Functional Valuation of Ecosystem Services on Bonaire: an ecological analysis of ecosystem functions provided by coral reefs

This research is a semi-quantitative analysis of the functional value of coral reef habitats on Bonaire to support ecosystem services. It is part of an economic valuation study of marine and terrestrial ecosystem services on Bonaire

Lobster trap detection at the Saba Bank

According to previous studies and anecdotal evidence there are a lot of lost lobster traps at the Saba Bank. One study estimated the loss to be between 210 and 795 lobster traps per year. The Saba Bank is an approximately 2,200 km2 submerged area and spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) is one of the main fisheries with an annual economic value over USD 1 million. The traps get lost due to a combination of bad weather moving or damaging traps and marker buoy lines, ship traffic running into and cutting marker buoy lines and removal of marker buoy or theft of traps by vandals. Lost traps are a concern for the Saba Bank fisheries management, because of the potential impact of ghost fishing by lost traps and the damage to the benthic environment. IMARES was commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation to advise on a method to detect lost lobster traps. The objective of this desk study was to provide information for the sustainable management of the lobster fisheries and the conservation of the Saba Bank. In this report we investigate the most efficient method for the detection of lost lobster traps from a small vessel in water between 15 and 50 meter depth. We not only address methods for the location of traps, but also recommend methods for the retrieval of traps and measurement of ghost fishing. Side scan sonar in combination with a magnetometer is recommended as the best, most efficient method to locate lost lobster traps in order to retrieve them. This is not necessarily the most cost-efficient method to respond to the problem of future traps loss, as preventive measures tend to be more effective and less costly than curative measures. However, a detection survey can be used to better estimate the magnitude of the problem of already lost traps. It is not realistic that a detection survey can locate all lost traps that are present on the Saba Bank

Saba Bank research expedition 2013 - Progress Report

The Saba Bank is the largest submerged carbonate platform of 2,200 km2 in the Caribbean Sea, which lies partially within the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Netherlands and partially within the territorial waters of Saba and St. Eustatius. The Saba Bank houses an expansive coral reef ecosystem with a rich diversity of species and as such is also an important source of commercial fish for the nearby islands. The Saba Bank research program aims to obtain information on the biodiversity, ecological functioning and carrying capacity for commercial fisheries to facilitate sustainable management of the area

Ocean Acidification: a review of the current status of research and institutional developments

Ocean acidification is defined as the change in ocean chemistry driven by the oceanic uptake of chemical inputs to the atmosphere, including carbon, nitrogen and sulphur compounds. Ocean acidification is also referred to as ‘the other CO2 problem’ of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions alongside climate change. Ocean acidification has become a hot topic on the international research agenda, whereby most publications are less than a decade old. Ocean acidification has also become an emerging topic on the international policy agenda. UNESCO supported the first global meeting on ocean acidification in 2004 and in 2007 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) first recognized ocean acidification in its 4th assessment report as an associated disturbance of climate change caused by increasing CO2 emission. Recommendations to get ocean acidification on the Dutch policy agenda are to focus on important economic activities such as fisheries and aquaculture and on vulnerable habitats such as deltas and coral reefs

Aboriginal Glass Artefacts of the Sydney Region

Aboriginal glass artefacts (AGAs) have become the ‘type fossil’ for recognizing post-contact sites in countries with colonial pasts. Whether such reliance on AGAs is a valid development is contentious as the identification of these artefacts is ambiguous. This uncertainty is amplified in densely populated urban environments such as Sydney. This thesis addresses the identification of these artefacts within this region. Technological characteristics of Sydney’s AGAs and methodological issues in the recording of these artefacts have been analysed. A review of the patterns within this data has revealed how the identification issue has been managed in the past and how it may be improved. A review and evaluation of previous ‘criteria for identification’ has also revealed a refined approach to the identification and categorization of AGAs within Sydney and beyond. Also, cross-cultural interactions have been characterized as affected by the unique and diverse nature of the moving frontier in this region

Pilot study on behaviour of sharks around Saba using acoustic telemetry - Progress report 2014

Worldwide many shark populations are in strong decline mainly due to fisheries. Population status of sharks in the Caribbean is still poorly known. In order to be able to take effective measures to protect sharks, insight in their spatial behaviour during different life stages is required. Do marine parks enhance shark populations and if so at what scale? This pilot study mainly aims at determining the feasibility of using telemetry around Saba and at a later stage at the Saba Bank and surrounding islands, e.g. what logistics and which co-operation, catching and deployment methods are required to set-up telemetric experiments for target shark species, and to get a first insight of the scale of movement patterns of the target shark species

Structure and financing of nature management costs in Caribbean Netherlands

The Nature Policy Plan Caribbean Netherlands identifies the need to “Evaluate the financial instruments available for nature conservation in the Caribbean Netherlands and make recommendations aimed at guaranteeing a sustainable financial future” as one of its strategic actions. Three preceding studies investigated budget requirements and sustainable funding of nature (MINA 2000, Spergel 2005, Spergel 2014). These studies focused on the potential sources of income to achieve financial sustainability and led amongst others to the establishment of the trust fund. The aim of this study by IMARES is to provide insight in the financial needs to carry out park management tasks based on quantifiable tasks. So, rather than the functional approach of earlier studies, which quantified budget needs based on staffing of the park management organizations, we here introduce a task-based approach to identify budget requirements. In this we used elements of the Netherlands cost standards for nature management ('normenboek') to build an analytical calculation model which quantifies the annual budget requirements and human resources based on quantitative estimates of prices for material and labor. The budget requirements were then used to determine the financial gap between financial needs and income sources. Three financial gaps were identified: 1) the difference in annual budget requirements according to this study and according to an earlier DCNA assessment; 2) the financial gap in the DCNA trust fund required to start generating returns on investment; and 3) the difference between the annual budget requirements according to this study and the current income sources. We recommend parties to use the task-based calculation model as designed in this study for future management and fundraising purposes and to plan and justify the activities and budget requirements of the park management organizations. However, the price, cost and activity assumptions made in our calculation model should be validated by a third party and/or by the park management organizations e.g. through a workshop and should be regularly updated. We also recommend a sensitivity analysis of minimum and maximum amounts for different scenarios to be included in the calculation model. Furthermore the calculation model is generally applicable and can also be used and adapted to estimate the budget requirements of park management organizations on Curaçao and St. Maarten, and to calculate the appropriate level of the trust fund capital needed to ensure financial sustainability for nature management for the five participating islands

Shark protection plan for the Dutch Caibbean EEZ

Shark populations have steeply declined worldwide due to unsustainable overexploitation and in this the Caribbean region is no exception. Since the 1990s many initiatives have been developed to protect the most threatened species. Sharks play an important ecological role in tropical marine ecosystems and represent an important economic potential in the context of ecotourism. As the Netherlands has traditionally shown strong international leadership and commitment in biodiversity protection, a key ambition of the new Dutch Caribbean Nature Policy Plan 2013-2017, developed jointly with the Dutch Caribbean islands, is the effective implementation of shark protection

A review of the small pelagics fishery resources of the Dutch Caribbean and adjacent areas

This deskstudy gives a review of small pelagic fish species and fisheries in the Dutch Caribbean, specifically species which distributions exceed the national boundaries and where international cooperation in research and management is required