2013 Coral Reef Symposium
June 26 - 28, 2013 - Hyatt Regency Guam Page 1
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Symposium Overview
8:30 a.m.
9:00 a.m.
Welcome and Introduction Eric Palacios Administrator, Guam EPA Joseph Cameron President, Department of Chamorro Affairs and Governor of Guam’s POC for Coral Reef Conservation Programs Fisheries & Oceans Matters Val Brown Fishery Biologist, NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office Habitat Conservation Division
Land Based Sources of Pollution
10:00 a.m.
• Watershed Management in West Maui…a 20 Year Perspective • Stream Dynamics: Watershed Management’s Critical Link in Guam’s Terrestrial and Coastal Ecology • Link between sewage-derived nitrogen pollution and coral disease
Climate Change and Reef Resilience • • • • •
Noon
1:30 p.m.
2:30 p.m.
3:30 p.m.
4:30 p.m.
Where are Guam’s Canaries in the Coal Mine? Mapping Guam’s Staghorn Coral Thickets Biodiversity of eukaryotes on coral reefs: diatoms in farmerfish territories All Coral Growth Anomalies Are Not Created Equal Coral Recruitment on Guam Coral reef resilience to climate change in Saipan, CNMI: field based-assessments and implications for vulnerability and future management. • Context-dependent roles of localized stressor influence the resiliency of CNMI and American Samoa coral-reef ecosystems • History and Recent Advances of Research on Crown-of-Thorns Seastar, Acanthaster planci, in Pacific Coral Reefs
Lunch and Poster Session • Unrecognized Algal Diversity in the Western Pacific: A Case Study of the Genus Actinotrichia • Negative association between a corallivorous snail and a symbiotic crab on Pocillopora damicornis colonies on Guam • Managing Western Pacific Fisheries Under Catch Limits: Process and Challenges • First Stewards: Coastal Peoples Address Climate Change • Village of Merizo: Development of a Community-Based Management Plan for Coastal and Marine Resources
Fisheries Management • • • •
Identifying & Mapping Reef Fish Spawning Aggregation Sites in Guam Stock Assessment of Sea Cucumbers on Guam Improving Marine Enforcement in Micronesia Sustainable Fisheries and Coral Reef Management on the Outer Islands: Ulithi Atoll, FSM
Human Dimension
• What Are All Those People Doing in the Ecosystem? • Uncertainty in Science: Importance to Public Perception, Environmental Education, Policymaking, and Valuing Traditional Knowledge in Coral Reef Management. • Community Based Fishery Management on Guam • Guam Community Coral Reef Monitoring Program
Emerging Research • PacIOOS ‘Voyager’ Tool Improves Decision-Making for Coral Reef Managers in the Pacific Islands • SECORE- coral restoration project for Guam • The Effect of Taxonomic Inflation on Reef Management and Conservation
Closing Discussion Page 2
Agenda Overview
Land Based Sources of Pollution Watershed Management in West Maui...a 20 Year Perspective Wendy Wiltse U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9
Community based watershed management efforts in West Maui focuses on nuisance algal blooms in 1990’s and recently on coral reef declines. West Maui’s Honokowai-Wahikuli watersheds are currently a priority site for the US Coral Reef Task Force’s Watershed Partner Initiative (along with Guanica, Puerto Rico and Faga’alu, American Samoa). Many practical lessons can be learned from reviewing the stakeholder efforts, leadership structure, funding mechanisms, and implementation efforts over 20 years. This review focuses on 4 enduring management programs: (1) Improved wastewater treatment and effluent reuse; (2) Construction of sediment retention basins; (3) Restoration of flood storage capacity; and (4) Restrictions on herbivore fisheries. Improved wastewater treatment and reuse reduced nitrogen and phosphorus loads by >50%, but a recent dye- tracer study showed effluent from injection wells enters the ocean in shallow water in front of a popular resort. After heavy rain the coastal waters became turbid and red but plantations were not willing to direct runoff into agricultural fields to prevent sediment runoff. Sediment retention basins in stream beds removed some of the suspended sediments and also helped reduce flooding of coastal developments. A beach slated for development was downzoned from 9 to 6 resorts with proscriptive requirements for open space and restoration of flood storage capacity Overfishing contributed to nuisance algal blooms but a “no take” preserve was not acceptable to the public. An extensive educational program resulted in adoption of a ban on fishing for herbivorous fish only.
Stream Dynamics: Watershed Management’s Critical Link in Guam’s Terrestrial and Coastal Ecology Daniel M. Savercool , Jim Morris , and Jaquay Soriano EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc. Guam, Hunt Valley, MD 1
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In order to interpret the diverse factors that impact the coastal marine environment, understanding of landscape ecology principles in the onshore contributing drainage basin and their relation to the receiving waters (coastal marine environment) is helpful. Applying landscape ecology principles to management of watersheds receiving waters allows the land manager to better understand the dynamics of the watershed and its influence upon the health and functional value of the habitats in the receiving waters. Landscape ecology relates to causes and consequences of the spatial composition and configuration of landscape mosaics within the components of a landscape; plant communities, land use (human uses), and hydrologic patterns (rivers, streams, and channels). These principles and components have a direct correlation upon the amount and types of pollutants which affect the coral communities in the near-shore receiving waters. Condition of the watershed is important because it influences the quality, abundance, and stability of downstream resources and habitats by controlling production of sediments and nutrients, influencing streamflow, and modifying the distribution of nutrients into the receiving waters. This presentation will focus on the role of hydrologic patterns in watershed management, including how knowledge of stream shape, pattern, and profile in both the instable and stable condition, will help to increase water quality as it enters the coastal environment.
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Link between sewage-derived nitrogen pollution and coral disease Raymundo, LJ ; Kim, K ; Redding, JE ; Myers-Miller , RL; Baker, DM ; Fogel, M University of Guam Marine Lab; American University, Washington DC; NOAA, Guam Coral Reef Monitoring Program; Carnegie Institution, Washington DC; 1
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The goals of this study were to evaluate the contribution of sewage-derived Nitrogen (N) to reef flat communities in Guam and to assess the impact of N inputs on coral disease. We used stable isotope (δ15N) analysis of macroalgae (Halimeda micronesica and Caulerpa serrulata) and a soft coral (Sinularia polydactyla) as a proxy for N dynamics, and surveyed Porites spp., a dominant coral taxon on Guam’s reefs, for white syndrome disease severity. Monitoring was conducted at seven sites along Guam’s northwestern coast: a northern reference “clean” site, Haputo; nearshore to the sewage outfalls at Tanguisson and West Agana; the Marine Preserves Tumon and Piti; Adelup; and Luminao. Results showed a strong influence of sewage-derived N in all monitored sites, with δ15N values varying as a function of species sampled, site, and sampling date. Susceptibility to white syndrome, the most dominant disease of Guam corals, varied between genera, with Porites being the most affected genus. Increases in sewage-derived N correlated significantly with increases in the severity of disease among Porites spp., with δ15N values accounting for more than 48% of the variation in changes in disease severity. Laboratory dosing assays supported field observations, showing a positive influence of elevated N on disease progression. These results strongly suggest that the anticipated military realignment and related population increase in Guam will lead to increased white syndrome infections and other coral diseases, should water quality continue to decline.
