2007 (PDF) - Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science ...

Sustainability
We have entered an important era in understanding and mitigating
the complex interactions between humans and our environment.
The world is in urgent need of focused scientific research on the
sustainability of the world’s natural resources. Rosenstiel scientists
are helping to provide a clear and hopeful vision for the future of
aquaculture, the economics of coastal communities, marine animal
population growth and a mutually beneficial relationship with the
diversity of life in and around marine and freshwater environments.
Transferring Valuable Knowledge
The year 2007 proved pivotal for advancements in aquaculture; a
science dedicated to creating sustainable practices that will meet
growing consumer demand for aquatic foods in a manner that is
environmentally responsible. After
two years of collecting data from
scientists, fishermen, aquaculture
practitioners, government regulators
and coastal citizens, the U.S.
Marine Aquaculture Taskforce
issued its report, Sustainable
Marine Aquaculture: Fulfilling the
Promise; Managing the Risks, which
UM Veterinarian Dan Rothen assesses
the health of Cobia larvae in
the hatchery. Photo credit: UM/
Aquaculture
recommends guidelines to protect
the health of marine ecosystems
through sound adherence by U.S.
based aquaculture programs.
Dr. Daniel D. Benetti, Aquaculture Program director, associate professor
and chairman of the Division of Marine Affairs & Policy at
the Rosenstiel School, served as a member of the task force. In recent
years, Benetti has grown the thriving Aquaculture Program at
the University of Miami into an internationally recognized resource
for sustainable aquaculture practices. He and his graduate students
are currently involved in transferring technology to endeavors on
nearly every continent, in industrialized and developing nations.
Dr. Daniel Benetti exits a state-of-the -art Aquapod off the coast of Puerto
Rico. Photo credit: Brian O’Hanlon, president of Snapperfarm, Inc.
The advanced research being conducted at the Rosenstiel School
is helping to further develop hatchery and growout technology
around the world. A state-of-the-art experimental marine finfish
hatchery located on Virginia Key, Florida is providing handson
training for students and professionals in advanced hatchery
management for marine fish production. Emphasis has been given
to pelagic species such as cobia, Seriola and most recently, tuna, the
most sought-after species of fish because of its dangerously declining
wild populations.
The scope of the program at the
Rosenstiel School is as broad as its
student body is diverse. Students
who join the Aquaculture Program
have interests that range from science
and technology, to production,
business, regulatory and environmental
issues. With nearly 100
percent job placement after graduation,
the Aquaculture Program is
becoming increasingly popular, with
several graduates now leading the
industry and establishing their own
companies to support demand in an
ecologically sound manner.
Aaron Welch examines Cobia
as he prepares to relocate it to a
new growout tank. Photo credit:
Barbra Gonzalez
Fishing for Generations
PESCA (Partnership for Ecologically Sustainable Coastal Areas),
a collaborative project between the Rosenstiel School’s National
Center for Coral Reef Research (NCORE) and the PUNTACANA
Ecological Foundation, was established in 2007. Designed to
provide a sound scientific basis for coastal management in greater
Punta Cana, project leaders are working towards empowering local
communities and businesses to actively support environmental
awareness.
Drs. Liana Talaue-McManus, alongside Drs. Larry Brand, and
John McManus from the Rosenstiel School, began conducting
studies to assess the health of marine habitats in the greater Punta
Cana watershed. Using a combination of satellite data analyses and
underwater surveys, they gathered
information to map the major
habitat types in the Punta Cana
Reef Ecosystem. The data collected
also helped to establish a monitoring
program to study nutrient patterns
that might be affecting water
quality and seek out their potential
sources. The team also designed
broad socioeconomic studies of
fishing and tourism livelihood,
A total of nine skin divers and four
SCUBA divers, including Renata
Ferrari, (above) spent the morning
removing marine debris, such as nets
and ropes, from the Acropora that grow
prominently in the area. Photo credit:
Megan Stone
which were used to establish the
economic dependence of local
residents on reef resources.
As part of the environmental
education component of PESCA,
Rosenstiel students and scientists,
and staff from the PUNTACANA Ecological Foundation were
joined by PADI AWARE, PUNTACANA Resort and Club’s Dive
Shop, Peace Corps volunteers and the Asociacion de Pescadores de
Juanillo for a reef and beach cleanup day. Fishermen, skin divers
and SCUBA divers spent the morning removing marine debris,
Local residents and University of Miami student Colleen Gatliff participated in
the cleanup which produced four sacks of trash and removed four nets from the
reef. Photo credit: Benjamin Kushner
such as nets and ropes, from the coral reef. Students from the Punta
Cana International School, Escuela Basica de Juanillo, and Colegio
Politécnico de Veron helped with beach cleanup on Cabo Engaño,
the easternmost point on Hispaniola.
The team’s overall goal
is to help educate and
foster stewardship of
natural resources in the
region. By analyzing
policies and regulatory
instruments, along with
ecological and socioeconomic
data, PESCA
hopes to provide options
to resource users
Elementary and high school students from three
different schools were organized to help in the beach
that will help to conserve cleanup on Punta Cana’s coral reefs. Photo credit:
the reef system for the Benjamin Kushner
long term.
Solomon Islands Subsistence
Damaged home in the town
of Paelongi on Ghizo Island.
Photo credit: Kelly L. Jackson
What began as an early morning rumble that shook coconut palm fronds to the ground, evolved into
the biggest natural disaster ever to hit the western Solomon Islands. An earthquake lasting just over
one minute, registering 8.1 on the Richter scale, triggered a tsunami that left thousands in Western and
Choiseul provinces homeless and 52 dead. Amid the rapid response teams from global relief agencies
were a team of scientists, including Kelly Jackson, a Rosenstiel School graduate assistant who spent three
weeks assessing the effects the tsunami had on the geology of the Solomon Islands.
Jackson, a student in the Rosenstiel School’s Division of Marine Geology and Geophysics, applied her
knowledge of sedimentology and ancient geological records during her visit. The team traveled to
severely damaged villages on the islands of Ghizo, Ranongga and Simbo, as well as several small,
uninhabited reef-islands. The team witnessed homes made of thatched grasses and palm fronds and
vehicles that floated tens of meters inland, and were deposited with surprisingly little damage, suggesting
that the wave came in not as a turbulent bore, but rather as a rapidly
rising tide.
The purpose of the survey was to document the changes to the coastal geology
of the region, focusing on sediment transport on and off shore, to see
how tsunamis are potentially recorded in the long-term geological record.
The earthquake and resulting tsunami caused extensive damage to coral
reefs, coastal erosion, and in some locations, three meters of uplift, subsidence,
and landslides. In a community largely dependent on fishing and
tourism, the extensive damage to the islands’ many coral reefs, will leave a
significant imprint on both the geology and economy of the region.
People walking across exposed corals on the island of Ranongga.
Photo credit: Wilson Billy Rafiau - Department of Mines
& Energy, Solomon Islands
17 18