Summer
 2017
Volume 6| Issue 3

 
In this issue


-News Highlight-


-Feature Stories-
 
 



Classroom

From the classroom to the field, Sea Grant transforms environmental education in Puerto Rico
Students participate in local ecosystem lesson








Environmental education has been part of high school curriculum's throughout the history of all States and Jurisdictions the U.S nation. However, it is evident that behavioral changes can still improve; enhancing public engagement for conservation efforts that benefit both, the environment and sustainable economies. In Puerto Rico, a Caribbean U.S Territory with diverse and productive coastal ecosystems, the Sea Grant College Program has provided continuous education opportunities for students of all levels for decades. Recently, a project of the PR Sea Grant education team has developed customized educative guides about local ecosystem and species for high school students. These complement classic Earth Sciences book chapters that often neglect local marine fauna and ecosystem functions, limiting place-based understanding of ecological processes. The results are encouraging, showing incredible engagement of students in science fair projects, multi-agency collaboration, and international attention.

The curriculum so far focuses on coral reefs, seagrass, and mangrove ecosystems. Climate change will be included in a new guide for 2017. About 250 teachers and 39,000 students are benefiting from these guides island-wide. A pilot study with 12 schools showed the acceptance of the guides, excellent performance in diagnostic tests, and increased demand. Other Caribbean nations like the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Peru, and Mexico are sharing ideas on how to implement the model in their schools. The guides merge classroom lectures, laboratories, tests, and field trips with Sea Grant educators. These serve to adapt social-ecological systems to a changing environment by facilitating direct contact with marine ecosystems and awakening a sense of accountability for ecosystem health in next generations.
Many students are choosing marine topics for the science fairs and performing excellent in the diagnostic tests showing positive impacts. "We have been successful and we want more schools to join us," says Alicea Segarra, program manager and evaluation specialist.
 
Spanish guides are available on the internet, free of cost, at the Puerto Rico Sea Grant website . For more information, you can call (787) 834-4726, (787) 832-3585 or (787) 832-8045, or write to delmis.alicea@upr.edu .
the Puerto Rico Sea Grant website . For more information, you can call (787) 834-4726, (787) 832-3585 or (787) 832-8045, or write to delmis.alicea@upr.edu .
Stories Feature Stories 
Story1
New 'sister sanctuary' agreement protects whales from New England to the Caribbean
Breaching Humpback
A new " sister sanctuary" agreement signed this spring between NOAA and the government of The Netherlands adds to a network of marine protected areas stretching from New England to the Caribbean Sea, and now provides refuge for North Atlantic humpback whales at both ends of their 3,000-mile annual migration. The agreement between NOAA's Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, off the coast of Massachusetts, and the Yarari Marine Mammal and Shark Sanctuary of the Caribbean Netherlands in the Dutch Lesser Antilles, provides for joint whale research, monitoring, education and conservation. From April through December, humpback whales feed in Stellwagen Bank, and migrate to lower latitudes in the Caribbean Sea during the winter to mate and calve. Yarari sanctuary is a breeding and calving ground for the humpback whale population of around 1,000 whales, which are shared by both nations. The nearly 9,000-square-mile Yarari sanctuary joins sanctuaries off Dominican Republic, French Antilles and Bermuda in the sister sanctuary network originated by NOAA in 2007. The network now encompasses 257,000 square miles in the western North Atlantic, including the 842 square miles of waters protected by NOAA's Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. The sister sanctuary concept is part of a plan for marine mammal protected areas worldwide and is partially supported by the United Nations Environment Programme.

"Cooperation is central to our goals of and to the implementation of the regional Marine Mammal Action Plan for the Caribbean," said Monica Borobia-Hill, UNEP program officer. "We welcome this agreement. It will open new opportunities for collaboration in activities of mutual interest on humpback whales and other marine mammals, as appropriate, as well as their respective habitats."