Wendy Wiltse, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9
Wendy Wiltse is a Sr. Environmental Scientist with EPA Region 9 Wetlands Regulatory Program. She’s worked for EPA in Boston, San Francisco, and has been based in Honolulu for 20 years working on watersheds, water quality, wetlands, and coral reef protection. Wendy has a Ph.D. in marine biology from University of Massachussetts.
Daniel Savercool, Biological Oceanographer
Daniel Savercool is a biological oceanographer, who for over 30 years has worked in habitats ranging from the open ocean to xeric uplands. Areas of specialty include marine and estuarine benthic invertebrates and fish, wetland vegetation (estuarine to freshwater), and habitat level ecology. Mr. Savercool possesses unique expertise in the ecology, restoration and creation of freshwater and estuarine marshes, mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, coral and worm rock reefs, streams, rivers, and adjacent upland habitats throughout the Pacific Rim, from the Hawai’ian Islands to the Eastern Caroline Islands, CNMI, and Guam. In March 2004, Mr. Savercool was recognized by I Liheslaturan Guahan for “his work in protecting Guam’s Environment and Ecology”
Laurie Raymundo, Director of the UOG Marine Lab
Laurie Raymundo is the current Director of the UOG Marine Lab, having joined the faculty in 2004. She is a coral biologist, and her work focuses on management issues pertaining to coral health and disease, culture and rehabilitation. Previous to her move to Guam, she spent 16 years in the Philippines working in coral reef management, having begun her interest in marine biology as an undergrad, studying early life history of sea turtles. Coral Reef Symposium
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Climate Change and Reef Resilience Where are Guam’s canaries in the coal mine?
Mapping Guam’s staghorn coral thickets and creating a baseline inventory in support of targeted monitoring and research David Burdick, Bureau of Statistics and Plans, Guam Coastal Management Program, Hagatna, Guam
Arborescent Acropora species, known commonly as staghorn corals, provide important habitat for fishes and invertebrates on tropical coral reefs. Staghorn corals also happen to be among the coral species considered most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, particularly to thermal stress events, which are expected to increase in frequency and severity as sea surface temperatures continue to rise. Prompted by the apparent decline in Guam’s staghorn coral communities in recent decades and the increasing threat of climate change, members of Guam’s Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program, in collaboration with University of Guam Marine Lab (UOGML) researchers and the National Park Service (NPS), have mapped the majority of Guam’s staghorn coral thickets and created a spatial database in support of targeted monitoring and research projects. Shallow reef areas around Guam where staghorn coral thickets were known or expected to occur were investigated by monitoring team members and an NPS intern, who swam across the reef flats and recorded the locations of thickets using mapping-grade GPS receivers, obtained images of the thickets using digital cameras, and, in some cases, recorded observations of coral condition. In a closely related collaboration between the Bureau of Statistics and Plans and UOGML researchers, an observer was towed behind a small boat to more efficiently cover large expanses of Cocos Lagoon and Apra Harbor. The GPS data, in combination with high-resolution satellite imagery, were used within a Geographic information System to create polygon features delineating the estimated extent of staghorn thickets. This baseline inventory of Guam’s staghorn thickets is critical for understanding the contribution of these unique coral communities to Guam’s coral reef ecosystem and in assessing changes in their extent and condition over time.
Biodiversity of eukaryotes on coral reefs: diatoms in farmerfish territories. Christopher S. Lobban, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Guam
Although the diversity of larger coral reef organisms, including seaweeds, is relatively well documented, taxa of most small and microscopic species have scrcely been documented. Whereas freshwater diatoms are widely used for assessment of present and past environments, this is not yet true for tropical benthic marine diatoms. Diatom floras of tropical habitats, including coral reefs, are so poorly known at present that one can scarcely say what benthic diatoms occur on coral reefs anywhere, let alone use them as indicators. However, diatoms are important to farmerfish (territorial pomacentrids that cultivate algae), which are themselves important to coral reefs. Farmerfish are keystone reef species whose territories can occupy over 50% of the substrata across a reef and up to 87% of the substrata within individual reef habitats, and they significantly alter reef structure. Their stomach contents can be 30–80% diatoms, yet little is known about which diatom species are grazed. Farmerfish territories (FFTs) are easily recognized in various sites ranging from urban to pristine, and are rich in diatom taxa, although they have not been specifically mentioned in diatom studies other than our own. We have identified nearly 200 taxa that apparently live epiphytically on seaweeds in FFTs, and because there are known to be different seaweed compositions in the territories of different farmerfish species, we looked for differences in the diatom assemblages. Preliminary results supported this hypothesis and we plan to extend the work to look for anthropogenic signatures in the diatom community compositions. We are also now in a position to address the opposing hypotheses of whether farmerfish bite off the seaweeds for food, or mouth off the “detritus” (i.e., living diatoms), leaving the seaweed substrata intact. Regarding the biodiversity, we have published records of 239 diatom taxa identified to date for Guam, including four novel genera (i.e., taxa not seen before, as opposed to new genus names for known taxa) and 17 new species, with more new genera and species in manuscript. The records are also posted on the project website, http://www.protistcentral.org/index.php/Project/get/project_id/17. One concern has been to avoid force-fitting the local specimens into taxa described from Europe or from fossil deposits. In this presentation I will show examples of the hidden diversity we have discovered, including a new Page 6
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genus, Perideraion, in the necklace-chain-forming clade, and several new species in the formerly monotypic genus Cyclophora. I will also give examples of simulacrum species, i.e., taxa that fit the published diagnoses of known taxa but differ in details that are sometimes evident only in SEM; they include look-alikes to Pleurosigma intermedium, Licmophora ehrenbergii, and Diploneis weissflogii. Chief collaborators in this work are Richard Jordan, Edward Theriot, Matt Ashworth, Chiara Pennesi, Nelson Navarro, and María Schefter.
