Conservation Abstracts
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Ocean Health and Conservation Vice Adm. Dr. Conrad C Lautenbacher, Jr., Georgia Aquarium Watch Video (Login required) Full Abstract
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Monterey Bay Aquarium's Project White Shark at 10 Years Old (or How to Shoot Yourself in the Foot)
Manny Ezcurra and Paul Clarkson, Monterey Bay Aquarium Watch Video (Login required) Full Abstract
In 2002, the Monterey Bay Aquarium (MBA) initiated Project White Shark. From its inception, several goals were established for this program: to better understand the biology and movements of these ocean predators through scientific research, to systematically determine whether it would be possible to display a young white shark successfully, and to communicate with our visitors and the public in ways that would lead to continued protection of white sharks and to highlight the need for global conservation of shark species. As the program enters its eleventh year, we have documented compelling impacts upon our guests and visitorship, education programs and research initiatives, and conservation-based advocacy efforts. MBA- supported field research has redefined what we know of this species' biology and movement patterns in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Initially, significant aquarium attendance impacts were realized; however, in the following years those impacts declined, raising some interesting questions. Survey data support the assumption that the presence of a white shark on exhibit has indeed raised public awareness of this species. Our advocacy efforts related to the protection of sharks have had quantifiable public policy results. 2013 now sees the beginning of an evaluation period to consider the listing of white sharks under the federal and California Endangered Species Act. If this listing is formally adopted it will have significant implications on the future of the program in its current form. While the husbandry advances achieved through this program have been considerable, Project White Shark exemplifies the kind of broad-scope impact that public aquarium programs can and do achieve. |
New Marine Zoning in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and Other Regulatory Issues Affecting the Supply of Marinelife to Public Aquariums and Zoos
Ben Daughtry, Dynasty Marine Associates Inc Watch Video (Login required) . Full Abstract
As caretakers and sustainable suppliers of marine life and as ardent supporters of environmental sustainability, most of us stand behind the concept of Marine Protected Area's (MPA's) and the listing of threatened and endangered species as protected. In fact, one could also say that most, if not all of us, consider ourselves to be conservationists, environmentalists, or environmentally conscious individuals. But what do MPA's and protected species ultimately mean to the supply of display animals to public aquariums and zoos that are responsible for promoting education and conservation to the hundreds of millions of individuals who visit their facilities each year? As the operations manager of a company whose primary responsibility is the supply of many different marine species, as display animals, to zoos, aquariums and educational facilities; it is paramount that we are acutely aware of the many changes that are occurring across a wide variety of fisheries and fisheries management regimes on a continual and ongoing basis. Operating primarily in the Florida Keys and within the FKNMS creates a unique set of circumstances. We are currently under the management jurisdiction of six different fisheries agencies on a State and Federal level and are surrounded by more than a dozen different state and federal parks, MPA's, wildlife refuges, and other restricted use zones within the FKNMS. All of these regulations affect what is, or is not allowed to occur, in and out of these areas and all the time bearing in mind that many of these regulations are changing on an annual basis. This presentation will focus on the different agencies, rules and regulations, how those rules and regulations are evolving, and how that is affecting the collection of display animals. |
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Whale Shark Aggregations in Yucatan Mexico Alistair D.M. Dove, PhD, Georgia Aquarium Watch Video (Login required) Full Abstract
There has been a veritable explosion of research interest in whale sharks over the last 10-15 years. Among this body of work has been the discovery that whale sharks are not always solitary open ocean nomads. Rather, under the right conditions they can and do form large groups, seasonally and sometimes quite close to shore. Two such aggregations occur in Yucatan Mexico: one near Isla Holbox and one offshore from Isla Contoy. The former is a turbid water aggregation that feeds on zooplankton, whereas the latter is a blue water aggregation that feeds on fish eggs and is the largest whale shark aggregation known to science by a large margin. Tools like aerial surveys, satellite-linked tags and photo identification by spot pattern matching are beginning to unravel the biology of these extraordinary aggregation events and tell us more about whale sharks in general. This is important because they are ambassadors for a threatened and much maligned class of vertebrates and, indeed, for the entire pelagic zone. Understanding this species and the aggregation events are key components of enlightened science-based conservation strategies for the oceans. |
