Icebreaker, lectures, and coral culture setup - WS GUAM 2014
[Car rental]
Like last year, UnderWater World Guam hosted the Icebreaker. Softly lit aquaria and a delicious dinner buffet was the perfect backdrop for socializing with our hosts. participants and organizers. Mike McCue, the curator of UnderWater World, took us on a small tour through the aquarium-tunnel. At night, this tunnel is turned into a restaurant and a bar, and attracks many visitors. Imagine, having a meal or a drink, while reef sharks, black tip sharks, turtles, rays and giant groupers graciously swimming about!
[Icebreaker]
In the morning we started our program with lectures and an introduction session. Each of us shared aspects about our background, work experience and what attracted us to be involved with the SECORE Workshop. We have a very diverse group, several participants were at last year's workshop, but we have many new faces joining us this year. Some have been working in this region for many years, while others are completely new to tropical Pacific waters.
Dave Burdick, Research Associate at the University of Guam Marine Lab, continued with an overview of Guam's coral reefs. He presented what's threatening them, current conditions, and what needs to be done in terms of management and conservation. Dirk Petersen introduced the SECORE initiative. He reviewed SECORE's history, the present as well as the future plans and expectations. Last but not least, James Guest, Senior Research Fellow at the Nanyang Technical University, lectured about reef restoration, rehabilitation, and mitigation. The presentations were followed by interesting questions from the participants, all of which showed the importance and complexity of coral conservation.
[Lectures2]
In the afternoon it was time to set up the coral culture system at the University of Guam's Marine Lab. Within this system, we will take care of the coral larvae during their early―and most critical―life stages, providing them a conducive flow for nutrient uptake and gas exchange. The whole group worked smoothly together cleaning tanks, contructing frames, putting kreisels in, adjusting manifolds, fixing tubes, and so on. The result you can see in the video below!