All Coral Growth Anomalies Are Not Created Equal Roxanna Miller, Guam NOAA Coral Fellow, Bureau of Statistics and Plans - Guam Coastal Management Program
Coral disease, like any other disease, can have a wide range of impacts to its host, and these impacts are crucial to understanding the impacts to the whole population. Coral growth anomalies (GAs) are a suite of diseases which affect a range of coral species throughout the world, yet information regarding their etiology is incomplete. GAs take on a variety of morphologies and most studies have assumed equal effects to the host of all morphological types. To date, a few studies have partially described GAs on individual species, while the majority of studies have analyzed and pooled effects across genera. This study aimed to partially characterize how growth anomalies affected Porites lutea on Guam. Three types of GAs have been visually identified, and since etiologies are unknown, they are labeled Type I, Type II, and Type III. It was important to not only look at how GAs were affecting their host coral, but whether or not the three GA types were affecting the host coral differently, suggesting that these three types were distinct GAs. To determine GA effects on the host colony, physiological data were assessed by looking at zooxanthellae density, Chl a & c absorbance, tissue thickness, and a suite of skeletal morphometric characteristics (corallite density, maximum corallite diameter, distance from wall to closest neighboring calice, distance from wall to furthest neighboring calice, corallite surface area, number of palli per corallite, and number of septa per corallite). These parameters were assessed from small, 29mm cores which were extracted from GA and healthy areas of four colonies of each GA type and from four remote healthy colo-
Dave Burdick, Biologist, Bureau of Statistics and Plans - GCMP
Dave Burdick is a biologist with the Bureau of Statistics and Plans - Guam Coastal Management Program and coordinator of Guam’s Comprehensive Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program. He obtained a B.A. in Biology from Hiram College in 1999 and M.Sc. in Environmental Studies from the College of Charleston in 2006. He moved to Guam in 2004 to serve as the NOAA Pacific Islands Technical Assistant, and since 2007 has worked as a Government of Guam biologist involved in various aspects of coral reef management on the island.
Chris Lobban, Professor, University of Guam
Chris Lobban has been teaching botany, environmental biology and science communication at U. Guam for 25 years, and has edited the journal Micronesica for most of that time. His textbook Tropical Pacific Island Environments (coauthored with Maria Schefter) was first published in 1997 and the 2nd ed. should be out late this year. Other books include Successful Lab Reports and Seaweed Ecology & Physiology. Dr. Lobban likes to combine microscopy and field biology, and currently this is taking him on an exploration of the biodiversity of diatoms of coral reefs. Past work includes studies of a large ciliate with symbiotic algae inside, seaweed diversity, and pelagophyte algae.
Roxanna Miller, NOAA Coral Reef Fellow for Guam
Roxanna Miller graduated with her Master’s in Biology in 2011 from the University of Guam. She is currently the NOAA Coral Fellow for Guam and works with the Bureau of Statistics of Plans Guam Coastal Management Program in implementing the Guam Longterm Coral Reef Monitoring Program.
Travis Reynolds,Graduate Student, UOG Marine Lab
Travis Reynolds is a University of Guam Marine Laboratory graduate student. For his thesis, he is studying coral recruitment and early coral life history around Guam. Coral Reef Symposium
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nies from the reef flat area in Ipan. Chlorophyll a and c and zooxanthellae densities displayed a large amount of variability, with most variation seen between colonies within a health state. A few colonies in GA I and III displayed significantly greater tissue thickness in healthy than diseased areas. Skeletal morphometric characteristics displayed large amounts of variability between colonies, with GA effects most visible at a colony level. Type I GAs had the least overall effect on its coral host with moderate between-colony variation for most characters. Type II, however, displayed reduced zooxanthellae densities in both healthy and GA tissues compared to Types I & III, larger and fewer corallites in diseased areas, less palli, and thicker tissue in diseased areas than other GAs. Type III had moderate effects on the host with larger and fewer corallites in diseased areas, corallites being further away from each other in GAs than in healthy areas, and greater numbers of septae and palli in diseased areas than in healthy areas. These results suggest that not only do these GAs have detrimental effects on the host colonies normal function, but that the three morphologically different GAs affect their host species differentially and that these three GA types may be different types and not just three morphological types of one disease. A study with larger sample sizes needs to be conducted to elucidate these findings.
Spatial variation in coral recruitment on Guam reefs Travis Reynolds, University of Guam Marine Laboratory, UOG Station, Mangilao, Guam 96923
Spatial variation in recruitment is common for marine organisms and is well-studied in tropical coral reefs. In this study, the spatial variation and taxonomic abundance of juvenile scleractinian corals was quantified between April and May 2013. Using visual census and a depth-stratified approach (1 m reef flat and 8 m forereef), juvenile corals < 4 cm were recorded at 13 sites along Guam’s western coast. Of the 567 corals recorded, the four most abundant taxa were as follows: Pocilloporidae: 37.4%, Faviidae: 14.5 %, Agaricidae: 11.4 %, and Acroporidae: 7.5%. Mean generic diversity of the recruiting population observed on forereef sites was twice that of reef flats. Furthermore, juvenile Acropora spp. were observed only along northern wave-exposed reefs. This study supports other observations of the variable nature of recruitment across large spatial scales. It also demonstrates recruitment is occurring at different rates along Guam’s western coast, contrary to recent reports of low recruitment.
Coral reef resilience to climate change in Saipan, CNMI: field based-assessments and implications for vulnerability and future management.
Jeffrey Maynard , , Steve McKagan , Steven Johnson , Peter Houk , Gabriella Ahmadia , Ruben van Hooidonk , Lindsey Harriman2 and Elizabeth Mcleod8 Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de l’Environnement, Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueEcole Pratique des Hautes Etudes Papetoai, Moorea, Polynesie Francaise; Oceans Applied Research, Wilmington, NC; NOAA – Fisheries, Pacific Island Region Office, Saipan, MP; Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Division of Environmental Quality, Saipan, MP; Pacific Marine Resources Institute, Saipan, MP; Conservation Science Program, World Wildlife Fund – USA, Washington, DC; NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Miami; The Nature Conservancy, Texas; 1
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This study presents the results of the first field-based implementation of a reef resilience framework from 35 sites around Saipan. The framework is based on McClanahan’s 2012 work that suggests that the following variables be evaluated to compare the resilience potential of coral reef sites: coral diversity, bleaching resistance, recruitment, herbivore biomass, macroalgae cover, temperature variability, nutrient input, sedimentation, fishing access, coral disease and anthropogenic physical impacts. Some of the suggestions for managers coming out of the assessment include: • considering additional management and enforcement at four of the top ten high resilience sites that are not currently in protected areas • giving the sites with high resilience and high coral cover special attention to facilitate tourism opportunities, and • monitoring and maintaining herbivory at sites especially vulnerable to coral bleaching.