For more information contact:
Vernon Smith, vernon.smith@noaa.gov, 240-533-0662
Keeley Belva, keeley.belva@noaa.gov, 301-713-3066
RAEstory
CARIBE WAVE 17 TSUNAMI EXERCISE

Tsunami Warning Center Service Areas
Three quarters of a million people from Bermuda thru Brazil and across the entire Caribbean basin participated in the CARIBE WAVE 17 tsunami exercise held on March 21, 2017.  This represents an increase of 125% from 2016 (342,000 participants) and the largest international tsunami drill in the world. The participants in the sixth annual regional exercise hailed from 32 nations and 15 territories of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Coordination Group for Tsunamis and other Coastal Hazards for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions (CARIBE EWS). Participants included designated CARIBE EWS Tsunami Warning Focal Points (TWFPs) and National Tsunami Warning Centers (NTWCs), as well as emergency and preparedness organizations, K-12 Schools, government agencies, colleges and universities, healthcare and hotels, critical facilities, among others.
Each country chose one of the three CARIBE WAVE 2017 scenarios: Costa Rica, Cuba or Northern Lesser Antilles. Over 65 simulated international and domestic messages were disseminated by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC). Sirens, emails, emergency alert systems, text messages, media outlets, NOAA weather radio, and social media were used for local dissemination. In addition to the communication tests, exercises were conducted at various levels of magnitudes and sophistication including seminars, tabletop exercises, video/web conferencing, drills and full scale exercises as for the French Antilles with mobilization of aid forces from Europe. The exercise made it possible to validate the issuance of tsunami products from the PTWC, the receipt and dissemination of tsunami products within the countries, familiarization with the PTWC messages and the readiness of the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions to respond to a tsunami.
Planning for CARIBE WAVE 17 took over a year and was coordinated by a task team led by Lt. Col. Patrick Tyburn of France and facilitated by the US NWS Caribbean Tsunami Warning Program.

For more information please visit: http://caribewave.info
Story2
10th Anniversary for the Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System (CARICOOS)
image001.jpg
CARICOOS Workshop Leads
The Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System (CARICOOS) celebrated its tenth anniversary at the General Assembly held in the Rincón Beach Resort, Añasco, P.R on the 28
th of April.  The icing on the cake was the signature of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) by NOAA IOOS Director Carl Gouldman, and Prof. Julio Morell, CARICOOS's Executive Director.  The MOA certifies CARICOOS as a Regional Information Coordinating Entity, thus becoming the fifth regional system to reach said status.  The certification process, defined by the 2009 ICOOS Act, assures CARICOOS meets the organizational, administrative and technical requirements to be responsive to user needs and produce and disseminate trustworthy and reliable data.
Having the Assembly in a region synonymous with marine recreation and fisheries set the tone for an agenda ( 2017 GA Agenda) tailored for direct engagement with marine resource users from varied sectors, allowed for feedback on coastal information needs not yet addressed, and provided a space for discussions on suitability of data products delivered and effective outreach strategies. Interactive session themes included: the challenge of outreach, navigation and marine operations, beach hazards, animal tracking and erosion and coastal infrastructure.
As part of his report, Ruperto Chaparro, CARICOOS Chairman, discussed the CARICOOS mandate which provides relevant information products to all users, regardless of their technical skills. Morell presented an overview of the evolution of the observing system throughout the last decade and Miguel Canals, CARICOOS Technical Director, offered a summary of new observing and predication capabilities to be developed for the system.
On-going applied research projects by scientists and students from the Center for Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (CAOSE) and other associates were presented in poster session ( 2017 GA Posters) which provided a unique opportunity for young scientists to interact with the end user of our efforts. 
Story3
Updating the Caribbean MPA Management Capacity Assessment 

