Author: Leslie Hickerson

The St. Maarten Nature Foundation is again warning of a potential influx of Sargassum seaweed in the coming weeks and months: “We have been coordinating our monitoring efforts with our partners in the region and based on weather predictions and aerial surveys there may be a significant amount of the seaweed headed in our general vicinity.

 “We have been really trying to work both with our partners in the region and with local stakeholders to monitor the situation and to find a way to control the amount of the weed washing up on beaches in the case of a significant influx. In the case of an influx we need to find a way to coordinate the removal of the seaweed with heavy loaders which causes serious risks to nesting sea turtles and hatchlings while the algae itself can be a hazard to the animals,” commented Nature Foundation Manager Tadzio Bervoets.

“Economically speaking there is a serious effect that seagrass can have on the beaches of the island. As soon as the grass is cleared it is being deposited back on the beach by the wind and currents. We will continue to work towards researching the effects of the grass and some possible solutions but at this point Sint Maarten, like many islands in the Caribbean, are being heavily impacted,” continued Bervoets.

Sargassum is a genus of brown (class Phaeophyceae) seaweed which is distributed throughout the temperate and tropical oceans of the world. Sargassum first plagued St. Maarten in 2011 and 2012, with the Foundation having to warn swimmers to avoid swimming on certain beaches due to the large amount of Sargassum Weed and many beach front residences and hotels having to continuously clean washed up Sargassum.

The Nature Foundation will continue to monitor the situation and will issue releases as information becomes available.

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Last Friday the Nature Foundation St Maarten organized a beach clean-up session for students from the Leonald Connor Primary School which took place at Mullet Bay beach. About 25 students collected over 250 pounds of trash in just half an hour. The students learned about the impact of single-use plastics on our environment, marine life and wildlife. Staff and interns of the Nature Foundation educated the students about the importance of coral reefs, threats to corals and what a coral actually is. Students showed fascination about this interesting subject as none of them knew much about corals and reefs.

“Last year we already visited this group of students in their classroom to present about the impacts of single-use plastics on marine life and the environment and how they can reduce their own plastic output by use reusable and biodegradable products. It is great to have them here in the field and show them the large amounts of littering on our beaches. We need to educate the youth about the importance of our natural environment, to keep it clean and protected, to value nature. As a tourist destination we depend on our natural resources and we depend on them for a sustainable future’ stated Nature Foundation’s Projects Officer Melanie Meijer zu Schlochtern.

The clean-up started with a short presentation, to open their knowledge about the danger of pollution and the importance of our coral reefs, continued by an active clean-up of the area and the beach.

“Many waste products such as plastic bottles, cups, spoons, forks, cans, foils, glass bottles and more were found on the beach and collected. The reusable bags were filled with garbage and a lot of single-use plastics, all bags were weighed in order to have a record of the number of waste that was collected using the Trash Tracker method of 4Ocean. The students were very excited to do the clean-up task, as it was a competition and which ever team collected the most garbage, earned a prize” explained Nature Foundation’s Interns Chantal and Latisha.

Littering causes serious negative impacts on nature and our environment. As an island, our trash and garbage washes down to the beaches straight into our oceans. Birds, marine life and wildlife are often found dead with stomachs full of plastic. Research from 2015 shows that 48% of fish tested had plastic in their stomach, by 2050 it is expected to have more plastic in the ocean than fish! All residents and tourists are asked to prevent much unnecessary trash, by reducing their single-use plastic usage and using reusable products instead of single-use plastics, such as a reusable water bottle, take your own shopping bag, us a spork and refuse plastics straws.

Please help us to Reduce and Reuse single-use plastics by donating to our project.

 

Adhering to no fishing rules of the Marine Park important to rebuilding local fish stocks.

The St. Maarten Nature Foundation has increased its patrolling of the Man of War Shoal Marine Park in order to combat illegal fishing activities. Foundation staff will be patrolling during weekends and early morning hours in order to increase their presence in the Marine Park, St. Maarten’s only protected Nature Area; “As the legally mandated Management Authority for the Man of War Shoal Marine Park we are increasing our patrolling after increased incidents of poachers trying to fish illegally in the Marine Park. It is listed within the rules of the Marine Park that no fishing is allowed, including trap and line fishing. We have a close working relationship with fishermen when it comes to the Man of War Shoal Marine Park and would like this to continue. However if we notice illegal activities within the Marine Park this will be addressed, including the removal of fish traps,” read a Nature Foundation statement.

