Roatan Marine Park August Newsletter

[Roatan Marine Park]

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August 2008 Newsletter​

Introduction



While the rest of the Caribbean and Gulf have been subjected to the heavy winds and torrential rains of this years Hurricane Season, we have enjoyed blue skies and sunny days. All we can hope is that this good weather lasts until the weekend of the 20th, as this is when International Cleanup Day takes place. We hope to tidy up not only within the Marine Park, but elsewhere on the island by working with dive shops, local groups, and schools. For more information on how to volunteer for this event, please visit our office.

Patrols

This month brought no arrests within the Sandy Bay West End Marine Park, even with alternating patrol times and stakeouts at reported locations. We have had reports of people poaching in the evenings but have yet to catch anyone red-handed, possessing conch, lobster, spears guns, nets or gaffs. Please contact us if you do see anything suspicious on the water. For more details on Marine Park laws and what to look for, please browse our website and review the 2008 June newsletter.
The patrols running out of Barefoot Cay have kept quite busy this month, operating almost daily. Working alongside the Frontier Police, the Southside ranger is beginning to face the same problem encountered on this end of the island, poachers adapting to patrolling hours. With the patrol boat is a regular sight between 8am and 5pm along Roatan’s southern shore, it has now become necessary to start dawn and night patrols to close the window of opportunity available for offenders to clean the reef of all its bounty. Even with the weather soon to shift as we head into rainy season, patrols on the south side will be increasing in frequency and duration to ensure our Park Rangers continue their good work.
This month, the office at Barefoot Cay received a report that a long line had been set around the French Cay area and sent the patrol to investigate. They found not only lobster traps in the vicinity , but also lines with baited hooks set two meters apart, encompassing an estimated 30m². All the offending objects were confiscated and the culprit was apprehended. There has also been talk on the Roatan Chat Group of the patrols ignoring persons standing on the reef and we would like to clarify that the Park Ranger has been informed and the problem has been resolved.

Infrastructure

Following the Conservation in action workshop hosted by CORAL held in May, we are happy to announce that we have just been awarded a grant for the sum of $3,000. During the workshop, participants were split into groups to create various feasible projects which the Park could undertake with funding provided by CORAL. The projects included improving the Park’s marine infrastructure, improving the water quality in West End, raising conservational awareness and education, and producing environmental educational videos for visitors.
Sandy Bay Area

AKR

The project we chose to apply for funding focuses on improving the Park’s marine infrastructure through the installation of fishing moorings near the point in West Bay and placing lines of marker buoys either side of Anthony’s Key Resort in Sandy Bay. The creation of moorings around the point in West Bay will be solely for the use of fishermen and should reduce anchor damage in the area, improve relations with local fishermen, and encourage more compliance to Park regulations. Allocation of the sites will be chosen carefully, with the fishing and diving community consulted before installation. The marker buoys, which are to be installed in Sandy Bay (please view map above), should improve on-water safety as they will mark safe passage for boats during both day and night. They will also demarcate the areas that snorkelers and swimmers should avoid or use extreme caution when entering.

Turtle Rescue
Early one mid August morning, a man walking his dog on the beach in Paya Bay noticed it was running around with a baby turtle in its mouth. He followed the dog and found a nest of approximately 150 loggerhead turtles hatching and making towards the sea. In addition to the threat of the dog, a flock of sea birds had gathered to feast on the hatchlings. Seeing this scene, the man thought it best to collect the remaining 100 or so surviving turtles and relocate them to a suitable location After gathering the turtles, he placed them in a bucket and went to work. When he returned, he found a pack of dogs helping themselves to the bucket, leaving only six survivors. He then sold the remaining critically endangered newborns to some people who contacted us to seek advice on what to do with the survivors. After we collected them and sought professional advice from Dr Baird Fleming, and it was decided that they would be released as soon as possible to give them the best possible chance of carrying out the normal activities essential to the long term survival of juvenile turtles.
This tale demonstrates just how vulnerable these animals are, and how easily people can actually do more damage than good even if their best intentions are at heart. Had the man left the nest alone, it is likely that a great deal more turtles would have made it to the sea. It is illegal to own or trade in marine turtles. If you find a nest, please do not touch it, and report it to us as soon as possible so that we can arrange its protection.
Marine Park Store
In the coming months, the Marine Park Store should be inundated with new products ranging from eco-friendly goods to new merchandise. With a grant from USAID, which should be awarded in the very near future, we will be able to invest in new products to fill the recently refurbished store’s shelves. Official Marine Park ponchos and umbrellas will be in stock mid September, just in time for rainy season. Men’s and women’s hoodies will also be available around that time so you can keep warm over the winter months. The 2009 calendar will be available mid October once we have chosen the winners of the underwater photograph competition which ended August 30th. Furthermore, winning entries will be available in the form of mouse mats, illustrating Roatan’s colorful reef inhabitants. We also aim to stock environmentally friendly alternative products such as washing liquids and detergents to coincide with our eco-sunscreen and insect repellents. One thing we are always interested in at the Marine Park is supporting alternative livelihood schemes and stock these locally produced products. Locally produced jams, honey, fruits, nuts, coffee beans, handicrafts, recycled products, these are all items we hope to eventually stock in the store, providing islanders with alternative sources of income other than the reef.