Steven Johnson, Marine Biologist, CNMI DEQ
Steven Johnson is a marine biologist for the CNMIs Marine Monitoring Team and works for the CNMIs Division of Environmental Quality. He was born on the island of Saipan and enjoys spending his free time taking underwater photos, SCUBA diving and surfing. Page 8
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Context-dependent roles of localized stressor influence the resiliency of CNMI and American Samoa coral-reef ecosystems
Dr. Peter Houk, Dr. Ryan Okano, David Benavente, Steven Johnson, John Iguel, and Christianera Tuitele University of Guam Marine Laboratory Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Coral Reef Monitoring Program; American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency 1
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Across the tropical Pacific, coral-reef ecosystems are inherently linked with social livelihoods and economic prosperity. However, localized stressors acting alone or synergistically, both in conjunction with disturbance cycles, represent key threats to coral-reef resiliency through time. Two localized stressors of greatest concern to many Pacific islands are increases in land-based pollution and reductions in grazer (urchin and/or herbivorous fish) abundances. Despite this general knowledge, the proportional contribution of each stressor remains the subject of much debate, as context-dependent situations likely exist to support varying ideologies. Here, a body of evidence is synthesized from two coral-reef monitoring programs that have been collecting standardized datasets across the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa over the past decade. In both instances, major disturbance events were evident during the monitoring timeframe, and differential recovery rates have been observed. This presentation summarizes disturbance and recovery dynamics and attributes cause, both proportionally and statistically, to proxies of land-based pollution and grazer abundances. The evidence suggests that the individual contribution of each stressor to the reef slope assemblages associated with CNMI and American Samoa is indeed context-dependent, and thus, predictive futures are generalized with respect to physical settings.
History and Recent Advances of Research on Crown-ofThorns Seastar, Acanthaster planci, in Pacific Coral Reefs Ciemon Frank Caballes, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
Coral cover on Indo-Pacific reefs are in decline due to increasing frequency and intensity of natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Global degradation of reefs and the threat of climate change impacts provide renewed incentive to manage all sources of coral mortality, particularly A. planci outbreaks, which account for a large proportion of coral cover decline. In the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), for example, predation by A. planci accounted for 42% of substantial declines in coral cover in the past 27 years. Guam was also subject to large and destructive A. planci outbreaks in the late 1960â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that killed up to 90 % of hard coral along the northwest coast. More recent outbreaks in the Great Barrier Reef, Guam, Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and French Polynesia have caused similar devastation. Increasing frequency and intensity of outbreak episodes have resulted in progressively slower recovery, which consequently degrades the integrity of reef ecosystems. I will present a review of the history and current status of A. planci outbreaks in Indo-Pacific coral reefs, with emphasis on Guam. I will also discuss recent research on A. planci that I have been involved in, particularly on the development of new control methods, feeding ecology of A. planci, the role of predation in regulating A. planci populations, and ongoing studies on the reproductive biology and the effects of climate change on the early life history stages of A. planci.
Dr. Peter Houk, Professor, UOG Marine Lab
Dr. Peter Houk recently started working at the UOG Marine Lab and focuses his research upon coral-reef ecosystems across Micronesia in response to disturbance cycles, localized stressors, and management regimes such as MPAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Prior to coming to UOGML he co-founded a nonprofit organization based in Saipan, CNMI, that is dedicated to generating and translating coralreef science to a wide array of audiences. To date he has published research on many aspects of coral-reef ecosystems, ranging from seagrass beds and watershed discharge to fishery landing in the commercial markets across Micronesia. One common theme is his desire to understand the causes behind the biological trends we see today in these diverse systems.
Ciemon Caballes, Ph.D. Candidate, James Cook University
Ciemon Caballes is currently studying the reproductive biology of crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) as part of his PhD in Marine Biology thesis at the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies - James Cook University in Townsville, Australia. He received his Master of Science in Biology degree from University of Guam in 2009, where he studied the distribution and feeding ecology of COTS around Guam. Coral Reef Symposium
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Poster Session
Negative Association between a Corallivorous Snail and a Symbiotic Crab on Pocillopora damicornis Colonies on Guam Tricia M. Caraig , Frank Camacho , Laurie Raymundo Biology Program, University of Guam ,Mangilao, GU 96923 1
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The scleractinian coral Pocillopora damicornis serves as a host to a variety of invertebrate symbionts. In particular, the coralliophilid gastropod Quoyula monodonta has been characterized as a parasite of P. damicornis where the snails occupy the bases of coral branches and create a prominent home scar. In contrast, the brachyuran crab Trapezia spp is believed to be a mutualistic symbiont of Pocillopora species and is commonly found on P. damicornis colonies on Guam. While Quoyula and Trapezia spp. can potentially co-occupy Pocillopora colonies, the nature of their association on this coral is unclear. We have started to investigate the distributions of Trapezia and Quoyula on P. damicornis colonies in field surveys from two sites on Guam. We recorded the number of Trapezia and Quoyula on individual Pocillopora colonies. We also estimated the percentage of undamaged and damaged coral tissue as well as the size of each colony. Our results indicate a strong negative correlation between Trapezia and Quoyula on their coral hosts. However, the presence of Trapezia was not significantly associated with an index of coral health. Whether Trapezia are actively excluding Quoyula from P. damicornis colonies is unclear. These results are being extended to examine the mechanistic nature of these patterns of association.
Unrecognized Algal Diversity in the Western Pacific: A Case Study of the Genus Actinotrichia Simeon AE, Schils T, University of Guam, Marine Laboratory, UOG Station, Mangilao 96923, Guam
The introduction of non-native algae is of great concern to marine resource managers because of their potential to become invasive. To assess the risk of introducing non-indigenous marine macroalgae and to detect those already present, a thorough understanding of the species richness of island floras and species distribution ranges is required. Traditional (morphological) identification can be expensive and cumbersome, but modern genetic techniques â&#x20AC;&#x201C;like DNA barcodingâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; provide fast and cost-effective methods for algal identification and cryptic species recognition. In this study, we use the red algal genus Actinotrichia Decaisne to examine algal species diversity in Micronesia and the western Pacific, and demonstrate how DNA barcoding can be used to characterize marine floras in the region. Prior to this study, only the type species of Actinotrichia had been recorded for Micronesia. Sequence analysis using the mitochondrial marker COI-5P reveals a high degree of cryptic diversity in Actinotrichia, with as many as six undescribed species occurring in the region. These results suggest the marine flora of Micronesia is substantially more diverse than currently recognized and further study of this diversity will aid resource managers in detecting potentially harmful invasive species.
