[Coral-List] Long term change in Eritrean reefs: past, present, future

Pete Raines psr at coralcay.org
Wed Apr 23 14:54:44 EDT 2008


Many thanks to Steffan Howe for bringing us more updated and encouraging
news regarding research in Eritrea. I hope that Yonas Afewerki and Zekeria
Zekerias are party to the recent postings and will be able to offer more.
John McManus' recent timely reminder of the importance of ReefBase as a
portal for secure data and report archiving, 'repatriation' and sharing,
again springs to mind and I hope to be able to find more on Eritrea at
ReefBase in due course. I recently received a very helpful letter (and
tutorial CD) from ReefBase, which has encouraged colleagues here at CCC to
contribute our full archives.

Many thanks to those who have already been in touch to express an interest
in being involved in a possible ship-based programme of research in Eritrea.
As I said before, there are many hoops to jump through first but if there is
progress, I will post up further news to the CCC website in due course.

Pete

________________________________________
Peter Raines MBE FRGS FIBiol CGeog CBiol MInstD
Founder & CEO

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-----Original Message-----
From: coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
[mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov]On Behalf Of
coral-list-request at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Sent: 23 April 2008 17:00
To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Subject: Coral-List Digest, Vol 58, Issue 20


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Today's Topics:

   1. looking for field guides / collaborators for
      Micronesia/Marshall Islands/Palau/Guam (mikhail matz)
   2. postdoc and research technician positions at NOAA	Fisheries
      Seattle (Jameal Samhouri)
   3. Scholarships available (Ove Hoegh-Guldberg)
   4. Long term change in Eritrean reefs: past, present,	future
      (Steffan Howe)
   5. coral list post: Diadema antillarum (Dan Dalke-Fac/Staff)


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:07:43 -0500
From: mikhail matz <matz at mail.utexas.edu>
Subject: [Coral-List] looking for field guides / collaborators for
	Micronesia/Marshall Islands/Palau/Guam
To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Message-ID: <6F7C871A-F97C-4DAB-BC45-20A5197A56AE at mail.utexas.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed

Dear colleagues,

I am planning a genetic connectivity survey of indicator coral
species in the reefs of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Palau and N.
Mariana Islands. I have all the tools lined up for multilocus
genotyping and stress-related gene expression profiling; the only
thing sorely missing to make a convincing proposal (to HURL/NOAA,
http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/HURL/rfp2008_coral.html) is the field
work plan. I cannot develop it on my own since I never been to most
of these places.  I am looking for collaborators who are familiar
with the local logistics,  to help develop (and hopefully implement!)
the fieldwork  component.

Looking forward to the new cool collaborations,

cheers

Misha


Mikhail V. Matz
University of Texas at Austin
Integrative Biology Section
1 University station C0930
Austin, TX 78712
phone 512-992-8086 cell, 512-475-6424 lab
fax 512-471-3878
web http://www.bio.utexas.edu/research/matz_lab




------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:05:19 -0700
From: "Jameal Samhouri" <Jameal.Samhouri at noaa.gov>
Subject: [Coral-List] postdoc and research technician positions at
	NOAA	Fisheries Seattle
To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Message-ID:
	<7811fcea0804221105s69641921u60ac7e0e121aba11 at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=WINDOWS-1252

POSTDOCTORAL ASSOCIATE, ECOSYSTEM MODELING AT NOAA-FISHERIES, SEATTLE

The project: "Development of Decision Support Tools for the California
Current"

We are developing ecosystem simulation models for the California Current and
the Central California Coast. The models will be used for simulation testing
of alternative ecosystem-based management strategies for this region. Our
research includes:

?Testing options for monitoring and assessment of nearshore fisheries and
marine protected areas (MPAs)

?Considering spatial management options and nearshore habitat effects on
ecosystem services

?Considering tradeoffs or benefits of the interrelated policies of multiple
state and federal agencies


In collaboration with researchers at CSIRO in Australia, we have adopted a
modeling framework (Atlantis) in which ecosystem dynamics are represented by
spatially-explicit sub-models that simulate hydrographic processes,
biogeochemical factors driving primary production, and food web relations
among functional groups.  The model represents key exploited species at the
level of detail necessary to evaluate direct effects of fishing, and it also
represents other anthropogenic and climate impacts on the ecosystem as a
whole.

Postdoctoral responsibilities

The postdoctoral associate's primary responsibility will be the development
of an Atlantis ecosystem model of the Central California Coast. This will
benefit from an existing parameterization for the biological model.
Additional model building will involve synthesis of new biological data and
parameterization, incorporation of fisheries data, multiple meetings with
biologists and data managers, calibration, running scenarios, and
documenting and publishing the results.

The postdoc will also be involved in meetings with stakeholders and
managers, identification of management strategies (e.g,. changes in quotas,
MPAs, or gear type), and use of the models as decision support tools to
evaluate these strategies. Deliverables include both peer-reviewed
publications and white papers for use in management.

