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| Dr. Paul Jobsis introducing the splash drone to Brewers Bay |
Counting sea turtles in Brewers Bay might not seem difficult, but ask any researcher at UVI’s Center for Marine and Environmental Studies (UVI-CMES) and you will hear a story about endangered sea turtles that must be protected. Marine biology researcher Paul Jobsis and his students at UVI are working to save sea turtles from extinction.
The
Green sea turtles and Hawksbill turtles that reside in Brewer’s Bay are
currently on the endangered species list, and their survival is becoming
increasingly dependent on the care and accuracy with which they are
monitored. Fortunately, research teams
at UVI-CMES are dedicated to tracking sea turtle populations and behavior
patterns in and beyond Brewers Bay. The
recent use of a splash drone, provided by Virgin Islands Drone Services and
flown by local enthusiast Nick Lynch, to determine the accuracy of the typical
monitoring surveys has provided an aerial view of the turtles in the bay.
“Counting
sea turtles using swimming surveys can be tricky,” said Howard Forbes, Jr., a
research and public service extension specialist. “Because they’re underwater, it’s easy to
count a turtle twice or miss turtles that swim out of view to avoid the survey
team. But the footage we get from the splash
drone allows us to go back and check the accuracy of the swimming survey. The images we collect are also useful for papers
and presentations that contribute to our understanding of marine organisms.”
A
splash drone is a remote control flying device that carries a waterproof camera
capable of capturing still and moving images.
In the context of marine science research, it is launched from a boat
and navigated around the bay, hovering above the water. Footage captured by the camera affixed to the
drone gives scientists a birds-eye view not only of the sea turtles themselves,
but also of the underwater eco-system in which these marine reptiles promote
biodiversity.
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| UVI researcher using a remote transmitter to control a splash drone. |
“Everything within an eco-system plays a role,” said Forbes. “Take, for example, the loss of critical habitat when Hurricane Earl wiped out a large percentage of the sea grass beds within Brewers Bay. This was a big problem for the Green sea turtles in the bay, who function as underwater lawnmowers. But the sea grass is also reliant on the turtle whose continuous nibbling encourages it to grow faster. The more we know about how turtles feed, reproduce, behave and interact with all elements of the eco-systems in which they live, the better equipped we will be to preserve those eco-systems.”
Sadly, the
biggest threat to Caribbean sea turtles is the reckless behavior of human
beings. While it is illegal to harvest
sea turtles in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands continues to
maintain a two month-long harvesting season in which residents are allowed to
hunt sea turtles. The meat is used for
food, while the shells are typically used for making jewelry. But even as environmental advocates pressure
the BVI to eliminate its harvesting season, poachers in both territories go on
killing the animals without regard for the delicately balanced eco-systems upon
which their survival depends.
Other man-made
threats to sea turtles include climate change and pollution. Warmer atmospheric temperatures resulting
from climate change could possibly affect the gender distribution of sea
turtles as warmer temperatures cause their eggs to produce more females. Sea
turtles appear to be monogamous, so it is unclear how the changing ratio of
females to males will affect the endangered populations. Moreover, warmer water that has also been
contaminated by harmful bacteria contributes to the destruction of coral reefs,
which poses a threat to the Hawksbill sea turtle who dines on coral polyps and
sponges. The Leatherback sea turtle, which
nests on St. Thomas, eats jellyfish, which are still in good supply. But because the Leatherback sea turtle cannot
distinguish between a jellyfish and a plastic bag, it will sometimes eat the
bag, which sits in the turtle’s stomach, prohibiting normal digestion, until
the turtle dies prematurely. The proliferation
of marine debris and plastics is a serious threat to sea turtles and the
habitats in which they live.
The
accumulation of knowledge is a crucial part of being able to prevent the
further degradation of marine eco-systems such as Brewers Bay in which the
endangered sea turtle once thrived. So
marine biologists get pretty excited when a new piece of technology comes along
that can assist with some of the more painstaking aspects of the research
process. “The splash drone is an
effective research tool that will provide scientists with a new way to study sea
turtles,” said Forbes. “The more we know about these species, the better able
we will be to protect them.”
