Fish Lab & Aquaria – Marine Life in the Maldives
Patrolling for lunch! Juvenile sharks form an essential role in healthy marine ecosystems
Two new small species of bony fish were added to our Fish Lab this month: a peacock razorfish (Iniistius pavo) and a redhead coral goby (Paragobiodon echinocephalus).
Plankton Production – Our plankton and algae cultures are used as the main food source for the residents of our Fish Lab.
– Algae – Nannochloropsis has been kept to 9mL per day. 1000L have been produced this month to feed the juvenile fish and shrimps produced in the breeding program.
– Rotifers – population is stable at 425 individuals/mL on average.
– Artemia – culture has been decreased from 6g to 5g of cysts a day, sufficient to feed our growing population of fish and shrimps.
– Copepods – we are maintaining two Fish Lab tanks plus one Kriesel of copepods. We are feeding them with Nannochloropsis microalgae, 500ml/tank to maintain populations.
We introduced new molluscs [PHOTO] as an experiment to control algae growth, which should benefit our juvenile corals in particular. So far, 9 warty seacats (Dolabrifera dolabrifera) were added to Tank #36, and we have long-tailed sea hares (Stylocheilus longicauda) and maculated tops (Trochus maculatus) acclimatising in a 20L bucket. We are monitoring their efficiency in decreasing the algal cover.
Jellyfish – Aurelia aurita
On 3 July, we transferred 36 moon jellyfish to our large display Kreisel tank, bringing the total population to 76 individuals. Our June batch of jellies started to develop their first strobila structures (5 July) and started free-swimming on 8 July.
Groupers – Both the small and large-sized populations are healthy and growing well. Each individual was individually measured, and both tanks were cleaned of algae.
Sea Urchins – Simple new trials of sea urchin spawning have been started, without success so far (physical shaking, drying under artificial light). We will continue to experiment with artificial light cycles.
Ornamental Fish & Shrimp Breeding
Clark’s anemonefish (Amphiprion clarkii) – due to a few casualties in our January batches of juveniles, we have relocated the 10 largest individuals to Tank #16 to reduce aggressive behaviour between individuals. [Lifecycle graphic]
Boxer Shrimp (Stenopus hispidus) – our male has now regenerated a replacement claw. The female carried two batches of eggs under her belly, but no larvae have been collected this month.
Ornate eagle ray (very rare sighting)
Hawksbill turtle on the reef (very common sighting!)
Megafauna and Marine Life
During July, a total of 441 guest places participated in our marine trips and excursions out of Landaa. Megafauna encounters included hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) and blacktip reef sharks (Carcharhinus melanopterus), as well as unusual sightings of great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) and the very rarely seen (globally) ornate eagle ray (Aetomylaeus vespertilio), a ‘unicorn of the sea’ (previously photographed at Landaa only once, back in 2018).
Lagoon: Life & Death
On 30 July, a juvenile male tawny nurse shark (Nebrius ferrugineus) was found upside-down in the lagoon with a swollen belly. An autopsy revealed the remains of a scorpionfish (Scorpaenopsis sp.) deep inside the mouth, close to the gills. Death of the shark was possibly caused by suffocation (blocking the gills) or by poisoning (scorpionfish have a venom gland at the base of their dorsal fin).
School Visits
Education is a key factor in our vision for the long term protection of the Maldivian marine biodiversity. Spreading awareness on conservation issues and sharing knowledge with the youth empowers them to make environmentally conscious choices. In July, our Kuda Huraa team had the pleasure to welcome visits from three different schools.
Villa International Highschool – Villa’s students showed great interest in sustainability practices.
Billabong High International School – students expressed interest and curiosity towards tourism practices, discussing the intersection between marine sciences and hospitality.
Ghaazee School – after attending a presentation on coral restoration and bleaching events, students spent more than an hour with our marine intern Toby, asking questions and showing their genuine interest in our sea turtle rehab centre.
Local Marine Apprenticeships
With the start of the 2024 Four Seasons’ Apprenticeship Programme now underway, a new batch of apprentices has recently joined Kuda Huraa. During their journey of becoming hospitality professionals, the apprentices will spend a few weeks in each department before focusing for six months in their department of choice.
In this first month of rotations, we have welcomed 4 new apprentices, 3 specialising in housekeeping services, and 1 training as a PADI Divemaster (under guidance from the Dive Team). Despite their different interests, all apprentices have been showing strong in-water skills, as well as a keen interest in our daily marine activities, engaging with guests and providing useful assistance on snorkelling excursions.
Maldives Marine Science Symposium #5 (24-25 July 2024)
Our extended Reefscapers team were excited to attend the fifth annual Maldives Marine Science Symposium, held at the Maldives National University in Malé. The event was started back in 2016 by the MMRI (Maldives Marine Research Institute) to share knowledge of the various research projects being run around the country.
