Operation Wallacea has been conducting an annual monitoring program of the reefs around the Cayos Cochinos Islands and Utila for the last few years using the standardised Underwater Visual Census technique. This technique involves trained surveyors counting fish within an imaginary box 2.5m above the transect tape and 2.5m either side. However, this technique has a number of drawbacks; it relies on the surveyor's ability to accurately identify fish encountered which varies annually, there is no record of the counts other than the documented numbers, and the size estimates of all fish encountered are estimated and is very approximate with errors as high as 50%. In 2010 Operation Wallacea trialed in Mozambique a stereo video system developed by the University of Western Australia. This system allows surveyors to swim along the transects and video the fish encountered and then in the lab by playing back the two video images on a single computer screen using specialist software, not only can the images be freeze framed to accurately identify all fish encountered, but also size estimation can be done to within 4%. In addition there is a digital visual record of the state of the reefs that can be checked in future years. This system is going to be introduced into the Honduran sites from 2011. The video data are excellent for recording fish communities but it is not so useful for assessing the benthic communities. Here a technique developed by Oxford University on the Cayos Cochinos Islands is the more effective method. Coral cover and community structure of hard and soft corals will be assessed using digital camera photographing of replicate randomly positioned 0.25m X 0.25m quadrats on each reef. Volunteers on this project will be helping with laying transects and completing the video and photographic records but will also be heavily involved in the analysis of the images in the on-site laboratory.

HB107 Research Assistant Pool (Utila - Weeks 2-8, Cayos Cochinos - Weeks 3 - 10; Training - need to have completed the reef ecology course HU008 or HC009) 

There are several different dissertation and thesis level projects ongoing within the Cayos Cochinos and Utila. These projects involve studying a specific element of the marine environment in extensive detail, either through diving, snorkelling or kayaking. Projects include highly detailed benthic surveys, sea urchin and conch distribution and ecology studies, seagrass and mangrove system ecology and several others. All these projects require extensive data collection and research assistants are always needed to help. Research Assistants joining this project can volunteer their time to help with projects they are interested in and will gain valuable insights into the specific research topic they cover.

HU108 State of the Utila Mangrove Forest Ecosystem (Weeks 2 - 8; Training - need to have completed the reef ecology course HU008 or HC009) 

Although Utila still has a series of lagoons and canals surrounded by extensive mangrove systems, these mangroves are rapidly being lost to development and are in various state sof damage. Most studies on mangrove systems have compared their function by contrasting areas with and without mangroves. However, as mangroves become increasingly damaged how does this affect their functionality in sediment stabilisation and as a fish nursery? A monitoring programme is being completed annually from replicate samples in mangrove lagoons around the island with varying levels of damage to the trees and organic pollution loadings. Surveys include assessing the effect on sediment stabilisation from determining water content using a muffle furnace, setting, baiting and emptying fish fry traps, quantifying the health of mangroves from the percentage of stems reaching the sediment and size and abundance of leaves at the end of each branch and assessing how organic poluution loadings affect the epibiont and mobile invertebrate communities in the roots. Research Assistants will use kayaks to paddle around the lagoons and access the mangroves including remote parts of the island inaccessible from the land and this gives you the chance to explore some of the parts of the island that are not normally accessible.

One of the main reasons the Cayos Cochinos have protected status is the presence of an endemic pink coloured boa constrictor known as the Hog Island Boa. The snake is found only in the Cayos Cochinos Islands and has been heavily collected in the past for the pet trade. A long term study of the population and their basic biology (feeding, growth rates, habitat selection) is being completed. Volunteers are involved in sweep surveys across the island to help with capturing snakes that are then measured, sexed and have a pit tag injected into them so that re-captures in future years can be used to assess population size, growth and mortality rates. A similar study is also underway with the ctenosaurs with specimens being captured using noose and poles. In addition during some weeks there are studies of the adaptations of the two anole species found on Cayos Cochinos to changing temperatures using sprint speeds as a proxy for fitness. As a volunteer you will be involved in all aspects of the project and should expect to be out in the field for between 6-7 hours per day. This is a physically demanding project and you should have a high level of fitness in order to contribute fully.