On to Nevis

I’m told that Nevis has more history per unit area than anywhere else in the Caribbean. We spent our last three days collecting video samples in the coastal shelf surrounding Nevis, floating past the ghostly remnants of old forts and plantation mills. Pirates were hung in Gallows Bay and numerous ship battles were fought in these waters. Since Nevis is a smaller island, we anticipated we could do the field sampling in two days, but as field work generally goes, we didn’t account for the unexpected challenges we would face.

Our first problem came when the fuse in the inverter kept blowing and we would lose power to the computer and GPS video overlay. George solved this problem by cutting a piece of soldering wire and using it in the place of the fuse. The next problem was the maze of fish pots we often encountered and had to navigate through. Fish pots are one of the most popular methods used to catch fish. They are typically made of cut branches that are wired together with a small opening where fish or lobster can easily enter, but can’t get out. Fishers will bait, set, and leave the pots for a few days, attaching a long rope that is suspended to the ocean surface with some type of floating buoy, usually an empty soda bottle or gallon plastic jug. These pots are often placed densely together in certain areas, based on the fisher’s ability to detect where good fishing grounds may be. While we were trying to navigate through a collection of fish pots, we accidently ran over one and the rope got tangled in the prop. We were on the southern end of Nevis just off the shores of the old Port George, and the waters were rough. Fortunately, Shawn had brought her mask and snorkel and decided to jump in and see if she could untangle the rope. Captain Lee stood watch for sharks, loaded pistol by his side. Unfortunately we didn’t have a knife onboard and the tangle was too tight for her to loosen by hand. We finally flagged down a nearby fishing boat who loaned us a knife, but the waters were too rough to work safely. We decided to motor slowly back to the closest harbor were Shawn was able to free the rope from the prop and we were soon back to work. Another challenge came when the video camera got stuck on a coral head in about 4 meters depth. Without hesitation, Lemuel from Nevis Fisheries dove in and freed the camera in seconds. We were fortunate to have a skilled crew, able to solve any problem we encountered. Our luck withstood and the weather cooperated - we were able to capture the data we needed.

After ten days we finished our underwater video work, capturing over 400 sample points evenly spread across the coastal shelf of St Kitts and Nevis. These points represent a “stamp in time” of the current ocean floor conditions and will provide an important measure for monitoring changes in the future.  In all, we have spent over 50 hours on the water, collecting nearly 650,000 depth points (3 pts/second). This information will now be used to develop a detailed benthic habitat and bathymetric maps that will provide guiding documents for establishing marine reserves and managing dwindling fisheries. Since each point is collected with precise GPS positions, we can develop correlation models based on light reflectance patterns we are seeing in the satellite imagery. Each depth and habitat type reflects light differently, so these patterns can be modeled to map the entire seascape in areas less than 20m (~60ft) depth. Unless you have exceptionally clear water, light generally does not reflect off the ocean floor at depths greater than 20 meter.

What we have been told about these reefs is true. We’ve seen first hand that these reefs are suffering from a barrage of threats. What we saw on the video samples confirmed it. Bleached and dying corals, covered with algae and sedimentation from nearby coastal runoff, and a noticeable absence of large fish due to overharvesting. Mangroves and wetlands are being removed to make way for coastal development. What little is left of the natural “green” infrastructure that protects the coast and marine system is disappearing fast. Climate change and increasing hurricane intensities are adding to the problem. This is the same story throughout the Caribbean and it all adds up to big impacts on an already stressed marine ecosystem. From all the sampling we did over the ten days, the reefs in the best condition were south of Nevis and north of the harbor at Basseterre. However, by adopting the right management plan and execution and enforcement by the government, these reefs can recover and the fish will come back. Time is against us so action must be swift.

Aba, a local Nevitian fisherman, takes his turn throwing the video camera into the water.

Shawn guides the boat to the next sample point.

Ash and pyroclastic flows on nearby Montserrat, 40 miles southeast of Nevis.

Rene, the GIS officer in the Nevis Planning Department, takes her turn with the camera.

Shawn shares with the crew how the marine zoning plan is going to be developed.

Clive Wilkinson, Fisheries Assistant from the Nevis Department of Fisheries , pulls the camera up from the ocean floor.

A large freight ship passes in front of Redonda, an uninhabited remnant of an ancient volcanic core.

A rare moment, seeing Nevis Peak in full view, while arriving back at Charlestown harbor.