The symposium offered an opportunity to not just present some of the new scientific discoveries by the Reefscapers scientists but also to learn about new developments in other fields and connect with other scientists studying similar topics.
This year, there were more than 30 presentations, attended by scientists, researchers, government ministers, academics and students from around the country and abroad. Topics covered a diverse range of topics, including the status of coral reefs following this year’s mass-bleaching event, shark distribution patterns across the country, and the development of female swimming instructors to help local women and girls to connect with the ocean.
The Reefscapers team were delighted to present 3 different research papers at the symposium, selected from over 90 submissions. Landaa’s own coral biologist Meli delivered an exceptional presentation, summarising our team’s country-leading research into coral spawning patterns across the Maldives, including information on the differences in spawning patterns between atolls and the different months of the year in which coal spawning has been recorded.
Additionally, a further 20 topics were displayed as scientific posters which were presented by their authors over both days. Both of our posters were well-received: the methodology of gathering coral spawning data, plus the causes of injury and mortality in Maldivian sea turtles.
Maldives Sea Turtle Rescue & Rehabilitation
Turtle Rescue & Rehabilitation
Mabini has shown excellent improvements in health since her arrival in March. All her wounds completely healed, she developed a healthy appetite, and she was soon able to rest on the bottom of her recovery tank. On 31 July, Mabini was reintroduced back into the ocean from the Reef Club beach, and waved a <<Bon Voyage>> by a group of enthusiastic guests.
Ocean Enclosure
After the major 10-day netting-replacement work during June, we have now installed the new netting for our sea pen and replaced two anchor ropes. The two new shade covers will allow our rehabilitating buoyant sea turtles to take shelter from the sun and prevent drying of the carapace.
Nesting Attempts in Vahbohura
This month, a female hawksbill sea turtle attempted to nest in Vahbohura. The animal was spotted on the beach on three different days around 6pm, and made 4 unsuccessful attempts to dig nests (average 30cm deep). It is known that hawksbills prefer nesting areas with vegetation, but unfortunately, this can also include densely packed sand and tree roots. We have been patrolling the beach to ensure the turtle does not become entangled in the vegetation.
After being uniquely profiled using facial scute patterns, the turtle was named by one of our marine apprentices as ‘Bodu Mamma’ (EI1484) translated as “Big Mother” in Dhivehi. Anatomical data was also recorded, including the curved carapace length (CCL=71.5cm) and width (CCW=61.0cm), along with the turtle having a distinctive characteristic; the distal tip of the back left flipper is amputated.
* Horrocks et al (1991) – Nest site location and nest success in the Hawksbill Turtle (Barbados). Marine Ecology
* Ficetola (2007) – The influence of beach features on nesting of the hawksbill turtle (Arabian Gulf). Oryx
Maldivian Sea Turtle Identification Program
During July, our ID project is currently on hold as we have been busy with record numbers of rescued turtle patients, and are currently at full capacity.
Spotted a turtle? Share your photos
Submissions consist of close-up photographs of the turtle facial profile, enabling us to outline the unique pattern of scales (scutes) that act like a human fingerprint.
REEFSCAPERS Coral Propagation & Reef Restoration in the Maldives
At Landaa during July, we transplanted 28 new coral frames, kindly sponsored by guests (13), the Resort (11), and online (4), adding 1380 coral fragments to the reef. We monitored (cleaned, repaired, photographed) a total of 286 established coral frames at various sites around Landaa and Voavah.
By the end of July, 54% of our monitored bleaching colonies are now ‘dead’, an increase of 8% mortality since last month. Recovery has increased by 7%, with 37% of colonies now being either ‘fully healthy’ or ‘lightly bleached’.
At Kuda Huraa this month, our coral experts transplanted 5 new coral frames, and continued the monitoring of our Reefscapers frames and the natural reefs. Following coral bleaching events, numbers of corallivorous species can increase rapidly as they devour any sick coral colonies, so our teams are carefully removing any hungry snails and starfish they encounter.
Be sure to read our complete Four Seasons Team Diaries over on our Reefscapers, and browse our Climate Change page where we curate the latest global news reports from climate experts and marine scientists worldwide.
Healthy coral frame at Parrot Reef in December 2023 …
… the same frame in July 2024 with widespread mortality
Further News & Updates
You might also be interested in:
– our ongoing Dolphin ID Project, our specialised Sea Turtle Lagoon Enclosure, and our Zooplankton Monitoring Project.
Looking for details of our Reefscapers coral propagation and reef restoration program ? Then head over to our Reefscapers Diaries for all the latest updates.
You can sponsor your own frame and see photographs (updated every 6 months) in our Coral Frame Collection.
Junior Marine Savers activities: (1) Reefscapers corals, (2) turtle care.
