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Natural Resources Assessments Surveys (NRAS) is a non-governmental organization dedicated to the conservation of tropical marine ecosystems in the Pacific Ocean. To help developing countries sustainably manage their marine natural resources, NRAS assists with resource assessment, monitoring, conservation planning, training and capacity building.

NRAS conservation is presently working to support local institutions and agencies in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, a small North Pacific Ocean country built entirely on pristine coral atolls.

Below, marine biologist and AquaNews correspondent Mandy Hengeveld writes about her work with NRAS in the Marshall Islands and abroad:

Local Reefs Change From 'Shark Infested' to 'Shark Free'

By Mandy Hengeveld, AquaNews Field Reporter

December 23, 2004

Researchers were shocked to find more dead sharks in a pickup truck in Majuro than they had seen in three weeks of underwater surveys. The sharks pictured here have been finned.

Photo: Mandy Hengeveld

I'm writing from Honolulu, Hawaii after five weeks of surveying coral reefs in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), an isolated group of North Pacific islands halfway between Hawaii and Papua New Guinea.

In response to concerns from local residents about dwindling fish populations, our team of local and international experts gathered in the Marshall Islands to conduct more than 30 underwater surveys on two key coral atolls. Under the leadership of Dr. Silvia Pinca, the Natural Resource Assessment Survey (NRAS) team spent two weeks surveying Majuro atoll and three weeks on the remote Namu atoll.

The reefs of Majuro, RMI's capital atoll, were relatively healthy. Notwithstanding some coral disease and a number of predatory crown-of-thorns sea stars, the marine life on the pinnacles and slopes of Majuro is rich and surprisingly diverse. Jim Maragos, a world expert on corals who has conducted considerable research in RMI over the past 20 years, documented this high biodiversity by describing and photographing a number of hard coral species.

Despite the high diversity of corals, however, the scarcity of reef sharks and megafauna (large fish species including rays, giant groupers and Napoleon wrasse) in our survey areas concerned the group. In Namu, we observed very few blacktip and whitetip sharks at sites where we expected a high concentration of these vital reef predators. We also observed discarded longlines and floaters from fishing operations along the southern coast of Namu, which reminded us of similar observations last year in Rongelap, where we found fishing lines, hooks, and moorings stuck on the reefs. Our team members are all concerned that uncontrolled reef-shark fishing is affecting the ecosystem and could have dangerous consequences for many fish populations in RMI waters.

John Rupp, an NRAS team member and shark expert from Washington's Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium (PDZA), was shocked at the absence of these key predators. In order to call for attention to this serious problem, PDZA is collaborating with two students from the College of the Marshall Islands to prepare an educational exhibit on the importance of sharks, which will be presented next year in Majuro.

In addition to increasing local awareness through educational displays, we will analyze our collected data and offer it to local managers and stakeholders, with the hope of informing their creation of a sustainable fishery plan for the two atolls. Proper management of RMI's precious marine resources will ensure that fish stocks flourish and that the most rich and diverse areas of reef are protected.

Sadly, a single traumatic incident marred an otherwise successful field expedition. Laura Castellano, the team's Italian shark researcher, was crushed by a coconut palm while sleeping in her tent. Serious internal bleeding and a severely fractured leg, arm, pelvis and head required her immediate evacuation from the Marshall Islands. With the swift assistance of the U.S. Embassy, Laura was evacuated to Kwajalein and then to Honolulu's Queens Hospital. After six arduous days and many medical exams, she underwent surgery and is slowly recovering from her near-death experience. She is making a steady recovery but is facing enormous medical bills; her medical insurance will cover only a small fraction of her hospital costs, forcing her to seek financial help. The team is raising funds on her behalf and anyone able to contribute is asked to contact Dr. Silvia Pinca.

The 2004 NRAS team would like to thank the captain and crew aboard the MV Jabal, who skillfully delivered our surveyors to sites around Majuro where sport divers rarely reach. Work in Namu would not have been possible without captain Reid Shoniber of the MV Wabal, his crew, and local skipper Bena Lakmis - all of whom supported our diving activities around the atoll's passes, patches and outer reefs. The people of Namu also offered a warm welcome and hosted the team at the Majikin fish base at the southern tip of Mae Island.

Mandy Hengeveld is a marine biologist and underwater photographer whose passion for coral reefs has taken her to numerous countries around the world. Through her continued work with NRAS and AquaNews, she aims to raise awareness about these important ecosystems and ensure their conservation for years to come.

For further information, please visit the NRAS website.

