LIPI-NaGISA Western Pacific Conference, 26-29 Oct. 2008, Jakarta, Indonesia

The LIPI-NaGISA Western Pacific Conference was held in Jakarta, Indonesia, on October 26-29, 2008. The conference drew over 80 participants from Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. The presentations covered from coral reefs in Malaysia to Seagrass meadows in Philippines, to name a few. It was a great opportunity for participants to meet scientists in neighboring countries, learn about their researches, and spread the seeds for future collaborative researches. This conference was made possible by the support of Indonesian Institute of Science, the Nippon Foundation, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Natural Geography in Shore Area, and Census of Marine Life.

NaGISA setting foot in West Africa, July 2008, Senegal

In partnership with Suffolk University (SU), the Atlantic Ocean (AO) regional office at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre (HMSC) recently expanded the NaGISA program to the shores of West Africa to fulfill the eastern Atlantic component of the AO mandate.  After lengthy considerations, including an exploratory trip to the region in March 2008 by Principal Investigator Dr. Gerhard Pohle, the coastline of Senegal was chosen as the representative area for NaGISA. Deciding factors included the fact that Boston’s Suffolk University, through Dr. Tom Trott, is not only an established partner with Huntsman for NaGISA work in nearby Cobscook Bay, but also has a campus in the Senegalese capital of Dakar, with facilities and staff ready to assist. Also, Senegal is located in the most western part of Africa, within the transition zone of tropical and subtropical environments that result in relatively complex biological assemblages compared to other regions.

Apart from Drs. Pohle and Trott, the remaining Africa mission members included two volunteers, one each from the US and Canada, represented by Christina Kulfan and Joseph Hunt, respectively. Miss Kulfan brought her experience from Cobscook Bay work in 2007, while Mr. Hunt provided his life-long expertise as a naturalist and professional diver. In Senegal, Suffolk’s Mohamed Manga proved to be a man of all trades and problem solver extraordinaire, as he not only engaged in all activities but, most importantly, was instrumental in overcoming the many logistical and negotiating challenges the team faced locally.

Thus, while a long-planned collaboration with National Park staff did not materialize, Manga, with SU Dakar’s Managing Director, André Sonko, made it possible for work to proceed on all fronts.  Sampling took place within both NaGISA priority habitats, consisting of rocky shore and soft-bottom eelgrass areas, following the prescribed protocol based on transect lines with replicate quadrat stations. During three very long days, involving 4-6 hrs of daily commuting to an alternate site, field work was successfully completed at a rocky shore site at the southeastern end of the Cap Vert peninsula, where Dakar and surroundings form the most western point of Africa.

For sampling eelgrass beds, the team travelled further afield south-easterly to the Siné-Saloum Delta. Considered to be one of Senegal’s most beautiful areas, it is a region where palm groves sit next to expansive salt marshes, sandy beaches and savannah woodlands. An hour-long boat trip to a remote island-based camp completed the outgoing journey to the destination. From there, the far-flung and secluded eelgrass beds, located during the first exploratory trip, were reached by motorized ‘pirogue’. With the help of two local youths, who also manned the boat, samples from three sites were collected and returned to the ‘camp’ in record time. Despite the lack of a suitable laboratory, the enthusiastic support and improvisation skills of camp-owner Olivier Guerin greatly facilitated the processing of field-collected material. While samples still await detailed analysis here at Huntsman over the next few months, the resulting data represent another piece towards completing the NaGISA puzzle that will no doubt make a valuable contribution to our understanding of global coastal conditions. see Photos

NaGISA Sampling Workshop, 21-22 June 2008, Chichi Island, Japan

NaGISA sampling workshop was held at Chichi Island at Ogasawara Islands (=Bonin Islands), 1000km south from Tokyo, on 21-22 June 2008. Seven member of Japanese NPO, Ecology Café, from Tokyo and five local divers attend the workshop and performed Nagisa sampling. see Photos

Taxonomy of free-living Nematoda, 21-24 March 2008, Shirahama, Japan

A workshop dealing with marine free-living Nematoda was hosted by Prof. Shirayama in Kyoto University's Seto Marine Biological Laboratory, Shirahama, Japan from the 21-24 of March 2008. Twelve participants from 6 countries (Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, USA, and Japan) learned about taxonomy of marine free-living nematodes. Participants identified specimens from their own samples under the supervision of Dr. Ashleigh Smithe (Hamilton College, USA) and Prof. Shirayama. see Photos

