Recent News
Dolphin causes a stir at Somerset Long BayTuesday, August 13, 2013
A dolphin that was spotted yesterday at Somerset Long Bay may have been stranded. US marine mammal biologist Trevor Spradlin said the situation was similar to what he’s seen in the US, where dolphins have recently been found along the coast of Virginia up to New York.
Venti Anni takes off in Tour de Turtles race
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Crowds gathered at Clearwater Beach this morning when Venti Anni, a juvenile green sea turtle, was released as a part of the Tour de Turtles Race on the Rock.
Officials respond, dolphin very close to shore
Monday, August 12, 2013
A lone dolphin was spotted very close to shore in the West End today [Aug 12], and the Marine Police were called to the scene after receiving reports of what appeared to be a distressed marine mammal at Somerset Long Bay.
Longtail chicks might not be abandoned, but beware just in case
Friday, August 09, 2013
The Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo (BAMZ) is calling for the public to look out for stranded Longtail chicks as the birds prepare for their first flights.
Going to be on the water this Cup Match? Spare a moment of thought for the Island's turtles
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Boating season is underway and local conservationists are urging the public to think green this Cup Match weekend — green sea turtles, that is.
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Latest News
All the latest updates and news from the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo, one of Bermuda's leading visitor attractions!
By Cooper Stevenson
Published Jul 1, 2014 at 8:00 am
A Black Grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci) at Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo. Photo Mark Tatem.
Anecdotal reports on the numbers of predatory reef fish following the weekend’s Reef Watch survey are “not good”, according to Bermuda Zoological Society chief scientist Thad Murdoch.
While Dr Murdoch and the Reef Watch teams still have to analyse the data collected over the weekend, he said a lack of predatory fish on the reefs was not a good sign for predatory fish populations, which play a key role in keeping other fish species in-check.
“Certainly this year and last year people saw much fewer predatory fish than one would expect, based on what a healthy reef should have,” said Dr Murdoch.
“We still have to process this year’s data, but people were mentioning how they hadn’t seen one snapper or one grouper on a whole reef. That’s not good. People should be seeing 40 or 50 snappers and grouper on a reef.”
Around 20 boats carrying volunteer “citizen scientists” this weekend ventured out onto Bermuda’s reefs as part of the annual survey, raising more than $24,000.
Reef Watch — a community environmental monitoring and fundraising project run by Bermuda Zoological Society — aims to advance local knowledge on the health and abundance of critical species of fish and coral in Bermuda.
“What we’re doing is getting people to learn how to identify what a healthy reef looks like and we teach them what types of fish should be on a reef and what kind of abundances they should be seeing, so when they go out to a reef they can tell whether the reef is really healthy or if its not in good shape,” said Dr Murdoch.
However, Dr Murdoch said that reports on reef health were positive. “It sounded like coral health was good. Last year [Reef Watch] was right after a very hot summer, so coral bleaching was a threat and people did actually see it. This year, because it’s the beginning of summer, we didn’t expect people to see bleaching and from what I heard, I don’t think people did.”
In addition to collecting critical data on reef health and fish populations, participants also raised $24,573 in funds for the ongoing protection and conservation of Bermuda’s coral reefs, more than $3,000 compared to Reef Watch 2013.