Mananing Western Pacific Fisheries Under Catch Limits: Process and Challenges
Marlowe Sabater , Judy Amesbury , and Frank Camacho Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council Scientific and Statistical Committee of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council Micronesian Archeological Research Services University of Guam 1
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The Reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act in 2007 has significantly changed the way Regional Fishery Management Councils deal with managing US fisheries through implementation of Annual Catch Limits (ACLs). Stock and output control-based approaches like ACLs pose problems for fisheries that are multi-gear, multi-species, and spatially diverse by nature. National Marine Fisheries Service Advisory Guidelines on National Standard 1 describe the requirement for ACLs. The intent of the ACL is to set the catch at a level such that overfishing does not occur above a specified reference point. Each Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP) must specify criteria to determine whether overfishing is occurring. Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) corresponds to the overfishing limit and is a requirement for every FEP. However, the Western Pacific region does not have Page 10
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MSY for each stock in its FEPs. MSY is generated by stock assessments, e.g. Main Hawaiian Islands bottomfish fishery (a multispecies complex of deep water snappers and groupers). The ACL process then calls for quantification of scientific and management uncertainties to determine the Acceptable Biological Catches (ABCs) and ACLs, respectively. However, the guidelines are less applicable for reef fishes and other data poor stocks that have few or no stock assessments from which the biological reference points including the overfishing limit are determined. Managing stocks that are data-deficient has proven to be a big challenge. This poster outlines the approach that the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council took in specifying ACLs for reef fishes in the US Pacific state and territories and challenges faced when dealing with data-poor situations.
First Stewards: Coastal Peoples Address Climate Change Sylvia Spalding, John Calvo, Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council
Climate change is occurring rapidly, creating an urgent need for the world to make use of indigenous ways of adapting and maintaining the resiliency that has served ancient coastal cultures for thousands of years. That was the message delivered by the indigenous coastal people of the United States and the US Pacific Islands when they gathered on July 17-20, 2012 for the First Stewards Symposium: Coastal Peoples Address Climate Change which brought together indigenous peoples and their allies to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, in Washington, D.C., where their unified voices called for action on climate change. Discussions included climate change impacts on indigenous communities, traditional ecological knowledge and adaptive methodologies, and research gaps and initiatives. The First Stewards Symposium: Coastal Peoples Address Climate Change was convened to create a mechanism for the indigenous people to engage with governments, non-governmental agencies and others to help mitigate and adapt to climate change. The very fabric of indigenous societies is threatened by over-development of coastlines; alteration of freshwater streams and lakes; destruction of life-giving watersheds and reefs; and the decline of marine and terrestrial species. These have been exacerbated by climate change, creating astonishing changes in coastal natural systems that indigenous cultures are witnessing. A resolution drafted by the newly incorporated First Stewards and sent to President Obama requests formal recognition of the coastal indigenous people and their expertise in understanding and adapting to changes in their natural systems. The resolution asks for the federal government to “consult with our tribal governments and indigenous communities for guidance in all policies that affect our way of life and to support our management efforts, which will strengthen America’s resiliency and ability to adapt to climate change.” Because native communities continue to subsist off of the lands and live by the natural seasonality of fish, sea mammals, birds, animals, and plants, they depend upon the integrity and continued existence of healthy ecosystems and are vulnerable to climate change. Relying upon their traditional ecological knowledge and ancestral wisdom of adaptability and resilience are keys to their survival and identity. These methodologies include returning to and promoting traditional practices to ensure food stocks and natural resources continue to be available. Non- indigenous communities and climate change initiatives can benefit from the knowledge and methodologies of indigenous communities, which can serve as a tool to help the nation adapt to climate change.
Village of Merizo: Development of a Community-Based Management Plan for Coastal and Marine Resources Mark Mitsuyasu & Charles Ka ai ai, Carl Dela Cruz, Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council
The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (Council) supports community-based management of marine resources as an essential part of their archipelago-based Fishery Ecosystem Plans (FEP). The Council is mandated to engage communities in the US Western Pacific in the development of fishery management policies for the benefit of communities it serves. Coral Reef Symposium
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As part of this effort, the Council regularly informs the Mayor’s Council of Guam (MCOG) on current national, regional and local fishery resource and management issues. The Village of Merizo was engaged previously on a project that resulted in the program that allows an exemption, through the Department of Agriculture, for the traditional harvest of seasonal runs of mañahak, tiao and i’e’ in areas normally closed to traditional fishing. The program is available through the village Mayor’s office and the Department of Agriculture. In 2010, the Mayors from the Villages of Merizo and Santa Rita were identified by the MCOG as the point of contacts to engage the Council on village-based ecosystem monitoring workshops and the potential for establishing a pilot project on the development of community-based management of marine resources. In 2012, the Council held a series of community monitoring meetings in partnership with other agencies and organizations to feature bio-sampling, tagging, water quality data collection and the Council’s online data collection programs. The Council is supporting the development of community-based management plans by facilitating community engagement through a series of workshops and meetings to identify and determine the community’s needs and objectives in managing and conserving their fishery resources. The Council would also support this effort through facilitated documentation, fact finding, vetting of scientific information and analysis and drafting of reports to produce the community-based marine resource management plan to be forwarded and considered by the Merizo Community, MCOG and the Guam Department of Agriculture.
Anna Simeon, Masters Candidate, UOG Marine Lab
Anna Simeon earned her BS in biology at the University of California, San Diego and moved to Guam to pursue her masters at the University of Guam Marine Laboratory. Her current work focuses on the biogeography and diversity of marine plants in the western Pacific.
Tricia Mae Z. Caraig, Biology Student, UOG
Tricia Mae Z. Caraig is a senior Biology major at the University of Guam with an interest in marine science. She is also currently a research intern in the LSAMP program at UOG.
Judith R. Amesbury, Archaeologist, Micronesian Archaeological Research Services
Judith R. Amesbury is an archaeologist with Micronesian Archaeological Research Services, Guam. She has been doing archaeology on Guam, Saipan, Tinian and Rota for 25 years. Her area of expertise is the analysis of shell artifacts and faunal remains, particularly fish bones and invertebrate remains. She is the author of numerous papers and reports on marine resource use from the prehistoric period to the present in the Mariana Islands.
John Calvo, Onsite Coordinator, Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council
John Calvo has been with the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council for almost 11 years as the Onsite Coordinator for Guam and has been a student of Chamorro culture and traditions for over 50 years.