NaGISA Protocol Workshop, 1-4 March 2008, Pulau Bassar, Malaysia

A NaGISA protocol workshop was held at Pulau Bassar, Malaysia on 1-4 march, 2008, hosted by Dr. Aileen Tan Shau Hwai, School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia. 23 participants from 3 countries (Malaysia, Thailand, and Japan) together performed sampling at Pulau Bassar and learned the NaGISA protocol. Each participants will plan their sampling in their own fields in near future. see Photos

NaGISA was introduced at Informando 2007, 14-22 November 2007, Pisa, Italy

NaGISA project was introduced at Informando 2007 on November 14-22 by people from Dipartimento di Biologia, where the NaGISA Regional Office for European Seas is based. Informando is a guidance meeting for high school students organized in Pisa, Italy and was attended by several thousands of students. Analogous meetings have been organized every year by the University of Pisa (UP) to inform potential next undergraduate students on degree courses available and research activities carried out at the UP.

Taxonomy of Tanaidacea and Harpacticoida, 26-28 September 2007, Iloilo City, Philippines

A workshop dealing with marine Tanaidacea and Harpacticoida was hosted by Dr. Annabelle del Norte-Campos in University of the Philippines in the Visayas from September 26 to 28, 2007. Over twenty participants from 6 countries (Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan, and Philippines) learned about taxonomy of Tanaidacea and Harpacticoida. Participants identified specimens from their own samples under the supervision of Dr. Kim Richard Larsen (Kitakyusyu Museum of Natural History & Human History, Japan) and Motohiro Shimanaga (Aitsu marine Biological Station, Kumamoto University, Japan). see Photos

NaGISA Protocol Dual Workshop, August 2007, Cobscook Bay USA, St. Andrews Canada

The Atlantic Ocean region held a dual on-the-job training workshop at the Friedman Field Station of Suffolk University in Edmunds, Maine (August 8-10), and the following week (August 13-15) at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre in New Brunswick. Dr. Robin Rigby supervised the workshop, run by Dr. Gerhard Pohle at the Canadian site and Dr. Tom Trott at the American site. Participants from a number of institutions ranging from volunteers to students, teachers and university professionals partook in the work. It was a time of intensive activities, as training was combined with the implementation of all intertidal and subtidal aspects of the macroalgal protocol at both sites, including environmental factors, plankton tows, transect diving, etc. The events also were a wonderful example of cross-border collaboration, as the Canadian crew from Huntsman and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans worked at the American site and vice versa when the US crew came to Canada. These activities not only served NaGISA directly but represent a contribution to the Gulf of Maine Biodiversity Discovery Corridor initiative as well. See Photos and write up on the Gulf of Maine Area Project website.

Taxonomy of Scalidophora, 13-17 March 2007, Shirahama Japan

A workshop dealing with marine Scalidophora was hosted by Prof. Shirayama in Kyoto University's Seto Marine Biological Laboratory from March 12 to 17, 2007. Twenty three participants from 8 countries (Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Russia, Denmark, Spain and Japan) worked together over the week, listening to (and giving) presentations on a wide variety of Scalidophora research from basic taxonomic terms to the latest thoughts on Scalidophora phylogeny. Practical methods dealing with sampling, preparing, observing and identifying Kinorhyncha, Priapulida and Loricifera were studied before participants started to identify their own specimens under the supervision of Professor Reinhardt Kristensen of the Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen. see Photos.

Gulf of Maine Biodiversity Discovery Corridor Workshop, 28 Feb –
2 Mar 2007, St. Andrews, Canada

A workshop of the Gulf of Maine Biodiversity Discovery Corridor initiative (BDC) took place in St. Andrews, New Brunswick from February 28 to March 2. The event was attended by 50 marine experts from academic and government agencies within Canada and the United States. The workshop provided an opportunity to assess the progress made in the two years since the establishment of this new regional marine science research and outreach initiative, to evaluate work against program objectives and to plan for future activities. The workshop was successful in assembling a network of experts that agreed to cooperate in new marine biodiversity research and exchange of information and resources, fundamental to the future success of this initiative. As keynote dinner speaker, Dr. Robin Rigby informed the group about NaGISA and its complementary nature to the BDC initiative, sharing the objectives of establishing a monitoring program to look at long term change, creating a species inventory, promoting biodiversity research and conservation, and undertaking public outreach. The event resulted in the support of NaGISA protocols as a near-shore component within the BDC and was the springboard to field work undertaken in the summer of 2007 (see NaGISA Protocol Dual Workshop).

Taxonomy of Marine Gastropoda and Polyplacophora, 5-8 Dec 2006, Jakarta Indonesia

The Marine Gastropoda and Polyplacophora workshop was held at Mercure Convention Center Ancol in Jakarta, Indonesia December 5-8, 2006. Over 20 participants from 6 countries (Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia and Japan) learned about Gastropoda and Polyplacophora characteristics, how to identify them and how best to photograph them. Participants identified specimens from their own samples under the supervision of Dr. Hasegawa and Dr. Saito of the National Natural History Museum of Japan. see Photos.

