GVI Seychelles Newsletter Issue 8 September 2015
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Transcript of GVI Seychelles Newsletter Issue 8 September 2015
Spring 2016, Issue 4
In August GVI Seychelles received some Crown
of Thorns (COTS) injector kits from the
Seychelles National Parks Authority to assist
with tackling the ongoing COTS outbreak
affecting the northwest coast of Mahé island.
The 20ml sodium bisulphate applicators avoid
the need to remove and dispose of the COTS as
they are injected in situ, which reduces the
possibility of divers coming into contact with
the animals.
Recently GVI Seychelles conducted two dives
Inside this Issue
• COTS
• Tickling Tortoises
• SSTF
• Youth Marine Programme
• Cap Ternay Shark Day
• Lemon Shark Monitoring
• Building Capacity
• Charitable Trust
GVI Seychelles September 2015, Issue 8
Crown of thorns starfish Introduction
GVI staff put the new injector kits to good use, targeting COTS within the Baie Ternay Marine National Park
A degraded reef in Beau Vallon, where large areas of coral have been reduced to rubble.
Multiple COTS feeding on an Acropora coral in Beau Vallon bay.
An unseasonably wet third quarter to the
year has not prevented the GVI teams from
getting out into the field. This year’s giant
tortoise census has been completed, and
marine monitoring continues at pace. We
welcomed a number of Seychellois
candidates to the National Scholarship
Programme and participated in the 3rd
annual Seychelles Sea Turtle Festival.
With the hawksbill turtle nesting season
and the lemon shark pupping season now
under way it will no doubt be an equally
busy final quarter to the year!
within the Baie Ternay Marine National
Parks and injected 42 COTS as part of the
COTS reduction programme. Initial signs
appear to be positive with few COTS
observed within the park since. However,
the problem persists along the northwest
coast of Mahé and will require consistent
monitoring over the coming months.
After three months of intense tortoise searching for the 2015 annual
census, the Global Vision International (GVI) team on Curieuse
Island, with the help of Seychelles National Park Authority (SNPA),
have succeeded in tracking down 113 of our known 125 Aldabra
Giant Tortoises, and found three new ones!
The population of Aldabra giant tortoises on Curieuse was founded
from approximately 300 tortoises that were relocated from Aldabra
to Curieuse between 1979 - 1982. This was part of a conservation
programme aimed at safeguarding the future of the species. It was
also hoped that the relocation would allow further study into this
little-understood species, and would help to boost tourism in the
Seychelles. Today, populations of the tortoises live on several of the
inner granitic islands, but the Curieuse population remains one of
the largest.
This is the third year GVI has carried out the annual census of our
Curieuse giant tortoises, and the ‘tortoise tickles’ as we at GVI call
them, are a popular activity for volunteers and staff alike. They
involve trekking around some of the more remote areas of the
island in search of the giant (or occasionally tiny) tortoises. Upon
finding one we take a number of measurements and other data.
Almost all the tortoises have at some stage been fitted with a
Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tag (first administered in the
1997 census), and some also still have the previously used metal or
plastic ID disks on their shells, allowing us to identify individual
tortoises.
Tickling Tortoises
GVI SEYCHELLES
This allows us to keep track of their movements, growth and
health over the years.
Of the various parts of the island, the area surrounding the
Ranger’s Station is by far the most popular for the tortoises to
hang out, with approximately 78% of them being found here last
year.
Most exciting of all, we have found three new tortoises this year -
two juveniles and one hatchling. Tortoise number 126 was found
wandering near the Ranger’s Station in March, and had an ‘Over
Curve Carapace Length’ (OCCL) of 34.6cm. Tortoise number
127 was found in May on the hill behind Grand Anse with an
OCCL of 24.3cm, and the smallest found this year was on the hill
behind the Ranger’s Station in July, with an OCCL of just 11.2cm.
The latter was brought to the nursery in order to protect it from
predation by rats and crabs, and from poaching. It will be released
when it reaches the age of approximately five years. This brings
the total number of free-roaming adults and juveniles to 127, and
the total number of hatchlings in the nursery to 27.