In 2011, NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program, the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) and other experts selected 10 Caribbean countries and territories as priorities for cooperation on capacity building for marine protected area (MPA) management. The participating countries nominated up to three coral reef MPAs to participate in this initiative. Through an assessment of MPA management capacity, the highest priority needs to enhance management capacity, and thereby increase the likelihood of effective MPA implementation, were identified at site level and at regional level. The findings are available in the document Gombos et al (2011) on GCFI's website.
Since the original MPA management capacity assessment, a group of 30 MPA partners has been working together to share experience and promote best practices, covering topics including: law enforcement, sustainable financing, bio-physical and socio-economic monitoring, and outreach and education through regional peer-to-peer sharing. Targeted learning exchanges and site-level assistance have also helped to address site-specific needs and promote the implementation of best management practices.
Now in 2017, it's time to update the original priorities and seek fresh guidance from Caribbean marine resource managers about their management capacity building needs for the coming 5 years. This involves an in-depth, guided self-assessment of management capacity at each participating site, with local MPA managers, relevant government authorities and/or community representatives. The MPA management capacity assessment meetings are currently in full swing, and completed in Mexico, Honduras, The Bahamas, the Turks & Caicos Islands, Saba, Sint Eustatius and Saint Lucia. The updated findings about Caribbean marine protected area management capacity building needs will be available in Fall 2017.
Mexico IMG-20170612-WA0007.jpg
NOAA and GCFI team members assessing MPA management capacity with national park staff from Parque Nacional Arrecife Alacranes (Scorpion Reef National Park) in Merida, Mexico and The Bahamas National Trust in Marsh Harbour, Abaco (Photos: Mexico - CONANP and The Bahamas - E. Doyle)
Welcome
Twelfth Session of the Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Tsunami and other Coastal Hazards Warning System for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions held in Costa Rica
The Twelfth Session of the Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Tsunami and other Coastal Hazards Warning System for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions (ICG/CARIBE-EWS-XI) of UNESCO was held in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, from May 10-12, 2017.  The meeting was hosted by the Government of Costa Rica and was attended by some 60 participants from Caribbean countries and territories and observer organizations: Puerto Rico Seismic Network (PRSN), Seismic Research Center, UNAVCO, and the Center for Disaster Prevention for Central America (CEPREDENAC).  The U.S. Delegation was led by Michael Angove, Tsunami Program Manager and also included delegates from NWS International Activities, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, Caribbean Tsunami Warning Program, U.S. Geological Survey, the International Tsunami Information Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Centers for Environmental Information.  
The participants reviewed the accomplishments in 2016-2017 including the advances in the Tsunami Ready pilot program, improvements in tsunami observational data for warning services and the very successful conduct of the CARIBE WAVE 17 exercise with over 740,000 participants from 47 Member States and Territories in the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions. 
The ICG recommended that in the upcoming intersessional period should focus on the reopening of Caribbean Tsunami Information Center (CTIC), evaluating the integration of GNSS data for improved earthquake and tsunami detection and assessment, the establishment of a Group of Experts to enhance the warning system by including other coastal hazards, continued piloting of CARIBE EWS Tsunami Ready Guidelines, evacuation mapping and the conduct of CARIBE WAVE 18 on March 15, 2018. 
Highlights of the meeting included the Tsunami Ready recognition of the Ostional, a community along the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica and a Community Best Practices session held in memory of Julie Leonard, Advisor of USAID and supporter of CARIBE EWS and PTWS who passed away in 2016.
Story5
The Multi-Hazard Early Warning Conference and the 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction

Multi-Hazard Early Warning Conference
The NOAA/NWS Caribbean Tsunami Warning Program (CTWP) participated in the Multi-Hazard Early Warning Conference (MHEWC) held in conjunction with the 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), in Cancún - México from May 22 - 26, 2017. The Global Platform, established in 2006, is the main forum at the global level where the implementation of international instruments on disaster risk reduction is reviewed with the goal of building resilient communities and nations. The MHEWC focused on the improvement of the availability and access to multi-hazard early warnings as well as risk information and assessments. 
Three posters were presented to inform on tsunami warning and mitigation activities of CTWP and Member States of the UNESCO IOC ICG/CARIBE EWS (Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Tsunami and other Coastal Hazards Warning System for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions).
The poster entitled Quantifying Improvements in Earthquake and Tsunami Monitoring Performance in the Caribbean Region remarked the significant improvement that the earthquake monitoring and tsunami detection in the Caribbean region in the past 12 years.  The increase in the number of real-time seismic and sea level stations available to the Regional Tsunami Service Provider (NOAA-Pacific Tsunami Warning Center) has led to more timely and accurate tsunami services.
The UNESCO CARIBE EWS Tsunami Ready Recognition Pilot Program poster presented the ten guidelines that empower local communities to build resilience. The voluntary international pilot recognition program, with elements for Preparedness, Mitigation and Response, is aligned with priorities for actions of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. 
The annual Regional tsunami exercise, CARIBE WAVE, which simulates different tsunami scenarios and provides an opportunity to to the Member States of the UNESCO IOC ICG/CARIBE EWS to test their tsunami response protocols was described in the poster CARIBE WAVE Tsunami Exercise for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions.

