RESEARCH

Island School Research: Knowledge into Action

The Island School asks high school students to apply what they are learning in the classroom to address real-world problems. Students research the land, the ocean, and how people live and depend on natural resources. At the end of each semester, students present their research findings to government officials, educators, scientists, and local community members as a way of sharing their findings. The Island School Research Program partners with the Cape Eleuthera Institute, scientists and universities on projects. Below are lists of current and past projects.

To see past semester's work and their Project Posters please click here!

Current Research

Aquaponics for sustainable food production: Aquaponics is the integration of aquaculture and hydroponics. Aquaponics systems are in operation around the world providing fresh fish and vegetables in areas where the soil is nutrient-poor and water resources are limited. Located in the world’s first solar-powered hatchery at the Cape Eleuthera Institute, the aquaponics system includes fish rearing tanks, a clarifying tank, bio-filter, plant grow beds and a collection sump. The goal of The Island School aquaponics program is to create an affordable and sustainable model that can be emulated within The Bahamas. This semester’s aquaponics research group will be continuing the work of previous students’ system design and expanding the aquaponics operation to develop a low-cost and sustainable system and to provide food for The Island School community.

Archaeology- analysis and mapping of historic Lucayan sites: Archaeological research aims to recreate a more realistic past for the peoples who lived on these islands for at least twice as long as their modern inhabitants. Increased knowledge of the Lucayans is valuable from a cultural perspective, as well as for increased knowledge of their impact on the marine and terrestrial environment. To date, archaeological work conducted in The Bahamas has been incomplete, with only two archaeological surveys conducted on Eleuthera.  Several sites have been identified within a 15-mile radius of The Island School campus.  The archeology research conducted at The Island School this semester will be surveying, documenting, and mapping new sites and artifact distribution.  Students will be using GPS to record this data and other technical applications to create visual records of their findings. With this information, students will be actively contributing critical data to the historical and archaeological records of The Bahamas.

Coral Reefs and the Recovery of Diadema antillarum: The ecology of coral reefs in The Bahamas and the Caribbean experienced profound changes when the long-spined sea urchin (Diadema antillarum) suffered mass mortality in 1983.  This mortality created changes in the abundance of corals and the structure of reef fish communities, which negatively impacted the fisheries and tourism industries throughout the Caribbean and The Bahamas. In 2000, Diadema started to reappear in several locations through the Caribbean and more recently in the waters of The Bahamas. The goal of the Coral Reef research this semester will be developing a long-term study that will document the recovery of Diadema and coral reefs in The Bahamas.  Students will be monitoring the distribution and abundance of Diadema, measuring coral and macroalgae abundance, and tagging corals for long-term growth surveys.

Offshore Aquaculture:  Recent research suggests that many fish stocks around the world will be extinct within fifty years if over-fishing continues at its current level. An alternative to the exploitation of wild stocks is aquaculture; the cultivation of fish in a controlled environment.  New technologies allow fish to be reared in off-shore environments, minimizing the environmental impacts associated with traditional near-shore aquaculture. The Cape Eleuthera Institute’s off-shore aquaculture project utilizes a 3000 m2 submerged aquaculture pen to farm native cobia (Rachycentron canadum).  The long-term goal of the project is to raise cobia eggs to market-sized fish. This semester, aquaculture research students will be investigating alternative scavengers and invertebrates, such as Nurse sharks and hermit crabs. The offshore cage is to be stocked with Cobia in the summer of 2008 and the results of these studies will provide valuable information on potential biological solutions to real issues in offshore aquaculture.

Patch reef monitoring: Patch reefs are small, isolated coral heads common to the shallow waters of reef ecosystems. Reef fish inhabiting patch reefs are especially vulnerable to fishing pressure because the reefs are located close to shore and in shallow water. The shallow waters near Cape Eleuthera contain numerous patch reefs, many of which are located in and around a proposed Marine Protected Area (MPA). MPA's can be an effective tool for regulating fishing and managing fish populations, allowing the abundance of marine organisms to increase and potentially spillover into adjacent fishable habitat. The patch reef research conducted at this semester will be counting and removing lionfish from a subset of reefs to examine rates of recolonization. Students will additionally be continuing past semester studies by collecting data on economically important species (including grouper and lobster) to examine correlation between abundance and other environmental factors such as depth and distance from shore.