We also hope to develop our tortoise surveys further by learning
more about their nesting and reproductive behaviour. Last year we
carried out 12 nest excavations, which allowed us to calculate how
many eggs had successfully hatched in each nest. So the GVI staff
and volunteers, and the SNPA rangers, will be keeping an eye out
for more tortoise nests (and of course hatchlings) this year too, in
an attempt to gather more data on nesting and hatching success.
GVI staff and volunteers take measurement as part of the annual tortoise census
One of 125 giant tortoises that roam free on Curieuse Island
3
Seychelles sea turtle festival
In August the Seychelles Sea Turtle Festival (SSTF) returned for the 3rd
year running, and once again GVI Seychelles was an active participant.
The SSTF is annual event organized by local conservationists with the
aim of sensitizing the general public to sea turtle conservation.
On Friday August 7th the festival’s opening ceremony took place at the
Natural History Museum and GVI was in attendance. During the
festival James McClelland, GVI Seychelles’ Science Coordinator, was
awarded first place in the festival’s turtle themed photography
competition for his photograph of a hawksbill turtle.
The following morning GVI staff and volunteers from the marine
conservation expedition at Cap Ternay arrived in Beau Vallon at 9am
for the Family Fun Day. They were joined by staff from the GVI
Curieuse Island conservation expedition, for a day of beachside
activities.
As it is each year, ‘Face painting’ was extremely popular, with both
kids and adults queuing up to have turtles painted on their arms and
faces. There was also the opportunity to practice breathing underwater
by trying out the SCUBA equipment.
Aside from the fun and games, GVI presented information on our
hawksbill nesting research, which is undertaken on Curieuse Island in
association with SNPA.
The day was a lot of fun and it was fantastic to see so many people
coming together in support of sea turtle conservation. We look
forward to participating again next year!
Members of the public try out SCUBA equipment for
the first time.
3
Beau Vallon beach was the setting for various sea
turtle themed games.
Face painting was once again a popular activity and
kept GVI staff busy throughout the day.
Youth Marine Programme
Did someone say ‘shark’?
On July 12th GVI Cap Ternay staff and volunteers paired up with
the Green Islands Foundation (GIF) to welcome more than 15
kids from the Port Glaud Environment Club to Cap Ternay for a
day of shark-themed lessons and activities.
Our volunteers were split into three groups to deliver brief
lessons on three crucial topics related to sharks: those found in
the Seychelles and what environments they depend upon, the
teeth and caudal fins of different species and what that means for
how they swim and catch prey, and the importance of sharks and
misconceptions of them as a threat to humans. Each tied in some
fun activities, such as getting the kids to guess how long 20
metres is to see how large a mature whale shark can grow, or
'match the tail and tooth to the shark' to see if they were paying
attention.
After these lessons we ventured to the mangroves of our 'back
beach' facing Port Launay Marine Park, where 100 m of seagrass
beds are bordered by a dense mangrove forest that, in season, are
home to dozens of Sickle Fin Lemon Shark pups. The group
waded into the shallow water to see how the maze of a forest
provides protection for the young pups as they grow. Breaking
for a Creole-style lunch, we then took the group to Port Launay
for a snorkel, where even bad visibility on the reef didn't stop us
all from having a good time.
Students enrolled in the Youth Marine Programme examine the marine fauna of mud flats at Cap Ternay
with GVI staff.
Cap ternay shark day
On Saturday July 18th the Minister for the Environment, Energy and
Climate Change (MEEC), Mr Didier Dogley, officially launched the
Youth Marine Programme at Cap Ternay. The launch coincided with
Mandela Day, a global call to action, which celebrates the fact that
each individual has the ability to have an impact and change the world
for the better.
The Youth Marine Programme is an initiative of the MEEC and the
Seychelles National Youth Council (SNYC). The aim of the
programme is to engage youths in marine conservation and to develop
skills that enable them to contribute towards the ‘Blue Economy’.
