On June 3rd and 4th a group of seven volunteer divers attended a Reef Check training course held by the St, Maarten Nature Foundation. Reef Check is a coral reef research method designed to be both simple while at the same time effective in researching the health of both the country's coral reef health and fish stock population. "One of the main tasks of the St. Maarten Nature Foundation is to conduct research on the health of our Marine Ecosystem. However, because we lack the resources to conduct a wide scale, continuous study we have decided to relaunch Reef Check on St. Maarten using volunteers from within the community" commented Tadzio Bervoets, Nature Foundation Marine Park Manager and Instructor during the Reef Check course. The course involved one day of theory including theoretical exams and one day of practical work involving conducting an actual Reef Check while SCUBA diving on Frenchman's Reef.
Reef Check is a coral reef monitoring protocol designed to research tropical coral reefs. Reef Check works to create partnerships among community volunteers, government agencies, businesses, universities and other non-profits. The Goals of Reef Check are to: educate the public about the value of reef ecosystems and the current crisis affecting marine life; to create a global network of volunteer teams trained in Reef Check's scientific methods who regularly monitor and report on reef health; to facilitate collaboration that produces ecologically sound and economically sustainable solutions; and to stimulate local community action to protect remaining pristine reefs and rehabilitate damaged reefs worldwide.
On St. Maarten Reef Check dives will be conducted once a month from June to October on four different sites to monitor for the various threats and changes on our coral health. Specific attention is given to Coral Health and Diseases, the presence of Important Fish Species and the Health of Invertebrates including Lobster and Conch. In addition to Nature Foundation staff the St. Maarten Reef Check Team is comprised of Kippy Gilders, Andrew Murphey-Laws, Fleur Hermanides, Ivana Rakutt, Giedre Lesmaityte, Lucas Berman, and Jeffrey Bruning.