For more information contact: Carolina Hincapié-carolina.hincapie@noaa.gov 
Recorders

Return of the Recorders! 
Mother and calf humpback whales
After spending four to six months in the waters off Aruba, Bonaire, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Martinique and St. Martin, ten recording devices are making their way back to the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, MA. The ten devices listened to the sounds and song of humpback whales as part of a new collaborative multi-national acoustic monitoring program called CHAMP, the Caribbean Humpback Acoustic Monitoring Programme.  
CHAMP leverages and expands on existing networks to promote and enhance collaborative research on the biology of humpback whales, specifically focusing on acoustics research. Because humpback whales are known for singing on their winter breeding grounds, we can learn a lot about these animals by listening.  We will be able to monitor distribution, assess differences in arrival and departure of the whales, and analyze the whales' song, all valuable information for management and policy decisions.
 We used two different types of recording equipment, SoundTraps and Marine Autonomous Recording Units or popups. The SoundTraps recorded one hour every 4 hours at a sampling rate of 48 kHz while the Marine Autonomous Recording Units or popups recorded continuously at 2 kHz.
CHAMP is supported by funding from the NEFSC as well as in-kind support from the Dominican Republic's National Authority for Maritime Affairs, the Aruba Marine Mammal Foundation, STINAPA Bonaire National Marine Park, National Office for the Caribbean Netherlands (RCN), the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance, the Observatoire des Mammifères Marins de l'Archipel Guadeloupéen (OMMAG), the National Park of Guadeloupe, the Natural Reserve of St. Martin and the Sea Education Association.


Additionally, if you or someone you has any additional acoustic recordings from the region please contact Dr. Heather Heenehan. Email: Heather.heenehan@noaa.gov
CREWS
Phase 2 of CREWS
Barbados Buoy
The  Caribbean Community Climate Change Center ( C5) and  NOAA/AOML  have reached an agreement through a Memorandum of Understanding for a Phase 2 extension of the  Coral Reef Early Warning System  (CREWS) to at least five new countries in the Eastern Caribbean.  Under this agreement, AOML (partially funded by the Coral Reef Conservation Program ), will provide consultation and information systems support, to include programming of the data gathering buoy, transmittal of the near real-time data back to AOML, ecological forecasts for coral bleaching (and other marine environmental events), a Web presence, and stakeholder engagement in the entire process through facilitation by our  Sea Grant  representative, Dr. Pamela Fletcher.  The data to be collected by the buoy will include minimally, winds (speed and gusts), barometric pressure, precipitation, photosynthetically active/available radiation (PAR, light), air temperature, sea temperature, and salinity; other instruments may be added through arrangement with the host countries.  AOML scientists will seek to establish new research collaborations with the host country scientists, conservationists, and Marine Protected Area managers.

Under a previous arrangement for Phase 1, stations were installed in Belize (2), Trinidad & Tobago (2), Dominican Republic (2), and Barbados.  Unfortunately, the stations in Belize were badly damaged by 
Hurricane Earl , and the Barbados station was inadvertently damaged through a local accident.  Phase 1 is not funded under this new agreement.

Below is the proposed schedule for the site surveys and stakeholder engagement meetings for the Phase 2 stations; however, dates and countries visited may change.  It is not known at this time when the follow-up of station installations will be conducted.  The new buoy architecture is still being researched.


Phase 2 CREWS/C5 Dates and Countries  for Site Surveys & Outreach
 
Proposed for 2017
  • July 10 - 14  -  Antigua & Barbuda
  • August 21 - 25  -  St. Vincent & the Grenadines
  • September 11 - 15  -  St. Kitts & Nevis
  • October 16 - 20  -  St. Lucia
  • November 13 - 15  -  Grenada
MAP
Story Map for Island Territory Economies

NOAA Bathymetry Map

To provide economic measures of ocean industries, NOAA's Office for Coastal Management has developed a data set, Economics: National Ocean Watch (ENOW), based on national statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In 2016, the Office for Coastal Management retained ABT Associates to produce a report, " Describing the Ocean Economies of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands." This study took ENOW's basic ocean economy framework and national statistics as a starting point. Local knowledge helped paint a more accurate picture of how the Caribbean ocean economy works compared to the ocean economies of the mainland U.S. These statistics revealed a high degree of ocean dependence in the United States Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Using interactive maps, images, and graphics, the new ArcGIS story map will help demonstrate how the ocean contributes to the economies of these island territories. NOAA's site makes ocean economics more straightforward and easier for local managers to understand economic analysis and communicate with stakeholders, including local officials, business owners, and fishermen associations. The site is English and Spanish friendly.

