MOTE'S HISTORIC RESEARCH....

…Aimed to Save Florida’s Dying

Coral Reefs

As the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States, the Florida Keys Reef Tract is also the third largest coral barrier reef system in the world. It is Florida’s economic engine worth over $8.5 billion supporting more than 70,000 jobs that include tourism, restaurants, hotels, commercial businesses and the fishing industry, according to recent statistics.

Today, Florida’s coral reefs are facing an unprecedented, deadly and rapidly spreading coral disease outbreak that puts them at risk for extinction say scientists at Mote Marine Laboratory (mote.org) an independent, non-profit institution located in Sarasota, Florida.

Mote states that the stony coral tissue loss disease is plaguing nearly half the coral species on the Florida Reef Tract, with mortality rates frequently exceeding 80 percent. The outbreak stretches from Martin County to Key West, with potentially similar disease signs being investigated at other Caribbean reefs.

Recognizing these high stakes, scientists at Mote are raising the bar on disease research and reef restoration. As leaders within a state-federal-nongovernment Disease Advisory Committee of more than three dozen partners, Mote, as of March 2019, is undertaking the first year of its historic new Florida Keys Coral Disease Response & Restoration Initiative.

“There is no stopping this coral plaque from running its course. It is highly unlikely that our devastated coral populations will be able to execute a natural recovery on their own,” said Mote President & CEO Dr. Michael P. Crosby. “That means conservation strategies alone cannot solve this dilemma.”

  Mote has proposed a bold science-based response and restoration initiative that is essential to actively assist the recovery of this ecosystem. It is a collaborative effort with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and many others.

“Several years ago, the future of coral ecosystems was dismal. That has now changed dramatically,” Crosby said. “When many coral scientists and environmental activists around the world saw coral bleaching events and devastating coral diseases of recent years, they concluded that it’s impossible to replace a dead 50-or 100-year old coral in a decade. I, however, contend that now is not the time for scientists to throw in the towel.” Crosby added, “Investing time and resources, and conducting world-class research into restoring coral reefs is not a choice, it is a necessity.”

Mote scientists have developed a novel micro-fragmentation and re-skinning technique that can bring back to life the massive and slow growing corals that are vital to reef building structure.

“We can do this in just one or two years instead of hundreds of years it would take nature to rebuild a reef on its own.” said Crosby,“ This is something of a Coral Lazarus Effect!”

Dr. Erinn Muller, Director and Manager of Mote’s Coral Health & Disease Research Program, explained, “We take fragments of these corals, chop them into tiny micro-fragments, and allow genetically identical micro-fragments to fuse and then re-skin the skeletons of larger corals. Micro-fragmentation accelerates their growth rate by 40-50 times what you’d see in nature.

“This method is especially powerful when scientists choose genetically diverse corals—which as a group, have a larger assortment of stress-resistant traits—and promote their best traits through controlled sexual reproduction efforts.”

Over the years, Mote scientists have raised and restored more than 43,000 corals to depleted reefs in the Florida Keys. Now, Mote is investigating whether lab-tested corals will continue to thrive once planted on the reef. This is one of many efforts overseen by a Restoration Trials Team co-led by Mote and DEP, with members from NOAA, FWC, U.S. Geological Survey, Nova Southeastern University, Florida Aquarium, Coral Restoration Foundation, The National Park Service, The Nature Conservancy and Coral Restoration Consortium.

“Ultimately, we envision that the gene bank we are creating this year at Mote Aquaculture Research Park will be the seed for our longer-term development of a Category-4 or-5 hurricane-resistant, expanded coral gene bank at that location. Ideally with every coral genotype we are able to culture they will be represented in triplicate,” Crosby said. “Mote has the knowledge, passion and vision to develop a gene bank that can host representative genotypes of every coral species found in Florida and grow that to become a national gene bank for every coral species in the United States.”

The importance of the coral reef research taking place at Mote, along with its partners, cannot be over emphasized. Their perseverance in research to save the Florida Keys reef ecosystem will also help others worldwide bring back to life their dying coral reefs.

With over 6,000 individual reefs in the Florida Keys Reef Tract that are between 5,000 to 7,000 years old, it is imperative that the scientists at Mote Marine Laboratory are successful in their innovative coral recovery strategy. 

“Our reefs are a vital resource for many of our Florida communities and we must take bold steps to respond to coral disease and protect this vital ecosystem,” said Florida State Representative Holly Raschein. “Mote’s valuable work has never been more important in ensuring that we use sound science-based solutions to ensure that we can restore and protect our reefs, for our residents, businesses, tourists and future generations.” 

