BONEFISH CENSUS REVEALS
POPULATION HOLDING STEADY

If you're looking for bonefish from Miami down to the Marquesas Islands, you have about 329,000 to choose from. That is up slightly from the previous censuses—mostly due to increased participation among those who are counting, researchers speculate. The Rosenstiel School third annual Florida Keys bonefish census done with the conservation group, Bonefish & Tarpon Unlimited, involved 48 professional fishing guides split up among 19 zones, covering 1,575 square miles.

Right, a listening station (hydrophone) is raised so a laptop computer can download the stored data. Listening stations sited around a flat work with Acoustic Telemetry tags implanted in bonefish so entire schools of fish can be tracked at the same time. http://www.tarbone.org/tagging_bonefish.htm

“It's true the numbers are up slightly,” said Dr. Jerry Ault, Rosenstiel School associate professor of Marine Biology and Fisheries, an increase from approximately 300,000 in past years. “However, I wouldn't read too much into that change. The increase could be due to variations in where the bonefish showed up this year, and we also had more guides scouring the lower Keys than in previous counts. We're getting a basically consistent count from year to year, which makes us researchers feel good as it helps validate our process and confirm estimates.”

Ault and BTU started the annual census in 2003 to determine a population baseline for scientifically evaluating changes. With help from local flats guides and their customers to pole the flats looking for bonefish, they counted the number they saw and caught. This year, the boats set out on Sept. 29 to cover 19 clearly defined zones and visually and relatively methodically, count bonefish throughout the day. The volunteers, who ranged from fisherman to scientists and graduate students, covered well-known, popular bonefish territory, which ultimately resulted in a population estimate this year of 329,303 bonefish (+/- 47,318 for a 14.4 percent coefficient of variation) or about 209 bonefish per square mile.

“Bonefish are a great indicator of ecological change,” Ault said. “I would be concerned if the population drops from 300,000 to 200,000.”

Bonefish are valuable for two reasons. Because of their large size, bonefish obviously rely on smaller creatures in the ecosystem whose populations aren't as easy to assess. Bonefish are fairly easy to count on the flats and can be seen as an indicator of the overall ecosystem's general health—researchers will observe changes here much sooner than with a smaller creature whose numbers are in the millions. Long-time bonefish anglers often remark on the dramatic decreases they've observed in this popular sport fish's population.

For South Florida, bonefish are valuable for another reason. They bring in a significant amount of tourism. Bonefish sport fishing contributes approximately $1.0 billion annually to the Florida economy, making sport fishing more valuable than commercial fishing in today's market.

“This estimate of the `visible' population makes each bonefish in the water worth about $3,500 per year to the industry, and about $75,000 per fish over its lifetime,” Ault said.

Professional guides from the Florida Keys Fishing Guides Association, the Lower Keys Fishing Guides Association, and the Key Largo Fishing Guides Association played an integral role in the census' success by providing boats and manpower.

NEW STUDY SHEDS LIGHT ON WHERE,
HOW FISH FIND THEIR WAY HOME

A new study holds the potential to help combat overfishing and control the spread of invasive species and is published in the Dec. 16 issue of Science Express. The article, titled “Scaling of connectivity in marine populations” tracks fish larvae to understand why fish settle where they do, and it has significant implications for designing effective marine protected areas to help address these complex marine issues. Science Express is an online version of Science that provides a sneak preview of selected research papers.

Using a high resolution, hydrodynamic computer model, Drs. Robert Cowen, Claire Paris, and Ashwanth Srinivasan, at the Rosenstiel School, estimated how ocean currents and circulation patterns, coupled with various biological traits such as larval behavior, contribute to how and where fish larvae disperse and settle on and around coral reefs. By tracking a total of 40 trillion virtual larvae from 260 separate locations in the wider Caribbean coral reef tract every 30 days over a five-year period, the researchers built a “connectivity matrix” that can predict these dispersal patterns. The results of this study literally quantify the spatial scale over which fish populations are connected and concluded that most larvae in the study settle 10-100 km from the spawning site – a much shorter distance than previous research indicated. These results reveal distinct regions of population isolation that correspond to genetic variations among marine organisms.

