Water Taxis Meeting Henry Morgan

Marine Park Newsletter
January & February 2013
Roatán Marine Park Newsletter
January & February 2013
New patrol boat for West End
With funding from KFW, we were
able to purchase a new boat and
engine which will assist in patrolling
and
marine
infrastructure
maintenance in the area. With an
85hp engine and large open deck
space, this boat is ideal for all chores.
New snorkel/dive sites
Quickly…
 Introduction … page 2
 Patrols development… page 2
 Channel markers around West
End … page 2
 Dive sites renovated in the
Reserve … page 3
Between Cordelia Banks and
 Swim zone fixed with KFW
French Key, new buoys were
funds … page 3
installed to accommodate the
increasing number of dive and
 New dive/snorkel moorings on
the south side … page 3
snorkel boats needing a place to
tie up. Between West End and
 Working with Punta Gorda
Sandy Bay, two new sites purchased by Individual Gold members
community … page 4
are “Happily ever after” and “Captain Bob’s”.
Chart showing supporters
 Initiative for reducing plastic
bags … page 4
Each month we will be posting on
our facebook page bracelet sales and
membership payments from dive
shops around the island so people
can hopefully make an informed
decission on who to dive with in
respect to their support of the RMP.
 Corozal bee project … page 4
Development in reducing plastic
 Nat Geo Stewardship … page 5
Plastic bags are a huge problem
here in Roatan and the only way of
reducing the amount produced is
raising awareness and becoming
proactive with trainings, changing
attitudes and providing reusable bags
 Getting Cordelia recognized
… page 6
 Protect our pride program
… page 5
 SOCMON workshop … page 5
 Defining organizations
environmental roles ... page 5
 Responsible seafood … page 6
 List of dive shop supporters …
page 6
 Contact us… page 6
1
Marine Park Newsletter
January & February 2013
Introduction
Something that the RMP has been eagerly awaiting for almost 4 years is funding from a project
entitled “Conservation of Marine Resources in Central America”. Financed by the Government of
Germany through KfW, this 5 year project will assist in the purchasing of materials and enabling the
development of many of our projects. In the past 4 months the project has assisted in the purchase
of a new patrol boat, the installation of swim zones, dive moorings and channel markers, as well as
the production of new informative materials. For more information on this regional project, please
view our facebook page which has a brochure developed by the MAR FUND for KFW.
Patrol Program
Developments in the patrol program
Park Rangers and Giaco taking the EFR course
Things are looking up for our patrols as we’ve been able to buy new
materials for both the boats and our rangers, purchase a new boat and
also provide our rangers with Emergency First Response training. In
addition to this, Giaco was able to share all the skills learned during his
time in Florida and develop the way the rangers approach boats, deal
with individuals etc. As mentioned in the last newsletter, we have
started using our patrol database which is finally up to date. This
facilitates the collection of information to see what areas on the Island
are being hit more by poaching and concentrate our patrols on those
areas. It will also give us where the majority of our offenders come
from to create outreach programs and economic alternatives to help
the communities.
Our rangers are extremely proud of the new patrol boat which was
purchased with funds from KFW. Our new 25ft vessel with a new 85hp
Yamaha engine, center console steering, aluminum t-top and trailer is
the latest addition to our fleet which now totals 4 boats. This vessel is
ideal for the maintenance of our extensive marine infrastructure as it has
an open plan and can be used to carry all the materials. It will also be
effective in patrols as can transport multiple personnel, accommodate
confiscated kayaks and small Cayucos and has lights for night time
patrols. Future results will highlight the effectiveness of the boat.
Infrastructure
Channel markers around West End
With funding from KFW, over 15 new 10ft markers have been installed
at the major channels between West Bay and Sandy Bay. Several of the
markers were damaged due to recent severe storms so we are currently
working on fixing those and should have them back in shortly. If you
travel as far as man of War Key, you may have noticed that the channels
between Lawson Rock and the Key have also been marked with these
new pipes. This project was sponsored by Bill Addison of Lawson Rock
and we would like to thank him for financing the project. Camp Bay
made use of the old markers and now has a nicely defined channel for
boats. If you do find a channel marker, please contact us immediately.