Predator-prey interactions on tropical flats: Flats are shallow tropical and subtropical marine environments comprised of a mosaic of habitat types. Bonefish (Albula vulpes) are a group of fishes that epitomize the interconnectedness of habitats within flats ecosystems.  The Bahamas is one of the top destinations for angling bonefish, a highly prized sport fish worldwide, and this form of tourism contributes significantly to the economy of many local communities. Despite their importance, the biology of bonefish and the ecology of flats habitats are poorly understood. Included in this lack of knowledge is how lemon sharks locate bonefish after a catch-and-release angling event.  For the Flats research conducted at The Island School this semester, students will be working to understand what chemicals bonefish produce after being caught-and-released that may attract sharks.  This involves capturing fish with a beach seine, simulating a catch-and-release angling event, identifying specific stress chemicals, and making behavioral observations in a laboratory setting. 

Sharks- assessment of predator assemblages off Cape Eleuthera: Sharks are currently threatened worldwide due to unsustainable levels of fishing effort.  Currently, one hundred species are listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered.  The location of the Cape Eleuthera Institute and The Island School, directly adjacent to a huge and un-spoilt expanse of pelagic and banks habitat, offers a unique opportunity to gather the basic shark data that is so urgently required.  Past semesters have begun to ascertain which species are locally abundant, and attempted to examine how abundance varies with the seasons.  These initial surveys use a new technique known as Baited Remote Underwater Video Surveys (BRUVS).  This semester the Sharks research group will be further refining the design of the BRUVS units designed by past semesters, as well as conducting data collection surveys and the consequent tape analysis.  The data collected will provide important scientific illustration of apex predator assemblages in the north east Exuma Sound.

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As The Island School research program expands, certain projects are put on hold based on completion of research objectives or to be continued at a future date.

Artificial reefs: Designing, deploying, and monitoring artificial reefs to be used to enhance habitat for commercially important reef fishes and provide alternative fishing areas for fishers eventually displaced by the implementation of a marine protected area.

Biofuel production: Formulating and producing biodiesel for school machines (boats, cars, generator) using waste cooking oil provide by the cruise ship industry.

Caribbean spiny lobster: Monitoring the settlement of larval lobsters off Cape Eleuthera, as well as the habitat use of juveniles and adults in and around a proposed marine protected area.

Queen Conch population assessment and aquaculture: Assessing the abundance, population structure, and movement and habitat use of queen conch (a threatened marine mollusk) in and around a proposed marine protected area; designing an aquaculture facility for queen conch using sustainable design principles, including the use of locally available materials and renewable energy.

Coastal restoration and rehabilitation: Measuring the success of a restoration project to reestablish water flow to a tidal creek system by studying the regrowth of mangroves and sediment characteristics; experimenting with the use of Reefballs™ and planting mangroves to increase shoreline stabilization.

Ethnobotany: Analyzing the chemical properties of medicinally identified plants for effectiveness in their treatments; running a cost analysis comparing plants with pharmaceutically created medicines; cataloging the indigenous knowledge of uses for native plant species.

Green building design: Designing a water catchment system to be retrofitted to a home in a local settlement to decrease utility costs.

Permaculture: Using environmentally-friendly growing practices to create a sustainable agricultural industry for local communities.

Septic waste management: Examining sustainable waste management systems through permaculture design, gray water systems, biogas digesters, alternative energy sources, and tropical polyculture home-gardens.

Sustainable Energy Systems: Examining the way electricity is used in local communities in South Eleuthera; interviewing consumers to analyze the economic and social feasibility of implementing renewable energy systems into their business or home.

Sponge Aquaculture: Monitoring the survival and growth of commercially important species to determine the feasibility and economic benefit of this alternative industry; determining optimal structure design and growout conditions for culturing sponges.

Sustainable aquaculture: Monitoring the grow-out and environmental impact of an offshore cage-system with 20,000 cobia; assessing the feasibility of growing out sea sponges.