“This is the first model of its kind to precisely estimate how larval biological traits mediate the role that ocean currents and circulation patterns play in the larval dispersal process for multiple species of reef fish in the Caribbean,” said Cowen, chairman of Marine Biology and Fisheries and the Maytag Chair of Ichthyology. “The results of this study establish a robust bio-physical model that can be applied to other species and locations”

In the Caribbean, coral reef habitat can be quite varied, with fragmented shallow water patches separated by deep water gaps between islands and coastlines, representing a complex landscape. The degree to which such a landscape aids or hinders movement among reefs is mainly driven by oceanographic regimes at various scales. Connectivity among marine populations plays a fundamental role in population dynamics, community structure, genetic diversity, and the resiliency of fish populations to human exploitation.

Research to date has focused on ocean circulation processes and has not factored in biological considerations to calculate larval dispersal and settlement. By using bio-physical modeling, the researchers have developed an effective way to determine the typical dispersal distances, pathways and critical factors that influence larval dispersal.

MARINE RESERVE IN THE BAHAMAS BENEFIT
FISH PREDATORS, PREY AND THE REEF

Professor Kenny Broad participated in an in-depth team study of Bahamian coral reefs, showing that marine reserves, in addition to protecting key species, can lead to healthier coral reefs. Knowing the marine reserves can be highly effective in protecting predator fish, such as Nassau grouper, the researchers were interested in how a build-up of predators might affect the rest of the coral reef ecosystem. Would an abundance of predators suppress populations of herbivores allowing seaweed populations to bloom and overwhelm corals? They found that in addition to the fishing ban resulting in increase in groupers, it has had a positive effect on parrotfish as well. Parrotfish, the primary Caribbean reef grazers, have contributed to healthier reefs by reducing algae. This study is published in the latest issue of the journal Science.

“How reserves may affect the local human communities that rely on these fishing grounds must be considered. Will fishers shift effort toward other fishing grounds that may suffer similar environmental consequences? Might they switch to activities and fishing methods even more damaging to the environment once their livelihoods are threatened? Given the lack of enforcement that exists in many parts of the world, how can local groups play a role in developing innovative approaches for managing the resources that they rely upon most directly? These and other questions are being addressed in other components of the larger research project.” The five-year study of how networks of marine protected areas can conserve biodiversity, sustain fisheries and enhance local economies is the first of it’s kind.

ADVENTURE ON DOLPHIN ISLAND

Science meets youth literature at the Saturday, Januery 28th interactive presentation by author Dr. Ellen Prager at the Rosenstiel School Auditorium where she will be discussing her newest novel for 6th-8th grade students, Adventure on Dolphin Island.

Her book is a new ocean adventure for young readers that combines the best of fiction and non-fiction in an exciting story of fantasy blended with true details about the sea and marine life.

Complimentary copies of Adventure on Dolphin Island will be issued to the first 100 registered students, so advance registration is important. Limited spaces are available for this free event.

To reserve a spot, contact Karen Wilkening at 305/421-4612 or kwilkening@rsmas.miami.edu. Visit http://www.earth2ocean.net for info on Ellen Prager and Adventure on Dolphin Island.

Dr. Ellen Prager is the author of The Oceans and Furious Earth: The Science and Nature of Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Tsunamis and three National Geographic Society children's books: Sand, Volcano, and Earthquakes. Adventure on Dolphin Island is Dr. Prager's first fiction book and many of the adventures in the story are based on her own experiences.

STAFF AWARDS PRESENTED IN DECEMBER

The annual presentation of long service awards and the employees of the year took place in the auditorium right before the holiday break. Besides Marilyn Greene, Ray Alfonso, Ray Turner and Jim Brown receiving employee awards, the hurricane preparedness team from facilities received special recognition for their efforts during a tough hurricane season.

