BioSearch
is a
program designed to allow anyone to participate in CNMI's Marine
Monitoring Program and improve the management of CNMI's marine
environment. It is difficult for a few people to collect enough
information on animals or events that are rare. By combining the
efforts of many, many volunteer divers it is possible to gain an
understanding of the local marine environment that has never been
possible with annual surveys at specific sites. The program seeks
to collect information about animals and the environment:
ANIMAL DATA
Animals such as
sea
turtles, sharks, and certain large fish have become less common over
the years. BioSearch will help with our understanding of where
these animals can still be found and if there are areas that they seem
to prefer. This will help us better identify areas to protect to allow
for their recovery. Some animals, such as Acanthaster
planci (the crown-of-thorns starfish), are known to go
through population
explosions
that can have serious effects on reef communities. Information
about when and where these outbreaks are occuring improve the chances
of effectively managing them.
ENVIRONMENTAL DATA
Occasionally,
short-term enviornmental changes occur and have long-lasting effects on
local marine life. A coral bleaching event in 2003 effectively
eliminated a staghorn coral community in the Saipan Lagoon for the
foreseeable future. Other problems, such as mud and silt pollution from
on shore runoff might be chronic, and by documenting how often this
problem occurs, management efforts can be better targeted address the
problems. Volunteer observations and reports have helped drive a
mulitagency effort to revegetate the watershed at Lau Lau Bay shore
dive site.
WANT TO HELP?
Volunteers are
we to contact John Starmer at Coastal Resources Management
at
(670)664-8303 or john.starmer @ crm.gov.
Download the most recent BioSearch Divelog.
ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS
The groups on the left are
actively participating in BioSearch. Click on their logos to find out
more about them.
PAST
PARTICIPANTS
We
would like to thank
those people and organizations that have
helped out with BioSearch in the past.
Abracadabra,
All American Divers,
Brett Donahue, Chad Griebenow, Blue
Sea Sports, Dive Rota, Eric Javier, Glen Palacios, Hiro, Marine
Fantasia, MOC, Ron Sikkel, Seashore, Stingray Divers,
Susan Marchitti, Yuji Fujie
