on each animal as
possible. After capture, biological samples were collected
from each shark and the oceanic whitetips and silkys were
fitted with acoustic transmitters.

This type of tag sends out a distinct signal to the receiver

(a listening station that was deployed on top of the
seamount) and will gather information on which individuals
are passing over the seamount and when. Finally, each
mature female shark was scanned using an ultrasound
machine to determine if it was pregnant and at what stage
the developing embryos were in.

Over the course of the next nine months, the underwater

receiver will continue to collect data every time a tagged
shark passes within detectable range of the seamount.
Ultimately, this information will further the understanding
of how sharks migrate and behave in The Bahamas and
will generate important ecological data to push forward the
conservation of these highly threatened open-ocean fish. Eric Schneider carefully brings an oceanic whitetip
shark to the side of a small boat for sample and data
collection.
 Determining the Impact of Artificial Lobster Habitats

Lobsters grouped together under the cover

of a lobster condo off of Cape Eleuthera.

The newest research project at the Cape Eleuthera Institute has officially started with the deployment
of a dozen lobster shelters.

These contraptions, which are used in lobter fisheries throughout the Caribbean, where they are
known as “condos” or “casitas.” These shelters are not used as traps; the lobsters are free to come
and go as they please, but they choose to take refuge here when there isn’t enough reef habitat
available.

The Spiny Lobsters and Artificial Shelters (SPLASH) project will look at the ways in which artificial
lobster habitats interact with the wider marine ecosystem. The use of artificial shelters, such as
these, in lobster fisheries is controversial: they are banned in the United States, but encouraged
in Caribbean countries. To make a fair judgement about these structures and their use, more
information is needed about how they affect lobster populations and those of other marine species,
as well as how they affect other parts of the ecosystem. This is exactly what we are trying to do with
the SPLASH project; determine the impacts of artificial lobster shelters.

The lead researcher on this project, Dr. Nick Higgs, previously provided an assessment of the
ecosystem impacts of the spiny lobster industry while it was undergoing certification by the Marine
Stewardship Council. The fishery was successful in attaining certification as a sustainable fishery,
but further questions around the ecosystem impacts must be answered to maintain this important
certification. Dr Higgs is working with The Nature Conservancy to ensure that the lobster fishery
research at CEI is helping achieve a sustainable future for the Bahamian fisheries.

Students from The Island School work alongside CEI A member of CEI’s research team swims down to check up
researchers and interns to build an underwater surveillance on the cameras they had placed to observe lobsters in their
system to observe lobster predators in reef ecosystems. natural reef habitat.
 Young Men’s Leadership Program

Through various discussions, the young men were

challenged to be engaged and discuss ways that
they can make positive changes in their lives.

The Young Men’s Leadership program is an extracurricular mentorship program hosted by The Island
School’s Outreach department, and spearheaded by Stephen Thompson, Island School Outreach
Manager. The purpose of this program is to support the success of young men in South Eleuthera. The
program centers around the core values of Academic Vitality, Personal Resolve, Fearless Leadership,
and Global Awareness.

Over the 2019 mid-term break, The Cape Eleuthera Island School hosted a three-day overnight retreat
for the young men of the Young Men’s Leadership Program (YMLP). This year’s retreat’s overarching
theme was “The Importance of Educational Engagement.” This topic, as well as the activities planned for
this retreat, sought to assess and foster participants continued investment in their education.

The goal of this retreat was also to assist the young men in developing, recognizing, and articulating their
personalized idea of the importance of being actively involved in their academic learning, and recognizing
ways in which they have not been engaged, and in turn, making positive shifts towards becoming more
actively involved in pursuing their education.

The three-day retreat consisted of structured discussions

that focused on heightening the young men’s awareness
of embodying the YMLP core values, how to be better
engaged with their education, conflict resolution, public
speaking and making a good first impression, as well as
character and morality development. The YMLP’s young
men took part in various teambuilding exercises, morning
workouts, public speaking activities, as well as cycling to
High Rock and jumping in for a swim! At the end of the
retreat, the young men were accurately able to articulate
what they learned and further identified looking forward
to future YMLP programming.
The young men participating in the program enjoyed
some time in Rock Sound’s Ocean Hole.

For more information on our outreach initiatives and programs, visit our website.
 The M/V Alucia Returns to Cape Eleuthera

The M Alucia, anchored off of Cape Eleuthera.

OceanX’s research vessel, the M/V Alucia, returned to the Exuma Sound this spring to continue our research
and exploration of the deep water habitats found just offshore of Cape Eleuthera.

Scientists from Florida State University, Nova Southeastern University, Texas A&M University, Microwave
Telemetry, Stony Brook University, and The Florida Museum of Natural History joined us for the expedition to
round out a team of experts focused on everything from deep-sea corals to sharks.

We collected an enormous amount of information on deepwater reefs through sub-based video transects
and direct collections. We also sampled an array of deepwater organisms for stable isotope analysis to better
understand the pelagic food web, got one mis-fire away from tagging a bluntnose sixgill shark that was
shaking our submersible, and investigated the effects of fish aggregation devices on deepwater invertebrate
communities.

Overall, it was another successful trip alongside some of our great partners, and we are excited about the
potential for more work down the road. Keep an eye out for the first publication from this work in the next few
months, which will hopefully detail our results from side-by-side video and environmental-DNA surveys.

Check our Youtube page for videos about the expeditions and the research that was being done, and Flickr
for a gallery of images.
 Recent Publications
Ambrose, K., Box, C., Boxall, J., Brooks, A., Eriksen, M., Fabres, J., Fylakis, G., Walker, T.R. Spatial
trends and drivers of marine debris accumulation on shorelines in South Eleuthera, The Bahamas
using citizen science. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 142:145-154

Boyoucos I.A., Talwar, B., Brooks, E.J., Brownscombe, J., Cooke, S.J., Suski, C.D., Mandelman,
J.W.. 2018. Exercise intensity while hooked is associated with physiological status of longline-
captured sharks. Conservation Physiology.

McKenna LN, Paladino FV, Tomillo PS, Robinson NJ (2019) Do Sea Turtles Vocalize to Synchronize
Hatching or Nest Emergence? Copeia 107:120-123.

Schneider, E.V.C., Hasler, C.T., Suski, C.D.. (2019). Swimming performance of a freshwater fish
during exposure to high carbon dioxide. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 26:3347-
3454.

Ward CRE, Bouyoucos IA, Brooks EJ, O’Shea OR (2019) Novel attachment methods for assessing
activity patterns using triaxial accelerometers on stingrays in the Bahamas. Marine Biology 166:53.

For a more complete list of our publications please check out our website!

Our Team

Nathan Robinson, PhD. Nick Higgs, PhD. Edd Brooks, PhD. Valeria Pizarro, PhD. Brendan Talwar, MSc. Eric Schneider, MSc.

Lily Haines, MSc. Candice Brittain Alex Smith, MSc. Savannah Ryburn Samantha Russell

GET INVOLVED!
If you are interested in working with us, please check out our website! There are many opportunities available
ranging from senior research projects to internships and more!

Fall 2019 internship applications are due May 1st!