New channel markers awaiting installment
2
Marine Park Newsletter
January & February 2013
Dive moorings renovated within the Sandy Bay West End Marine Reserve
As mentioned in the last newsletter, there have been a few additions to dive
moorings between Sandy Bay and West Bay. These include Déjà vu east of
Spooky Channel, Robin’s Nest east of Gibson Bight, Haller Deep east of Blue
Channel, and Jumpin Jack which is between Butcher’s Bank and Tabyanna’s. In
addition, there have been several new sites installed and quite a few groundings
replaced due to wear and tear. With funding from KFW we have changed all the
tackle from galvanized to stainless steel so the chain, swivels, and thimbles will
last decades and not just years. Some of the old sites which have been renovated
include Deep Turtle Crossing, Shallow Sea Quest, and the Odyssey wreck. Two
new dive sites which were purchased by Members have also been installed and
are “Captain Bob’s” named by Gerald Forney and “Happily ever after” named
Buoy for the new site Captain Bob’s
by Jim and Mike Jaskunas. The first is located west of Bear’s Den in about 45ft
while the other is between Fish Den and Gibson Bight and is just on the edge of the wall at 25ft. We would
like to express our gratitude to our new Gold members and hope that you all enjoy these new sites. If you
are interested in naming a site for yourself or a loved one, please contact us at [email protected].
Swim zone in West Bay renovated with funds from KFW
The swim zone in West Bay has been a continuous
struggle ever since the RMP took on the project 4
years ago. Originally only the area in front of Henry
Morgan was protected and the zone consisted of 2
lines littered with hundreds of buoys. After meeting
with business owners to discuss encompassing the
majority of West Bay with safe swimming areas,
designated boat channels were assigned and new
materials were purchased. With the threat of lines
being cut or damaged by propellers, stainless steel
cable and plastic buoys were used; however this
resulted in numerous issues and eventually all the lines
Swim zone has new sand screws, buoys and lines and a new boat channel
were replaced with rope. In the past month, with
funding from KFW, we were able to install new sand screws, buoys and rope so that the swim zones are
now a more permanent feature. We hope these new improvements remain intact throughout the season and
that the bathers and swimmers in West Bay enjoy the safety of these areas.
New dive/snorkel moorings on Roatan’s south side
With the cruise ship
season in full swing, tour
operators
have
requested new moorings
for snorkel charters.
Four new moorings
were installed including
two close to Little
French Key, one at the
entrance to Brick Bay
channel known as the
Elbow, and the final is
by the Blue Hole on
New sites located at the Blue Hole in Cordelia, Brick Bay channel, and on the east and west side of Little French Key
Cordelia which is ideal
for our patrol boat as it
is sheltered from the wind and waves. These new moorings are available for all boat operators to use so will
hopefully alleviate some of the congestion around these heavily used areas.
3
Marine Park Newsletter
January & February 2013
Education and community development
Working with the Punta Gorda community
A program which the RMP has been operating for the past few months is a Dive
Master Internship program at Turquoise Bay. We are working with the
community of Punta Gorda along with Subway Water Sports who are providing
the training and Barefoot Divers who are donating the books. Having selected 3
pro active members of the community who were interested in pursuing a career in
diving, after 5 months two of them remain. The first is Minor who is about to
finish his Dive Master program and the other is Abraham who is finishing his open
water. In addition to learning how to dive, they have been working as boat
captains for Subway. The RMP is continually trying to facilitate islanders becoming
dive professionals and hopes that in the years to come, we can increase the
percentage of Honduran Dive Masters and Instructors working on the island.
Initiative for the reduction of plastic bags
Collaboration between Subway,
RMP and Punta Gorda
Together with BICA, Zolitur, and the Municipality of Roatan, we
have trained over 100 employees from Eldon’s Supermarkets and
Plaza Mar teaching them the basic concepts of plastic bags, ecology
and economy of the coral reef, tourism in Honduras and the
legislative aspect of plastic in the Bay Islands. As a final activity we
asked them to perform some simple conflict resolutions asking “What
would you do if a client asks for more plastic bags than necessary?”
and “What are some of the benefits that arise when using less plastic
bags?” Simply put, they all agreed they would be careful with the
amount of plastic disbursed, would offer more boxes and suggest
reusable bags to reduce the impacts on our reef, sea grass beds,
mangroves, our health, our future and our sustainability! They all did
Bag packers learning about reducing plastics
a great job and made us proud! All eyes are now on us to reduce our
plastic footprint so next trip to the grocery store, please make sure you remember to bring your own
reusable bags and if not, ask for a box.
Corozal Bee Project
Here on Roatan we all rely on the reef, whether it’s directly through
tourism or indirectly through medicines or protection. As we’re sure
you know the population of Roatan has increased in the last 5 years
and we subsequently have more mouths to feed. This is where one of
the biggest threats to the reef comes into play. Using the fishing
practices of past generations our fishermen, by being very good at
what they do, have overfished our reefs. By not giving the reefs
enough time to recuperate we are slowly not only reducing the
health of the reef but also the health of our families. Just east of Mud
Hole is a town called Corozal and they have realized that there must
be an alternative to fishing and that alternative is bees. With funding
from KFW, the RMP has brought in professionals to research the site
Community members meet in Corozal
in order to determine the suitability of the area and do a market
analysis of the island to determine what bee products will be readily accepted. In the next few months we
will be building 5 pilot hives and they will be left all year to establish how reproductive they can be. Starting
in 2014 we should be ready for distribution. Keep your eyes open for our all-natural, eco-friendly, bee
products.
