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Got plans for the summer? Go underwater!
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Posted on May 14 2008
Go underwater this summer and learn more about the marine environment as a biosearch volunteer.
Biosearch is a program designed to encourage anyone with an interest in the marine ecosystem, who is a strong swimmer, to help improve our understanding and management of the CNMI’s marine environment.
John Starmer, coordinator of the program said, “By combining the efforts and observations of many, many volunteer divers it is possible to gain previously unavailable insight into the local marine environment.”
This has not been possible with annual surveys at specific sites. The more participants, the greater information can be collected about marine animals and the environment.
Animals such as sea turtles, sharks, and certain large fish have become less common over the years. Biosearch will help with our understanding of where these animals can still be found and if there are areas that they seem to consistently prefer. This will help us identify areas that deserve enhanced management consideration. Some animals, such as Acanthaster planci (the crown-of-thorns starfish), are known to go through population explosions that can have serious effects on reef communities. Information about when and where these outbreaks are occurring improve the chances of effectively managing them.
Occasionally, short-term environmental changes occur and have long-lasting effects on local marine life. A coral bleaching event in 2000 greatly reduced the back reef, staghorn coral population in the Saipan Lagoon, which is showing patchy recovery eight years later. Other problems, such as mud and silt pollution from on shore runoff might operate on a more continuous basis, and by documenting the repeat occurrences of these discharges, management efforts can be better targeted address the problems.
“Volunteer observations and reports have helped drive a multi-agency effort to revegetate the watershed at Lau Lau Bay shore dive site,” added Starmer.
There are currently 40 active participants in the program.
For more information, contact John Starmer at Coastal Resources Management at 664-8300 or john.starmer @ crm.gov.mp or go online at http://www.cnmicoralreef.net/biosearch/biosearch.htm. [B][I](Coco)[/I][/B]
