Read on for program highlights, research results, all-star alumni, sustainable living ideas, and more.
A spawning aggregation of thousands of bonefish (Albula vulpes) was recently filmed in South Eleuthera. Bonefish make monthly migrations of up to 80 km (50 miles) to form spawning aggregations!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikVNxeY2KRs&feature=youtu.be…
Last Friday, Deep Creek Middle School’s Grade 7 joined Georgie Burruss, CEI Research Assistant, for a snorkel through Page Creek as part of the School Without Walls program. The focus of…
Last Thursday was The Island School Research Symposium! It is a highlight of Parent’s Week, and a time for parents to hear about the good work being done by their…
Congratulations to CEI Director Aaron Shultz! He successfully defended his doctoral dissertation on “Responses of Subtropical Nearshore Fishes to Climate Change” at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, with Dr. Cory…
While all visiting groups are special to us here at CEI, certain ones touch our hearts in unique and unexpected ways. Akhepran International Academy, visiting us for the first time…
This past week, Flats Ecology and Conservation Program of the Cape Eleuthera Institute welcomed four students to our campus for Flats Week. Lead by Aaron Shultz, CEI director, and Georgie…
Sometimes all it takes is a few minutes with a trusting grouper to realize our impact on the ocean and how we can make a difference. This week, the Flats…
Aaron Shultz, Director of the Cape Eleuthera Institute, has had his graduate work, under the direction of Dr. Cory Suski, highlighted in a report for the University of Illinois. Aaron…
Last week The Island School hosted Parents’ Week. The week included an opportunity for parents to tour our campus, view a student art exhibit, parent-teacher meetings, and a day for…
In March, Florida State University Master’s students Brendan Talwar and Mackellar Violich, and Flats Ecology and Conservation intern Georgie Burruss traveled to Great Exuma to present at the Bahamas Conservation…
In collaboration with the Fisheries Conservation Foundation (FCF) and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the Cape Eleuthera Institute (CEI) sent researchers to the Exuma Cays in February…
What happens to the research done at CEI after the excitement of the field season and the hours in the lab are over? Researchers need to find interesting and accessible ways…
CEI Director Aaron Shultz and Flats Ecology and Conservation Program Manager Zach Zuckerman attended the 5th International Bonefish and Tarpon Trust (BTT) Symposium on Nov. 7th – 8th at the…
CEI researchers Claire Thomas and Zach Zuckermen attended the 67th Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute in Barbados the first week of November. This conference focused on small islands and developing…
Brookwood School students and teachers recently headed back to Massachusetts after their school’s first visit to Cape Eleuthera Institute. During their 6-day adventure the group was able to learn more about…
Congratulations to all of the Spring 2014 Island School students who gave oral and poster presentations at the Research Symposium. This event is a culmination a semester-long research class, where…
Last week, the Island School campus was inundated with the parents of the Spring 2014 students. Aside from campus tours and a breathtaking art gallery, parents also got to witness…
Flats Research Manager Zach Zuckerman was invited to perform an ecological assessment of Sand Banks Creek near Treasure Cay, Abaco. Together with Olivia Patterson of Friends of the Environment, representatives…
Over the next 100 years, factors causing climate change have the potential to increase sea surface temperatures by up to 5 degrees Celsius. However, even a small increase could have drastic effects on tropical areas due to the historical thermal stability of places such as the Caribbean. Recently, the Cape Eleuthera Institute has been focusing efforts on investigating how climate change may affect tropical fish species and the marine communities with which they interact. One specific project is using a swim tunnel to measure the aerobic scope of Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) and Schoolmaster Snapper (Lutjanus apodus). A swim tunnel is a cylindrical tank in which a fish swims against a current and its oxygen consumption can be measured. Data obtained from the swim tunnel such as swimming velocity and respiration rate can then be used to calculate the fish’s aerobic scope. Aerobic scope, or the capacity for oxygendriven metabolism, is a good overall indicator for performance and can estimate how much energy a fish has to devote to essential behaviors such as foraging, predator evasion and reproduction. The water that flows through the swim tunnel can be slightly warmed to simulate future ocean conditions, and the fish’s response can be quantified. Through this study, CEI and the Flats Ecology and Conservation Program hope to gain insight on how different coral reef and mangrove…
An estimated 4,000 to 6,000 metric tons of sunscreen washes off swimmers annually. This can affect the ocean in many different ways. This semester the Flats Research Program at CEI…
CEI researchers were busy in Nassau over the past week. On March 4th, Aaron Shultz and Kate Kincaid attended an IUCN Red List Workshop, held at The Bahamas National Trust.…
The Spring Gappers are on campus! Our first week was busy getting oriented to all the exciting opportunities that are waiting for us in the next two months. While we’ve…
FRIENDS of the Environment hosted the 6th Biennial Abaco Science Alliance Conference (ASAC). The conference goals were to provide a forum for networking and information sharing for Abaco and Bahamas-based…