4
Marine Park Newsletter
January & February 2013
Protect our Pride Program
Our diving program has started with a bang and as part of it, all candidates
have been asked to complete 10 hours of community service in their
communities. We are doing presentations and activities with schools, beach
clean-ups, seminars with schoolteachers, and general education with their
communities. We have a great group of candidates ranging from Oak Ridge,
French Key, Sandy Bay, Mud Hole, Coxen Hole, Flower’s Bay, Hottest
Sparrow, all the way to West End. Of the 15 available spots we have 10 filled,
meaning we still have 5 spots still open. If you know an English speaking
candidate please give Christi a call at 3289-1213 to get them started today!
Beach cleanup with school kids
Meetings and workshops
Workshop on Social Economic Monitoring
In January, Giaco travelled to Placencia, Belize to attend a workshop
on social economic monitoring (SOCMON) which was organized by the
Belize Audubon Society, CaMPAM and NOAA. The aim of the
workshop was to develop the tools to approach different stakeholders
with the right interview, questionnaires or presentations to understand
the community in regards to different cultures and education level and
fortify their development. Attendees included representatives from
Mexico, Honduras and Belize and we feel that with this new added
knowledge, we can develop our own methods of approaching
communities and also strengthening ties with other organizations.
Defining organziation’s roles with environmental issues
Representatives from Belize, Honduras and Mexico
meet at a SOCMON workshop
We’ve been participating in workshops where government actors
and NGO’s establish a clear protocol to build cases against damages
to the ecosystem with each organization defining their
responsibilities. The Municipality’s environmental unit (UMA) is in
charge of sewage discharge to the rivers or ocean, mangrove
damage, construction on the water and other incidents that may
directly or indirectly affect the reef. The Marina Mercante (MM) is
responsible for irregular boats, navigation, groundings of boats, oil
or gas spills to the water from boats and anchoring. The fisheries
department (DIGEPESCA) is in charge of issuing fishing licenses and
regulating all legal and illegal fishing practices, and
People meet to discuss environmental issues
commercialization. From the workshop we arrived to an agreement
that the RMP are the eyes for the governing bodies and will build cases for them to prosecute. The RMP is
responsible for cases that directly attack the reef, specifically illegal poaching. With dredging, mangrove cuts,
development, and contamination, we will submit cases to the authorities and follow them up.
National Geographic Stewardship Council
Please check out www.gobluecentralamerica.org for a complete list of
responsible and sustainable businesses around the island. The council has been
hard at work offering best practices training and sustainability counseling
throughout the island. This is a great initiative and great promotion for Roatan
and businesses on Roatan alike. Please keep your ears open for the next
nomination period.
5
Marine Park Newsletter
January & February 2013
Getting Cordelia recognized
Last year, the Cordelia Banks which are located just south of the airport
off Roatan, were declared a Site of Importance for Wild Life. Since then,
we have been working with other organizations like Healthy Reef,
CORAL, CEM, ICF, Port of Roatan and Euro-Honduras consultants to
finish a complete management plan for the area. We have also been
working strongly with the artisanal fishing communities to create
ownership of this special area and to ensure the protection of it for future
generations. Once the management plan can be established and the
fishermen who rely on this area as a resource can be empowered in its
protection, things could look up for this beautiful and vital area.
Step forwards in protecting Cordelia
Wrapping up
Bay Islands Responsible Seafood Guide.
The BIRSG is an initiative that was started in 2011 by the RMP and is back in full swing once
again. We currently have 34 members on Roatan and hope to incorporate more businesses! Please visit
the Bay Islands Responsible Seafood Guide Facebook page for more information!
List of dive shops indicating user fee sales and membership payments
The bar charts above show the money generated from memberships and user fee sales from dive shops in
West End, Sandy Bay and West Bay (left) and elsewhere around the island (right). The sales are only for
January and February and you can clearly see that some dive shops do not sell the bracelets. We would like
to say that these sales do not include t-shirt sales or lionfish licenses which several businesses do promote. For
all businesses, small or big, we appreciaye your support and respect that you value our services and promote
the sale of the user fee to your customers. For monthly updates, please visit our facebook page.
As always, we would like to thank all our supporters and volunteers for the help they’ve given us in the past
month. If you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to email us at info@roatánmarinepark.net. For
more information, please visit our website or stop by our office in Half Moon Bay.
Best wishes to all
6