The programme will run throughout the year and GVI will be playing
an active role in the initiative. First of all will be dive training, with
GVI Seychelles conducting PADI Open Water courses for the youths.
The course will introduce the students to diving and will be the first
step towards them becoming competent divers. Already there are
plans for further collaborative initiatives as part of the Youth Marine
Programme and we look forward to updating you on them in the next
quarter.
5
GVI SEYCHELLES JUNE 2015, ISSUE 7 GVI SEYCHELLES
Lemon Shark monitoring
programme
As we approach the final quarter of the year we are entering into the
pupping season. Female lemon sharks are returning to the coastline
where they were born and soon dozens of juvenile sharks will be seen
swimming amongst the shallow mangrove roots of the Curieuse Island
National Park.
The research being undertaken by GVI and SNPA has already yielded
some interesting results, and a second season of data will no doubt
shed further light on the local lemon shark population.
Thanks must go to the British High Commission for their generous
support. In the next issue of the GVI Newsletter we will report back
from the WIOMSA conference in South Africa where we will be
presenting a poster on the lemon shark research on Curieuse Island.
5
In August, acting British High Commissioner to Seychelles, Mr Dave
Jones, visited Curieuse Island for the official opening of the new
Lemon Shark information boards. The information boards highlight
the importance of the Curieuse Island National Park for the protection
of juvenile lemon sharks and provide visitors with information on the
monitoring programme being undertaken by GVI and Seychelles
National Parks Authority. The boards, which are printed in English
and French, have been produced through funding provided by the
British High Commission, and are located within the mangrove
boardwalk on Curieuse Island.
While on the island Mr Jones had the opportunity to see the new
acoustic tracking equipment, recently purchased with BHC funding.
Following on from the success of the lemon shark tagging programme
in 2014, GVI Seychelles and SNPA will continue to research the
juvenile population in the waters of Curieuse Island by PIT tagging
individuals during the 2015 pupping season.
This season’s research will also involve an acoustic tagging element. By
placing tags on individual sharks the GVI team will be able to
investigate habitat preference and spatial movements of individual
sharks. Once tagged, sharks will be followed by GVI staff in kayaks
and movement data will be recorded. It is hoped that the data will
provide valuable information on how the juvenile sharks use the
mangroves and turtle pond, which in turn will assist the SNPA with
the management of the species.
Visiting the new lemon shark information boards on the mangrove boardwalk
Science Officer, James McClelland, demonstrates how to use the new acoustic tracking equipment
During the last quarter GVI Seychelles has received four students as part
of the National Scholarship Programme (NSP). The NSP is open to local
candidates with an interest in conservation and provides an opportunity to
gain first-hand practical field experience. Recent candidates have joined
GVI Seychelles from the University of Seychelles as part of their work
based experience programme, while others have come from a range of
organisations including; SNPA, SOSF, SIF and GIF. Hopefully these
individuals will now take their newly obtained skills back to their
respective organisations and will be able to assist them in conservation
efforts. Below Nathachia Pierre gives us an insight into her time on the
National Scholarship Programme at Cap Ternay.
Building capacity at cap ternay
6
Nathachia and Rosabella return from a dive within the
Baie Ternay Marine National Park
My experience at cap ternay
I am a Seychellois attending my second year of the BSc in Environmental
Science at the University of Seychelles. As part of the university course
we had to conduct a four-week internship at an environment related
organization, and I was most looking forward to my first scuba diving
experience with GVI Seychelles. Having never gone scuba diving before, I
wondered if I would get nervous or claustrophobic 20-30 meters under
water, but I guess I would not know until I tried it.
On my first day of the dive, we woke up early in the morning and our
instructor introduced us to the basics & safety maneuvers in the shallow
water before heading out to the nearby reef. Our main instructor for the
open water course, Emily Sibley, was always so patient and calm with us
as we tested our equipment and got used to the feeling of breathing under
water and getting the hang of our buoyancy.
Once we practiced clearing our masks, popping our ears, and
replacing our regulators, our next dive was to explore the nearby
reefs in the bay.
