Fiji’s leading company for Coastal and Marine Ecology Assessments
Found in tropical oceans, corals are important reef builders that secrete calcium carbonate to form coral reefs. Corals live in a mutualistic relationship with symbiotic algae, which use sunlight to produce food for corals and get shelter in return. Under stress, such as elevated seawater temperatures for prolonged periods, corals can start to bleach.
Read MoreThis report, the Mangrove Management Plan 2013 (MMP2013), has been prepared by Dr Dick Watling, Environment Consultants Fiji (ECF) for the Department of the Environment (DoEnv) as the focal point for the Mangrove Eco Systems for Climate Change Adaptation and Livelihood project Project (MESCAL).
Read MoreReef Surveys have been carried out at two sites (the Great White Wall on the outer face, and the back of Blue Ribbon Eel Reef / Jerry’s Jelly on the inside of the Rainbow Reef) in the Somosomo Straits since 2002, with the exception of 2005 (Rainbow Reef only), 2008 (no surveys), and 2015 – 2017 (no surveys due to poor weather and time constraints).
Read MoreCoral reefs are ancient, living organisms, which have seen and adapted to many changes over millions of years.
It’s one of the oddities of the human race that we expect natural systems to be constant, but as the climate and environment alter, so do reefs around the world, and those in Fiji are no exception.
As you travel around Fiji you will soon come to realise that there are many types of reefs – spectacular hard coral walls, colourful soft coral bommies, dramatic and spooky rocky passages, rubble patches filled with weird and wonderful critters.
What you may not realise is that these reefs change year by year, react to pressures in many different ways, grow and adapt like any other natural ecosystem.
Read MoreBranching and Table corals can grow 5 – 10 cm per year. Boulder corals 1 – 2 cm per year.
In Fiji, corals spawn in October and November, tiny new colonies are usually first visible by about April or May.
Read MoreEver since the Fiji Ministry of Environment started keeping a list of consultants approved to carry out studies for Environmental Impact Assessments in 2008, Helen Sykes of Marine Ecology Consulting has been registered as a “Subject Specialist/ Technical Expert“.
A Technical Expert conducts specific studies and/or assessments based on their specialist field, and contributes those specialist studies to overall EIA reports.
Read MoreThis document Fisheries of the Pacific Islands: Regional and national information provides a recent update of the fisheries and aquaculture sector in the Pacific Region. The document consists of 2 main parts: a regional overview; and fisheries and aquaculture country profiles for the 14 independent Pacific Island countries. It consolidates a variety of sources of information into a single coherent review, to provide a general understanding of the status of fisheries and aquaculture in the Pacific Islands.
The Pacific Island region consists of fourteen independent countries and eight territories located in the western and central Pacific Ocean. In this area there are about 200 high islands and some 2 500 low islands and atolls.
Read MoreHelen Sykes, Marita Manley and Sangeeta Mangubhai have just finished the report on the “Contribution of Marine Conservation Agreements to Biodiversity Protection, Fisheries Management and Sustainable Financing in Fiji.”
Read MoreOur friend, Bob Gillett’s new book on Fiji’s fishery resources is being released this week. The “Fiji Fishery Resource Profiles” is a 240-page publication with 44 chapters, each of which is dedicated to a species group such as tuna, giant clams, lobsters, and parrotfish.
Read MoreHelen Sykes was chosen to be part of the survey team, made up of specialist fish and coral experts, which recently completed a 10 day expedition to the untouched waters and lush limestone islands of the Northern Lau Group.Read More
