[Coral-List] Whale Shark Encounter

Kathleen Herrmann ourworldocean at gmail.com
Tue Aug 11 16:37:27 EDT 2009


Steve,

I just saw a presentation on this unique program to track and ID Whale
sharks at SCB in Beijing.. Check out this website!  They have a tracking
database where they track global distribution of whale sharks and are
working to ID them individually.

http://www.whaleshark.org/

Cheers-
Kathleen Herrmann- Show quoted text -


On Wed, Aug 12, 2009 at 2:00 AM, <coral-list-request at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>wrote:

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> Today's Topics:
>
>   1. Minimal spawning in Rincon, PR last night (Szmant, Alina)
>   2. UNEP Senior Officer: Marine and coastal   ecosystem-based
>      management (Jim Hendee)
>   3. whale shark encounter (Steve Mussman)
>   4. Acropora palmata spawning in St Johns, Virgin Islands
>      (Charles Boch)
>   5. additional Rincon Acropora palmata spawning (Eric Borneman)
>   6. No Acroporid spawning in PR (Hernandez Edwin)
>   7. Stronger spawning in Rincon PR tonight (Eric Borneman)
>   8. Re: whale shark encounter (Mcguire,Maia Patterson)
>   9. AIS Biocontrol Specialist -- Sea Urchin Culture
>      (Tony.Montgomery at hawaii.gov)
>  10. Partial spawn again Yawzi Point, St Johns (Charles Boch)
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: "Szmant, Alina" <szmanta at uncw.edu>
> To: "coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov" <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> Date: Mon, 10 Aug 2009 10:56:59 -0400
> Subject: [Coral-List] Minimal spawning in Rincon, PR last night
> We collected spawn from one large colony, only 10 % of that colony spawned.
>  No other colony in our part of the reef was seen to form bundles (we
> stopped checked ca. 9:45 pm) but the Baums group got spawn from a different
> part of the reef a few hundred meters south.  We are hoping that tonight
> will bring a larger spawn.
>
> Best wishes,
>
>
> **********************************************
> Dr. Alina M. Szmant
> Professor of Marine Biology
> Coral Reef Research Program, Center for Marine Science
> University of North Carolina Wilmington
> 5600 Marvin K. Moss Lane
> Wilmington NC 28409
> Tel:  (910)962-2362; fax: (910)962-2410;  cell:  (910)200-3913
> http://people.uncw.edu/szmanta
> **********************************************
>
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Jim Hendee <jim.hendee at noaa.gov>
> To: Coral-List Subscribers <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> Date: Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:13:03 -0400
> Subject: [Coral-List] UNEP Senior Officer: Marine and coastal
> ecosystem-based management
> Greetings, Coral-List,
>
>    Unfortunately, Ole Vestergaard tried several times to get this out
> to Coral-List as a plain text message, but for some reason was unable to
> do so; thus, herewith is his post.  Please answer directly to him or as
> requested in his email, not me.
>
>    Thank you.
>    Jim
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Dear Coral-list,  previously lost in HTML-translation..
>
> A senior position to guide and support development and application of
> ecosystem-based marine and coastal management tools and policies is
> vacant with UNEP's Marine & Coastal Ecosystem Branch. A strong
> scientific marine & coastal ecological background combined with
> on-the-ground work experience in management and policy development is a
> key priority. UN working experience is useful, but is not a requirement.
> The position is based at UNEP HQ in Nairobi to assist global programme
> development and implementation.
>
> For further details on the position and how to apply, pls. see below.
> For questions regarding the role of the position within UNEP's new
> Marine & Coastal Strategy, pls. contact Dr. Jacqueline Alder, Head,
> Marine & Coastal Ecosystem Branch, email: jacqueline.alder at unep.org .
>
>
> DEADLINE for APPLICATION: 6 September 2009.
>
> APPLY online via: www.jobs.UN.org, see under "Programme Management",
> "Coordinator (Marine Ecosystem), P5 (Nairobi), Deadline: 06 Sep 2009".
> (The advert can also be accessed via: www.unep.org/vacancies).
>
>
> SENIOR PROGRAMME OFFICER (P5): Marine Ecosystems (Re-advertisement)
>
> Vacancy announcement number: 09-PGM-UNEP-421870-R-NAIROBI
>
>
> WORK DESCRIPTION:
>
> The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the United Nations
> system's designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the
> global and regional level. Its mandate is to coordinate the development
> of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment
> under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of
> governments and the international community for action. UNEP's Division