January at the Cape Eleuthera Institute is an exciting time: a new year, new interns, and a heap of new students visiting during their university’s January term!Monmouth University joined CEI…
Interns from the Flats Ecology and Conservation Program and Shark Research and Education Program at the Cape Eleuthera Institute (Stacey Dorman and Carl Treyz) and Zack Jud from the Bonefish and…
Throughout the islands of The Bahamas, bonefishing is not only popular sport, but also an important component of the tourism industry that contributes greatly to the economic health of many…
Kylie grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She received in a Bachelor’s of Arts in French Language Studies and a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology from the University of St. Thomas…
Mazatlan, Mexico April 7 – 12, 2014 ABSTRACT SUBMISSION IS NOW OPEN! For online abstract submission and registration information, go to:www.wdmeeting2014.wordpress.com/abstracts/ For general information on the symposium, go to: www.fishconserve.org…
Bonefish tagging has been taking place on a large scale in the south of Andros this week. Zack Jud from the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust and Stacey Dorman and Carl…
On Friday, September 27, students from Deep Creek Middle School (DCMS) met with staff from the Cape Eleuthera Institute (CEI) at Paige Creek to discuss mangrove ecosystems. Tiffany Gray, lead…
Last weekend, Bahamas National Trust (BNT) made headway in their Rapid Ecological Assessment of Cross Harbour, Abaco. This REA will gather important ecological data to help establish a baseline for long-term…
Last week Justin Lewis, from Grand Bahama, Zack Jud, from Florida International University and Tiffany Gray, from Cape Eleuthera Institute, worked with Cassandra Abraham at Friends of the Environment in…
This blog was written by the 18 incredible students visiting us from Maine.Campus Life The Island School/CEI is located in Cape Eleuthera. The campus faces the water with exotic beaches…
CEI just completed the second Eleuthera Explorer’s Camp this summer! Camp culminated with presentations for parents at Island School. This gave campers a chance to share what experiences got them…
This week we said ‘bon voyage’ to an amazing group of students, staff and crew from Seatrek Fathoms. They graced us with their presence for 10 days of science, fun,…
Seven undergraduate students from Newcastle University have been on campus since July 1, assimilating with various research groups at CEI. Each student is working on an individual project for their…
How do fish handle stress? With the rise of human and climate related stressors, researchers are actively exploring how fish react to these conditions. Naomi Pleizier, a MSc. student from…
Last week our Educational team led a three day natural history camp for nine kids from Deep Creek and the surrounding settlements. In addition to camp songs, rounds of the…
The past 12 days have been a whirlwind for a group of 15 students from Carlsbad, Northern San Diego, California. The first week of the program, the students embarked in…
This past Saturday, CEI and IS hosted their Spring 2013 Research Symposium. The event consisted of research presentations and poster sessions, where Island School students got the chance to present…
This past weekend, the CEI and Island School campus had many visitors eager to hear about CEI research- Island School parents! Parents attended presentations given by IS students on current…
A new project focused on the rehabilitation of tidal mangrove creeks in South Eleuthera has been put into action by the Flats Ecology and Conservation Program. A part of this…
Attention! Deadline for registration for CEI’s Eleutheran Explorer’s Camp, Shark Week, Flats Week, and the new Turtle Week has been extended to JUNE 15. Please see the links below for…
Last week, Educational Programs at CEI had their hands full with two classes hailing from St. Andrew’s School in Nassau, home of the Hurricanes. The first class, a group of…
This past week, the SP13 Island School students presented Project Introduction presentations to their peers, staff, faculty, and the many visitors on campus. These presentations gave the students a chance…
Emma E. Cooper Primary school joined us last week for an afternoon tour. However, this was no typical tour of campus! The entire primary school came with Kindergarten through grade…
CEI attended the 2013 Rock Sound Homecoming as part of their community outreach, and engaged the local community members in a conversation about marine conservation. The CEI booth was packed…
Researchers with the Flats Ecology and Conservation Program are studying the critical thermal minimums (CTmin) and maximums (CTmax) of fish species representative of tropical nearshore flats and mangrove creek ecosystems.…
Here is a short bio from the Flats intern Melissa:I grew up in the countryside of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada where I developed a love for the outdoors and learning about…
Since May 2011, Christopher Haak, a PhD student (and avid fisherman) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, along with other scientists, has been trying to solve the mystery of where…
CEI recently started performing shuttle box experiments in the wet lab. The set-up of the shuttle box system is simple: two tanks are connected through a short “walkway”, and above…
CEI researcher Aaron Shultz along with Fisheries Conservation Foundation chair Dave Philipp, Illinois Natural History Survey Fisheries Biologist Julie Claussen, and a young member of the CEI boathouse staff Mally…
I started my master’s at CEI in association with Carleton University in May 2012. I will be studying the thermal biology and spatial ecology of bonefish (for global warming implications)…