January 18, 2006
REEF Executive Director Opening
posted 18 Jan 06 to CORAL List:
Executive Director position opening
Summer 2006
Summary:
The Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF), a non-profit, marine conservation organization, is seeking to hire an Executive Director. REEF is a marine life education and data gathering organization working with the
general public, education, scientific and governmental bodies. It is not an advocacy organization. The position will be based at REEF’s Key Largo, Florida, headquarters with a salary commensurate with experience and in the
range of non-profit pay scales. Responsibilities include strategic leadership, supervision of staff, fundraising, membership development, public relations, financial supervision and partnership building. Requisite qualifications include at least 3 years in marine conservation along with excellent supervisory and communication skills. Although active scuba diving is not a part of the job description, knowledge and participation in the sport is important as volunteer data gathering relies on this activity. Resumes will be accepted through February 24th, 2006. Successful applicants will be asked to interview on April 9th.
For more information and application procedures, please visit Reef
*********
Lad Akins
Executive Director
REEF
98300 Overseas Hwy
Key Largo FL 33037
(305) 852-0030 x-2#
REEF
Posted by Dida at 9:11 AM
January 8, 2006
Coral Reef Monitoring Fish Specialist
from the CORAL-List 8-Jan. 2006
Coral Reef Monitoring Fish Specialist
Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources
American Samoa Government
General Description
The opening is for a person with fish identification, coral reef monitoring, logistics and administrative skills. Salary is dependant on education and experience; standard American Samoa Government benefits are included. A two-year contract, renewable by mutual consent and subject to continued funding is planned starting early 2006. The specialist will be supervised by the Chief Biologist of DMWR and will work with the Coral Reef Monitoring (CRM) Ecologist to implement the actions and tasks outlined in the American Samoa CRM grant. The CRM Fish Specialist is responsible for both monitoring and management aspects of the program.
Primary Duties
1.. Plan and schedule CRM activities,
2...Collection of monitoring data on reef fish,
3.. Input and analyze data,
4.. Work as a team to produce yearly status and trends reports,
5.. Purchasing and maintenance of equipment
6.. Updating web page,
7.. Assist other DMWR programs,
8.. Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
· Bachelor's Degree with marine resource management or marine science experience; a Master's Degree would be preferred.
· SCUBA certification and ability to lift heavy dive gear.
· Knowledge of underwater visual census techniques; coral reef fish monitoring preferred.
· Experience with field identification of tropical fish; Indo-Pacific reef fish identification preferred.
· Ability to conduct fieldwork in surge and moderate seas.
· Strong organization skills.
· English communication skills at college level, both oral and written.
· Computer skills including word processing, spreadsheet, email and web page.
Applicants with a monitoring background and experience in project management-logistics will be favored. Individuals experienced with Pacific Island cultures are preferred.
Application
Mail, fax, or email resume, cover letter, and contact details for three references to:
CRM Fish Specialist Search
Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources
P.O. Box 3730
Pago Pago, American Samoa USA 96799
Telephone (684) 633 4456 Fax: (684) 633-5944
Email applications may be sent to Caroline Tafeamaalin
Questions can be sent to Karl Brookins, Chief Biologist.
Posted by Dida at 11:06 AM
January 4, 2006
ReefCheck Australia: 6 month Internship Vacancy
Just got word of this. Act now!
Due to a last minute withdrawal of one of our prospective interns Reef Check Australia have a 6 month internship vacancy available to start in Townsville, Queensland Australia ASAP. More information on Reef Check Australia can be found at http://www.reefcheckaustralia.org.The position is offered on a volunteer basis. Candidate requirements;
Due to a last minute withdrawal of one of our prospective interns Reef Check Australia have a 6 month internship vacancy available to start in Townsville, Queensland Australia ASAP. More information on Reef Check Australia.The position is offered on a volunteer basis. Candidate requirements;
IDEAL
* Minimum of PADI Dive master certification and professional
insurance.* Academic qualifications in Coral reef or reef fish
biology/ecology.* Database management skills
* >1 peer reviewed scientific publication
* Experience in writing Fundraising / Grant proposals.
* Teaching/teamwork skills ~ organizing dive surveys for 2006.
MANDATORY
* Minimum PADI Rescue Diver certification + 50 hours logged dives.
* Financially independent for the 6 month period.
* Eligible for a 6 month tourist or 12 month working visa in
Australia.* Capable of passing an AS2299 dive medical.
* Competence in written and spoken English.
* Dive accident(DAN) and health insurance.
Reef Check Australia is a not for profit organization based in Townsville. We currently train volunteer recreational scuba divers to take part in monitoring more than 40 sites on the GBR. Over the past 4 years we have developed relationships with a large number of stakeholder groups including government agencies, tourism operators and research organizations. The internship position will involve a diverse array of activities from mundane
office functions to organizing and participating in exciting survey trips throughout the GBR. Whilst the intern position is not funded it will provide an excellent opportunity for any person who is starting a career in marine science who wishes to gain experience in this field. You will also gain insight into the workings of an environmental charity and participate in novel research opportunities.Townsville is the administrative hub for Great Barrier Reef management and research providing interns with ample opportunities to interact with other marine scientists. The successful Reef Check intern will gain in water
surveying experience and a globally recognized Reef check qualification that will enable them to take part in Reef Check monitoring programs around the world.If you are interested in this opportunity and can be in Townsville by the end of January 2006 please respond with your c.v. toReefCheck by the 23/1/06.