> of Environmental Policy Implementation (DEPI) works with international
> and national partners, providing technical assistance and advisory
> services for the implementation of environmental policy, and
> strengthening the environmental management capacity of developing
> countries and countries with economies in transition. This post is
> located in UNEP/DEPI at the Nairobi duty station.
>
> Under the overall guidance of the Director, DEPI, the incumbent will be
> responsible for formulating and implementing the Marine Ecosystems
> activities including marine biodiversity, habitat conservation,
> environmental aspects of fisheries, coral reefs, high seas management
> and within delegated authority he/she will manage the human and
> financial resources of the unit, preparing reports and ensuring timely
> UN reporting requirements by:
>
> 1. Coordinating and directing development and implementation of
> activities and projects on marine ecosystems. 2. Developing and
> maintaining a network for collaboration and partnerships within UNEP, UN
> organizations, governments and expert institutions and promoting the
> mobilization of resources for programme activities in particular
> sectors, regions or countries. 3. Initiating and/or assessing and
> recommending the viability of environmental projects and programme
> elements, negotiating suitable executing arrangements and project
> financing. 4. Overseeing the preparation and/or quality of reports for
> presentation to senior management, governing councils and
> intergovernmental bodies. 5. Participating in substantive discussions,
> meetings, and conferences and representing the unit at international,
> regional or national meetings. 6. Making recommendations and reporting
> on the status of implementation of the marine ecosystems and coral reef
> activities to the Coordinator, Coastal and Marine Branch, and the
> Director for policy and programme guidance. 7. Recommending the
> allocation of financial resources, justifying administrative and/or
> results-based budget proposals and work plans including designing
> projects for resource mobilization for implementation of programme
> activities. 8. Managing staff performance, guiding and supporting staff
> in meeting their objectives, fostering teamwork and communication in the
> Unit and across organizational boundaries. 9. Performing any other
> duties as required.
>
>
> QUALIFICATIONS :
>
> Education: An advanced university degree in marine biodiversity, water,
> natural resources. A first level degree in combination with qualifying
> experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree.
> Work Experience: At least 10 years of progressively responsible work in
> marine ecosystem including 5 years at international level and 2 years in
> a supervisory capacity. Knowledge of marine biodiversity, and/or oceans.
>
> Languages: English and French are the working languages of the United
> Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and
> written English is essential. Knowledge of another United Nations
> language is an asset.
>
> Other Skills: Skills in interlinkages approaches for managing
> connectivity between ecosystems and social actions for sustainable
> development. Ability to establish and maintain partnerships in
> implementation of programmes. Be fully proficient in computer skills and
> use of relevant software and other applications e.g. word processing,
> internal database and internet etc.
>
>
> HOW TO APPLY?
>
> All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online as soon as
> possible after the vacancy has been posted and well before the deadline
> stated in the vacancy announcement. Because applications submitted by
> United Nations (UN) staff members are considered first, provided the
> eligibility requirements set out in ST/AI/2006/3 are met and the
> application is submitted in a timely fashion, staff members should apply
> within 15-day or 30-day mark.
>
> Online applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been
> provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24
> hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In
> such cases, please go to "My UN" page and check the status of your
> application by clicking on "View Application History", and resubmit the
> application, if necessary.
>
> To start the application process, applicants are required to register by
> opening a "My UN" account. Go to Login, and Register as a User. Fill in
> the form and choose a User Name and Password.
>
> After opening the account, applicants may apply for vacancies using the
> Personal History Profile (PHP) provided. Once the PHP has been completed
> for a particular vacancy, it can be saved and used for future