About our team

http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov

We are part of NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle. Our
team's goal is to research the ecological interactions and processes
necessary to sustain ecosystem composition, structure and function in the
environments in which fish and fisheries exist.
We draw upon expertise from within and outside the NWFSC to address the
following five research foci:

? Interactions of target fish stocks with predators, competitors and prey
? The effects of weather and climate on target species and their ecological
communities
? The effects of fishing on marine ecosystems and fish habitat
? Interactions between fishes and their habitat
? Marine Protected Areas as a fisheries conservation and management tool

Current members include 5 research scientists and 3 postdocs, with projects
ranging from experimental ecology to ecosystem modeling.

Term:  June 2008-May 2009

Location: Seattle, Washington, USA

Qualifications: Ph.D. in ecology, fisheries science, or similar discipline.
The candidate should also have a proven track record of publications and
collaborative research, and a strong quantitative background in statistics
and computing (languages such as R, Matlab, or Visual Basic).  Experience
with food web modeling and C/C++ preferred.

Salary and Benefits: $45,000/year plus health insurance

We will begin reviewing applications May 1, 2008.

Contact:  Please email a cover letter, curriculum vitae, all university
transcripts, and 3 letters of recommendation to Dr. Phil Levin
Phil.Levin at noaa.gov


---------------------------------
RESEARCH TECHNICIAN, ECOSYSTEM MODELING AT NOAA-FISHERIES, SEATTLE



The project: "Development of Decision Support Tools for the California
Current"

We are developing ecosystem simulation models for the California Current and
the Central California Coast. The models will be used for simulation testing
of alternative ecosystem-based management strategies for this region. Our
research includes:

? Testing options for monitoring and assessment of nearshore fisheries and
marine protected areas (MPAs)
? Considering spatial management options and nearshore habitat effects on
ecosystem services
? Considering tradeoffs or benefits of the interrelated policies of multiple
state and federal agencies

In collaboration with researchers at CSIRO in Australia, we have adopted a
modeling framework (Atlantis) in which ecosystem dynamics are represented by
spatially-explicit sub-models that simulate hydrographic processes,
biogeochemical factors driving primary production, and food web relations
among functional groups.  The model represents key exploited species at the
level of detail necessary to evaluate direct effects of fishing, and it also
represents other anthropogenic and climate impacts on the ecosystem as a
whole.

Technician responsibilities

The technician's primary responsibility will be to assist in the development
of an Atlantis ecosystem model of the Central California Coast. This
involves collecting and summarizing biological and fisheries data from the
literature and from databases, writing computer code to synthesize and
format this data into required input files,  calibrating and running the
model, and writing documentation and methods.  The technician will also be
involved in a collaborative effort to develop computer code that improves
input/output handling and visualization of results.

About our team

http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov

We are part of NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle. Our
team's goal is to research the ecological interactions and processes
necessary to sustain ecosystem composition, structure and function in the
environments in which fish and fisheries exist.
We draw upon expertise from within and outside the NWFSC to address the
following five research foci:

? Interactions of target fish stocks with predators, competitors and prey
? The effects of weather and climate on target species and their ecological
communities
? The effects of fishing on marine ecosystems and fish habitat
? Interactions between fishes and their habitat
? Marine Protected Areas as a fisheries conservation and management tool

Current members include 5 research scientists and 3 postdocs, with projects
ranging from experimental ecology to ecosystem modeling.

Term:  June 2008-May 2009

Location: Seattle, Washington, USA

Qualifications: M.S. in ecology, fisheries science, or similar discipline.
The candidate should have a proven track record of collaborative research.
The principal requirement is a strong quantitative background in statistics
and computing (languages such as R, Matlab, or Visual Basic).  Experience
with food web modeling and C/C++ preferred.

Salary and Benefits: $40,000/year plus health insurance

We will begin reviewing applications on May 1, 2008.

Contact:  Please email a cover letter, curriculum vitae, all university
transcripts, and 3 letters of recommendation to Dr. Phil Levin
Phil.Levin at noaa.gov






--
Jameal Samhouri, Ph.D.
NOAA Fisheries
Northwest Fisheries Science Center
2725 Montlake Blvd. E
Seattle, WA 98112


------------------------------

Message: 3
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2008 08:21:02 +1000
From: "Ove Hoegh-Guldberg" <oveh at uq.edu.au>
Subject: [Coral-List] Scholarships available
To: <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
Message-ID:
	<6C62167D152FAD4F91D2D6C8392D1DF00485422B at UQEXMB1.soe.uq.edu.au>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="US-ASCII"


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CRTR Scholarships 2008
6 GBRSP Course Scholarships available in 2008
<http://www.cms.uq.edu.au/GBRSP/CRTRScholarship.htm>
<http://www.cms.uq.edu.au/GBRSP/CRTRScholarship.htm>

Applications are invited for international participants from the Pacific
region, wishing to undertake the Coastal Resource Management
<http://www.cms.uq.edu.au/GBRSP/CRM.htm >
<http://www.cms.uq.edu.au/GBRSP/CRM.htm%20>  course under the Great
Barrier Reef Study Program (GBRSP) in 2008.  The course will cover
topics including: introduction to coastal zone management; the role of
policy, legislation, planning and monitoring and environment
assessments; managing development in coastal areas; examine specific
tools and skills.