Arley Harriman

For more inforamtion about Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium contact them at:   mote.org;  Ph: (941-388-4441);  1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, FL 34236

(Visit CONTACT page for more contact information)

Dolphins Living Free in the Gulf of Ambrasia

I have not been able to write on a regular basis since we are continually working, four hours on the boat searching the waters for dolphins to surface, then three hours later at the computer analyzing the pictures Juan has taken to identify the dolphins we've seen. We're usually finished by 6:00 p,m., have a few hours to rest before having dinner at  8:00 p.m. We're in bed by  10:30 p.m. to rise early at 6:00 a.m. to start the day. There has not been much time for me to write or walk down to the internet cafe. Therefore, today is a synopsis of the week.  

 However,  I have gathered many pictures of the dolphins we have seen, as well as video shorts. Details will follow after I return home the end of August. At that time, I will have more time to reflect on the many things I have learned from my exciting and very interesting volunteer research vacation with the Tethys Research Institute and their Ionian Dolphin Project.

Tuesday, August 19, we were on the waters not long before we were surrounded by a group of active dolphins. Then, the next day,  we trolled the fish farms nearby looking not only for dolphins but sea turtles. The farmed fish are fed pellets of ground fish which sometimes spill outside the enclosed farm areas. Wild fish swim close in to eat these scattered pellets and are easy prey for the dolphins and sea turtles. 

Thursday we again found an active group of dolphins farther out towards the other end of the Gulf. Then on Friday we ventured out into the Ionian Sea to study a different breed of dolphin called the Common Dolphin which is half the size of the Bottlenose Dolphin and has different coloring. This breed in an endangered species and is rarely seen.

The picture below was taken on Tuesday, August 19, of bottlenose dolphins surfacing. Note the sea gull to the right. The gulls often know where the dolphins are because they wait to eat  left over fish pieces and excess debris blown out through the dolphin's noses.

Day 1, Early Morning: Learning to Spot Dolphins

It’s 7:45 a.m. Monday morning, our first day to be in the boat and on the water searching for dolphins. We are all excited to venture out and learn what we have to do to help Juan and his assistant, Victoria. We leave at 8 a.m. sharp.

The boat is a heavy, inflatable with a motor. We all sit on the edges and grab the rope secured around the edge so we don’t fall in the water. Or, there is a metal handle at the skipper’s stand one can grab if sitting near it and, other thin ropes secured in the center of the boat to grab and wrap around your wrist. No one in Europe, from what I’m told, wears life jackets. I’m guessing people don’t drown much in this part of the world. Only in America!

Juan starts the motor and we speed into the Gulf of Ambrasia (English name), in Greek, pronounced AmbrakeKOS. We travel approximately 40 mph (don’t know nautical speed)! to a destination Juan sets for. Each of us is assigned a quadrant of the boat to watch for dolphins. When we spot one, we have to shout its location to Juan….the bow being twelve o’clock and the back 6 o’clock. For example, when we see a dolphin or dolphins at 1 o’clock, we shout 1 o’clock at 50 meters or 100 meters, and tell him if you saw one dolphin, two or more.

He then immediately speeds to the location and slows the boat to wait for them to surface. Since the dolphins swim very fast, they can be in a totally different location by the time the boat nears the last sighting. When they do surface, Juan trolls the boat, grabs his super fast camera and starts shooting pictures. After the dolphins disappear and Juan has finished snapping pictures, he then grabs his tape recorder and records the time and location of this group of dolphins. Victoria, his assistant, then writes down behavior information she has observed.

We do this over and over for about three hours and are not allowed to take pictures during this disciplined research. That time will come on Thursday after the research is finished for the day.

It is amazing that Juan doesn’t wear sunglasses and can spot a dolphin in the distance without any trouble. His acute eyesight must have adapted, similar to the Bedouin in the Sahara dessert. We, on the other hand, have to wear sunglasses to filter the glare on the water and be able to distinguish the waves from the dolphins.

It is 11 a.m. and we speed back to shore for a drink at the cafe and then some lunch at our field base home. We have a few hours to chill out before we start the really tedious part of the research.

Day 1, Afternoon Research: Identifying the Dolphins

At 3 p.m., we all gathered in the computer room that has two table top computers. Elaine and Richard are the more experienced ones, so have one computer. The other three of us sit with Victoria to view the pictures Juan has taken that day, perhaps fifty or more.