For more information contact: Jeff Adkins, Jeffery.Adkins@noaa.gov, (843) 740-1244.

Upcoming Upcoming Events
U.S Coral Reef Task Force
The 38th meeting of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force will be held on August 7-12, 2017, at the Marriott Harbor Beach Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The theme of the meeting will be "Healthy Reefs for a Healthy Economy."

More information can be found here

Caribbean Regional Response Team
The Caribbean Regional Response Team meetings will be held in St Croix, USVI the week of Aug 7. We will also be holding a Sector SAN Juan area committee meeting that week and a joint regional exercise.

More details can be found here o r contact Steve Touw: Touw.steve@epa.gov

CZMA Section 312 Meetings
These meetings are not formal public hearing but rather are meetings to collect input from the public on the implementation of the USVI program in three areas- how it continues to meet CZMA minimum requirements, how they are advancing goals and objectives of the Coastal Zone Management Act relevant to priority USVI issues, and how they are spending their federal funds re priority issues.

The meetings are scheduled as Follows:

Date: August 29, 2017
Time: 6:00 p.m., local time
Location: Cyril E. King Airport Terminal Building, Second Floor
Department of Planning and Natural Resources Conference Room
8100 Lindberg Bay
St. Thomas

Date: August 30, 2017
Time: 6:00 p.m., local time
Location: St. Croix Curriculum Center
3 Vicorps Land
Kingshill, St. Croix

Date: August 31, 2017
Time: 6:00 p.m., local time
Location: St. John Legislature Conference Room
18-15 Estate Enighed
Cruz Bay, St. John
Announcement
Announcements Announcements
NOAA Fisheries Announcements

Fisheries Innovation Fund 2017 Request for Proposals
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) will award grants to foster innovation and support effective participation of fishermen and fishing communities in the implementation of sustainable fisheries in the U.S. We anticipate awarding approximately $650,000 through this solicitation.

National Coral Reef Management Fellowship
The National Coral Reef Management Fellowship Program is a partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coral Reef Conservation Program, the U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of Insular Affairs, the U.S. All Islands Coral Reef Committee and Nova Southeastern University's Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography. The program seeks to build the next generation of coral reef conservation leaders and supports two-year positions that strive to address current capacity gaps, as well as build long-term management capacity in the jurisdictions by placing highly qualified individuals whose education and work experience meet each jurisdiction's specific coral reef management needs.

The seven jurisdictions where fellows will be placed include: the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Florida, Hawai'i, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and American Samoa. The start date for the two-year positions is January 2018.

Each position has its own distinct work plan specific to jurisdiction management needs and provides training and professional development opportunities. Project work will focus on climate change, land-based sources of pollution and fishing impacts to coral reef ecosystems. Fellows may also work to address local needs such as the development of management plans for marine managed areas, engagement of stakeholders in resource management, and development of climate change adaptation plans.

The deadline for applications is July 11, 2017.

Please visit 
http://cnso.nova.edu/fellows/apply.html  to access application instructions.

Qualified candidates meeting stated educational requirements with relevant work experience are encouraged to apply. SCUBA diving will not be permitted as part of job duties and applicants must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident. Applicants need to have completed posted educational requirements by December 2017 and may apply to multiple jurisdictions.

For additional information or questions, please contact 
coral.fellowship@noaa.gov .
NOAA in the Caribbean Newsletter

Please e-mail us at CaribbeanNews@noaa.gov to subscribe or unsubscribe to the newsletter or to submit any questions, comments, story ideas, artwork or photographs. 

NOAA in the Caribbean Newsletter is produced by the NOAA in the Caribbean Steering Committee, including support from NOAA's Office of International Affairs, Southeast And Caribbean Regional Collaboration Team, Office for Coastal Management, National Marine Fisheries Service SE Regional Office, Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs, and National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science.