Caribbean Fishes in a Changing Ocean

Climate change is a major threat to ocean health globally. The oceans are becoming warmer and more acidic as they absorb more heat and CO₂ from the atmosphere, and these changes are causing concurrent decreases in water oxygen levels (hypoxia). These physiochemical changes have significant direct impacts on marine organisms. However, their effects are also complex and interrelated, and extend to organismal and ecosystem level interactions (e.g., predator-prey relationships, changes in species’ distribution etc.). 

Recently, Drs. Kurt Gamperl from Memorial University of Newfoundland and Nicola Smith from Concordia University established research programs at the Cape Eleuthera Institute to better understand the extent and scope of the problem with regards to Caribbean—especially Bahamian—fishes. This research involves monitoring ocean conditions in select habitats (e.g., mangrove creeks, patch reefs, sand flats), determining the impacts of temperature and oxygen levels on various levels of fish ‘performance’ (e.g., swimming ability; metabolic capacity; heart function; temperature tolerance), and asking questions about how susceptible Bahamian reefs are to marine invasive species in the era of climate change? The overarching goal of this research is to inform management and conservation efforts for Bahamian species of ecological and economic importance.

For more information about our projects, contact coral@islandschool.org.