kind regards
Roger Beeden
Marketing & Communications Manager
Reef Check Australia
Townsville
QLD 4810
+61 07 47241854 (Tel/Fax)
+61 404 330859 (Mobile)
jos@reefcheck.org
http://www.reefcheckaustralia.org
Posted by Dida at 11:05 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 3, 2006
The Octopus Tattoo
original posting 2005-11-2
I floated 55 ft below the surface of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, sketching a beige sculpin that I did not recognize, when I saw a strand of red kelp drifting by. I noticed a line of white suckers running along it. Next something heavy dumped on my head. Another tentacle with delicate suckers curled in from below and pulled my mask away from my face, flooding it. I felt other tentacles squeeze the right side of my face and pull on my hood. I'd last seen my dive buddy peering into a crevice -- he didn't appear, although I turned around a couple times hoping he might take a photo. I tried to brush the octopus off my head, but he squeezed all the tighter.
When the octopus tried to pull my regulator out, the aggressive response took over. "OK, buddy, let's see how you like breathing air!" I drifted to the surface, maintaining the <60 ft/min safe ascent rate, and clearing my mask a couple of times on the way up to check. I surfaced with unusual headgear and saw the dive boat nearby. The octopus actually continued to squeeze my head, but finally my efforts to brush him off persuaded him to leave. I cleared the mask again and looked down to see him swimming away; only about 2.5 ft long. When the boat captain finally spotted me, he seemed not to believe my shouted explanation, but directed me to my buddy's bubbles. Once near the bottom, I checked off: 1 Giant Pacific Octopus.
I had always been curious about northwest diving, and the REEF fish-counting trip seemed like an ideal opportunity to try it. The diving was in the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, off the Makah reservation at the northwest corner of Washington State. REEF paid for the boat and lodging; we were responsible for transport, food, and air fills. Conditions were excellent: that meant flat water, sunshine, moderate to strong current, and 44 to 47 F water. My dive buddy, Stan Kurowski, wore a neoprene drysuit filled with argon (lower thermal conductivity than air) and inflatable dry gloves. With enough fleece underneath, my trilam drysuit seemed up to the cold, although my wet gloves were chilly: after 20 min my hands began to sting, and after an hour they really complained! I'd torn a wrist seal the day before meeting the octopus; Stan and Doug Biffard glued a seal from one of Stan's old dry gloves over the old one, saving my trip.
The above- and underwater landscape is volcanic, with big boulders, walls, and crevices. Sea palms and single-bladder nereocystis dominated the kelp forests. Although diversity of fish is less than Southern California, black rockfish, kelp greenlings, and ling cod were relatively plentiful and often huge. In the last minutes of my last dive there, I saw a wolf eel with a head the size of a dinner plate. Sculpins were far more diverse than in California, although usually hard to spot and identify. Small nudibranchs and giant plumose anemones were common. We saw many whales swim nearby above water, none below, although on a couple of occasions the people on the boat saw them blow less than 15 ft from our bubbles. The water was often thick with large and small krill, and in places the visibility was consequently less than a foot, although more commonly about 40 feet.
We took advantage of the great conditions to dive off Tattoosh Island, just off the northwest corner of Washington State, and even "around the corner" on the Pacific Coast of Washington State. Captain Troy Sterrenburg maneuvered his dive boat "Dash" skillfully through the live-boat drift dives, necessitated by changeable and sometimes stiff currents. The tides set our dive sites and times. Her stern ladder and jet drives gave us confidence in safe exits.
The Makah were celebrating Makah Days during our trip: the occasion for a parade, fireworks, and contests for several age categories of Ms. Makah. Posters featured ancestries of the candidates. Sanctuary Education Specialist Greg McCormack arranged some special events for us: we watched teenagers perform traditional dances at the gym, and an older Makah woman told us about earlier days, and the advent of schools and roads. The Makah were skilled hunters, and 8-man teams of specialists went after whales. Things are harder now, with less fishing, although I found some excellent smoked salmon.
When I climbed on the boat after meeting the octopus, Capt. Tory Sterrenburg laughed and reached for his camera. Small red hickeys covered a third of my face. The giant pacific octopus I met was one of two we counted; apparently the males are quite territorial, and will attack encroachers. The one I encountered was the most aggressive anyone on the boat had heard of. Trip leader Brice Semmens snapped a few photos.
I'd heard about the trip through REEF's AAT (Advanced Assessment Team) listserv. To become a subscriber, you must complete at least 50 REEF fish counts, and take the Level 4 or 5 multiple-choice examination on fish identification. REEF runs quite a few trips, with varying destination and costs; they provide opportunities for diving in unusual places, meeting interesting people, and -- yes! -- new tattoos.
See BlackCormorant.net for more photos from the trip.
Posted by Carl Gwinn at 6:41 PM | TrackBack
2005 Report: State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the US and Pacific FAS
original posting: 2005-11-23
Just released by NOAA, and available free online in PDF format is the report, "The State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the United States and Pacific Freely
Associated States: 2005." Authored by teams in 14 jurisdictions consisting of over 160 scientists and managers where the corals were found, the report differs from an earlier report released in 2003 in that it is " . . .based primarily on the most recent quantitative monitoring data available, rather than qualitative assessments of ecosystem conditions."
The report is meant to be a vehicle for disseminating information about collective efforts in the US and FAS to study coral reef ecosystems. This makes the report invaluable to the resourceful scientific diver seeking opportunities to contribute to ongoing data collection efforts.
As well as the entire 522-page report being available for download, individual jurisdiction chapters are also made available for download at the same site.
