Travel

Not An Ordinary Vacation, An Adventure

I'm always looking for people to join the research and conservation efforts I'm involved in. If you're looking for a unique travel opportunity come spend a week in the Caribbean learning how to survey coral reef fishes, tag endangered sea turtles, or study whales in remote corners of the world.

Coral Reef Conservation in Dominica

Join an expedition to help gather data that may demonstrate lionfish control methods are working to protect vulnerable reef biodiversity. Causing what may be the most dramatic and rapid ecosystem change in our recent history, lionfish, an invasive species native to the Indo-Pacific, have invaded the Caribbean causing rapid changes. Some areas show a 65% decline in reef fish diversity within just two years of these fish appearing.

Lionfish also prey upon economically important species such as spiny lobster and can inhibit rebuilding efforts for species such as snapper and grouper. On top of all that, lion fish prey upon parrotfish and wrasess, species vital to preventing the overgrowth of algae in reef communities. We’ll compare coral reef fish diversity within the Scott’s Head-Soufriere Marine Reserve where active efforts are underway to prevent the spread of lionfish with populations of control reefs outside the reserve where lionfish roam free.

We'll perform necropsies of lionfish documenting stomach contents and morphometric data. Evenings will be spent entering data and reviewing species identification. Our base of operations will be the Castle Comfort Lodge, located on the Caribbean shores just outside the capital city of Roseau, the lodge provides and comfortable home for our work. Want to learn more? Send me a message.