Project Piaba: 2013 and Beyond Scott Dowd, New England Aquarium & Project Piaba Watch Video (Login required) Full Abstract
Project Piaba is an entity well known by the RAW community. This presentation will give a very brief overview of the background of the project, critical issues, goals, and challenges. Much has happened with Project Piaba since the presentation at RAW in 2012. The role of the project within the AZA is coming into focus. New partnerships with key members of the aquarium fish industry have been established. Project Piaba’s goals of fostering sound fishery management with benefits to local communities appears to be generating harmonized enthusiasm from mainstream conservation organizations as well as leaders in the commercial trade of live fishes. |
Comprehensive Blood Analysis of Free-Ranging Sandtiger Sharks (Carcharias taurus) In Delaware Bay
Tonya Clauss, Georgia Aquarium Watch Video (Login required) Full Abstract
The sandtiger shark (Carcharias taurus) is a popular exhibit specimen among public aquaria. While ranges for hematologic, biochemistry, blood gas, nutritional and hormone parameters have been reported for sandtigers maintained under human care, ranges for these parameters have not been established for wild populations. The objectives of this project were to measure baseline health and nutritional indices of free-ranging sandtiger sharks in Delaware Bay. These data will not only contribute to the management of sandtigers under human care, but may also contribute to the development of a conservation plan for this species in the wild. During the summers of 2011 and 2012, 162 sandtiger sharks were captured via longline using non-barbed, circle hooks. Animals were positioned in dorsal recumbency, morphometric data was collected, and tooth, skin and blood samples were obtained. All sharks received a dart tag and adequately sized animals also received acoustic and/or satellite transponders. Blood was collected from the caudal tail vein, and blood gas values were immediately measured using a point of care analyzer (iSTAT, Abbott Labs, Princeton, NJ 08540). Blood samples were analyzed for additional indices including complete blood counts, blood cultures, comprehensive chemistries, trace minerals, heavy metals, vitamins, fatty acid profiles, sex and stress hormone levels and serum protein fractions via electrophoresis. Preliminary results suggest some variability amongst many of the individual parameters, and numerous analytes varied between those reported for managed sandtigers and this wild population. |
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500 Million Years on Earth
and We Still Don’t Know Jack: The Life of Nautiluses Gregory J. Barord, City University of New York, Brooklyn College Watch Video (Login required) Full Abstract
Humans and nautiluses have coexisted on Earth for 200,000 years but have experienced very little interactions, until recently. In the late 19th century, formal research into nautiluses began with Arthur Willey's expeditions throughout the Indo-Pacific. In the late 20th century, humans began to view nautiluses not just as a research endeavor, but as a marketable commodity. Nautilus fisheries were created throughout the Indo-Pacific, primarily in the Philippines, to supply a new, world-wide demand for their ornamental shell. Since these fisheries formed, anecdotal reports of nautilus population decline have become common throughout their habitat. However, without scientific data to report these claims, there have been no conservation efforts or regulation measures in place to protect nautiluses. In 2011, a team of researchers began a project to determine the state of nautilus populations throughout the Indo-Pacific to quantify the effect of fisheries. Four separate locations were selected in the Indo-Pacific: Philippines, Australia, Fiji, and American Samoa. The Philippines population represents a fished population whereas the other three locations represent un-fished populations. The data collected confirms the earlier anecdotal reports of population decline in fished areas, like the Philippines. Further, the population levels of nautiluses in un-fished areas appear to be relatively low in its natural state, suggesting that nautiluses are highly susceptible to unregulated fisheries. Based upon these studies, nautiluses are highly sensitive to overexploitation. Conservation initiatives and management practices should be in place to ensure healthy populations of nautiluses, but also sustainable fisheries. Ensuring the survival of nautiluses will enable researchers to investigate other questions and mysteries of an animal that has lived on Earth for 500 million years, unlocking even more secrets of the Earth and its history. |
The Most Important Corals You Have Probably Never Heard of Ben LaBelle, Florida State University - Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences Watch Video (Login required) Full Abstract
