Journal-29

The goal of Megara is to increase our knowledge about humpback whales, from every angle. The third Megara mission took place this year, on March 13-18, as the Réserve Naturelle de Saint-Marin coordinated Megara with the association, Megaptera, whose president is Michel Vély, along with the Territorial Environmental Agency of Saint Barthélemy, the association “My School, My Whale,” and the support of the government of Anguilla, which helped facilitate the authorization required for exploration within its territorial waters. During the five days of the mission, a team of 15 participants used a catamaran as their base camp in the waters of Saint Martin, Anguilla, and Saint Barth. Results: 25 underwater listening tests, 60% of which were positive, and nine visual observations, which allowed for the localization of 33 bottlenose dolphins and 18 humpback whales. In state of rough seas, the team aboard a semi-rigid dinghy were able to successfully place a satellite beacon —which unfortunately remains silent— and taking two samples of skin which were carefully kept in the freezer while waiting to be sent to University of Groningen, which has a database of over 8,500 biopsies of humpback whales in the Atlantic. The multiplication of Megara missions increases this data, as well as observations, photographs, and DNA samples, which are fairly limited in the French West Indies. But the first results indicate that “our” whales are from the same population observed in the waters near Cape Verde. Anyone who is interested can follow this adventure thanks to the videographer aboard the boat!

What can we do about hydrocarbon pollution? Who is doing something about it and how? Training by experts from France and the Service of Lighthouses and Buoys in Guadeloupe has increased the competence of several people on the local level, who are now capable of intervening and providing the appropriate response should a layer of hydrocarbons threaten the shores of Saint Martin. The entire staff of the Réserve Naturelle participated in this training, along with gendarmes from the nautical brigade, the SNSM, the staff from both marinas in Marigot, and personnel from the Collectivité. The prefecture and the Direction de la Mer coordinated the operation from a crisis center created for the occasion. The training, both practical and theoretical, was based on the deployment of floating barges comprised of synthetic foam, less fragile than inflatable barges, but more voluminous to store. On the practical side, the barges were successfully tested near Marina Fort Louis, but met with more difficulty in the access channel to the bridge at Sandy Ground, due to strong currents. It is important to note that this equipment will be stored in Guadeloupe, but owners of sites potentially at risk, such as fuel depots and the EDF plant, should keep this kind of equipment on hand.

On Sunday, March 12, a local resident informed the Réserve that a loggerhead turtle was in trouble on the beach of Grandes Cayes, having been injured by an arrow from a harpoon gun. The Réserve took the animal to the Hope Estate veterinary clinic, where the arrow was removed from the turtle, and the wound was stitched up. The reptile was put back into the water a little later. Knowing the hunter, the Réserve wrote an official report, which was followed by a hearing for the guilty party at the gendarmerie. The poacher admitted his guilt and said that during a picnic on the beach, one of his friends did not eat meet, so he tried to catch a fish instead. And as it happened, the unlucky turtle was just swimming by at the wrong moment, and ended up with an arrow in his neck that was meant for the fish ! The hunter was found guilty of illegal fishing in a natural reserve and required to pay a fine of 150 Euros and another 500 Euros in damages and interest to the Réserve, as part of a civil action proceeding. The sentence could have been worse for the capture and mutilation of a sea turtle: a fine up to 150,000 Euros and two years in prison.

Do lionfish in Saint Martin carry ciguatera or not? On May 23-26, two researchers from the University of Guadeloupe caught these fish in situ, with logistical assistance from the Réserve, and we are awaiting their results. These scientists had hoped to catch 30 of this invasive species at different sites in order to detect the presence of ciguatera in their flesh. They could only capture 16 specimens, as the density of lionfish is much lower in Saint Martin than in Guadeloupe. Why? Perhaps this invasive species has more predators in Saint Martin. The Réserve also gave the researchers another 15 lionfish that had been caught earlier and kept in the freezer. According to Julien Chalifour, director of the Reserve’s scientific department, the answer could be complex, in light of tests done last year by the Réserve. Not only does the place where the lionfish are caught and their age play a role, but also the development of the micro-algae that causes the toxin depends on several factors that are not always present at the same time: the saline content and temperature of the sea water, as well as the general conditions of the milieu, as the algae has a better chance of developing on dead coral.

Romain Renoux, who started at the Réserve Naturelle in 2010, is leaving Saint Martin behind for Monaco, where he will soon be in charge of the funds dedicated to the protected marine areas (AMP) of the Mediterranean, as well as putting into place the mechanism to attribute subventions to these AMP. His experience working with the European BEST project, which has a similar objective, and for which he was responsible for the Caribbean hub, will be very useful. Also the correspondent for the Agoa sanctuary in Saint Martin, he is pleased that the coordinated efforts led by Saint Martin are recognized by all of the partners on the role that the island plays as the regional hub in terms of protection of the oceans and seas. On the eve of his departure, he thought fondly of the highpoints of his experience in Saint Martin, such as the first partnership agreement signed with an academic institution —the middle school in Quartier d’Orléans— in 2010; the creation of the discovery path at the Etang de la Barrière in collaboration with the Conservatoire du Littoral; the identification of 818 marine species during a scientific mission in April 2012; and especially the promotion of the regional cooperation that took him throughout the Caribbean basin. “We must remain vigilant on a daily basis for the preservation of the natural heritage of Saint Martin, and maintain our capacity to react against any threats to the environment,” he told us before leaving.

Thirty high-school students from the Cité Scolaire now know the small island of Pinel like the back of their hands. On Friday, May 19, they spent the afternoon at this idyllic site, both on land and in the water. On dry land, they enjoyed a guided tour with Ashley Daniel and Caroline Fleury, who showed them the local flora, explained how sea turtles lay their eggs on the beach, and told them about the large numbers of an invasive species of iguana on the island: Iguana iguana, which today is outnumbering the native species, Iguana delicatissima. In the water, Amandine Vaslet and Julien Chalifour took over and revealed the ecosystem made up of plant beds, coral reefs, and resident fauna that the students could observe with their masks and snorkels. An awareness campaign for students is an important mission for the Réserve Naturelle, in which certain teachers also participate as part of this initiative.

Enact a protected marine zone. That was the challenge met by the Dutch Island of Aruba with the creation of its new Marine Park. Located on the edge of the most recently protected coastal areas on this highly touristic island, the Aruba Marine Park is a continuation of the Arikok National Park, the Spanish Lagoon —wetlands with RAMSAR classification— and Mangel Halto Beach. The project, led by the Department of Nature and Environment, an official government agency in Aruba, benefits from financing from the European BEST program for Overseas Territories, which provided 300,000 Euros out of a total budget of 350,000 Euros from May 2016 through April 2019. Aruba has also received funding from BEST to define the perimeter of this zone intended to protect the island’s marine biodiversity, and to develop its management structure. Romain Renoux, coordinator of the BEST program for the Caribbean islands, met with the local creators of the Marine Park when he visited Aruba on February 20-22, in order to check in with them on the progress of their project, identify any potential difficulties, and be brought up to date on their early results. Coming from Saint Martin, where the Réserve Naturelle was created in 1998, he was able to explain to his hosts about the work accomplished, without hiding the obstacles they met with before the park was completely accepted by the population.