Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine October 2017

—Continued from previous page
Peer-to-Peer MPA Training in Grenadines
This is the Grenadines Network of Marine Protected Areas at work — facilitating
peer-to-peer training between member MPAs. The Mustique Marine Conservation Area
harbormaster Berris “Slick” Little was recently on secondment in Sandy Island/Oyster
Bed Marine Protected Area in Carriacou, sharing his expertise with the wardens there.
Village Trust, the Coast Guard, Caribbean Fisheries Training & Development Institute,
Institute of Marine Affairs, the University of the West Indies Zoological Museum and
the Solid Waste Management Company, saw a steady influx of visitors.
Besides students, assistants included faculty and staff of UTT’s Marine Sciences
programmes and volunteers of different ages. Volunteers were given training prior to
the event and they gained hands-on experience dealing with the animals (both live
and preserved). They were also exposed to basic aquaria maintenance. Information
on applying to Marine Sciences and other UTT programmes was also made available
to the public. Annually, the showcase is seen as an avenue to remind citizens to be
mindful of their responsibility to protect and conserve our environment and the
organisms that live within it.
Anyone interested in partnering or volunteering with the marine sciences unit can
contact assistant professor Dr. Reia Guppy at marine.sciences@ utt.edu.tt.
Read the full story at www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,247759.html
‘Slick’ (center) with wardens Quarsim (left) and Akim (right) in Carriacou’s
Sandy Island/Oyster Bed MPA
The GNMPA thanks the Mustique Company for being so kind as to release Berris to
provide this training pro bono, and to USAID supporting the other costs, including two
new wardens for Carriacou’s MPA.
For more information on the GNMPA visit www.facebook.com/GNMPA
Marine Conservation Awareness Raised in Trinidad
The University of Trinidad & Tobago’s Marine Sciences Unit recently hosted its
fourth annual showcase at Trincity Mall. Local species of marine flora and
fauna were displayed to educate the public on indigenous wildlife and raise
conservation awareness.
A combination of living marine and coastal organisms as well as preserved and
dried specimens were exhibited. Live species on display included caiman, lionfish,
stingrays, eels, various types of saltwater fish, crabs, freshwater turtles, tubeworms
and echinoderms among other organisms. Preserved specimens consisted of a lamprey
and horseshoe crab, eels, rays, sharks, echinoderms, molluscs, crustaceans,
shells and eggs of five different sea turtles and bones of other marine animals.
The public was also treated to useful information on several topics such as invasive
species, shark conservation, seismic testing, oil spills and COREXIT, which is an oil
dispersant used during oil spill response operations.
Every year, the marine sciences unit extends an invitation to stakeholders who play
an important role in the marine environment to participate in the showcase. This
year’s event, which was co-sponsored by Trincity Mall in collaboration with Turtle
St. Martin’s Réserve Naturelle Nears 20 Years
Next year, St. Martin’s Réserve Naturelle will celebrate its 20th anniversary. For
close to two decades, the energetic and highly motivated staff of the Réserve Naturelle
de Saint-Martin has successfully reconciled local issues with the overall conservation
of the island’s rich biodiversity.
Daniel Gibbes, Président de la Collectivité de Saint-Martin, says, “In Saint Martin,
we have often felt that economic development conflicted with environmental protection.
Yet the two go hand-in-hand. Our island thrives from tourism: if we don’t provide
our visitors with beautiful places to visit, clean beaches, and clear water for swimming,
they won’t come back! Maintaining our biodiversity and preserving the various ecosystems
on land and at sea are priorities in Saint Martin. With an eye towards continuing
to improve our quality of life, I hope that, among other things, we invest wisely in the
fight against climate change, while embracing sustainable development. For example,
we need to continue the battle against invasive species, but also reclaim the shores of
our salt ponds, with the creation of pedestrian walkways around these wetlands,
which are not meant for garbage, but are wonderful natural resources to discover!”
The Journal of Réserve Naturelle de Saint-Martin is always interesting. The July
edition of the journal reported that in keeping with its management objectives, the
Agoa marine mammal sanctuary, which corresponds to the entire surface area of the
French West Indies Exclusive economic zone, has made recommendations and indicated
proper behavior for boats during high-caliber nautical events, in order to
reduce any potential impact on marine mammals and the risks of collision, disturbance,
or harassment. In 2017, five regattas and a great number of boats benefited
from this advice: the Heineken Regatta in March with a fleet of 220 sailboats; The
Bucket in Saint Barth, also in March, with 40 super yachts; Les Voiles de Saint-
Barth, where 70 sailboats competed in April; the Mini Bucket in April, with 80 participants;
and finally the Hippocup in June with 32 boats sailing between Saint
Martin, Anguilla, and Saint Barth. The race organizers and local authorities were
consulted and an information sheet was slipped into the race packets for each participating
regatta. This was possible thanks to Agoa’s close partnership with the new
Direction de la Mer de Saint Martin, the prefecture, the Territorial Environmental
Agency in Saint Barth, and of course the Réserve Naturelle de Saint-Martin.
Read the latest Journal of Réserve Naturelle de Saint-Martin (in French and English)
at https://reservenaturelle-saint-martin.com/journaux-pdf/2017/journal29.pdf
OCTOBER 2017 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 11