Workshops and meetings
Wetlands Workshop
Reefs are very fragile ecosystems that are connected with terrestrial ecosystems and land activities. Since the purpose of the RMP is not just to protect the coral reefs but all ecosystems affecting them, we attended a meeting organized by SERNA’s Department of Biodiversity to instigate the formation of a National Committee for Wetlands. Organizations all around the North and Pacific coast of Honduras were there to present the work being done to improve the conservation of these valuable ecosystems. One important outcome from the meeting is the start of a process to declare the mangroves of Helene as a Ramsar Site. (Ramsar is an international Convention for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands around the world. The treaty was adopted in 1971 in the city of Ramsar, Iran.) If Helene is declared a Ramsar Site, there’ll be more legal backup and international support to aim their protection.
Sport Fishing Agreement
In order to reduce the pressure on the reef, it is necessary to provide alternative livelihoods to persons with jobs that contribute to the pressure. One such person is the artisanal fisherman, who remove herbivores and other endangered organisms such as conchs and lobsters from the reef. A well paid alternative to artisanal fishing is the instigation of leading chartered tours. Sport fishing is an activity that has always been popular with tourists and residents alike in the Bay Islands, even though the procedure of catch & release is not being implemented by everyone. It is because of this that the Department of Fisheries is working on a document that will contain all the regulations for this activity. The RMP is supporting the elaboration of this document by presenting the required observations in an attempt to make this recreational activity as sustainable as possible for the benefit of this and future generations.
Roatan Marine Park Southside Chapter

This month the RMPSC worked on improving the dive moorings along Roatan’s southern shores, replacing old and damaged moorings with the money generated from ‘user fee’ and merchandise sales. Thanks to the staff at Coco View for running this program. We are still awaiting a response from the MAR grant proposal which will focus on improving all the dive moorings between Coxen Hole and Jones Ville, as well as the installation of yacht moorings around the French Cay area. We are also applying for a grant from PADI Project AWARE to assist in improving the marine infrastructure in the area through the installation of channel markers. We will keep you posted on how things are preceding in future newsletters.
Wrapping things up

As mentioned in the beginning of the newsletter, it is International Cleanup Day on September 20th and groups worldwide with be working to clean up shorelines of the tones of trash that accumulate each week. We will be organizing cleanups both within the Marine Park and outside its boundaries. We hope those that can lend a hand will come and help tidy Roatan’s shores.
Once again, thank you for reading and for your support. As we edge ever closer to the time of the year when tourist numbers dwindle, I hate to remind members and supporters that we too feel the financial squeeze of slow season. We urge all of our members to come in and pay their annual dues. Please spread the word about our organization to anyone that might be interested in becoming a member. In addition, we always welcome donations with open arms and a wide smile. Donations can now be made directly from our website. For more information, visit http://www.roatanmarinepark.com/#DonateRMP.
Finally, on a much sadder note, we are regret to announce that Willard Mann, one of our dedicated Park Rangers who worked closely with us for almost two years, passed away on the morning of Tuesday September 9th. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family and friends; he will be truly missed by all.
Until next month
Nicholas Bach, Grazzia Matamoros, James Foley and Licario Zepeda