The pictures are mostly of the dorsal fins of each dolphin since this is what surfaces most of the time. Each dolphin has its own size and shape of dorsal fin, similar to human noses…each is different. They also have different markings on them due to activity, such as notches on the fins and other skin differences.

Using Photo Shop, the pictures of these dorsal fins are cataloged. One by one, each picture is put up on the screen and we have to match the fin pictures, two side by side, to the same dolphin. Then, a file is made for each dolphin. It is tedious work, but very interesting to see that each dolphin has it’s own identity.  We finish the day’s work around 5 or 6 p.m, depending how many pictures are taken that day.

After we finish, we have a few hours before dinner that usually takes place between 8 and 8:30 p.m. Everyone takes a turn to cook for the others and is a wonderful time to socialize and share differences and commonalities of our countries.

Tomorrow, we’re out to sea again!

 ( Pictures will come a little later when they are transferred to the computer. I don’t have much time to write between morning and afternoon research nor time to load pictures)

Arley Harriman  

Please Meet My International IDP Team

Our research group of seven is a very international team of people. Juan (pronounced Schwan) is the lead scientist from Barcelona, Spain in the Catalan region. He has been researching the dolphins in Vonitsa for over 10 years and is working on his Phd. His assistant, Victoria, is a young pretty woman from Hungary who has been Juan’s assistant for four months.    

  Richard is from the U.K. and travels around the world for the BBC to contribute science research information to the BBC documentary division. Elaine is also from the U.K. and is a middle school teacher who also seems to travel a lot. She and Richard seem to have known each other for awhile.

Maggie is a very young, pretty girl, about 19 years old, from a small town in northern Australia who wants to be a biologist but doesn’t know in which field she is interested. So, she travels around Europe to discover her interests. When she leaves Vonitsa, she will be meeting her mother in Scotland who is flying from Australia to vacation with her

Sandra is an attractive woman from Austria, who has many interests. She likes to rescue animals of any kind and has one rescue horse and cares for another persons’. She has trained one of them called Angel, to compete in Western style disciplines such as herding, barrel riding etc.(as they do in the U.S.) She also has a rescue dog and, rescues birds, sheep, whatever she finds abandoned. By profession, she is a Chimney Sweep, which has been a family tradition for the women in her family for generations! Her business has been handed down from her grandmother to her mother to herself. And, yes, she does the chimney sweeping herself! She speaks German and is trying to learn to speak better English.

And then, there is myself!

We have gathered together for a briefing from Juan explaining what we are to do, and other general expedition information.  Early Monday morning August 18 at 8 a.m., we will leave to find the dolphins. Please join us!

Arley Harriman

LOST....In Translation

So far, everything on my dolphin journey to Vonitsa has gone according to plan, but with some very pleasant added surprises. The Mare Nostrum Hotel Thalasso was filled with French vacationers and not Greek, which gave me a slice of everyday French culture and language. I am hoping the Greek mythical magic continues!                                            

Early the next morning after my second night, the hotel arranged for a taxi to pick me up at 5:30 a.m. to take me to the bus station in Athens where I was to pick up a bus to Vonitsa. The grey haired taxi driver arrived early, 5:15 a.m. and, thankfully, spoke English. He told me his one brother lived in Joliet, not far from my town of Downers Grove, and his other brother lived somewhere in Indiana. We had a nice chat on the way about America.    

 When the sun finally rose, I could see vast countryside along the road we were taking. Little white homes with clay tile roofs scattered here and there, abandoned buildings and structures half built and left standing unused, and lots of olive and date trees, also scattered randomly. It was a very enjoyable and scenic 20 minute drive. 

As we approached Athens, we entered a modern highway where the signs were in both Greek and English and they had modern tollgates with through passes. When we arrived at the bus station, which was in a very dingy area, the taxi driver walked me into the station and took me to the ticket booth (there were about 15) that sold the ticket for the bus I needed to ride. I really appreciated it because everything was written in Greek, and no one seemed to speak English.

However, the ticket agent was late, so a group of people were there waiting impatiently. A very kind, older woman and her husband were very nice to me sensing I was a confused tourist. The woman allowed me ahead of her to purchase my ticket. Even though she or her husband didn’t speak English, they waved to me to follow them into a snack bar area where we waited for our bus. Soon beggar women were coming up to everyone, including me, and the kind couple shooed them away from me.