Each scholarship will cover tuition fees, transport to and from the
research station, meals and accommodation for the duration of the
course. Scholarship winners will be required to make their own
arrangements for travel to and from Brisbane.

The Coral Reef Targeted Research & Capacity Building for Management
Program (CRTR) is a leading international coral reef research initiative
that provides a coordinated approach to credible, factual and
scientifically-proven knowledge for improved coral reef management.  For
further information on the CRTR Program please go to the Program website
at www.gefcoral.org <http://www.gefcoral.org/> .

This sponsorship is made possible with funding provided by the Coral
Reef Targeted Research (CRTR) Program's Australasian Centre of
Excellence. The CRTR Program is a partnership between the Global
Environment Facility, the World Bank, The University of Queensland
(Australia), the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), and approximately 40 research institutes & other
third parties around the world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Academic Programs

Centre for Marine Studies

University of Queensland

Gerhmann Lab. (# 60)

Research Road

St. Lucia



Tel. +61 7 3365 67331

Fax  +61 7 3365 4755

gbrsp at uq.edu.au









------------------------------

Message: 4
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:18:37 -0700 (PDT)
From: Steffan Howe <sajhowe at yahoo.com>
Subject: [Coral-List] Long term change in Eritrean reefs: past,
	present,	future
To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Message-ID: <301805.50737.qm at web34703.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8

Dear Listers
I have been watching with interest the discussion about Eritrean coral
reefs, having worked with the ECMIB Project for which Pete Raines (and later
Jerry Kemp and Alain Jeudy) was Technical Advisor. A lack of human resources
was an issue with the project for many years until late 2003 when
approximetaly 20 marine biology graduates from Asmara University were
assigned to work with the project. It was my job to build on the training
they had received at the university and eventually establish five monitoring
teams (coral reefs, seagrass/seaweed, seabird/shorebird, mangroves and
marine turtles) with one of those teams responsible for undertaking Rapid
Ecological Assessments (including some measure of coral cover) of the
Eritrean coast and islands. The aim was for each of these teams to
eventually establish national monitoring programs.
The coral reef monitoring team consisted of four members and the methods we
used initially were modified ReefCheck methods. It was our intention to move
on to more detailed methods (such as LIT and Video transects in some areas)
once the team had become more experienced with underwater surveys. I left
Eritrea in 2005 but by then the coral reef team had conducted prelimnary
surveys in many areas and set up permanent monitoing sites in some of the
proposed MPA's (e.g. Green Island and Dissei-Madote), as well as around
Massawa Island, and were planning to expand the monitoring program
throughout the coast and islands. The team conducting REA had also carried
out surveys along much of the coast and a number of the islands.
By the time I left we hadn't been able to collect sufficient data to be able
to paint a clear picture of the health of Eritrean reefs but the project
continued until late last year and I'm assuming (and hoping) that those
teams continued the expansion of the monitoring program and have collected
some useful data.
Virginie Tilot who was a consultant for the project ran some training in
video transects on reefs in 2006 I believe but I am unsure of whether any
monitoring sites were established. Mr Yonas Afewerki was the leader of the
coral reef team and would be someone to contact about coral reef data
collected over the last few years, although I have tried to contact him on a
number of occasions with limited success (yonasa467 at yahoo.com). Zekeria
Zekerias who is head of the College of Marine Science and Tehcnology
(COMSAT) in Massawa and who also previously taught marine biology at Asmara
University and did his Ph.D. on butterflyfish in the Red Sea (around the
same time as Mebrahtu) would be another person to contact about reef
condition (I will have to chase up his contact details).
Regards
Steffan

Steffan Howe, Ph.D.
Acting Manager - Great Australian Bight Marine Park
Department for Environment and Heritage
75 Liverpool St, Port Lincoln
South Australia 5606
Tel.    +618 8688 3172
Mob. +61 0428 117 278
Fax    +618 8688 3110
howe.steffan at saugov.sa.gov.au


      __________________________________________________________
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------------------------------

Message: 5
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2008 09:39:28 -0400
From: "Dan Dalke-Fac/Staff" <ddalke at lovett.org>
Subject: [Coral-List] coral list post: Diadema antillarum
To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Message-ID: <fc.000f4a02040a8037000f4a02040a8037.40a8066 at lovett.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Dear coral listers,

This is Drew Fozzard. I am a senior at Lovett, and am currently
doing an independent research project with my Marine Biology
teacher.  Along with 11 other students, we will be going to
Discovery Bay Marine Lab in Jamaica with a  research diving
class.  We are interested in doing a project involving the
population of the reef urchin Diadema antillarum.  I was
wondering if anyone had any information or suggestions for
monitoring the numbers of Diadema on the different reefs at
Discovery Bay. We are taking 1/2 m and 1 m quadrants with us.

Thanks,

Drew Fozzard
alfozzard at lovett.org



Dan Dalke
Upper School Science Department Chairman
The Lovett School
404-262-3032 ext. 1520
ddalke at lovett.org





------------------------------

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