Fish surgery demonstration
A central component of our lab program is to directly integrate local communities and students into our research program. These efforts started during Dr. Layman's Ph.D. research when he designed a catch-and-release tagging program for peacock bass in conjunction with local communities and international sport fisherman. This has expanded into a broad education/outreach program in the Bahamas, with an emphasis on involvement of students from the kindergarten to the university level. We are working with Friends of the Environment, Bahamas Reef Environmental Education Foundation, Bahamas National Trust, and Wetland Care Bahamas to design a series of mangrove tidal creek restoration projects and associated classroom materials to provide real-world learning opportunities and to emphasize the critical necessity of healthy coastal habitats in the Bahamas.
Alexis and Pablo
One of the most recent projects we have completed was the restoration of Cross Harbour tidal creek. This project involved breaking through a causeway and installing culverts to restore tidal flow to ~130 hectares of wetland, as well as to re-create the historic tidal channel by selectively removing mangroves that had encroached into that channel.This project involved hundreds of students from all age groups. In the coming years, two additional projects are planned on Abaco Island: Stinky Pond (Israel Creek) and Camp Abaco Creek. Through close collaboration with two recently hired by Friends of the Environment, we hope to make the future restoration projects a model program for all of the Caribbean.
Working with school children in the Bahamas
One of our most exciting current outreach programs is called “Adopt a Fish, Adopt a School”. This program is an outgrowth of a scientific study we have underway to track the movements of fishes in the newly restored Cross Harbour tidal creek. Using acoustic telemetry, we can examine minute by minute movements of fish, as well as to document likely ontogenetic shifts from the creek to adjacent coral reef habitat. In the “Adopt a Fish, Adopt a School” program, Friends of the Environment has initiated a fund-raising campaign to search for donors interested in purchasing individual fish tags. The donors then “give” their tag to a local school or specific class. The students, donor, and our group of collaborators then capture and tag the fish together, and thus the students have “their” own fish to track. Movement data is available on the web, so that students frequently will be able follow their fish.
Adopt A Fish!
Adopt A School!
View recent fish movement data at the Adopt a Fish, Adopt a School website.
Watch UGA doctorate student Jake Allgeier surgically implanting a telemetry tag in a fish for the Adopt a Fish, Adopt a School program, courtesy of Loggerhead Productions.
Anyone can contribute to this program. If you would like to adopt a fish – and a school – please contact Dr. Layman (786 390 0578; laymanc@fiu.edu) or Lindsey at Friends of the Environment (242 367-2721; Lindsey@friendsoftheenvironment.org). This is a tax free donation.