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By Raquel Gilliland; Sea of Change Intern

Welcome back to our regularly posted “Creature Feature” where we introduce you to a sea creature that is special and unique. This week’s “Creature Feature” is an invertebrate that for hundreds of years confused early scholars by classifying them as rocks, plants, animals and everything between. It was not until the early 18th century that William Herschel looked through a microscope and used the thin cell wall membranes to officially identify coral as an animal. Today hard corals, or stony corals, belong to the Class Anthozoa, which means “flower animal”. This “Creature Feature” is a two-for-one special; the large branching coral commonly known as elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) and the thin antler-like coral commonly known as staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis)

These elkhorn and staghorn corals were historically found throughout the Bahamas and the Caribbean, stretching as far north as Florida’s Biscayne National Park. Due to their symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae, a small photosynthetic organisms that live in the corals’ tissue, these corals live mainly in warm shallow waters of the equatorial zone.

These corals hold significant importance to the ocean’s ecosystem by building the structures that we call tropical coral reefs. Coral reefs serve many important ecosystem functions such as providing habitat for other invertebrates and fish, protecting our coastlines from erosion and storm surge, providing ecotourism opportunities, and helping to keep fisheries sustainable. Once thought of as a boundless resource, these coral species face near extinction as coral reefs all over the world decline due to many anthropogenic (human caused) impacts such as warming oceans and ocean acidification due to climate change, bleaching events, boat groundings, disease outbreaks, and water pollution. Staghorn and elkhorn corals are currently listed as critically endangered by the IUNC Red List of Threatened and Endangered Species. However, conservation organizations and scientists are working to restore their populations. Follow this link to how the Sea of Change Foundation is partnering supporting these conservation efforts around the world.

By Samantha Whitcraft; Director of Conservation & Outreach, Sea of Change Foundation

On April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day was celebrated in the United States. Today Earth Day is celebrated in over 192 countries and is described as “the largest secular holiday in the world, celebrated by more than a billion people every year” by the founder of the original event almost 50 years ago. This year’s Earth Day theme is “Protect Our Species”

Here at the Sea of Change Foundation, we recognize the values of Earth Day every day and embrace this year’s theme all year long. One of our three conservation priorities is supporting work, internationally, that addresses the issue of threatened species and their habitats to align with our mission to create positive change. We work towards positive change by funding and coordinating conservation and research initiatives that directly impact the natural world we all love to enjoy and explore. For example, with our partners at the University of Costa Rica, Ocean First Institute, and ConnectOcean, we help support research into the habitat use of sharks and rays of the Guanacaste coast in support of conservation planning. We’ve funded research and local community outreach about humpback whales in the waters of New York City with Gotham Whale, and we continue to fund coral nurseries for reef restoration.

Additionally, as recent events emphasize, plastic pollution is negatively impacting already threatened marine species and habitats. We’ve partnered with Aggressor Adventures™ in launching the Green the Fleet™ sustainability initiative to begin to address this issue. Together, we are working to further reduce single-use plastics aboard Aggressor’s liveaboard yachts around the world and at corporate headquarters. Green the Fleet initiatives to date include:

• Replacing plastic luggage tags with natural material tags
• Phasing out plastic straws, plates, cups and utensils aboard yachts
• Phasing out single-use bottled water aboard yachts
• Not using plastic K-cups for coffee aboard yachts
• Eliminating single-use plastics from corporate events

Aggressor Adventures invites divers and explorers alike to experience the natural world from exciting, new vantage points – diving underwater from aboard luxury yachts, along a river during a 5-star river cruise or on a thrilling safari. These “Adventures of a Lifetime”® not only connect their guests to the splendor and value of the natural world but also showcase how sustainable practices can be incorporated into daily life and operations. Aggressor Adventures seeks to inspire their guests to continue to explore, expand their connections to nature and increase their environmental consciousness long after they return home from their adventures.

