Structure of the expeditions

The Cuba expedition is run on the reefs of the Punta Frances National Park in the southern Isle of Youth. The first week is spent learning to dive and learning how to identify the reef fish and coral communities. The second week is then spent helping with the stereo video field surveys, analysing the stereo video data and helping with the manatee monitoring programme. The research objectives are:

· To quantify the reef fish communities in the Punta Frances National Park and identify any significant changes from previous years

· To quantify coral cover and community structure in the Punta Frances National Park and identify any significant changes from previous years

· To identify the manatee population and preferred feed areas in the southern Isle of Youth

· To collect monitoring data on the shark population around the Isle of Youth.

· To collect, classify and preserve new vertebrate and invertebrate samples for genetic and taxonomy studies at the University of Havana.

Training week

In week 1, the groups will be split into those who are completing their PADI Open Water dive training course in full, those who have already completed their theory and pool training at home and will be doing their open water dives in Cuba followed by in-water practicals designed to prepare them for the marine surveys, and those who are already dive trained (or do not want to dive at all) and are working on the reef ecology course and preparing for the fish surveys. The purpose of this first week is to get the students trained up to be able to help with the reef fish video surveys in week 2. Students will have the following lectures: Introduction to coral reef systems (characteristics of reefs, reef formation, reef distribution), macroinvertebrates (sponge guilds, anemone guilds, mollusc guild), coral identification (main coral species found in Punta Frances), reef fish (herbivore guild, piscivore guild, omnivore guild), marine survey methods (stereo video surveys, underwater visual census methods, benthic surveys) global threats to reefs (fisheries, coastal development, global warming) and marine conservation (marine protected areas in Cuba, management techniques).

Research week

In week 2, the teams will be divided into three groups, with two days spent on each of the following activities:

Manatee monitoring

Those joining the manatee surveys will be briefed by the scientists on the survey techniques and manatee ecology. Data are gathered by daily 30-minute point counts and transects from the research boat. In the narrow mangrove channels and lagoons, side scan sonar surveys are used to identify the position of any manatees. The GPS position of all manatee sightings over the 7-week survey period are logged. Environmental data (salinity, temperature, aquatic vegetation) will be collected at each site to determine the importance of freshwater upwellings and vegetation communities in affecting the distribution of manatees. Indirect evidence of manatees like faecal samples will be reported and collected for further analyses. There are several lectures given during the manatee monitoring period covering the following:

o Introduction to manatees, their habitat, and the background for this project

o Classification and distribution of manatees

o General characteristics and threats to manatees

o How to assess habitat use and feeding habits of manatees

o How to use the side scan sonar equipment for manatee studies

· Reef monitoring

For these two days, the students will be staying overnight on the Felipe Poey research ship. During the day the students will be helping with the stereo-video surveys of the reef fish communities. In addition, they will be diving with the teams recording benthic communities from video transects and helping with collecting data on the shark monitoring project.

· Stereo video data analysis

For these two days, the students will be based in the hotel and will be involved in analysing the footage which is displayed on a computer screen with the footage from the left and right videos synchronised. All species filmed need to be identified and the length estimated by clicking on the screen on the front and tail of each fish on the left screen and again on the right. The software then calculates the length of the fish, and this needs to be recorded in an Excel table against each species name. Only fish within the 2.5m x 2.5m x 50m study cuboid are recorded.

In addition students will aid with the classification and preservation of vertebrate and invertebrate samples for the University of Havana reference collection. This will involve heading out in the morning to collect samples whilst snorkelling. These samples will then be taken back to the hotel and the students taught how to classify and preserve the specimens. These specimens will be used for genetic and taxonomy studies by staff at the university.

Example research questions

In the evenings and during free time between stereo video analysis sessions, the students working in small groups will be expected to complete background research on one of a given series of research questions and prepare a joint presentation.

How will climate change affect coral reefs?

How can you most accurately assess fish and benthic communities on reefs?

What is a symbiotic relationship and what examples can be found on reefs?

What are the benefits of mangroves to marine ecosystems?

How can manatee populations be assessed?

What are the main Marine Protected Areas in Cuba and how are they managed?