Frank Camacho, Assistant Professor of Biology, UOG
Frank Camacho is an Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Guam. Page 12
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Fisheries Management
Identifying & Mapping Reef Fish Spawning Aggregation Sites in Guam Marylou K. Staman, University of Guam Marine Laboratory UOG Station, Mangilao, Guam 96923 USA
Many species of reef fish aggregate in large numbers to spawn at specific times and sites. These spawning aggregation sites are often not protected from exploitation and therefore those fish present at the site are vulnerable to overfishing. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), if designed and positioned appropriately, can help conserve reef biodiversity and fishery resources. Guam, the southernmost island in the Marianas Archipelago, has six MPAs. These MPAs were established without much prior knowledge of reef fish spawning aggregation sites, and therefore may not be protecting spawning fishes. To obtain an accurate depiction of how Guam’s MPAs have been affecting local reef fish populations, I have been collecting data via GPS-tracked visual surveys, using manta tows and “long swims” at fixed depths, in order to identify spawning aggregation sites and estimate densities of reef fishes, especially parrotfishes (Pisces: Labridae: Scarinae) and surgeonfishes (Pisces: Acanthuridae), that form spawning aggregations at those sites, and to determine if the locations of these sites are inside or outside of existing MPA boundaries. In addition to these surveys, I have been using a GPS-linked side-scan/down-scan sonar to map the benthic habitats of previously identified spawning aggregation sites. Habitat structure and geomorphology have been implicated as factors influencing the distribution of reef fish spawning aggregations. The goal of my research is to identify and map habitats that are important as spawning aggregation sites in Guam’s waters and to compare the distributions of these sites with the corresponding distributions of existing MPAs. This research is important for developing and implementing plans for the conservation and management of reef fish species that are vulnerable to over-exploitation when on spawning aggregation sites. This is especially relevant because although spawning aggregation sites were not included intentionally in the original design of Guam’s Marine Protected Areas, at least one protected area has, by coincidence, a multi-species spawning aggregation site located within its boundaries.
Stock assessment of sea cucumbers on Guam, Micronesia. Catherine Brunson and Allison Miller, University of Guam Marine Laboratory
Sea cucumbers (Holothuroidea) are commercially valuable echinoderms found in abundance on many tropical reefs. Holothuroids used for food are known as trepang or beche-de-mer and demand for it has led to collapse of sea-cucumber populations in several island ecosystems. To prevent overharvesting on Guam, in the Mariana Islands, Micronesia, we have begun a comprehensive stock assessment of the population structure of commercially important species. We are also exploring the role of marine protected areas in the management of holothuroids, and comparing easily accessible versus inaccessible reef flat areas on holothuroid abundances . Stock surveys are done using transects, timed swims and length measurements done in situ. Preliminary findings include the possibility of a small sustainable fishery for several species and evidence of the overharvesting of some species by subsistence fishermen. Our goal is to establish the circum-island distribution of species and provide the government of Guam with a management plan for the sustainable harvest of sea cucumbers.
Improving Marine Enforcement in Micronesia Mark JD Aguon, Guam Department of Agriculture – Law Enforcement Division
Enforcement is an important part of effective natural resource management, yet conservation law enforcement agencies throughout Micronesia are often understaffed, underfunded, and officers often do not receive sufficient training to do their job safely. As part of Guam’s efforts to support the Micronesia Challenge, Guam Department of Agriculture and Guam Superior Court officers have provided training to government and community law enforcement organizations across Micronesia. The trainings have included officer safety, tactical vessel boarding, report writing, and education and outreach among other topics. The trainings will make conservation law enforcement officers across Micronesia safer and more effective and also allows officers to share experiences and knowledge. As a part of this effort, the officers in coordination with Guam Community College will be offering a Conservation Officer Academy next summer to train conservation officers from Guam, Palau, FSM, and RMI. Coral Reef Symposium
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Sustainable Fisheries and Coral Reef Management on the Outer Islands: Ulithi Atoll, Federated States of Micronesia Crane, N.L. , *, Paddack, M.J. , , Nelson, P. , Bernardi, G. , Abelson, A. , Kristin Precoda , John Jr Rulmal , Sara Cannon Oceanic Society, Cabrillo College, CFR-West, University of California Santa Cruz, Tel Aviv University, Santa Barbara City College, Ulithi Marine Conservation Project, Falalop, Ulithi 1 2
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Coral reefs around the world are suffering from multiple stressors, affecting the ecological integrity of coral systems, and the livelihoods of people who rely on them. This project addresses the need to work with small autonomously governed outer island communities to strengthen their capacity to manage their reefs and marine resources during a time of rapid ecological change. We are working with the outer island communities of Ulithi Atoll, Yap State, FS Micronesia, using a multifaceted approach incorporating social science (interviews, community meetings) and quantitative ecological assessments (reef surveys, catch analysis) to identify trends and concerns, and to develop a set of management recommendations with the community. We work with the community, fishers, leaders and reef owners to identify target fish, document fishing methods, and map key fishing areas. We work with them (and train them) to collect data throughout the year (habitat surveys), and analyze their catch for sex and reproductive status. Our goals include mapping invasive species (including genetic analyses), and looking at reef connectivity to inform Marine Managed Area (MMA) placement. Despite their remoteness and limited development, most sites had <20% live coral cover dominated by small colonies. A few had >60% cover, but with unprecedented overgrowths of a single coral species (Montipora sp.), and some sites having large colonies of a corallimorph (Rhodactis sp.) (following genetic identifications). Initial findings suggest that these outbreaks may limit habitat and food for key reef organisms. Cluster analysis showed distinct reef types characterized by coral and algal cover patterns. Additionally, we found 2 orders of magnitude difference in fish biomass among some reefs, driven by high variation in herbivorous and predatory fishes. Interview results suggest that fishing practices may be strong drivers of changes in both benthic and fish communities. The community of Falalop has incorporated these findings into an initial reef management plan, including an MMA and an area with gear restrictions. A critical part of our approach is to empower and engage the community in managing their resources. We have been invited back to expand the work throughout the Atoll and to other outer islands. This work fills an important need in the region and represents an opportunity to advance marine conservation across the tropical Pacific while addressing critical issues in food security and the effects of climate change.
Marylou Staman, Masters Student, UOG
Marylou Staman with a B.S. from U.C. San Diego in 2009 and moved to the Caribbean to become involved with conservation efforts relating to sea turtles and the invasive lionfish. She is currently studying fisheries conservation as a masters student at the University of Guam Marine Laboratory.
Catherine Brunson, Masters Student, UOG
Catherine Brunson has worked in public schools, microbiology labs, and in biotechnology labs. Catherine is currently a student at the University of Guam Marine Laboratory studying coconut crab (Birgus latro) abundances.
Allison Miller, Masters Student, UOG
Allison Miller studied biology and marine biology at the University of California San Diego and later worked as a coral microbiologist at the MOTE Marine Laboratory. She is currently a student at the University of Guam researching the higher-level phylogenetic relationships of the class Holothuroidea (sea cucumbers, balate). Page 14
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Mark Aguon, Conservation Officer, Guam Department of Agriculture
Mark Aguon is a Conservation Officer II with the Guam Department of Agriculture’s Law Enforcement Division. With over 20 years of experience in conservation enforcement on Guam, Officer Aguon is dedicated to improving natural resource enforcement capacity in Guam and across Micronesia. He has recently provided training to enforcement officers in Palau, Yap, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and the Marshall Islands.