As we jumped in with our instructor, it was a little scary at first as we
were descending into the ocean and I kept telling myself to control
my breathing and trust my equipment. Once we descended at the
bottom of the water, a whole new world opened up to me and it was
both stunning and beautiful. I kept banging on my tank to catch my
buddy or instructors attention whilst pointing to something at all
times as I was very much excited. Throughout the remaining days of
diving, I had an amazing and unique adventure amongst the coral reefs
and witnessed countless species of fish and encountered various
megafauna such as white tip reef sharks, turtles and rays.
Besides diving, there were a range of different activities we were
involved in such as lectures and field trips to the nearby mangrove
area. On the other hand, I really enjoyed being able to get to know
people from different parts of the world as we were all thrown into
dormitories together and given shared duties around base.
In the end I found myself with a PADI Advanced Open Water
certification and trained on fish survey methodologies, and I am eager
to join any survey work that is needed in the future. Similarly, the
GVI experience has made me reconsider what I want from life if not
diversify what I have already set my mind to. As a Seychellois, I feel
so grateful for the opportunity and encourage more locals to enroll at
GVI for their diving experience. Now I feel that I am better equipped
to give a helping hand in the safe guarding of our marine ecosystem
and contribute towards its conservation.
SNPA rangers open water training
On Monday September 14th rangers from the Seychelles National
Parks Authority joined GVI at Cap Ternay to undertake their PADI
Open Water course. William Dean and Steven Vital both completed
their course with flying colours and are now certified PADI Open
Water divers.
7
The GVI Charitable Trust is a non-political, non-religious charity set up
to provide support to local groups and organisations in the countries
where GVI operates. On Mahé, GVI Seychelles has partnered with the
President’s Village Children’s Home in Port Glaud and over the last five
years we have raised almost SCR 300,000 for the home. In recent
months the GVI Marine Conservation project has purchased a new solar
system for the children’s home due to be installed later this year.
Tim was one of our recent Divemaster Interns, and has just finished up his 3 months with us here at GVI Cap Ternay. While he was here, he helped us run a community challenge as part of his project, raising funds for the President's Village Children's Home. I've been here at Cap Ternay, Seychelles, for 3 months doing my
Divemaster Training internship, and it's almost time for me to leave for
Thailand to finish it off. It's been a wild ride over here, definitely the
time of my life! I have met wonderful people and made incredible
memories, and I'll be sad to leave what has been the tropical paradise I
have started referring to as home. Now that the soppy stuff is out of my
system, I'm going to write a little about my Divemaster project.
For the three months the Divemaster interns are stationed at Cap
Ternay, we are required to undertake a project.
Charitable trust
Follow GVI Seychelles
• Website - www.gvi.co.uk
• Charitable Trust website - www.gvi.org
• Facebook -
https://www.facebook.com/GVISeychellesMaheCurieuse
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/GVISeychelles
• Instagram - #GVITRAVEL
I helped run this quarter's official charity challenge, organised with our
new community officer Jilly. We called it the "Seychelles Selfie
Showdown". The aim was to have teams fundraise, and then race
across Mahé completing photo challenges, such as taking a group selfie
with a batfish or on a rope swing. Teams were also required to
complete challenges before the day, such as making team flags and
costumes.
On the morning Jilly and I gave the final briefing and handed out the
team packs (first aid, bus money, map, challenge list) and set them on
their way. We were driving around in the mobile support van,
constantly checking in on the teams via phone and jamming to The Cat
Empire. One team went snorkelling with their phone, which made
contact a little bit difficult... Another team, deciding that waiting for
the bus would take too long, decided to hire a car!
Being in the van and having a few hours, we decided we'd check out
some of the southernmost beaches on the island, the ones on the
challenge list that were worth a lot of points.
With a deadline of 4pm to be back on base, we were all impressed
that the first team made it back at quarter to, and the other two made
it back three minutes before four. Cutting it close! Just like the actual
standings at the end of the day! In the end it was a great day out more
importantly we managed to raise some funds for a very good cause.