The boundaries of the Marine Park are between 18̊ ̊N and 17 ̊-57.0 N and 63 ̊-01.03 W and 63 ̊-04.05 W, in an area better known as “the Proselyte Reef Complex “.  This area includes the island’s most ecologically and economical important marine habitat, including extensive coral reef areas and seagrass beds. The Man of War Shoal Marine Park, officially established on the 30th of December 2010, is a home and migratory stop over or breeding site for 3 IUCN Red List Species, 10 CITES Appendix I species and 89 Appendix II species. It is an area with a relatively healthy population of marine mammals including migratory whales and dolphins, numerous species of shark, sea turtles and numerous fish species. Studies conducted by the St. Maarten Nature Foundation have shown that biodiversity in this area, particularly coral reef density, is high and the economic goods and services which the ecosystem provides are in excess of fifty million dollars annually.” It has been shown that no-fishing areas have resulted in an increase in fish stock. Therefore it is also in the interest of fishermen to adhere to the no catch rules of the Marine Park,” continued the Foundation.

The Foundation is also in contact with the relevant Authorities including the Coastguard regarding the monitoring of activities inside of the Marine Park.

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Marine Park Staff During a Dawn Patrol of the Marine Park

Nature Foundation St Maarten is again urging parliament to ban single-use plastics, such as plastic bags, straws, cups and cutlery and styrofoam food containers.

Recently many neighbouring Caribbean island have already banned or announced to ban single-use plastics in order to protect the environment and decrease plastic pollution. Single-use plastic pollution is one of the biggest environmental catastrophes of this generation and these plastics are abundantly littered on St Maarten. Single-use plastics are also a major contributor to the current situation at the Philipsburg landfill.

“On St Maarten we see massive amounts of single-use plastics in our natural areas, including the ocean and Simpson Bay Lagoon, along road sides and on our beaches every single day. The day after we conduct a beach clean-up, beaches are flooded with our trash and plastics all over again. We keep on cleaning our beaches and nature areas; however it is an endless fight as people keep on littering and leaving single-use plastics behind. Several nations who banned single-use plastics are seeing significantly cleaner neighbourhoods and environments, creating a healthier and more attractive nation. St Maarten needs a ban on single-use plastics, we do not have any more time and we cannot afford to wait until tourists stop visiting our island due to the disturbing waste and littering situation”, explained Melanie Meijer zu Schlochtern coordinator of Nature Foundations Reduce and Reuse Project.

Caribbean Region Banning Single-Use Plastics

Three Caribbean countries, Dominica, Jamaica and Turks and Caicos, started the New Year environmentally and banned single-use plastics since the 1st of January 2019.

Several Caribbean Nations were ahead of these islands and already implemented bans on single-use plastics in the past couple of years.

  • Since 2012, Haiti has issued a ban on the importation, manufacture or sale of plastic bags and disposable foam products, in an attempt to address the massive litter problem and protecting the coastline, shore and remaining mangrove forests.
  • St. Vincent and the Grenadines already banned the import of styrofoam since May 2017, as styrofoam is made of fossil fuels and synthetic chemicals, which may leach if they come in contact with hot, greasy or acidic food, adding an unwanted dose of toxins to your drink or food.
  • Aruba followed and banned single-use plastic bags since 2017 and will extend its ban to a total ban on all single-use plastics in 2020.
  • Grenada had begun with a ban on the import of styrofoam in 2018, in February this year they will ban all single-use plastics such as shopping bags, cutlery, plates, straws and cups.
  • Already in 2016, Antigua and Barbuda started its ban of single-use plastic grocery bags and recently their Prime Minister called on all nations to join them in banning the use of single-use plastics.

“Recently many countries and also several Caribbean Nations announced their bans on single-use plastics and are taking their steps to protect our environment and marine life against plastic pollution. But so far St Maarten stays behind as no concrete steps are taken yet to ban single-use plastics from our island and safeguard our nature, environment marine life, wildlife and protect our own health against these destructive plastics” stated Meijer zu Schlochtern.

  • The Bahamas will ban single-use plastics, such as shopping bags, food utensils, straws and styrofoam food containers in 2020. The Bahamas also want to make the release of balloons into the air illegal, as they end up in our oceans, releasing toxins and injuring marine life.
  • Likewise, Belize pledged to ban single-use plastic items by April this year, which has been welcomed by residents as Belizean shores are at risk from the enormous floating island of plastic in the Caribbean Sea and plastic harms marine and wildlife.
  • Also, Anguilla started the process to ban single-use plastic items; the prohibition will include single-use plastic shopping bags, utensils, and polystyrene foam containers.
  • Furthermore, Barbados declares a complete ban on the importation, retail, sale and use of petrol-based single-use plastic products within effect of 2020.