Nicole Crane, Biology Professor, Cabrillo College
Nicole Crane is a Faculty in the Biology Department at Cabrillo College in California where she teaches marine science, ecology and environmental science. She is a Senior Conservation Scientist with the Oceanic Society (www.oceanicsociety.org) where her fieldwork focuses on reef ‘health’ indicators and monitoring, and community-based conservation and management in the Caribbean and in the Pacific. Nicole also conducts research on promoting student recruitment and retention in the sciences. She founded the National Science Foundation Marine Advanced Technology Education Center. Her work in Micronesia centers on working with outer island communities of Yap state (specifically Ulithi Atoll) to help them develop marine management plans to address food security, environmental stability, and resource assessment.
Human Dimension
What Are All Those People Doing in the Ecosystem? Judith R. Amesbury, Micronesian Archaeological Research Services; Scientific and Statistical Committee of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council
We acknowledge that people are part of the ecosystem, but we don’t often study them the way we study other species. This presentation, from the point of view of an archaeologist who analyses faunal remains, will answer questions such as these: How long have people been in the Mariana Islands? How many people are we talking about at any one time? Why are there two indigenous groups in the Marianas? What kinds of fishing did people do in the past? What other human activities have had an impact on the marine ecosystem?
Uncertainty in Science: Importance to Public Perception, Environmental Education, Policymaking, and Valuing Traditional Knowledge in Coral Reef Management. Christopher S. Lobban (see pg. 7 for biography) & María Schefter Division of Natural Sciences, University of Guam, Mangilao, GU 96923 and Island Environments Book, P.O. Box 5126, UOG Station, Mangilao, GU 96923
Environmental information, including knowledge of coral reefs is commonly perceived as being an accumulation of facts, but is really a developing set of conclusions based on evidence and the testing of hypotheses. These conclusions may be strongly or weakly supported by the evidence but the language scientists use to express their level of confidence in the conclusions is often ignored or misunderstood by the media and the general public. Part of this misperception has come about because philosophers of science have focused on physics and inorganic chemistry, where variation is negligible (e.g., all sodium atoms are equal) and “laws” apply generally. However, biology and all environmental science must deal with individual variation at every system level from macromolecules to ecosystems, and must also deal with the history of the systems. Moreover, although some biological questions can be addressed experimentally, for others hypotheses can only be tested by observation and comparison. Observation-and-comparison is equally valid as a scientific method but Coral Reef Symposium
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often poorly taught relative to experimental method. All biological conclusions are based on probabilities and must be couched in language that indicates the likelhood of their being correct. In biology and many other fields of science, one cannot prove a hypothesis to be true, nor indeed, even prove it false, but one must always weigh evidence pro and con. Biologists move forward using these conclusions as working models that are subject to change. Theories are broad conclusions based on many lines of well-supported hypotheses; but the general public confuses hypothesis and theory, often calling an untested hypothesis, “just a theory.” Because these ideas are not well presented in most introductory science textbooks, people generally distrust hedged statements and contradictory information in sceince news. This lack of scientific literacy has consequences that include a tendency to disregard traditional knowledge when it seems at variance with scientific “facts;” to look to science for answers to policy questions that must include science, economics, social and cultural factors; and/or to dismiss scientific information entirely, as global warming deniers do. In revising Tropical Pacific Island Environments (2nd edition due from Bess Press late this year), we have strengthened the explanation of biology as a science based on Ernst Mayr’s ideas, to provide an even more solid basis for the scientific understanding that students as citizens need in order to appreciate the strengths and limitations of scientific conclusions and to use those conclusions effectively in decision-making alongside traditional knowledge.
Community Based Fishery Management on Guam Adrienne Loerzel, Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment, Durham, NC 27708
Guam’s reef system is under immense pressure from a range of threats, including sedimentation, overharvesting and climate change. Managers lack the necessary resources to effectively address these threats, and fisheries management in particular has proven to be exceedingly difficult. Fishers and managers, though they do not agree on causes or solutions, both recognize dramatic declines in many fish stocks and the need to take action to reverse this negative trend. Community based management models offer one promising approach. This study examines the current state of Guam’s community based management efforts and obstacles to expanding community approaches on island. Data collected through participant observation and key informant interviews were used to create a series of recommendations to improve current management and move toward more community involvement. Recommendations include continuing support of programs to reconnect residents with the marine environment, repair of relationships between local and federal government agencies and stakeholders, improved enforcement, and pilot projects for community management.
Guam Community Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Engaging Guam Residents in Coral reef Management Marybelle Quinata, IMSG - NOAA Fisheries - Pacific Islands Regional Office
The Guam Community Coral Reef Monitoring Program (GCCRMP) involves residents in coral reef management. Launched in July 2012, GCCRMP has trained nearly 200 volunteers to complete biological surveys of Guam’s reef flats. Volunteers learn how to collect data on benthic cover and macro-invertebrates in surveys. Monthly benthic and macroinvertebrate monitoring will help build substantial data collection that can help track the health of Guam’s coral reefs as well as keep volunteers engaged with the program. Data collected by volunteers can help local reef managers in the decision-making process in addition to promoting community stewardship of our marine resources. Although GCCRMP has gained momentum by building up its membership, there is a need for consistent volunteer attendance at monitoring events for data collection. As a new community outreach program, GCCRMP will continue to develop its structure and address challenges in order to ensure its continuity for stakeholder engagement.
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Adrienne Loerzel, Masters Student, Duke University
Adrienne Loerzel recently completed her masters degree at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment. She has worked in natural resource efforts on Guam in the private sector, nonprofit community and local and federal government offices and is currently involved in watershed restoration, outreach and community initiatives to support coral conservation.
Marybelle Quinata, Program Coordinator, Guam CCRMP
Marybelle Quinata is the program coordinator for the Guam Community Coral Reef Monitoring Program. She is originally from Santa Rita, Guam. After graduating from Notre Dame High School in 2006, she earned her bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Chaminade University of Honolulu in 2010. Quinata has an extensive background in service learning projects that emphasize collective community improvement. Her experience as an intern for Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo encouraged her to pursue a long-term career goal of improving Guam’s community. The Guam Community Coral Reef Monitoring Program is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under the Coral Reef Conservation Program.