When the time neared for our bus to arrive, they again beaconed me to follow them and showed me which bus, of the 10 or 15 in the holding area, was ours. These Greek buses are beautiful with huge picture windows to view the scenery, and  had a place underneath them to hold luggage. These are not tourist buses, but for the locals to get from town to town through the mountains.

Since our assigned seat numbers were across from each other, as we drove through the countryside, the couple would point out interesting places for me to take pictures. Greece is totally mountainous, with people living along the flat lands on the seashores. Some a half mile deep, and other areas several miles. Each town had its own Greek Orthodox Church that dominated. It seemed, the poorer the town, the smaller the church!

Six hours into our bus ride, the kind couple arrived at their destination and made a point to tell the bus driver to let me know when to get off the bus at Vonitsa.

Two hours later, with few people left on the bus, the bus driver stopped at a town and noded to me. I naturally assumed this was my stop. He unloaded my two suitcases and left.

I took out the map I was given from the research group to locate the destination meeting place to take place at 3:00 p.m. It was now 2:30pm. Hauling two suitcases behind me, a backpack and a large purse, I walked on cobblestone streets through town to the marina, about six blocks.  I didn’t see anyone there. When I tried to find the phone number of the research facility, I realized I had left it at home!  How could I be so organized and not take the phone number of my destination!! A six letter word for that:     st - - - -!!

Finally, two young couples were walking past. I asked them if they spoke English. One of the young men did, slightly. After I explained my situation, he told me this wasn’t Vonitsa. It was 45 minutes back the other way. I had passed it up! 

He was kind enough to use his cell phone to call the bus station to find out what time the next bus came through town back to Vonitsa. That would be 5 pm. This was a small marina with a few seaside cafes. I bought a cold bottle of water and sat in the shade the rest of the time waiting for the bus. This was not a bus station, but a bus stop. There was a plastic chair to sit in under a few shaded trees. It was about 95 degrees in the sun, but pleasant in the shade with a sea breeze!

Finally, I arrived in Vonitsa and remembered seeing the city sign….Bonitea. It was the Greek spelling with English letters. I was pronouncing the name wrong. And, Greeks did’t know the English version. They didn’t know what I was saying, and they didn’t recognize the spelling!

When I finally arrived, Juan, (Shwan, he is from Barcelona, Spain) the lead scientist was waiting for me. They were all worried when I didn’t show up. He finally phoned the bus station and they told him someone called and said a woman had missed her stop.

He asked why I didn’t phone to tell him. I told him I didn’t have his phone number and why I didn’t. He gave me a look that said the six letter word in any language!

The two-story house we arrived at can only be explained as completely IKEA. There are two IKEA stores in Athens according to my taxi driver.  Bunk beds for us volunteers, an IKEA type kitchen and surroundings. I’ll show pictures later. 

Tomorrow at 8 a.m., we start our dolphin research on the waters on the Gulf of                         AM brak ki kos, that is phonetic. Don’t have English spelling yet!

Arley Harriman  (Written August 17, 2014)

THE MYTHICAL MAGIC OF GREECE!

For thousands of years, Greece’s mighty mythical gods and goddesses have woven their magical stories into the framework of Greek culture. These were dramatic, powerful myths which entertained while giving memorable life-lesson messages. I wondered if they are still alive living amongst the locals in Greece’s mountainous terrain!

It seems one may have given me a little magic on my flight from Toronto to Athens. The Air Canada plane I flew on was a huge one, 7 seats across with 51 rows. I was hoping for a window seat, I was given that. Thanks!

 My plan was to crash course a few Greek phrases on the flight. Soon a very polite young man sat down in the seat next to me and gave me a little bit more magic. He happened to be a Greek living in Pennsylvania on the way to visit his parents in Athens. A student studying computer science…a Greek geek! During the long trip, he kindly helped me with Greek-speak phrases. A wonderful beginning to my new journey. Thanks again, whomever you are, Greek god!

I had searched online for a hotel near the airport to rest before my journey. The Mare Ostrum Hotel Thalasso was the only one nearest. It was a 20 minute ride by taxi and a beautiful side-trip through the countryside.

  When I arrived  early afternoon, I was very surprised that mostly everyone spoke French, not Greek! It turned out that this hotel is a favorite resort for the French people. The woman at the counter who was in charge, Julia, spoke English, French and Greek fluently.

