Nassau, The Bahamas — About 500 persons recently screened a documentary in the Atlantis Conference Center where a team of local and Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation scientific divers observed Bahamian coral reefs suffering from coral bleaching as a result of climate change pollution and overfishing.
During the screening, the seven Bahamas National Trust (BNT) researchers recalled what they observed and learned during their diving experiences, in the Living Oceans Foundation’s short film called “Mission Bahamas”, filmed on the M/Y Golden Shadow.
The M/Y Golden Shadow is a 67-meter (220 ft) logistical support vessel that carries a Cessna Caravan Amphibious aircraft.
The M/Y Shadow is owned by the Living Oceans Foundation, which is dedicated to the conservation and restoration of living oceans and pledges to champion their preservation through research, education and a commitment to Science Without Borders®.
One of the Golden Shadow’s most important assets is its stern elevator platform. This system is used to launch and recover the seaplane, as well as the various tenders. The platform is also invaluable for diving access and recovery in difficult sea conditions.
To ensure the safety of visiting divers, the Golden Shadow also has a recompression chamber capable of accommodating one casualty and one medic. Fully qualified medical staff members are present during all dive operations.
Minister of the Environment the Hon Earl Deveaux recently thanked HRH Prince Khaled of Saudi Arabia for the gift of scientific research that will strengthen the Bahamian economy by allowing the scientists to gather information that will be valuable to increasing the stewardship and protection of the country’s marine environment.
The Bahamas National Trust (BNT) will use the research information to create Marine Protected Areas, geared towards protecting coral reef systems dying from stress.
Minister Deveaux told the Prince, “On behalf of the entire Bahamas, I thank you. I would like to close with a quote from Krista Sherman, a member of the Bahamas National Trust (BNT).
“In Krista’s words, ‘It was an amazing and extremely beneficial experience. The ability to work and share knowledge with such a seasoned and experienced scientific team that has studied coral reefs globally was an absolutely amazing experience. This project will be extremely beneficial as we plan our marine reserves.”
“The mapping will show areas of high biodiversity, as well as provide the mapping layer showing the tracks of hurricanes over the last 150 years, so that planners can accurately access healthy and unhealthy marine reserves.
“The projects will map ocean surface temperatures and will also map coral reef bleaching events, which will allow The Bahamas to become the first country to incorporate climate change into its planning of marine reserves,’” Mr Deveaux said.
By: Gena Gibbs
Bahamas Information Services
