[Coral-List] Assessing reef health through fish ID

[David Obura]

Hi Gus,

For community-based fish/fisheries work in Mozambique there are a number of programs already in place that would be good for you to connect with. Most directly, I'd put you in touch with Dr. Melita Samoilys (CORDIO) and Dr. Nick Hill (Zoological Society of London) who are working on such issues in Cabo Delgado in the north. They can give you information on national/local partners as well in Mozambique, as the the government has had a small scale fisheries programme running for over 20 years that any new initiatives should ensure to build on/collaborate with. 

Mozambique has a strong focus on development of CCPs (local fishery organizations) as the node for interactions with community fishers.  If by volunteers you mean divers and tourists, then things might be quite different. But Melita and Nick can assist with the questions you ask ...

regards,

David Obura



CORDIO East Africa
#9 Kibaki Flats, Kenyatta Beach, Bamburi Beach
P.O.BOX 10135 Mombasa 80101, Kenya
www.cordioea.net ; Email: dobura at cordioea.net; davidobura at gmail.com
Mobile: +254-715 067417; skype dobura; Twitter @dobura

> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 3
> Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2015 09:17:45 +0000
> From: Gus Fordyce <GusFordyce.2011 at my.bristol.ac.uk>
> Subject: [Coral-List] Assessing reef health through fish ID
> To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> Message-ID:
> 	<CAN_vqstRhpzOeYeeOPnMr+asaEVU3Uc9VA5_ratVOesP85LbbA at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
> 
> Dear coral-listers,
> 
> I'm about to start a position in Mozambique as scientific coordinator for a
> marine conservation volunteer program, and could use some guidance. One of
> my key roles upon arriving out there will be to design a fish ID training
> program that will standardize the way volunteers collect data on species
> abundances and locations, all with the aim of assessing the changing health
> of the reefs without introducing volunteer bias.
> 
> What species (or even taxa) are sensitive to changes in reef health and so
> can be a good measure of the health of the reef? My immediate thought was
> to look near the top end of the food chain, but I also want volunteers to
> have a good chance of seeing them so we can build a large dataset and they
> can have a good time!
> 
> Advice on successful training techniques would also be helpful.
> Any and all help is much appreciated,
> 
> Cheers,
> Gus Fordyce
> 
> MSci Biology student
> University of Bristol
> 
> 
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> End of Coral-List Digest, Vol 79, Issue 15
> ******************************************