> applications. The PHP may be up-dated, when necessary, for future
> applications.
>
> In completing the PHP, please note that all fields marked with an
> asterisk must be completed.
>
>
> E-mail: Recruitment at unon.org,
>
> Fax: 254-20-762-4212
>
> Please see the Frequently Asked Questions, if you encounter problems
> when applying.
>
>
>
> All the best,
>
> Ole Vestergaard
>
> Programme Officer
> Marine Ecosystem Unit
> Division of Environmental Policy Implementation
> United Nations Environment Programme
> P.O.Box 30552
> Nairobi , Kenya
> Tel: +254-20-762 4729
> Fax: +254-20-762 4816
> Email: ole.vestergaard at unep.org
>
>
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Steve Mussman <sealab at earthlink.net>
> To: "coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov" <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> Date: Mon, 10 Aug 2009 08:41:57 -0400 (EDT)
> Subject: [Coral-List] whale shark encounter
> While diving off Panama City Beach, Fl with students
> this past weekend, we had an unexpected encounter with
> an extremely amicable whale shark. I'm wondering if
> anyone can direct me to information pertaining to
> frequency of sightings of this species in this area.
> Are there federal or state guidelines relating to
> whale shark-diver interactions? This particular fish
> seemed to seek contact and repeatedly returned to
> initiate interaction.
>
> Regards,
> Steve Mussman
>
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Charles Boch <boch at lifesci.ucsb.edu>
> To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> Date: Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:09:18 -0400
> Subject: [Coral-List] Acropora palmata spawning in St Johns, Virgin Islands
> Hi All,
>
> We observed 2 colonies of Acropora palmata spawning last night (8/9/09) at
> Yawzi Point, St Johns, Virgin Islands.  We will be checking again tonight
> and keep everyone posted.
>
> Best
>
> Charlie Boch
> PH.D. Candidate
> Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Marine Science
> University of California Santa Barbara
> 805-893-3416 (Office)
>
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Eric Borneman <eborneman at uh.edu>
> To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> Date: Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:06:01 -0500
> Subject: [Coral-List] additional Rincon Acropora palmata spawning
> In addition to the report from Alina, we had three colonies on the Steps
> beach side of Rincon (25% of small colony, 10% 1m colony, 50% 3m colony
> (undersides of branches), and 100% of a 1m colony on the Tres Palmas side of
> the reserve. Very minimal spawning, and many colonies actively feeding.
>
> __________________________
> Eric Borneman
> Dept. of Biology and Biochemistry
> University of Houston
>
>
>
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Hernandez Edwin <coral_giac at yahoo.com>
> To: Coral List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> Date: Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:53:22 -0700 (PDT)
> Subject: [Coral-List] No Acroporid spawning in PR
> Dear listers.
>
> Hola! Here is a summary report of what was documented by two separate
> diving teams of our Coral Reef Research Group.
>
> After three days of observations in Bahia Tamarindo, Culebra Island,
> eastern PR, (Friday 7 to Sunday 9 evenings; about 2-3 hr/night), no spawning
> was documented in Acropora cervicornis or A. palmata. Only a few sporadic
> egg bundles were observed during the 4th evening after full moon (Sunday 9)
> coming with the tidal current around 8:45-9:30 pm. None of the monitored
> colonies, either cultured corals in our coral farms, coral transplants
> harvested from our farms, or naturally occurring colonies spawned. Many
> cultured corals did spawn during 2008.
>
>  Information from our collaborator, Ricardo Laureano (VIDAS, Vega Baja),
> confirmed that no mass spawning ocurred in A. palmata in any of the three
> evenings within the Candidate Vega Baja Submarine Gardens Natural Reserve,
> at Playa Tractores, Vega Baja, (northern PR coast). Only sporadic gamete
> bundles were documented during Friday 7 around 9:00 pm.
>
> These observations were consistent with other observations from Puerto
> Rico, where no mass spawning occurred in other Acroporid colonies, therefore
> suggesting that spawning might actually occur following the next full moon
> in early September. If that is the case, potential spawning dates for
> Acroporids may fluctuate between Sunday Sept. 6 (2nd night following full
> moon) and Tuesday Sept. 8. For most other coral species spawning may occur
> between Thursday Sept. 10 and (6th evening) and Saturday Sept. 12 (8th
> evening).
>
> Saludos!
>
> Edwin
>
> Edwin A. Hernández-Delgado, Ph.D.