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Return to Paradise: Surveying the Remote Waters of the Namu Atoll
By Mandy Hengeveld, AquaNews Field Reporter

November 15, 2004

The pristine waters of the Marshall Islands.

Photo: Mandy Hengeveld

Every time I close my eyes, I picture my long-awaited return to the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

The butterflies in my stomach will feel more like flopping fish as I wait for my flight to touch down in the Republic’s capital city, Majuro. When I imagine myself looking out the window at the expanse of blue under my small plane, the idea of civilization in the heart of the vast North Pacific Ocean will probably still seem surreal to me. But I have visited the land that exists there, and when the wheels gently hug the runway, my latest journey into one of the few remaining pristine marine areas of the world will be under way.

November 22 will mark the beginning of the third annual season of fieldwork by the Natural Resource Assessment Survey (NRAS), a coalition of scientists from five continents who gather in Majuro to conduct baseline underwater surveys of the marine resources of Namu Atoll. As an experienced coral reef surveyor, I’m looking forward to joining this year’s team for another field season.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands is one of only four atoll nations in the world. Atolls are unique reef formations that initially form as ‘fringing’ coral reefs surrounding volcanic islands. As the volcano sinks, the reef continues to grow upwards, creating a ring of coral known as an atoll.

A nation of atolls, the Republic of the Marshall Islands obviously has much more water to its name than land. Despite national boundaries that are equivalent in size to the combined area of California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho, 95 percent of the Republic is ocean—many miles of which are home to some of the most pristine marine areas in the world.

Yet, so little is known about the biodiversity of this rich, untouched gem in the ocean. This was enough to first spark the attention of Dr. Silvia Pinca and Maria Beger, prompting them to begin the NRAS in 2001. Generously funded by the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Marshall Islands Marine Resource Authority, the National Fishery & Wildlife Foundation and the College of the Marshall Islands, NRAS assists with resource assessment, monitoring, conservation planning, training and capacity building to support the sustainable management of marine resources.

Master Mariners

The Marshallese are master builders of outrigger canoes, benefiting from generations of know-ledge passed down from their ancestors.

The canoes are made solely of supplies found on the islands, formed of such essential components as bread-fruit logs, coconut husk straw and pandanas leaves.

The importance of family in local culture is reflected in their canoe making; the booms are named after the husband and wife.

Just as the booms need to support one another for the canoe to function efficiently, couples must also work together in order to have a successful relationship.

Surveys Successful

To date, the NRAS surveys have proven fruitful: last year’s NRAS expedition to Mili, Rongelap and Ailingenae Atolls led to the discovery of a new species of rare coral, Acropora rongelapensis, by PhD candidate Zoe Richards. Importantly, the 2003 NRAS study also conducted baseline surveys on Rongelap Atoll, which has recently been proposed as the site of a tuna-farming operation. It is controversial developments like these that emphasize the value of baseline surveys to help regulate and monitor the effects of the fishing industry.

This year, we aim to study the abundance, distribution and habitat preference of Napoleon wrasses, a threatened species of coral reef fish, and other rare fishes and Acropora corals at Namu Atoll. We will also collect standard baseline data to describe the status of the reef and its associated habitats—research we will elaborate upon during a second planned visit to Namu Atoll in July 2005.

The data we collect will form the basis for conservation efforts by local decision-makers and communities. Our data, as well as the associated analysis and modeling, will assist the Marshall Islands Marine Resource Authority to select appropriate marine reserve sites in Namu and develop management schemes to support them. These management schemes could include, for instance, a decision to withhold collecting permits from the aquarium trade in order to preserve reef biodiversity.

Seafaring Legacy

Namu Atoll is home to nearly 2000 people. Despite this relatively large population, however, the islands that make up Namu have no electricity, telephones or running water. (Anyone up for a game of Survivor?)

The children on these islands are always very curious about our work. It is not often that foreigners journey here; while there is a rickety emergency airstrip nearby, the easiest way to reach Namu is by boat from Majuro. You can imagine that few would casually make a journey that involves clocking 24 hours in the open ocean!

Yet, this is precisely how the Marshallese earned their reputation as skilled sailors. In pre-modern times, young Marshallese boys were taught for years how to read the sky, navigate via the stars and understand their local waters. They also had to learn to mark waypoints and track positions without the aid of visible landmarks or reference points. Marine charts called ‘waabe’ were made of sticks and cowrie shells that formed narratives between currents and marked atolls and islands.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands is no ordinary place, and a scientific expedition to this corner of the world is no ordinary voyage. Our team of researchers, underwater photographers and locals will soon be sleeping beneath the stars, cooking our meals on fires fuelled by coconut husks, and collecting our drinking water as it falls from the sky.

