Coral Conservation In Action

The Importance Of Mangroves

Summer 2021 - Utila - Register While There Are Still Spots

Why Dolphin Shows and Tourist Swims Are A Problem 

SeaSmart In The Coral Nurseries

SeaSmart's Director, Lisa McIntyre, spent time at the Coral Restoration Foundation (CRF) in Key Largo, Florida. CRF works with 322 genotypes across 11 species of coral. They have the biggest Coral Tree Nursery in the world, containing more than 500 Coral Trees, covering over 1.5 acres of the sea floor.  With their infrastructure, they can grow more than 30,000 "reef ready" corals for outplanting in one year. After learning proper care and outplanting techniques, our group headed out to the nursery to apply what we learned. 

What's The Big Deal About Mangroves?

Mangroves are built to manage adverse conditions through the use of their exposed root systems and unique salt sequestration skills. The exposed roots utilize mechanical and chemical filtration processes to stabilize and filter sediments from mainland runoff while helping the mangroves survive in water with high salinity and low oxygen.   The exposed root system also provides a critical nursery habitat for fish and invertebrates, with the canopy providing nesting grounds for some coastal bird species.  It is noteworthy that the Spiny Tailed “Swamper” Iguana (Ctenosaura bakeri) only lives in Utila, and inhabits the mangrove forests on the island.

Summer 2021 Utila Program Is Getting Busy!  Join Us In July...

There are still some spots available in Week 2 of SeaSmart's Utila program for Middle and High School students interested in ocean conservation, marine biology and learning to SCUBA. (If you are already SCUBA certified, we have diving for you, too!). We have an itinerary filled with dive training and lots of fun citizen science activities with biologists, conservationists and dive professionals - above and below the ocean -  including Coral Conservation, Kayaking the Mangroves, Fish ID, a Whale Shark Safari (with any luck, we will find them and jump in to study them), and more! Families are welcome, based on availability.  So far our Week 2 participants hail from Northern & Southern California, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts and New Jersey, with plans to meet up for travel in Newark, Houston and Dallas. (We are also keeping a waitlist for Week 1, so don't give up if that's the only week that works for you).

Click here for more details about the program:

What's The Big Deal About Dolphin Shows And Swims

During dolphin hunting season in Japan, dolphins are hunted and driven into coves, where they are selected for the global captivity industry, or slaughtered for consumption (a dangerous practice as their meat is heavily contaminated with mercury and other toxins). Trainers and fishermen work alongside one another, deciding who will make the cut for the captivity industry, and who will be killed. 

This season, there were a total of 46 red coves (where dolphins were either slaughtered or taken captive) involving six species of dolphins. An estimated 547 dolphins were slaughtered, while 140 were taken captive. Many more may have died as a result of the drives themselves, their numbers never recorded. As the demand for dolphin meat has dropped, the lucrative captivity industry is what’s fueling the slaughters. If the captivity industry were to collapse, so likely would the dolphin meat trade.

Various countries across the world purchase dolphins from Taiji, filling aquariums and marine parks with captive dolphin entertainment. VICE World News traveled to the infamous Cove in Taiji, Japan. Their intent was to investigate Taiji’s global dolphin trade, from a well-balanced perspective of both the fishermen and the activists. What resulted is an important film highlighting the Taiji dolphin hunts - following the 2009 Academy award-winning documentary “The Cove”.  Ren Yabuki, director of Life Investigation Agency, collaborated during the entire six-month long dolphin hunting season, which spans from September 1 to March 1 of each year. Ren shared the horrors of what he witnessed, namely: the routine harassment, suffering and abuse of several species of dolphins, including the very young and the very old, the slaughter of dolphin calves and their separation from their mothers, the violent captive selection process, and the decimation of entire pods of dolphins.

Here, you can see the video by Vice.  

WARNING: Graphic Content 

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SeaSmart Swag: Look Great & Help Fund The Diversity Scholarship 

Sweatshirts, tanks, and long & short sleeved T's are available in a variety of sizes and colors with a portion of the money going toward the 2022 Diversity Scholarship. Every ocean lover will want one!