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A school of white grunts forms a yellow cloud over the reef (Credit: Jack Javech) Click to enlarge |
Ah, the final day! The morning was spent multi–beaming along the eastern part of the island, while divers anxiously paced the ship, awaiting their final splash.
After a day of diving, it is necessary to re–fill the SCUBA cylinders with compressed gas for the next day. A special diving compressor onboard the ship is used for this. The greatest risk of cylinder explosion occurs at filling time. Care must be taken to continuously monitor the pressure of the gas and its oxygen content. A big thank you to Brad Teer, Brooke Landry, and Jack Javech for taking on this important task and keeping our supply constant.
Along the way, we have observed three of the six conch species found in the wider Caribbean. All three inhabit seagrass beds and sand flats, typically around shallow patch reefs. Algae is their primary food source. When approached, they will retract rapidly into their shells. It soon became a game among a couple of the scientists to see who could capture the best conch eye photo.
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With a rosy–pink interior, the Queen conch (Strombus gigas) is perhaps the most recognized and is the largest of the six species. Queen conchs have been harvested in the Caribbean since prehistoric times. Commercial harvest of queen conchs continues in roughly 25 Caribbean nations and territories, but has been prohibited in some areas, including Florida. Heavy exploitation has resulted in severe local population declines. This species was added to Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1992. Species listed in this appendix "are not necessarily now threatened with extinction but that may become so unless trade is closely controlled".
The milk conch (Strombus costatus) is identified by its thick, milky white outer lip. When queen conch began to decline in the 1970s, fishermen turned to milk conch. This species is commercially harvested in 22 Caribbean nations and this demand is being reflected by dwindling numbers.
The rooster tail conch (Strombus gallus), so named for the narrow, elongated extension of the outer lip of its shell, is an uncommon to rare occurrence in the Caribbean. How fortunate we were to see one.
The rooster tail conch (Credit: Amy V. Uhrin) Click to enlarge |
The final dive! (Credit: Brian Degan) Click to enlarge |
Scientist Jack Javech prepares to don his gear for another dive Click to enlarge |
