Wild Tobago

Dr Anjani Ganase reviews a recent study where healthy reef sounds promote recovery and regeneration on degraded reefs   In a previous story, we discussed how noisy a coral reef is. (See   https://wildtobago.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-sounds-of-life-underwater.html) The clicks and snaps of shrimp and crabs, and the grunts and the sighs of the many fish on the reef, may sound like white noise to us, but is easily deciphered by reef residents. Imagine walking through a city and hearing all the different sounds. The same way we differentiate sirens, street signals, chatter, construction, the   fish can distinguish the noises on the reef. Being able to hear these reef sounds is important for visitors navigating the reef; and very important for the recruitment of new coral and fish life to replenish stocks. Fish and coral larvae are attracted to the sounds that resemble a healthy bustling underwater reef city.   Other areas that are more de...

The Maritime Ocean Collection is a collaboration of Underwater Earth, the Trinidad and Tobago marine NGO, SpeSeas and the Maritime Financial Company to document the reefs of Tobago and present them for online viewing in “virtual reality.” When complete, The Collection will be an education and research resource available on the Maritime Financial Company’s website; as well as on the webpages of the partners.   In the last week of March, marine biologist Dr Anjani Ganase and Jonathan Gomez, Marine Technician with the Institute of Marine Affairs started an exploration of the coastal waters around the northern end of Tobago. The Institute of Marine Affairs  (IMA) is the Trinidad and Tobago government organization (under the Ministry of Planning and Development) responsible for marine and environmental research. This is where Jonathan began his career surveying Tobago’s coral reefs. Here is Jonathan’s story: Jonathan Gomez. Photo by Anjani Ganase, The Maritime Ocean Colle...

Dr Anjani Ganase begins the exploration and photography of the coral reefs of Tobago for the Maritime Ocean Collection at Charlotteville. Coral reef research in Tobago began in the late 1970s and 80s, right around the time when Trinidad and Tobago established the Institute of Marine Affairs. I was told of young scientists roaming the Tobago coastline by boat to explore reefs farther east along the Caribbean coastline to discover something other than Buccoo in the southwest. Even back then, Buccoo reef was heavily impacted by pollution from coastal development in the area. Coral reefs in northeast Tobago were more removed from disturbance, but also never thoroughly explored and surveyed (at least by local scientists). Researchers from the Institute of Marine Affairs, such as Richard Laydoo and Doon Ramsaroop were some of the first to map coral reefs in northeast Tobago. When the surveys were carried out in the 1980s, many Caribbean coral reefs were on the cusp of change. White ban...

Dr Anjani Ganase, marine biologist discusses the partnership – Maritime Financial Group , Underwater Earth and SpeSeas - to showcase Tobago’s coral reefs in a significant Collection that will be available before the end of 2019 anywhere with an internet connection. What is this special Collection of Tobago’s coral reefs? The Maritime Ocean Collection will be the first on-line library of photos and videos showing coral reefs all around Tobago. It will be available for individuals, communities, schools, NGOs and companies in Trinidad and Tobago, and anywhere in the world, to view and to use for science and education. A visual information platform, it will be a powerful advocate for marine protection and conservation. The Collection of imagery will serve as a baseline for the state of Tobago’s reefs in 2019. It is a research and learning tool that can be used to gain understanding of the diversity of our coral reefs. Reefscapes (as in Google Street View but under the ocea...