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Start of the Fourth Season of Caribbean Reef Shark Study

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April 4, 2011 marked the start of the fourth season of the Caribbean reef shark offshore research project at the Cape Eleuthera Institute. The day began at 6:45 am, packing the boat with necessary equipment, bait and tools for a full day of field research on the water. A team of four headed three nautical miles southeast of Cape Eleuthera to a sampling area known as ‘zone four’, where the oceanic shelf drops off dramatically. This interface between shallow mid-bank waters and extreme depths in known as “the wall”. The wall is a popular site for fish aggregations, and therefore, all offshore surveys are set in close proximity to it. After an hour and a half soak time, the team began to haul in the 500m long scientific survey line and its 40 hooks, hoping that at least a few had sharks attached. Just before unclipping the second gangion from the line, a large dark vision approached the surface. Continue reading →

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Kayak Rotations Begin

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On Monday of this week K1 departed girls dorm cut and began their 8-day kayak expedition as the kayak rotation got underway. While they were headed out on the water, K2 headed down island for their trip to the north end of Eleuthera. After returning yesterday from their trip K2 left The Island School this morning for their 8-day trip. The first group of kayakers are preparing for their solo experience over the next couple of days and will be back next week. The other groups, K3 and K4, are on campus doing their academic rotation and will be doing their own trips in the upcoming week.  To see more pictures, don’t get forget to check out our Flickr photostream.

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Royal DSM N.V. Donates $70,000 to Cape Eleuthera Institute’s Sustainable Aquaculture Program

Royal DSM N.V. presented The Cape Eleuthera Institute (CEI) with a cheque for $70,000 to further research for offshore aquaculture. DSM and CEI are collaborating to demonstrate that raising fish in an offshore cage within The Bahamas and other warm-water locales is possible and can be done with assured success and in a sustainable manner. This support demonstrates DSM’s commitment to sustainability and feeding the world’s poplulation.

DSM Dyneema and CEI have been working in partnership since 2009 to find improved predation controls for warm-water aquaculture. Although netting with Dyneema® is already being used, all parties felt the need to improve existing solutions. These funds, in conjunction with in-kind donations from NET Systems, Inc. of Bainbridge Island, WA are being used to design and test new ultra abrasion resistant netting materials that will be used to manufacture enhanced shark-resistant fish cages. This is the first corporate sponsorship CEI has received. CEI promotes conservation of tropical and coastal ecosystems throughout The Bahamas and greater Caribbean by facilitating research, supporting education of all levels, and promoting outreach to enhance the conservation awareness of local communities. Continue reading →

Cacique Update

Cacique Update April 20, 2011

By Caciques Jon and Haley

It began with the mangroves. When the developers decided to dredge the cuts, demolish the swampy mangroves and create space for the projected resort, they ended up moving tons of limestone onto the property where The Island School currently stands. On legacy day, it was our duty as students to leave our mark on the campus. As we swung our pickaxes and shovels, as we pitted our strengths against the solid ground and as our sweat formed beads on the dusty earth, we were in a sense “building character.” What this truly means is different for everyone, but to me it was a time to not only collect blisters while digging holes and planting tamarinds, but also to collect my thoughts after a stunning 50 days. Continue reading →

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Fall in Love with Marine Ecology

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In order to demonstrate their newly discovered knowledge of marine species (the good, the bad, and the attractive…) Marine Ecology students have been creating original “Match.com” profiles for local marine life.  Check out these hot new profiles and ask yourself: who would you rather spend an evening with: The sleek White Spotted Octopus, the too-cool Mandarin Fish, or the sweet Schoolmaster Snapper. (The Schoolmaster Snapper is more my type…)

White-Spotted Octopus by Nick Manning

Oh, I didn’t see you there; I’m a White Spotted Octopus, it’s nice to meet you. If flexibility is what you look for, seek no farther; I’m 100% compressible except for my beak. My white oval spots and my wart-like skin papillae on my mantle complement my brick red skin beautifully. I hope my appearance really reaches out to you like my arms, which are 4 times the size of my body. Speaking of my body, I carry a rounded, bulging head mounted by my 2 protruding eyes that pop out of the front. It’s amazing that my beautiful self grew out of a 1/8th inch egg.

When you do decide you want to meet me, I’m sure we can meet up in Florida, Bahamas, or the Caribbean, as well as any sub-tropical environment. Don’t get your hopes up, however, I wont appear for just anybody. Continue reading →

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Eleutheros – Human Ecology Inspired

by Jon V.

Deep in an ancient jungle, where yellow fever and malaria ran rampant, there once existed a primordial species of man. A creature that’s communication relied heavily on a system of grunting and rough gestures. In order to meet their nutritional needs, they hunted what animals they could find, and ate as many natural vegetables as they could harvest. The food they ate was largely determined by what they managed to attain on a daily basis. Today here at The Island School, little has changed about the way we communicate. But the way we eat has changed dramatically.

The typical Island School student has large caloric needs. After a long run or swim, many students can’t wait to get to breakfast and stuff themselves full of warm buttery sweet goodness. The granola with yogurt, the eggs and hash, the chocolate chip pancakes, all of these are delicacies compared to the meat and leafy greens our ancestors once enjoyed. Then why do the students complain about the food? Why do students feel the need to tell everybody and their brother that the food at The Island School is not only bad but there is not enough of it? The answer lies once again within the deep jungle. Continue reading →

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Haul on the Bowline

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This week in patch reefs research we began our long research block with a pirate march to one of Matt’s pirate ballads named “Haul on the Bowline.” Although we are still unsure of his reasoning for having such a song in his iTunes library, we all participated in marching around the class room to get in the right spirits to go explore more patch reefs and continue our data collection. Ironically enough, the song set the tone for the entire research class in that it was the first time that all of our patch reef researchers contributed to putting the anchor in and out of the water and handling other tasks associated with boat care, all essentially ‘hauling on the bowline’ to help out the group. Continue reading →

Cacique Update

Cacique Update April 18, 2011

by Caciques Hannah T and Marco

The days seem to fly by here on the island of Eleuthera, and today marks the halfway point in our journey. When we first arrived, our bonds had yet to be formed and unforgettable experiences awaited us. We were simply a group of unfamiliar teenagers that were eager to begin this journey of uncertainty and discovery together. Since then, we have developed lasting friendships and countless memories. Continue reading →

Aquaponics, research

Watching Lettuce Grow – Aquaponics Research

Lactuca Sativa [April 1, 2011 – April 4, 2011], known to his friends and family as Green Grand Rapids Tropicana Lettuce passed away last Monday as a result of faulty irrigation systems. He lived his short life in the farm beds on TheIslandSchool campus, under shady covering. Throughout his life, he enjoyed soaking up sun, photosynthesizing, continual growth, and extracting nutrients from the rich compost. Had his life not tragically ended, he would have gone on to sustainably feed theIslandSchool community. He is survived by his family in the Aquaponics system at the Cape Eleuthera Institute. Funeral arrangements were made by the aquaponics team and there will be an open wake for all that care to join this Saturday at2:37 pm. He will live on in our thoughts every time we eat salad and think about the salads that could have been.

The aquaponics team is currently conducting an experiment to understand which growing method: in ground or aquaponics, is ultimately more productive. Continue reading →