So tired and suffering badly from jet lag, I took a nap. I awoke at 5:30pm and was very hungry. Time for dinner. Not so here!  The dining room was empty and people were just lounging around after the days activities of swimming, boating and whatever. Had a summer fruit drink from the bar, sat outside on the patio and just enjoyed the sunny blue skies and ocean breeze. 93 degrees, feels like 91!    

  Later around 8:30 pm everything came alive. Waiters were setting tables with fancy drinks and two women singers with guitars started to sing French songs. People were streaming in, and so did I.  Men in tuxedo dress served appetizers on trays and people began to dance to the music.

Later the hotel owner, his staff, and head chef were introduced. Everyone clapped in appreciation and left for the nearby dinning room where a huge buffet had been set up. It was a lavish French style dinner buffet!  All complimentary for guests. 

What a wonderful, surprise evening!  Thank you again, Mr. Greek god, or Ms?!

Breakfast was just as amazing. A complimentary French breakfast buffet…some same as American, but most very Frenchie.  No syrup with pancakes. Instead a huge bowl of honey with a honey dip stick, bowls of cinnamon, sugar, and other sides I wasn’t familiar with. Always,  loaves of freshly baked French bread to cut your pieces from!!  More thanks!!

I wonder what other exciting surprises mystical Greece has in store for me on my journey to Vonitsa?

Arley Harriman

DISAPPEARING DOLPHINS: How IDP scientists study their changing habitat

Since no one yet understands "dolphin talk," the only way scientists are able to learn why many dolphin species are disappearing at an alarming rate, is through constant research at the sites of their habitat.

Aside from pollution and climate change, some dolphin populations have greatly diminished in size through increased human encroachment, while others have disappeared altogether from portions of their former range.

The scientists at the Ionian Dolphin Project aim to understand, through long-term monitoring, how the local dolphin communities interact with their environment and how human activities, such as fisheries and pollution, may affect its conservation status.

According to the IDP sponsor, the Tethys Research Institute located in Milan, Italy, the IDP uses state-of-the-art techniques to 1) offer management action, 2) promote marine conservation in Greece, and 3) support conservation efforts in the wider Mediterranean region.

I, along with other volunteers at the IDP project, will conduct daily surveys on board the research boat, working side-by-side with the researchers and contributing to field data collection. We will actively engage in visual surveys, looking for dolphins, sea turtles, birds and other fauna during navigation, After each survey, all data is entered in a data base and, afterwards, theres will be discussions about the day's experience between the scientists and volunteers.

Being part of a volunteer vacation will be an exciting and interesting new experience for me! I do enjoy being a tourist in new places, but I enjoy, even more so, being a contributing part of a worthwhile cause and immersing myself in a new culture.

Tomorrow I'm up and away to Greece via Toronto, Canada. My next post will be written after arriving in Athens. I'll be staying for two nights at a hotel near the airport before taking a 5 hour bus ride to Vonitsa.  'Til then!

Arley Harriman

(To read prior Blogs, please scroll down)

Why bottle-nose Dolphins? Why Vonitsa, Greece?

     Aside from being really cute, entertaining and intelligent, as many witness at water park entertainment venues, the bottle-nose dolphin populations living in the oceans and seas face significant threats due to pollution, human activity, over-fishing and climate change. Over recent years, their numbers have declined dramatically which affects the entire marine eco system, as does the decline of many marine species.

    For centuries, dolphins have been at the core of Greek, Hellenic civilization. They are vividly portrayed in iconography throughout Greece. Countless artwork and several myths celebrate their strong and intimate bond with humans. While today's abundance of dolphins is only a fragment of what it was a century ago, important populations still live and reproduce in the Greek seas.

     While searching on-line for information on the health of marine life, I discovered the Ionian Dolphin Project (IDP) sponsored by the Tethys Research Institute in Milan, Italy. The IDP is dedicated to ensuring the long-term viability of two dolphin species living in two coastal areas of western Greece: the Gulf of Ambrasia and the Inner Ioian Sea archipelago. The two species are: bottle-nose dolphins and short-beaked common dolphins.

     The IDP accepts limited volunteers to help with research at their Field Station located in the quiet village of Vonitsa, Greece on the southern shore of the Gulf of Ambracia. I was captivated by their dolphin project and signed up as a volunteer August 17 - August 23, 2014. Thus began EcoHealthQuest and my new path in writing!

     In my next post, I will write more about the IDP research on the dolphins and how volunteers are expected to help.

Arley Harriman

August 8, 2014