Marilyn Greene with Dean Otis Brown	Ray Alfonso with Dean Otis Brown	Ray Turner with Dean Otis Brown

MBF student Joel Llopiz discussing the larval billfish project.

MARINE CONSERVATION
NIGHT A HIT!

Yahama Contender Miami Billfish Tournament’s annual Marine Conservation Night drew a large crowd this year, on the heels of the 4th International Billfish Symposium. The event was held here in the Smith Commons on Thursday, November 10 and featured a presentation by Dr. Eric Prince on his circle hook and sailfish conservation research.

Spectators also enjoyed educational exhibits and interacting with marine conservation representatives from the Billfish Foundation, Education Fund, Florida Keys Marine Lab, Florida Sea Grant, Guy Harvey Research Institute, IGFA, Nature Conservancy, Officer Snook Water Pollution Program, and RSMAS.

2006 SEASON OF POPULAR
SEA SECRETS SERIES BEGINS

Rosenstiel School and the Ocean Research and Education Foundation will begin the 2006 season of Sea Secrets lectures with “Explorations Undersea: The Search for New Drugs” on Thursday, January 19 at 6:15 p.m. in the Rosenstiel School Auditorium, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Virginia Key.

Dr. David H. Sherman, the Searle professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Michigan, will present this lecture that is free to the public and that includes a reception at 5:30 p.m., preceding the event. Dr. Sherman is an undersea explorer searching for potential new disease-fighting drugs. From the ocean, he gathers sediments, sponges, and other marine organisms, looking for elusive natural compounds with the potential to fight disease. His explorations continue in the laboratory where he tests each compound, investigates its genetic origin, and tries to understand how it works — his ultimate challenge is to not only identify new compounds, but find ways to synthesize them and develop new cancer-fighting or anti-infection medications. Dr. Sherman will share his latest exploration into the frontier of drug discovery under the oceans and in the laboratory.

The Lawrence J. and Florence A. DeGeorge Charitable Trust, the Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation, the Charles N. and Eleanor Knight Lee Foundation, and the International Oceanographic Foundation are sponsoring this year's monthly lecture series. Additionally, the NSF-NIEHS Oceans and Human Health Center at Rosenstiel School plays co-host to this particular lecture. The Rosenstiel School designed this series of evening programs specifically for the South Florida non-scientific community to learn more about our blue planet and to meet distinguished scientists and explorers from around the world.

The next lecture in the series will be Tuesday, February 21st and is titled, “How Safe is the Earth? Mass Extinctions and Planetary Catastrophes.” All events are free and open to the public, however, seating is limited. For further information, please call 305-421-4061.

Air & Sea Interaction
Bader Lecture to Address Upper Ocean
Processes, Impact on Weather & Climate

Upper ocean processes is the topic du jour at this year's University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science Bader Lecture, to be held Thursday, January 26th at 3 p.m. in the School auditorium. W. Kendall Melville of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California-San Diego, will discuss, "Upper Ocean Processes: Implications for Weather and Climate" at this free lecture geared toward academics or oceanography enthusiasts.

Melville, an expert in this field, is a native of Sydney, Australia. His work in physical oceanography, including air-sea interaction and nonlinear surface and internal waves, has been recognized by a Guggenheim Fellowship and fellowships in the Acoustical Society of America and the American Physical Society.

The Bader Lecture is an annual event since 2000. G.J. Wasserburg endowed the Henri and Adele Bader Lectureship at Rosenstiel School to honor Henri Bader, the famous glaciologist. Each year, a leading scientist is selected to spend three days in residence at Rosenstiel School and interact with students and younger faculty. During this time he or she gives two lectures. One is a general lecture aimed at the entire faculty and student body of the School. The other lecture is for a high school audience for the purpose of conveying the excitement and beauty of science. Melville is also scheduled to lecture at MAST Academy during his stay at Rosenstiel School. The divisions of Meteorology and Physical Oceanography, Applied Marine Physics, and Marine Geology and Geophysics take turns each year selecting the Bader lecturer.