Together, Aggressor Adventures and the Sea of Change Foundation embrace and encourage three guidelines: refuse, reduce, and reuse single-use plastics. Why not simply recycle plastic? Because the majority of plastic is made from fossil fuels, cannot be recycled, and ends up leaching chemicals in our landfills or accumulating in our oceans. The good news is that simple changes can lead to positive change. For example, instead of buying bottled water, carry a re-usable water bottle, bring your own re-usable/washable grocery bags for shopping, and order your drinks “without a straw, please”. For more suggestions, check out “100 Steps to a Plastic-Free Life”.

One step at a time, we can all work together to create positive change for our natural world today and every day. Happy Earth Day 2019!

By Raquel Gilliland; Sea of Change Intern

It’s time for a new “Creature Feature” where we introduce you to another sea creature and their conservation status. This week’s creature is a large, boney fish commonly known as the Atlantic Goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara). Goliath groupers are not only legendary for their size but also their charisma; divers in Cayman often say they did not just see a goliath grouper but “met a Goliath grouper”.

Historically known as a highly prized game fish for their fight and size, they were unfortunately almost overfished to extinction by 1980’s with the largest Goliath Grouper weighting in at 800lbs! They have an interesting history, in that they are loved by divers as a tourist attraction while being viewed by many commercial, recreational, and spear fisherman as a pesky, fish-steeling monster. In an effort to reverse their population decline from over-fishing, the goliath grouper fishery has been closed in the southeast region of Florida since 1990, and the species is now listed as a species of concern by the IUNC Red List of Endangered and Threatened Species.

Goliath groupers are usually solitary animals and quite territorial, however they do congregate in numbers of 100 or more for spawning and feeding! Currently the population status is still considered to be “declining” worldwide, but some population assessments in south Florida have seen substantial increases in abundance. There is an on-going debate as to whether or not it is the appropriate time to re-open the harvesting of Goliath groupers in Florida.

During the major algal blooms of 2003 and 2005, scientists examined 100s of dead Goliath groupers to study and better understand their life history traits. Studying goliath groupers is extremely difficult due to their skeletal structure not being able to support their bodies once outside of the water. This event not only gave scientists much needed data, but also helped develop a new way to age a grouper by its spine instead of having to sacrifice the fish to be measured by its ear bones (otoliths).

Many questions remain unanswered about their populations and how to manage their habitats but through further research, we hope to learn how to keep these beautiful giants around for many generations to come.

By Raquel Gilliland; Sea of Change Intern

Our “Creature Feature” is back again for another week of education and conservation surrounding another mysterious sea creature! This week’s animal has the word “fish” in its’ name, but some people say it looks more like a shark; however, this week’s creature is actually a ray! Our confusing creature of the week is the famous sawfish, or carpenter sharks. There are five species of sawfish, the Queensland sawfish (Pristis clavata), the smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinate), the common/largetooth sawfish (Pristis pristis), the narrow sawfish (Anoxypristis cuspidate) and the narrowsnout/green sawfish (Pristis zijsron).

Easily identified by their long flattened nose, or rostrum, they were once abundant throughout the Atlantic Ocean the Indo-Pacific Ocean. Their current conservation status has taken a drastic turn in the past few decades due to habitat loss, bycatch, and overfishing; all five species are now listed as either endangered or critically endangered on the IUNC Red List of Threatened Species. Their long rostrums were prized not just in the recreational fishing community, but also in many ancient cultures and mythology. In what is currently Mexico, the ancient Aztecs depicted the rostrum being used as a weapon/sword and sawfish teeth have been found in Mayan graves. In Panama, sawfish were thought of as powerful spirits that could offer protection against supernatural enemies. They were even used as a modern symbol in WWII on navy ships and submarines.

Although they were once revered, these special rays are facing many challenges to their survival. Sawfish fins are among the most prized and expensive exports for shark fin soup, which is considered a delicacy in many Asian countries, yet adds no taste or health benefits. As with many other sharks and rays, sawfish parts are often advertised as traditional Chinese medicine, but no medical benefits have ever actually been proven. Their teeth are sold and used for cockfighting spurs in Peru and Ecuador. And sadly their rostrums are sold as a novelty item to tourists in many countries.