The corals of Alaska's Aleutian Archipelago may be some of the most important corals you have probably never heard of. From an ecological standpoint, they are believed to be the most biologically diverse collection of cold water corals in the world. These corals are also extremely important economically. Eighty-five percent of commercially fished species in Alaskan waters are, at some point in their life cycle, associated with corals and other deep water, structure forming invertebrates. With the commercial fisheries of Alaska valued at 2.4 billion dollars annually, the argument could be made that the health of the corals in Alaskan waters is a 2 billion dollar a year issue. Threatening these animals are a suite of issues ranging from mineral exploration and bottom contact fishing operations, to water chemistry shift due to climate change. These threats are further amplified by the slow growth rate and recruitment limitations of many corals, which leads to extremely slow recovery rates after a disturbance. Considering the value of the coral community of the Aleutians, the threats they are facing, and their long recovery times, there exists a very clear and present need for greater understanding of cold water coral communities. Studying these communities, as well as their connectivity to each other and surrounding habitats, is vital to developing proper management practices. While there have been previous studies that have looked at the coral community structure of the Aleutians, new genetic techniques are emerging which may allow us to get a picture of these communities at a resolution never before possible. This study utilizes 3 mitochondrial gene markers from nearly 1000 deep water corals off the Alaskan coast to attempt to determine if genetic methods provide a substantially different picture of community structure than the traditional species designation based studies. |
Collection and Successful Long Distance Transport of Atlantic Tunas Forrest A. Young, Dynasty Marine Associates, Inc. Watch Video (Login required) Full Abstract
A collection, husbandry and transport method has been successfully developed to catch and transport juvenile individuals of Atlantic blackfin tuna, Thunnus atlanticus. Challenges that were discovered and solved will be discussed along with the discussion of results of a 45 hour duration trans-Pacific air transport. The authors feel a compelling case can be made for the ability to catch and transport other additional species of Atlantic tunas and other pelagic species. |
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Twenty Years of Imperiled Fish Surveys in Portions of the Conasauga and Coosa River Drainages with Watersheds on Cherokee and Chattahoochee National Forest Lands, Including Observations of Impacts of 2004 Floods Produced by Tropical Storm Ivan.
Patrick Rakes, Conservation Fisheries, Inc. Authors: P.L. Rakes, J.R. Shute, C.L. Ruble, and M.A. Petty Watch Video (Login required) Full Abstract
Conservation Fisheries, Inc. has conducted snorkel surveys to monitor the status of imperiled fish populations in the Conasauga River for the Cherokee National Forest annually since 1993. Similar surveys were also conducted for the Chattahoochee National Forest in the Conasauga River and Coosa River tributary sites in 1995 and 2003; these include main stem Conasauga River sites from the upper Alaculsy Valley down to Minnewauga Creek, 3 Holly Creek sites, 2 Sumac Creek watershed sites, 2 Mill Creek sites, and 2 Etowah River sites. Surveys are visual estimates intended to gather baseline data and determine any trends in state or federally listed, Forest Service sensitive and Management Indicator Species (MIS)-- information gathering dictated by the Chattahoochee-Oconee and Cherokee National Forest Plans. These include the federally listed blue shiner, Conasauga logperch and Etowah darter; the state listed “bridled darter”, Forest Service sensitive species: the holiday darter, trispot darter, lined chub, frecklebelly madtom, freckled darter; and MIS species: coosa darter and redeye bass. Target species were counted. Relative abundance of all associated fish species were recorded as well as microhabitat preferences. On September 17-18, 2004, the tropical storm remnant of Hurricane Ivan deluged many areas of the upper Conasauga and Coosa River watersheds with over 10 inches of rain, causing significant flooding in many streams. The Conasauga River rose 17 feet at the Eton, GA USGS gauge, increasing in flow from around 100 to nearly 20,000 cubic feet per second. Floodwaters inflicted substantial damage on floodplains and riparian zones, and significantly altered stream channel morphology and substrates. CFI conducted post-flood snorkel surveys at all sites routinely monitored for the Cherokee NF as well as sites established in the 2003 Chattahoochee NF effort to assess rare fish population and habitat impacts. Monitoring has continued through 2012, although effort and sites surveyed has varied annually. Monitoring results after the flood revealed fish abundance declines in the most severely affected areas, followed by varying subsequent recoveries. The degree of decline and rate of recovery varied from site to site, correlated with the degree of habitat alteration. Affected abundances and recovery rates also varied from species to species, inviting speculation about underlying reasons such as habitat preferences and needs, life history attributes, and reproductive biology. The complex net result is the seemingly stochastic nature of stream fish community dynamics. |
AZA Aquatic Conservation Program Overview Beth Firchau, Virginia Aquarium Watch Video (Login required) Full Abstract
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Drum and Croaker Preserving Public Aquarium Husbandry Information for 55 years Pete Mohan, Akron Zoo Watch Video (Login required) Full Abstract
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