As I sit here on a late August afternoon, awaiting the next bout of periodic sampling, I glance left and right over the various accoutrements that have made this expedition possible: discarded plane ticket stubs lying in disarray; crumpled receipts for batteries and endless tracks of PVC pipe; dry shippers and packing boxes stacked in the corner; delicate lab equipment set out on folding tables; SCUBA gear rinsing off in the pool; our rental car sagging under the weight of huge aquarium tubs; the coffee machine that’s always running and constantly in need of refilling. Hobo temps, falcon tubes, pipettors, bulkheads, fluorescent flashlights, power tools, neoprene, ethanol. And the human resources: aquarists from three zoos, at least three teams of scientists here in Puerto Rico, the other teams in Curacao, the caterers, the local dive shop owners, the rental coordinators, and a whole slew of extremely dedicated volunteers who have spent three nights in a row kayaking off Rincon in the hope that they might ferry coral spawn from our divers back to the lab.
It’s all a tremendous effort. It’s taken hours of planning and lots of money to get our scientists in the right place at the right time. And every night that goes by without a successful mass spawning event you might be tempted to wonder whether or not it’s all worth it. Don’t for a moment let doubt into your mind. There’s a reason our volunteers are out there every night. There’s a reason we don heavy gear and crawl out into the ocean repeatedly, no matter how nasty or beautiful the weather, no matter how likely or unlikely the spawning. These corals are important. They’re the trees of the marine world. If you lose the trees, you lose the forest and everything in it–it’s that simple. The fact that we still can’t figure out exactly when and how their annual sexual event is triggered shows just how little we understand about coral reproduction. It’s refreshing to be reminded that nature doesn’t obey set patterns, and yes, it’s also frustrating when things turn out differently than you expect. But we persist because we know what’s at stake, and if you’re reading this, you know too. Make sure you tell your friends and spread the word. Share a link to this blog. We’re already astounded by the responsiveness of the Rincon community to our conservation efforts, and with any luck, more and more people will take interest in the fate of corals around the world.
nidia Chacon says
hi,
this is nidia chacon manager of Caye Caulker marine reserve, we are also monitoring elhorn spawn in caye caulker but have’nt managed to see any spawning as yet, thje elkhorns don’t even have a bundle as yet..as i read from these blogs, this is our first year we are doing this in Belize and all teams had not seen spawning as yet..just enlighten us with tips of what we shoudl see. ty
nidia chacon
belize
Kathy says
I had a dream last night about swimming in the water surrounded by the coral gamete bundles. I thought that it would be like swimming in the water at the beginning of the earth. It would be a happy and peaceful occasion. I am living vicariously with this blog.
I wish you all the best and I hope the corals release their genetic bundles tonight. I will keep my fingers crossed so you may try to save these wonderful and important animals. Good luck!