Monitoring of Coral Reefs

Monitoring of Coral Reefs Baseline studies on coral reefs in Tobago were conducted in the 1980’s and repeated in 2008.  Based on the recommendations from the 2008 report, a monitoring programme was developed.  This programme include a high-resolution examination of the stability of the coral...

Monitoring of the seagrass communities around Trinidad and Tobago

Monitoring of the seagrass communities around Trinidad and Tobago An inventory of the seagrass communities around Trinidad and Tobago was completed in 2001 and a monitoring programme was developed and implemented in 2002.  Seagrass growth and productivity are monitored at four sites along the northwest...

Testing of HYDROCARBONS levels IN OYSTERS bought FROM VENDORS

Testing of Hydrocaron levels in oysters bought from vendors During 2016 there were a series of oil spills and fish kills in the Gulf of Paria. Concerns were raised by the general public on the possible contamination of fish and shell fish by hydrocarbons.  In...

The Caribbean Coastal Monitoring Programme (CARICOMP)

An Investigation of the Benthic (fauna on and in the Seabed) Community structure along the South East Coast and Galeota Port, Trinidad

An Investigation of the Benthic (fauna on and in the Seabed) Community structure along the South East Coast and Galeota Port, Trinidad Trinidad and Tobago acceded to the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention) in January...

Development of an Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) plan and marine spatial plan

Development of an Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) plan and marine spatial plan for the North West Peninsula of Trinidad A draft Integrated Coastal Zone Management Policy Framework was developed in 2014 by a Multi-sectoral Steering Committee appointed by Cabinet in 2012.  This initiative was...

An Investigation into the Increase in Prevalence of Yellow Band Disease in Orbicella Faveolata under Increasing Nutrient Enrichment

An Investigation into the Increase in Prevalence of Yellow Band Disease in Orbicella Faveolata under Increasing Nutrient Enrichment Whilst Caribbean coral reefs have been negatively impacted by coral diseases leading to severe declines in hard coral cover, very few studies have been conducted in Tobago....

Marine Reference Collection

Marine Reference Collection The Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) is the custodian of the only Marine Reference Collection in Trinidad and Tobago.  This collection is of national, regional and global significance in terms of its unique contents and relationship to world-wide taxonomic holdings.  It is...

Age and Growth Studies of the Marine Invasive Pterois Volitans (Lionfish) from Early Invasion in Tobago Waters

Age and Growth Studies of the Marine Invasive Pterois Volitans (Lionfish) from Early Invasion in Tobago Waters The second known marine Invasive Alien Species (IAS) in Trinidad and Tobago, is the Lionfish, Pterois volitans.  Introduced into the Atlantic Ocean from the Indo-Pacific, the Lionfish, was...

Socio-economic Baseline Assessment of the Shellfish (oyster and crab) Harvesting Activities in the Gulf of Paria

Socio-economic Baseline Assessment of the Shellfish (oyster and crab) Harvesting Activities in the Gulf of Paria Over time pressure from human activities exerted upon wetlands situated on the west coast Trinidad (Caroni Swamp, Godineau and Rousillac) have impacted on the livelihoods of those working in...

Feasibility Study on the Use of a Land-Based Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (LB-IMTA) System

Feasibility Study on the Use of a Land-Based Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (LB-IMTA) System in the Treatment of Wastewater Released From a Marine Re-circulated aquaculture SYStem (RAS) This project aims to improve the operations of the marine recirculating aquaculture system (RAS).  A land-based integrated multi-trophic aquaculture...

JUMPSTART- Greenwater Hapa-based Tilapia Fingerling Production System

JUMPSTART- Greenwater Hapa-based Tilapia Fingerling Production System The 2015-2016 Jumpstart programme was designed to support on-going activities to boost tilapia production in Trinidad through the delivery of technical advice to fish farmers and the provision of fingerlings. A hapa-based green water nursery system was implemented...

Coastal Conservation Project for Trinidad And Tobago-COASTAL DYNAMICS

Coastal Conservation Project for Trinidad And Tobago-COASTAL DYNAMICS Beaches are dynamic coastal features which respond to storms, wind, waves, currents and tides differently dependent on its geology.  Notwithstanding the protection by reefs, beaches are generally the primary defenses for any coastal development. Sand/sediment is critical...

Long-term environmental monitoring of selected ‘Hot Spot’

Long-term environmental monitoring of selected ‘Hot Spot’ At a Wider Caribbean Regional Workshop on ‘Assessment of Land Based Sources of Pollution and Methodologies in Land Based Sources’ held Venezuela in 2005, representatives identified the need to establish an environmental monitoring project.  Such a project will...

Bacteriological Water Quality At Popular Recreational Water-Use Areas In Trinidad And Tobago

Bacteriological Water Quality At Popular Recreational Water-Use Areas In Trinidad And Tobago Water-based recreation is an important component of leisure activities and tourism in Trinidad and Tobago. Since 1981, bacteriological water quality surveys conducted by the IMA have indicated that there is sewage contamination at...

Assessment of heavy metal accumulation in the Gulf of Paria using dated sediment cores

Assessment of heavy metal accumulation in the Gulf of Paria using dated sediment cores The Gulf of Paria is subject to heavy metal contamination from industrial and agricultural activities, sewage, domestic waste and urban run-off. These metals can bio-accumulate in aquatic organisms and pose a...

Preliminary Investigation On Heavy Metals In Fish And The Mobile/ Bioavailable Phase Of Sediments

Preliminary Investigation On Heavy Metals In Fish And The Mobile/ Bioavailable Phase Of Sediments From Trinidad And Tobago Although many studies have focused on heavy metals pollution in the Gulf of Paria, an important fisheries area for commercial species of fish and shellfish and a...

The Assessment And Evaluation Of Rapid Microbiological Techniques For The Determination Of Bacterial Contamination In Marine Waters, Trinidad And Tobago

The Assessment And Evaluation Of Rapid Microbiological Techniques For The Determination Of Bacterial Contamination In Marine Waters, Trinidad And Tobago There is a need for rapid assessment techniques for the determination of environmental contamination.  Traditionally, faecal pollution in Trinidad and Tobago is assessed on the...

Genetic Analysis of Bacterial Communities from Three Coastal Environments

Genetic Analysis of Bacterial Communities from Three Coastal Environments (Coral reef, Mangrove swamp, and Seagrass bed) in Bon Accord, Tobago The micro-organisms comprising bacterial communities play an important role in the biological, geological and chemical dynamics of marine ecosystems, yet it is understudied. Microorganisms which are...

Deployment of the Water Quality Monitoring Buoy in Claxton Bay, Gulf of Paria

Deployment of the Water Quality Monitoring Buoy in Claxton Bay, Gulf of Paria The Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA), in conjunction with Microsoft Caribbean, Fujitsu, GlobeRangers and Digicel deployed a Water Quality Monitoring Buoy in the Gulf of Paria (GoP) off Claxton Bay on October...

Caribbean Marine Atlas

Caribbean Marine Atlas The Caribbean Marine Atlas (CMA) was developed within the framework of the Ocean Data and Information Network for the Caribbean and South America (ODINCARSA) project and under the sponsorship of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization  (UNESCO/IOC-IODE-ICAM* programmes and the...