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Race to save Sea Urchins

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  When last did you see black sea urchins on Tobago reefs? Anjani Ganase reports on the fate of sea urchins in the Red Sea following fatal disease in the Caribbean   Scientists are in shock after discovering a mass die off event of the black sea urchin (Diadema setosum) in the Gulf of Eilat in the Red Sea over the last couple of months. On reefs that were covered in these urchins, they now encounter dead skeletons and spines on the bottom. This black urchin, which is native to the Red Sea, invaded the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal many years ago. The population which occurred in the thousands on the reefs in the Mediterranean were wiped out in July and August 2022. The first reports of the sea urchin mortality came from Greece and Turkia and was originally thought to be a localised event. While that die off did not seem a threat to the species that is invasive in the Mediterranean Sea, the rapid spread of the disease across thousands of kilometres in the Eastern Mediterr
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The Secret Lives of Corals

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  Dr Anjani Ganase, coral reef ecologist, discusses little known facts of the undersea animals that are indicators of healthy oceans and coast   Mysteries of coral reproduction Not much is known about coral reproduction. Most coral species synchronise mass spawning releasing sperm and eggs into the water column. This event would be timed to seasonal and lunar cycles for optimal fertilisation. However, little is known about dynamics of the sperm and eggs when they are released into the water column.   How does a sperm increase its chances of finding a suitable egg to fertilise in a sea of 100 million eggs and sperm of many different species of corals and other organisms? Turns out there are universal strategies that coral gametes may use to find their mate. Eggs release unique chemical signals that trigger sperms to become motile. Echinoids (sea urchin and sea star eggs) are known to release calcium ions into the water to trigger sperm motility and a similar method is likely used
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Calling Mr Hook in Charlotteville

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  Curtis Antoine continues the fisherman’s lifestyle inherited from his father, passing it on to his son. He speaks with Dr Anjani Ganase, marine scientist and explains how he has adapted his business as harvests from the sea change. The first time I worked with Curtis Antoine, he was introduced as “Amin” after the Uganda Dictator Idi Amin. This alias given to him during the days of Boy Scouts Jamborees in Trinidad for his serious demeanour stuck and labelled his intensity and the way he commanded attention. The Curtis I came to know is humble, courteous and wise. Safety on the sea is his key characteristic today and it is something he impresses on everyone that comes to his boat. Curtis and his son, Curtis Junior, are the owners-operators of Curtis Boat Tours. Curtis grew up on the waters around and beyond Charlotteville. When he was supposed to be in school, he would sneak away with his father, who was a fisherman. The sea was his master teacher and he learne
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Connecting the dots from Sea to Shore

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Dr Anjani Ganase urges leaders and influential sectors in the society to consider the health of our ocean backyards. Connect the dots, she says, there is an urgent need to link land-based lifestyles with the life of the ocean, indeed the life of the planet. The Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) is upon us: will we use it to stem the degradation and revitalize the planet’s most precious resource? UNESCO has outlined a roadmap to improve the health of the ocean and to manage resources sustainably. Major challenges include understanding how marine pollutants impact ocean systems in order to mitigate impact, conserve marine biodiversity, and harvest the ocean sustainably to ensure food security. Further, could we build the capacity of ocean dependent states to address societal issues through ocean awareness? For the Caribbean, we need to build community resilience and disaster management with the use of early-warning systems against hurricanes, tsunamis and ev
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Endangered in the Antilles

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Falcons, parrots, parakeets are all near neighbours according to Faraaz Abdool who considers the fates of native parrots on some islands of the Lesser Antilles. All photos courtesy Faraaz Abdool  For those of us familiar with the Budgerigar – colloquially known as “budgie” – they are built for flight much like falcons are. Long, tapered wings and a long tail propel and guide a bullet-shaped body with ease at bone-shattering speeds. Even the mint-green Rose-ringed Parakeet, Europe’s first introduction to this family courtesy Alexander the Great in 327AD, shares these characteristics.   Delving deeply into the most recent revisions of avian taxonomy, one would encounter a pair of surprising neighbours. Falcons, within the order Falconiformes , famous for their blistering speed and ruthless accuracy, sit adjacent to Psittaciformes : parrots, cockatoos, and their relatives. Indeed, all these birds lie along the same spectrum. A look at Budgerigars in their thousand
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The marine world in the age of dinosaurs

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Do you ever wonder what lived in the ocean when the dinosaurs roamed the land? Dr Anjani Ganase shares what life might have been like in the Mesozoic. The dinosaurs roamed the earth for some 180 million years during the Mesozoic Era (252 – 66 million years ago). Hominids have been around for 11- 16 million years; and homo sapiens (us) for only the most recent 750,000 years. The Mesozoic Era (digest that - 180 million years!) is divided into three main periods: the Triassic, the Jurassic and the Cretaceous.   The Mesozoic Era followed the splitting up of the super continent Pangaea resulting in considerable volcanic activities and climatic shifts. As the land shifted to form the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and other ocean basins, the global ocean called Panthalassa shifted into the Pacific Ocean. At the time, it is thought that global climate was much warmer than today with no ice at the poles and sea levels much higher. The separation of the continents contributed to the for
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Antarctica the unknown

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  Dr Anjani Ganase discusses the most extreme environment on earth, the unknown continent, which has been positioned by the international community as a place of conservation, collaboration and human accord.   Extreme environment When learning about the seventh continent, Antarctica, it’s hard to really understand how alien this landscape is. On google maps, there’s nothing but a blank white visual. This is the coldest, driest and highest place on earth. Antarctica is covered in ice – in some locations five kilometres deep. It is a place that continues to defy human civilization, ancient and modern.   Antarctica has some of the lowest temperatures ever recorded – -89.2 C the lowest ever recorded on earth at Vostok Station. Geographically, Antarctica is two parts, East and West Antarctica divided along the Transantarctic mountains with eastern and western faces controlling the flow of ice sheets, either east or west. Mount Kirkpatrick is the highest mountain
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