What’s happening to save these creatures? In 2007, all five species were listed on CITES Appendix I, which prohibited the harvest and trade of all sawfish and their parts. Unfortunately, people are still illegally catching and selling sawfish all over the world, it is easy to identify their rostrums, but difficult to identify their fins in the fish markets.

One of the largest sawfish conservation projects is currently happening in Florida at the Florida Museum of Natural History, which maintains the International Sawfish Encounter Database where people can submit information about a sawfish encounter or sighting, whether it’s alive or a rostrum hung on a wall. Next time you encounter a sawfish get online and let them know! Also get to know your favorite shark/ray conservation team and get involved in any way that you can with donating, becoming involved in local campaigns, and making sustainable lifestyle choices!

By Breilly Roy; Sea of Change intern

Welcome to our fifth “Creature Feature!” Each week we briefly introduce you to some fascinating facts about a sea creature, why it is special and unique, and its conservation status. This week’s creature is the star of a song written by the band Heart and has one of the most daunting smiles in the ocean. Any guesses? It’s the great barracuda!

The great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) is known for its long body shape. Having an elongated torso, it looks like an underwater missile. This streamlined body shape allows the fish to move quickly underwater. They have been documented to swim in bursts up to 35 miles per hour! Not only does their speed help them escape hungry predators, but it aids in their hunting. Of course, their ferocious looking mouth also plays a big role in catching prey, though their vicious reputation is unwarranted – as with most sea creatures, if we respect them, they’ll do the same for us.

Unlike most fish, the great barracuda has two sets of teeth. Along the outside of the top jaw sits a row of smaller teeth, and behind them are dagger-like teeth. The bottom jaw houses long, needle-like teeth. Having dentition like this not only prevents the escape of prey, but it allows this top predator to grasp, tear, and cut up its catch before consumption.

As an adult they exhibit a nonsocial lifestyle, often hovering solitarily above coral reefs or wrecks looking for prey and defending their territory. Although, the great barracuda has been known to attack divers, such instances are rare. Some believe it is due to the species being attracted to a shiny object on a diver – so divers are warned to not wear watches or jewelry as a reflection might resemble the silvery fish the barracuda prey on. This species may seem scary, if you keep your distance, you have nothing to fear. The global conservation status of the great barracuda is of least concern according to the IUCN Red List. This species may seem intimidating, but when admired from afar one realizes the barracuda is an amazing fish that plays a vital role in its ecosystem.

By Raquel Gilliland and Breilly Roy; Sea of Change Foundation interns

Welcome to our fourth “Creature Feature!” For those of you joining us for the first time, each week we briefly introduce you to some fascinating facts about a sea creature, why it is special and unique, and its conservation status. This week’s creature is a distant relative of the snail and a master of disguise. Have you figured it out yet? It’s the common cuttlefish!

Cuttlefish belong to the phylum Mollusca which consists of organisms such as snails, clams, scallops, oysters, octopuses, and squid. One common feature of this particular phylum is that all members have/had some form of exoskeleton or shell. As these creatures evolved, some lost their shells. Cuttlefish have the remnants of this body armor, but it is located inside their bodies and is called the “cuttlebone.”

These cephalopods, which means “head foot” in Greek, are unique in that they can camouflage themselves with their environment, much like a chameleon. Unlike the reptile though, the cuttlefish can change not only it’s skin color but it’s texture as well. This expert camouflage is carried out by two different types of specialized cells, papillae cells for texture and chromatophores for color.

Beyond their unique skin, cephalopods are also known for their high intelligence levels. Cuttlefish have brain cells that are similar to humans. Using this information, scientists have learned more about how the human brain operates and hope to apply that knowledge to find cures for diseases.

Thankfully, this species (Sepia officinalis) is considered an organism of least concern according to the IUCN Red List. If their habitat is protected, these creatures should inhabit the oceans for thousands of years to come.