Other Regions Banning Single-Use Plastics

Not to mention countries outside the Caribbean that already banned single-use plastics, such as Rwanda, a pioneer in banning single-use plastic bags, is now one of the cleanest nations on earth. Even the European Commission is in the process of banning single-use plastic products and putting the burden of cleaning up waste on manufacturers in an effort to reduce marine litter. Governments in more than 60 countries have introduced levies and bans to combat single-use plastic waste, according to U.N. Environment; it is time for St Maarten, which struggles with poor waste management and large amounts of littering, to do the same.

At least 9 million tons of plastic enters the world’s oceans each year, a rate that has increased 100 times in the past 40 years. 96% of all marine biodiversity is vulnerable to this plastic pollution. Half of all sea turtles mistake plastic for food and 90% of all sea birds ingest plastic. If current trends continue, a lot of marine life will die and there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050. Single-use plastic bags, plastic straws, plastic cups, balloons, cutlery and styrofoam food containers are some of the most environmentally damaging products on our island; these items do not biodegrade and stay in the ecosystem and oceans forever. They release a variety of chemicals during degradation, which have a negative impact on organisms, us and our ecosystems. New research even shows that plastic breakdown accelerates greenhouse gas production in the environment.

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a ditch of water in St Maarten is invisible due to massive amount of littered plastic bottles and styrofoam food containers.

Nature Foundation Cooperating with Coast Guard to Apprehend Poachers

The Sint Maarten Nature Foundation has been recording a number of incidents of poaching within the Man of War Shoal Marine Protected Area. The Foundation has been noticing evidence of poaching and have been sent pictorial proof of poaching incidents in the MPA. The area of the Marine Park has been off limits from fishing since 2010 and the intentional hunting and harming of sharks has been made illegal in Sint Maarten Waters since 2011. Since 2012 there were 7 incidents of sharks being harmed or killed in the waters surrounding St. Maarten, two of which occurred in the Man of War Shoal Marine Park. The practice of intentionally fishing for sharks has been forbidden since October 12th 2011, when the Ministry TEATT banned the practice of intentionally poaching sharks in the territorial waters of St. Maarten. The act of trying to catch by  tracking, stalking, baiting, chasing, trapping, hooking, netting, shooting or otherwise hunting –  sharks, rays and skates is prohibited and therefore the animals may not be wounded, caught, landed, or killed. Violators may be punished with jail and a considerable fine may be issued. If Sharks are accidentally caught all steps should be taken to release the animal with as little harm as possible. The ban on intentionally harming sharks was further reinforced in June 2016 with Government announcing St. Maarten’s territorial waters as a shark sanctuary. The Nature Foundation has been in communication with the Coast Guard on how to tackle the poaching in the area. The Foundation will also be implementing increased weekend and early morning patrols.

“It seems as if people are again fishing illegally just inside the Marine Park both during the day and at night. We have been working hard in changing the perception within the community in general and the fishing community specifically about the importance of not fishing in the Marine Park and protecting shark species to our economy and to keeping healthy fish stock in balance,” commented Tadzio Bervoets, Nature Foundation Manager.

Previous Nature Foundation research has shown that the value of the protected Marine Park is worth fifty-million dollars to the economy annually. We also did research that shows that a single live shark is worth up to USD $884,000 to the economy of the island, as is opposed to just a few dollars dead. “The majority of divers who come to the island pay top dollar to see the Natural Environment of the Marine Park. These divers also rent cars, stay in hotels, eat at restaurants and drink in bars. Taking all of that into account and based on research conducted by the Nature Foundation the Marine Park is not only important ecologically but also to the economy of the island. Sharks are also an apex predator and are essential to the health of local coral reefs. If we do not have sharks we will lose our coral reef ecosystem. Sharks keep the reefs clean of unhealthy fish which in turn keeps the ecosystem in balance,”

The Nature Foundation is investigating the incident together with local law enforcement organizations.

Picture caption 1: Photo of vessel fishing illegally in the Marine Park

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Picture Caption 2: Shark with fish hook embedded in eye

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The Nature Foundation Sint Maarten, in collaboration with RAVON (Reptile, Amphibian and Fish Conservation Netherlands), is currently researching the local status of the bearded anole (Anolis pogus) lizard, also known as the Anguilla Bank bush anole. The bearded anole is an important endemic species to Sint Maarten, which means that the species is native and can only be found here. In the past, the bearded anole occurred on Anguilla and possibly on Saint-Barthélemy, but has vanished on both islands for unknown reasons. This new research, executed by AERES University student Joost Merjenburgh, will provide insight into the status of the vulnerable species and hopefully prevent its extinction.

