Wild Tobago

  So you are thinking of studying marine science? Dr Anjani Ganase shares some of her reasons for becoming a marine biologist.     Why get into Marine Biology   The marine world was accessible and fascinating, growing up on a small island. Trinidad and Tobago has more exposure to the ocean than most other places we think about. Small Island States make up a population of about 63 million people or less than one percent of the global population. The ecology of islands is closely tied to the ocean. Growing up, I was able to hike through the northern range and follow rivers leading to the ocean. I spent most of my time at beaches with my head underwater. My parents made sure that I learned how to swim. My grandfather was a fisherman in his spare time; he would take me snorkelling Down De Islands.    Going for a dive. Photo Courtesy Christophe Bailhache     What to study in high school. And where to go to university I was interested in ...

Alvin “Dougie” Douglas was born and lived in Tobago all his life. Curiosity about the creatures in the ocean led to his passion and career as master diver and a leader of Tobago underwater expeditions. He is an advocate for our ocean home, and continues to work to inspire more Tobagonian children to explore their marine heritage. In this feature published in Tobago Newsday on May 4, 2017, Alvin Douglas talks about his life and love for the waters around Tobago. When I was about 14, at Signal Hill, my biology teacher brought a fisherman to tell us about sharks. He said that in order to stay alive, sharks had to swim continuously, something about their gill slits. This idea of constant motion intrigued me. In those days, the early 80s, there was one (scuba) dive shop, a club really, on the road to Pigeon Point. Dive Tobago was run by Jimmy Young. I started hanging around there after school. After almost a year of sweeping the shop, cleaning the boat, scraping the hull, generally...

Anjani Ganase, Trinbagonian marine biologist, continues her exploration of marine Tobago. In this issue, she talks with marine scientist Jahson Alemu who is working to preserve the coral reefs of Tobago, which serve as coastal protection as well as habitats for species that support livelihoods in food and tourism. Follow Anjani Ganase on twitter: @AnjGanase “I wanted to be a marine biologist when I learned to SCUBA dive. But my connection to the ocean started well before that. I almost drowned once - my fault really - 11 year old + big waves + following friends + not knowing how to swim = problems. That was quite scary, so I learned to swim and in the process I got exposure to ocean exploration. But when I learned to SCUBA, it was a new world to discover. I wanted to know everything about everything underwater.” Jahson prepares his dive gear. Photo by Mark Pierre Following his near drowning, Jahson decided he would never be in that situation ag...