Sea turtle stable isotope research

 

An exciting new review was just published in Marine Ecology Progress Series that outlines the value of stable isotopes in sea turtle research and the progress that has been made with these techniques. Check out the paper for yourself HERE (it is open access).

We will use some of the points and perspectives presented in the paper as guidance as we move forward with stable isotope sample collection and eventual analysis for Antiguan hawksbills.

Posted in News | Comments Off on Sea turtle stable isotope research

Efficiency of the scientific funding process

 

 

NCSU’s Dr. Kevin Gross and his colleague recently published a fascinating article in PLoS One that explores the efficiency of the scientific funding process. They ask the questions: “To what extent does the community’s aggregate investment in proposal preparation negate the scientific impact of the funding program? Are there alternative mechanisms for awarding funds that advance science more efficiently?”

Really thought-provoking work. Their paper is titled “Contest models highlight inherent inefficiencies of scientific funding competitions” and you can read it HERE.

Figure image taken from: Gross K, Bergstrom CT (2019) Contest models highlight inherent inefficiencies of scientific funding competitions. PLOS Biology 17(1): e3000065. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000065

Posted in News | Comments Off on Efficiency of the scientific funding process

Hawksbill migrations in the Caribbean

Dr. Kristen Hart from USGS and her colleagues recently published some exciting research out of Buck Island Reef National Monument in St. Croix. They tracked 31 hawksbills during their post-nesting migrations and identified foraging areas throughout the Caribbean basin. Checkout their paper in the journal Biological Conservation HERE. The above picture is their fascinating Figure 6 where they compare their identified foraging areas to previous hawksbill tracking studies in the region. Is a pattern emerging? We (the Jumby Bay Hawksbill Project and I) hope to add to this body of work with more satellite tracks out of Antigua from our ongoing work!

Posted in News | Comments Off on Hawksbill migrations in the Caribbean

GCFI Conference

From November 5 – 9 I attended the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute conference in San Andrés, Colombia. I presented both a poster and a talk summarizing our study of how Sargassum is affecting hawksbill nesting ecology in Antigua. There was a full Sargassum session of presentations at the conference, which was a great opportunity to get more exposure to the issue and ongoing/future research. My takeaways: the issue is massive, is not going away, and while some are starting to build capacity to adapt to it – we are way behind in terms of quantifying its ecological impacts. Checkout a GCFI Sargassum press release distributed after the conference HERE.

Posted in News | Comments Off on GCFI Conference

Turtle TED Talk

 

Last December Dr. Brendan Godley, from the University of Exeter and its Marine Turtle Research Group, gave a TED Talk on sea turtles. Really interesting to see someone at the top of the field distill down much of what we know about sea turtle ecology for a wide audience. Check it out HERE!

 

Posted in News | Comments Off on Turtle TED Talk

Fulbright Conference in Chile

I am capping my Fulbright Fellowship with a conference in Chile in late August. Fulbright student researchers from across the Western Hemisphere are coming together to reflect on the theme of “sustainable and inclusive development.” This is a far cry from my ‘comfort zone’ in sea turtle research, so I am looking forward to a stimulating conference. My conference paper is titled Feedbacks between science education and (sustainable) economic development: a perspective from Antigua, West Indies. I will discuss it and others during a panel session during the conference.

Stay tuned for a blog post when I get back to NC State this fall – I will wrap-up my Fulbright fellowship and reflect on the 8-month experience.

Posted in News | Comments Off on Fulbright Conference in Chile

Sargassum in the Caribbean: causes, impacts on sea turtles, and management approaches

 

Last month I gave a presentation on the Caribbean Sargassum “invasion.” This is a massive regional issue, and I reviewed the problem and discussed a project assessing its effects on hawksbill nesting. We did our best to film it with a cell phone – and you can check out the resulting video here!

 

Filmed by Alexandra Fireman.

Posted in News | Comments Off on Sargassum in the Caribbean: causes, impacts on sea turtles, and management approaches

Sea turtle friendly street lights

Hatchling sea turtles are drawn to light, so manmade artificial lights behind beaches can be a major issue. Hatchlings might head the wrong direction and end up in yards, pools, or even streets. There are a few areas in Antigua where streets run very close to nesting beaches, and the government has started to take measures to help sea turtles at those locations. Installing red street lights reduces impacts on hatchlings, while using LEDs helps to make sure drivers remain safe. 10 years of lobbying the government finally paid off for the Antigua Sea Turtle Project!

Posted in News | Comments Off on Sea turtle friendly street lights

The “New Sargasso Sea”

More on the Sargassum issue! Colleagues in Antigua are saying that 2018 is already, without a doubt, the worst Sargassum year to date. Check out this image that shows how it affects coastal waters when it collects in high densities.

For more on the issue, check out this youtube video highlighting research out of IRD, Aix-Marseille University, the University of the West Indies, and the University of Western Brittany.

Posted in News | Comments Off on The “New Sargasso Sea”

Antigua’s National Cleanup

Unfortunately some of the amazing natural areas in Antigua are plagued by large amounts of garbage. There is an effort ongoing to clean this up – from removing bulk waste at unauthorized dump sites, to coastal and community cleanups happening this weekend. I am excited to participate!

This is another step in a positive direction for a sustainable Antigua & Barbuda. Single use plastic bags have already been banned, and styrofoam is next in line. There is hope that this cleanup effort will not only remove tons of waste from the environment here, but also help to lead to a change in waste management behaviors.

Posted in News | Comments Off on Antigua’s National Cleanup