The research is aimed to better understand the current abundance, distribution and habitat preference of the bearded anole as presently only little data is available. The data will provide insight about the population trend of the species and is needed for its IUCN red-list re-assessment. With this information measures can be made to conserve and protect the species. Merjenburgh is investigating a total of 100 location plots each with the size of 80m². All bearded anole are counted as well as measurements taken of tree canopy cover and habitat type. Until now the bearded anole population seems to be well distributed on the island. The bearded anole seems to be quite abundant when searching in the right habitat and is mostly absent in residential areas.

Bearded anoles have a special appearance which can differ between individuals. “Some individuals have a turquoise colored spot around the eye, others have a dorsal stripe or dark bands across the neck and body and some have all characteristics. The reason why there is so much difference in pattern and coloration is that they use their appearance for camouflage and communication purposes. The bearded anole can also use the dewlap, a flap of skin that hangs beneath the lower jaw, to communicate. Although both genders have a dewlap, the one on the female is usually much smaller and less colorful then the one on the male. The male extends his dewlap mainly to attract females during mating season or to confront other males when they enter his territory” explained Merjenburgh.

Their diet, like other anoles, consists mainly of small arthropods. “For example, cockroaches, crickets and spiders are their favorite foods and occasionally flowers and fruits. Of course, this species also falls prey to predators sometimes. One of those predators is the mongoose, which is and introduced species. The mongoose eats every native reptile species on the island and is probably the reason why the only native snake, the leeward island racer, has probably become extinct on Sint Maarten” concluded Merjenburgh.

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Photo caption: Bearded anole with a dorsal stripe, dark bands and a turquoise spot around the eyes foraging on St Maarten, photo credit: Joost Merjenburgh.

The Sint Maarten Nature Foundation has once again expressed concern regarding the way beaches, beach access and beach recreation are being managed in the country. The Foundation has had to respond several times to issues affecting beaches on the island ranging from beach construction, heavy equipment and other vehicles driving and parking on the beaches, structures such as fences and buildings being built, significant amount of trash being left on beaches, and beach access being restricted.

“It seems that over the past few months we have continuously faced with having to respond to issues occurring on the beaches. We would like to remind both the public and decision makers that beaches are our most important natural resource and all must be done to protect and sustainably develop this resource. Unsustainable activities such as beach construction, driving on beaches and littering on beaches not only has significant environmental effects but also affects the economy and the image of Sint Maarten as we are trying to rebuild, ” stated Nature Foundation Manager Tadzio Bervoets.

Bervoets continued by stating that the protection, conservation and proper management of beaches should be established in law, “The Nature Foundation would like to again call on Parliament to come with concrete legislation on how beaches should be managed and protected in terms of their ecological and economic importance. There is, or was, a Beach Policy in place but for all intents and purposes this policy is non-functioning or not being taken into consideration. Poor trash pick-up, parking and driving on beaches, the unrestrained placement of beach chairs, and beach construction are fundamental issues hampering the sustainable use of one of our greatest natural assets and is hampering our recovery post hurricane Irma,” concluded Bervoets. Lately, the Nature Foundation has been fielding significant complaints about businesses not allowing residents to place personal affects at locations they deem as ‘theirs’ to place beach chairs and umbrellas.

The Nature Foundation is again calling for the structured management of the country’s beaches, protecting and managing the resource sustainably in order to increase and support the recovery of Sint Maarten.

The St. Maarten Nature Foundation is encouraging boaters in the waters surrounding St. Maarten to observe the rules and regulations regarding marine traffic speeds. “Over the past few weeks we have been seeing issues pertaining to boats speeding in zones where they should not causing damage to wildlife. Last week a turtle washed ashore after a boat hit its shell and it was killed. The speed limits in the Simpson Bay Lagoon and in nearshore areas are in place to also protect wildlife,” commented Bervoets.

In the bridge channel, fareways and in the Lagoon a five mile per hour speed limit is in force for all vessels. Anchorage zones and marinas fall under “no wake zones.”

No anchorage is allowed in the fare ways. The access fare way from sea to the bridge channel should always stay open. The inbound traffic should position their vessels alongside the fare way so the outbound traffic has free passage to sea. East of the Princess Juliana International Airport, in the extension of the runway in the lagoon, is a no anchorage area.