Emerging Research
PacIOOS ‘Voyager’ Tool Improves Decision-Making for Coral Reef Managers in the Pacific Islands Laura Biggs and Melissa Iwamoto, University of Guam Sea Grant Program, Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System
The Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS) offers a new, flexible, interactive online mapping tool named ‘Voyager’ for coral reef managers. PacIOOS Voyager allows ocean users to dynamically combine, view, download, and query thousands of data layers. Free to the public, this powerful, yet easy-to-use interface serves as a decision-making portal throughout the Pacific Islands. Voyager allows a diversity of users to interact with ocean and coastal data, whether recent, historical, predictions, dynamic, or static, in a map-based interface that is comfortable, understandable, and built upon a familiar Google product. The ability of a user to interact with many different data sets at the same time, in the same window, makes it easier to inform and make complex decisions. Furthermore, Voyager users can save maps and share visualizations to document their decision making, share their research, and preserve custom maps for future use and distribution. Voyager was developed in response to requests from researchers, agency staff, and members of the public. Voyager has grown from an experimental map tool focused on the Hawaiian island of O‘ahu to a regional system that provides access to dozens of terabytes of data spanning multiple disciplines, geographies, and decades. This presentation will highlight the power of this data visualization tool, available at http://pacioos. org/voyager. Based within the School for Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, PacIOOS is the Pacific Islands regional component of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®). PacIOOS is a partner¬ship of data providers and users working together to enhance ocean observations and develop, disseminate, evaluate, and apply ocean data and information products designed to address the environmental, economic, and public safety needs of stakeholders who call the Pacific Islands home.
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Academic and Aquarium Professionals Join Forces to Save Guam’s Corals: Introducing the Guam SECORE Coral Spawning Field Workshop Mike McCue, Curator, UnderWater World Guam
The idea of SECORE (SExual COral REproduction) was born in 2002 with the innovative coral breeding research of Dr. Dirk Petersen at the Rotterdam Zoo. Dr. Petersen and colleagues sought to facilitate collaboration between coral scientists and aquarium professionals in the development of tools for breeding and restoring endangered corals. This work originally focused on the IUCN Red listed staghorn (Acropora cervicornis) and elkhorn (Acropora palmata) coral species in the Caribbean. Today, SECORE has evolved into one of the leading coral conservation initiatives of scientists and aquarium professionals from around the world. After more than 10 years of working in the Caribbean, SECORE has incorporated as a non-profit, tax-exempt foundation, and is ready to expand its work around the world. Together with the University of Guam’s Marine Lab, Underwater World Guam, the Henry Doorly Zoo, and the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, SECORE will host a field training workshop from July 25th through August 4th, 2013. The 2013 Workshop will kick-off a multiyear coral conservation program that SECORE plans to carry out with local and international partners in Guam. This year’s workshop program will include work with brooding species (Pocillopora damicornis, Leptastrea purpurea) as well as broadcast spawning species (Acropora spp.). Gravid colonies of the latter will be cultured in flow-through culture aquaria at the Marine Lab, with gametes collected during the predicted spawning nights. In addition, coral spawning can be observed by the participants on the reef during night dives. Coral restoration and breeding techniques, coral diseases and outplanting of cultured corals will be subjects of mini-workshops. Also, UnderWater World will offer a coral exhibit workshop within its aquarium facilities. Lectures for the participants and discussion sessions will provide background knowledge and initiate the dialogue to address coral conservation in Guam. Many of the lectures and workshop activities will be open to the public for observation and participation. This workshop aims to bring together governmental agencies and NGO’s, as well as local and international coral scientists and aquarium professionals to work in the field of coral restoration and conservation.
The Effect of Taxonomic Inflation on Reef Management and Conservation
Schils T *, Simeon AE , Saunders GW , Leliaert F University of Guam, Marine Laboratory, UOG Station, Mangilao 96923, Guam University of New Brunswick, Department of Biology, Fredericton, NB, E3B 5A3, Canada Ghent University, Phycology Research Group, Krijgslaan 281 S8, 9000 Ghent, Belgium 1
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Marine biodiversity assessments are in a state of flux as genetic diversity analyses reveal that traditional taxonomy greatly underestimates diversity at various spatial scales. As positive relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning are now well-established, accurate estimates of species diversity and objective tools to measure this diversity are essential to support marine monitoring programs. In the Mariana Islands, marine macroalgae are the dominant benthic reef organisms with red algae being the most speciose algal group. Phylogeographic studies of the ecologically important red algae are employed to evaluate our current understanding of marine biodiversity and biogeography in Micronesia. DNA barcoding surveys of tropical red algae reveal a high degree of cryptic diversity. The discovery of large numbers of new species with increasingly small distribution ranges is consistent with the low dispersal capacity of red algae as demonstrated by experimental studies and stresses the need for a complete taxonomic revision of macroalgal floras in Micronesia. The expected increase in biodiversity, rise in endemism and change in floristic/evolutionary affinities between Micronesian Islands will greatly affect natural resource surveys, habitat equivalency analyses, and invasive species risk assessments. Contrasting results from traditional taxonomic and genetic diversity analyses will be used to illustrate the effect of taxonomic inflation on reef management strategies that are being developed in light of the Asia-Pacific Military Realignment and the Micronesia Biosecurity Plan.
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Laura Biggs, Curator, UnderWater World Guam
Laura A. Biggs, Ph.D. received her Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2009. She worked to develop a science outreach program for grades K-7. The Let’s Do Science program was piloted in the Salt Lake City School District and later moved to Guam with Dr. Biggs for incorporation into public and private schools. The program reached over 3000 students in two years. While at the University of Utah, her efforts were recognized when she received The Wolf Prize for ‘excellence in teaching and commitment to an academic career.’ In 2009, Dr. Biggs was hired as Assistant Professor of Extension and Education with University of Guam Sea Grant. Since then she has worked to create a Sea Grant presence on Guam.
Tom Schils, Professor, UOG Marine Lab
Tom Schils is a phycologist at the University of Guam Marine Laboratory who studies the ecological diversity of marine macroalgae to support the development of reef management and conservation strategies.
Mike McCue, Curator, UnderWater World Guam
Before accepting the Curator position with UnderWater World Guam nearly 10 years ago, Florida native Mike McCue worked for several different facilities as a scuba instructor, aquarist, and underwater cameraman. Through his work, he has been heavily involved with many conservation initiatives, and in an effort to help protect the coral reefs of Guam he is now helping to organize the SECORE foundations first project in the Pacific.
Symposium Coordinators
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Pacific Islands Environment Conference
Coral Symposium - Communications Workshop - Water & Wastewater Symposium - Goodwill Games
This conference was made possible through funding from Guam EPA, American Samoa EPA and the CNMI Division of Environmental Quality.
Special thanks to our conference sponsors:
Program PCR Environmental, Inc. Tri-Con Corporation City Hill Company (Guam), LTD
dba: Guam Plaza NIPPO USA, Inc. Pryamid International Corp.
P&S Construction, Inc. Culligan of Guam Global Recycling Center
Sumitomo Mitsui Const. Co. LTD. HSG, Tommy Tanaka, Jr. APEC