> Affiliate Researcher
>
> University of Puerto Rico
> Department of Biology
> Center for Applied Tropical Ecology and Conservation
> Coral Reef Research Group
> P.O. Box 23360
> San Juan, Puerto Rico 00931-3360
>
> Tel (787) 764-0000, x-2009
> Fax (787) 764-2610
>
> e-mail: coral_giac at yahoo.com
>
> Web page: http://ccri.uprm.edu/researcher/Hernandez/
>          http://crest-catec.upr.edu/
>
>
>
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Eric Borneman <eborneman at uh.edu>
> To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2009 01:10:17 -0500
> Subject: [Coral-List] Stronger spawning in Rincon PR tonight
> We had a dramatically stronger spawning tonight in Rincon. On the Steps
> Beach side of the reserve, sporadic bundles were seen in the water column
> and occasionally above colonies on entering the water at 2050hrs, and
> continued to approximately 2200hrs. Large colonies released many bundles and
> formed a surface slick, but the upper surfaces of many colonies spawning did
> not have bundles in the area I was monitoring. The bundles were being
> released by the undersides of branches making estimation of the total number
> of colonies or percent of colonies in the area difficult. Patchy but strong
> spawning was also observed on the less dense Tres Palmas side of the
> reserve.
>
> __________________________
> Eric Borneman
> Dept. of Biology and Biochemistry
> University of Houston
>
>
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: "Mcguire,Maia Patterson" <mpmcg at ufl.edu>
> To: Steve Mussman <sealab at earthlink.net>, "coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov"
> <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2009 07:50:43 -0400
> Subject: Re: [Coral-List] whale shark encounter
> I've also heard that there's a whale shark hanging around in the Florida
> Keys--appears to have some fishing gear entanglement.  Is hanging out around
> a cut/bridge which is causing some concern for biologists in the area as
> there is a lot of boat traffic and curious onlookers eager to jump in the
> water and swim with the critter.  I heard about this a couple of weeks ago,
> so am not sure if it's still in the area or not.
>
> The state of Florida (FWC) lists the Whale Shark as a "prohibited" species,
> but that simply refers to protection from harvest or sale.  I cannot find
> reference to prohibitions against "harassment" of whale sharks as there are
> for marine mammals.
>
> The Florida Museum of Natural History has some good information about whale
> sharks on its site:
> http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/whaleshark/whaleshark.html..
>
> Maia
>
> Maia McGuire, PhD
> Florida Sea Grant Extension Agent
> 150 Sawgrass Road
> Bunnell, FL 32110
> 386-437-7464
>
> http://stjohns.ifas.ufl.edu/sea/seagrant.htm________________________________________
> From: coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov[coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.
> .noaa.gov] On Behalf Of Steve Mussman [sealab at earthlink.net]
> Sent: Monday, August 10, 2009 8:41 AM
> To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> Subject: [Coral-List] whale shark encounter
>
> While diving off Panama City Beach, Fl with students
> this past weekend, we had an unexpected encounter with
> an extremely amicable whale shark. I'm wondering if
> anyone can direct me to information pertaining to
> frequency of sightings of this species in this area.
> Are there federal or state guidelines relating to
> whale shark-diver interactions? This particular fish
> seemed to seek contact and repeatedly returned to
> initiate interaction.
>
> Regards,
> Steve Mussman
> _______________________________________________
> Coral-List mailing list
> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Tony.Montgomery at hawaii.gov
> To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> Date: Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:29:05 -1000
> Subject: [Coral-List] AIS Biocontrol Specialist -- Sea Urchin Culture
>
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Charles Boch <boch at lifesci.ucsb.edu>
> To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2009 08:37:01 -0400
> Subject: [Coral-List] Partial spawn again Yawzi Point, St Johns
> Hi All,
>
> Last night (8/10/09), there was a partial spawn of the same 2 colonies (as
> previous night) at Yawzi Point, St Johns Virgin Islands.
>
> Best
>
> Charlie Boch
> Ph.D. Candidate
> Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Marine Science
> University of California Santa Barbara
> 805-893-3416 (Office)
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Coral-List mailing list
> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
>



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