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Photocaption: Sea Turtle Killed after being hit by a boat

As part of the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance Save our Sharks Project a second tiger shark has been tagged in the territorials waters of Sint Maarten with a satellite tracking device. A Wildlife Computer SPOT (Smart Position or Temperature Transmitting) satellite tag was attached to the first dorsal fin of a sub-adult tiger shark late in December. These tags transmit to satellites, allowing the sharks to be tracked through the ARGOS satellite system for up a number of years. The first tagged tiger shark on St. Maarten, tagged in the fall of 2018, followed a migration track along the Aves ridge, a ridge in the Eastern Caribbean Sea of about 500 km in length probably of volcanic arc origin.The Foundation hopes that the recently tagged shark, called ‘Irma’ will also provide valuable data of the migration patterns of sharks i the wider Caribbean Sea.

“The preliminary data we have been receiving is starting to show some interesting results in terms of the migratory patterns of tiger sharks in the Eastern Caribbean Sea. Not only is this data important but it is also critical for the transboundary management of a marine species critical to the health of our Caribbean Sea. Sharks are apex predators and as such keep the ocean food chain healthy, a food chain which in turn supports regional fisheries. With recent shark finning and fishing activities occurring in the wider Caribbean it behoves nation states in the Caribbean to establish a Wider Caribbean Management Plan for the species,” commented Tadzio Bervoets, Project Manager for the Dutch Caribbean Alliance Save our Shark Project.

 

Sea fairy, the first shark which was equipped with a satellite tag in this region, provided researchers with a wealth of location and movement information. She stayed the first months around St Maarten while doing forays to Anguilla, St Barths, Saba and the Saba Bank. In May 2017 Sea fairy migrated south following the Aves ridge and subsequently headed to Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic. The last location received for Sea Fairy was close to Puerto Rico.

“Sea fairy’s movement patterns may indicate a nursing area for tiger sharks around St Maarten, spending their juvenile years in sand and seagrass habitat before migrating around the Caribbean when large enough in size and maturity. It is interesting to see migration routes following the Aves ridge, which may supply the sharks with an abundant food source” stated Nature Foundation’s Project Officer Melanie Meijer zu Schlochtern.

“This research will improve our understanding of the life characteristics of sharks and will provide knowledge about the population structure, abundance and migration of sharks in the Caribbean” explained Melanie Meijer zu Schlochtern.

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The DCNA Save Our Sharks Project, funded by the Dutch National Postcode Lottery, has placed the focus on the conservation of sharks and rays in both the Caribbean and European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The project has used science, education and community outreach and lobbying to establish shark sanctuaries, initiate science programs, and educate the public on the importance of sharks in the wider Caribbean; “We need to have more research initiatives so that we can get a better idea on the status of the species, their migratory patterns and their local distribution in the wider Caribbean. Sharks are critical to the health of the Caribbean Sea but are also one of the most threatened Large Marine Species on the planet,” concluded Bervoets. 

Photocaption: placement of second satellite tag on tiger shark Irma

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Last week Caribbean nations agreed to add two more species to the Annexes of the Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) Protocol, the only transnational legal instrument for the environment of the Caribbean. At the insistence of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, regional SPAW member governments unanimously decided to recommend largetooth sawfish and silky shark for (obligatory) protection under SPAW.

“We are very pleased that our proposals could count on so much support,” said Paul Hoetjes, of Coordinator of nature policy for the Caribbean Netherlands of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV). “Through the SPAW protocol, signatory countries have made firm commitments to ensure the protection of these unique animals.”

Just this week, a study was published classing the Largetooth Sawfish (Pristis pristis) as the elasmobranch* species most in danger of extinction in . Human activities like overfishing and destruction of vital habitats such as coral reefs and mangrove forests have caused this decline. In the case of Silky Sharks, the numbers have been severely reduced by overfishing around the world and protection is now needed to prevent further decline.

The Dutch elasmobranch Association (NEV) worked closely with the Ministry of LNV, providing the scientific input for the proposals and ensuring they were aligned with other international standards.

Irene Kingma, director of the NEV: “In 2015 we started working with the Kingdom of the Netherlands on protection of sharks and rays under SPAW. We are very happy to continue this partnership which has resulted in better protection of these iconic species.”

“We are elated to see that these two very important species can now gain legal protection in the Caribbean Sea and look forward to the listing of additional species, making the Caribbean a global safe-haven for elasmobranchs,” commented Tadzio Bervoets, leader of the Save our Sharks Project of the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance, funded by the Dutch Post Code Lottery.

The adoption of the proposal is an important first step toward permanent inclusion on the protocol. In March the final decision will take place at the SPAW Conference of the Parties after which the protection will come into force.

For more information on Save our Sharks visit www.saveoursharks.nl or follow us on www.facebook.com/SaveOurSharksNL or www.twitter.com/SaveOurSharksNL

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