Many preparations must still be made as we approach our departure date. Stay tuned for updates on this exciting project!

For further information, please visit the NRAS website.

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LONDON - While the Natural Resource Assessment Survey (NRAS) team prepared for our fourth busy field season in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, we were ecstatic to learn that our project Finding Napo: Conservation of Napoleon Wrasses and Rare Corals at Namu Atoll had won British Petroleum (BP) Conservation's Bronze Award. I'm currently in London, England to accept the funds on behalf of the team.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) is a small northern Pacific Ocean country built entirely on pristine coral atolls, which are increasing in value for several reasons. Recently, it was discovered that several rare species of coral had extended their range to this isolated area. This exciting find has good implications for ongoing research. But people are also being drawn to RMI to exploit its resources; the Napoleon Wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus), red-listed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), is abundant in the Marshall Islands but has been heavily exploited elsewhere throughout their range. The growing number of threats to coral reefs worldwide, due to overfishing and coastal development, have also made RMI's pristine reefs very attractive to those who would seek to exploit them.

Living in a country consisting of 99% water and 1% land, RMI's inhabitants recognize the value of their marine resources. But despite an active interest in coral reef management and conservation, by both local government and people, there is a significant lack of local personnel trained specifically in marine ecology and conservation. For our part, NRAS aims to help build a much-needed local capacity to develop effective management plans for the area.

A team of international scientists embark on a journey of discovery on the remote coral atolls of the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

In June of 2003, international scientists from five continents gathered in the Marshall Island’s capital city of Majuro to take part in the Natural Resource Assessment Survey (NRAS) third annual marine ecological assessment of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI).

The Marshall Islands is one of only four atoll nations in the world. Stretching through the North Pacific Ocean from 4 and 19 degrees North latitude and 160 to 175 degrees East longitude, the republic has more water than land to its name.

Atolls are unique reef formations that initially form as fringing coral reefs around volcanic islands. As the volcano sinks, the reef continues to grow upwards, forming a ring of coral. Coral reefs are important structures as they provide a substantial protein source for millions of people worldwide, protect coastlines from erosion through the dissipation of wave energy in addition to providing food and shelter for countless numbers of plants and animals.

With the generous support of the U.S. Department of Interior, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation , the Marshall Islands Marine Resource Authority and the Tacoma Aquarium, the Natural Resources Assessments Survey (NRAS) team was able to embark on its third year of work in the Marshalls. The assessment of reef health and fishing potential of the atolls of RMI contribute towards NRAS’ goals of assisting local and national governments in conserving rich and/or threatened zones and preparing fishery management plans for the atolls.

This year the team had the opportunity to explore areas where very few people have ever SCUBA dived. Studies took place at the southern atoll of Mili, located 6N of the equator and at the two northern atolls Rongelap and Ailinginae, located 11N of the equator. NRAS’ focus in Mili was to assist the local government with the establishment of a marine sanctuary, where landowners have already agreed to a no-take area for conservation and marine research. The focus of the research in Rongelap and Ailinginae, was to assess the natural beauty and richness of an area that is already building a sustainable tourism industry, with the final goal of establishing a network of marine protected areas in the atolls.

The driving force behind NRAS is the cooperation between Dr. Silvia Pinca at the College of the Marshall Islands and Maria Beger at University of Queensland, Australia who both felt that there was a strong need to match up local marine survey expertise with that of international scientists. This year’s team members represented nine countries: the Philippines, RMI, England, Italy, Germany, Australia, Brazil, the U.S. and Canada.

While results are still being analyzed, preliminary findings suggest that these remote regions of the North Pacific Ocean are of high value to local fishermen, community members and tourists alike. The remoteness of these islands has ensured that for the most part they have remained relatively pristine.

With visibility extending to depths of 50 meters and beyond, the reefs teemed with an abundance of marine life ranging from green turtles (Chaelonia

midas), gorgonian sea fans, giant coral groupers (Plectropomus laevis) and vast schools of surgeon fish and snappers. There were even frequent sightings of the Napoleon wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus), which, due to the live aquarium fish trade, has suffered from huge population declines on many reefs elsewhere in the world. Team members’ only concern were the low numbers of sharks, which may be attributed to increasing pressures from the shark fishing industry.

Last year’s survey uncovered range extensions for seven species of coral that had previously never been documented in Marshallese waters, and some not even in the western Pacific. Discoveries such as these provide the Marshallese government with increased incentive to protect their natural resources. The Marshallese people should be commended for their foresight in ensuring that their reefs are protected and managed sustainably for generations to come.