GVI Seychelles Marine Expedition Achievement Report

Report Title GVI Seychelles Completes Coral & Fish Surveys for 2013 Summary In 2013, 136 volunteers were trained in coral reef survey techniques on the GVI Seychelles Marine Expedition and contributed to the completion of the ninth year of data collection by GVI. Surveys were completed at 24 survey sites across the north-west Mah coastline. Report GVI Seychelles completed another years worth of coral, fish and invertebrate survey data to contribute to their long term research project. GVI has been compiling data on coral reef recovery since 2004 on behalf of the Seychelles National Parks Authority (SNPA). This completes the ninth year of data collection by GVI here in Seychelles and the thirteenth year that data has been collected for this study. All data collected by volunteers goes directly to SNPA and the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) to evaluate the health and recovery of the reefs after the coral bleaching event in 1998. Data on commercial fish and invertebrate population is used by SFA to monitor the abundance of commercial fish. The surveys we do are all aimed towards assessing the status of the reefs in our area in order to track their recovery and to allow comparison to other reefs across the world and are incorporated in the CORDIO report, which looks at the health of the Indian Ocean and is published every four years. Such long-term, continuous data is extremely valuable and rare, especially for coral reefs as they are slow growing organisms and any changes will be seen over years, not months.

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In 2013, GVI Seychelles trained 136 volunteers to complete fish, coral and invertebrate surveys at 24 survey sites across the north-west Mah coastline. Within the 12 months fish and invertebrates are surveyed continuously at all survey sites in set time periods. Line Intercept Transects and Coral Diversity transects are undertaken from January to June to evaluate coral coverage and site diversity, and Coral Recruitment quadrats are used from June to December to survey newly recruited colonies and gain a picture of site recovery.

During January to June 2013, substrate composition, commercial and reef fish species density and mobile invertebrate density were recorded. For substrate composition surveys 23 survey sites were successfully completed, for fish density 22 survey sites were completed out a possible 24 survey sites across the north-west Mah coastline. Bad weather conditions didnt allow for a full composite of sites to be completed. Within each site all stationary point counts, fish belts and LIT transects were completed. In addition 50m coral diversity transects (excluding 2 core sites) and 50m invertebrate belt transects were surveyed (excluding 3 core sites. This created a total of 176 SPCs, 88 fish belts (49,093m), 138 LIT transects, 44 coral diversity transects (12,380m), 138 invertebrate transects and 42 invertebrate density belts (13,260m) across the completed sites. From June to December 2013 the focus was on surveying commercial and reef fish species as well as hard coral coverage at all 24 survey sites around North-West Mah. We are currently processing the data collected during this time to publish in our Formal Phase Report in early 2014. In addition to the fish, coral and invertebrate surveys, GVI also documents the presence or absence of turtles on every dive throughout the year, conducts in-water turtle behaviour survey dives and turtle nesting surveys on behalf of project partner, Marine Conservation Society Seychelles (MCSS). Seychelles is one of the only places in the world where Hawksbill turtles come ashore to nest during the day, creating rare encounters for anyone visiting Seychelles during the nesting season.

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Our volunteers were lucky enough to witness one such turtle on a nearby beach in early December. Though our neighbours at GVI on Curieuse get to see turtles laying eggs daily during the nesting season, our marine volunteers rarely see the turtles out of the water, so this was a very special viewing.

In addition to the turtle work, GVI reports incidental sightings of cetaceans and whale sharks and undertakes weekly plankton sampling to aid with year round monitoring of plankton levels in conjunction with the arrival of whale sharks to Mah Island. Volunteers were fortunate enough to dive with a whale shark in November and documented the sighting of the 5 meter male for MCSS. According to MCSS, this whale shark was the 22nd of the season and a new shark to Seychelles that had not been spotted before.

2013 was a very successful year for our Seychelles Marine Expedition. We are looking forward to celebrating our 10th year in Seychelles in 2014 and contributing another years worth of valuable data monitoring the coral reefs here in Seychelles.

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