Protocol Workshop, 26-30 June 2006, Mombassa Kenya

Prof. Patricia Miloslavich and Dr. Edward Kimani supervised a joint Protocol Workshop in Mombassa, Kenya. This was the first workshop in this region and so acted not only as a practical introduction but as a steping stone for developing NaGISA activities through out the Indian Ocean Region. see Photos.

Taxonomy of Marine Algae, 26-30 May 2006, Vancouver Canada

The Marine Algae workshop was held in Vancouver, Canada, 26-30 May, 2006. Participants learned how to preserve and identify seaweed, along with a bit of seaweed biogeography and of course NaGISA techniques! see Brochure and Photos.

Protocol Workshop April 27-29 2006, Pisa Italy

Prof. Lisandro Beneditti-Cecchi and Dr. Iacaopo Bertocci supervised a joint Protocol Workshop/ Organizational meeting in Pisa, Italy. Participants from all over the European region were introduced to the NaGISA protocols by Prof. Brenda Konar from the EPac region. see Photos.

NaGISA Protocol Workshop, January 2006, Caracas Venezuela

The South American and Caribbean Regions held a joint Protocol Workshop in Caracas Venezuela. Participants from both regions received hands on experience with picking sites, working through the protocols and dealing with the logistics of running both seagrass and macroalgae NaGISA sampling sites. Dr. Brenda Konar of the University of Alaska Fairbanks supervised the workshop run by Dr. Patricia Miloslavich and Dr. Juan Cruz of the University of Simon Bolivar. see Photos.

Taxonomy of Marine Decapoda and Stomatopoda, September 2005, Lombok Indonesia

The Marine Decapods and Stromatopods workshop was held at Sheraton Senggigi in Lombok, Indonesia September 7-10, 2005. Over 20 participants from 5 countries (Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, and Japan) learned how to collect, fix, identify, and take picture of decapods and stomatopods under the supervision of Dr. Mohammad Kasim Moosa (LIPI, Indonesian Institute of Science). Full NaGISA field sampling was also done as part of the workshop, at a new seagrass site in Kuta, Lombok. see Brochure and Photos.

Taxonomy of Echinodermata, March 2005, Shirahama Japan

Fifteen researchers from Canada, Chili, Cuba, France, Japan, Poland, Philippines, Mexico, Thailand, Vietnam and Venezuela attended a basic training workshop for the taxonomic study and field identification of Echinoderms held in Seto Marine Biological Laboratory, Kyoto University, Shirahama Japan organized by Dr. Tetsuya Kato and supervised by Echinoderm taxonomists Dr. Toshihiko Fujita, Masaki Saba and Tohru Imaoka. see Brochure and Photos.

Marine Amphipods, September 2004, NaTrang Vietnam

Held on the beautiful grounds of the Institute of Oceanography in NaTrang Vietnam the Marine Amphipod workshop coordinated by JSPS and NaGISA and organized locally by Dr Pham Dinh Trong was an great success. Professors Dang Ngoc Thanh (National Centre for Natural Science and Technology of Vietnam Hanoi Vietnam and Manuel Ortiz Touzet (Centro de Investigaciones Marinas, University de La Habana, Cuba) supervised 17 students from 6 countries over 5 days of lectures and practical sessions which included a fruitful field sampling excursion to the local NaGISA seagrass site. see Brochure and Photos.

Marine Fish and Polychaeta, October 2003, Phuket Thailand

With the goal of transferring basic knowledge and the techniques necessary for identifying Marine Fish and Polychaeta JSPS and NaGISA held a joint workshop at Phuket Marine Biological Center, Phuket, Thailand from 27-29 September 2003.

NaGISA took care of the Polychaeta part which was coordinated by Prof. Yoshihisa Shirayama, Seto Marine Biological Laboratory, Kyoto University, Japan and supervised by Dr. Danny Eibye-Jacobson, Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen, Prof Makoto Tsuchiya, Ryukyu University and Dr. Tetsuya Kato, Seto Marine Biological Laboratory, Kyoto University and locally organized by Mr. Somchai Bussarawit, Phuket Marine Biological Center. see Brochure and Photos.

Meiofauna, October 2002, Phuket Thailand

A training course on identification of marine meiofauna was held at the Phuket Marine Biological Center in October 2002. It was co-organized by NaGISA and Global Taxonomic Initiative (GTI). Lots of fun was had by all but most importantly the participants can now (with the help of a microscope) identify meiofauna! see Photos.