Young Marine Explorers (YME), a Bahamian marine conservation organization based on New Providence, is working with Coastal Ecology Lab at the University of Miami to document the impact of Hurricane Matthew on coastal and marine resources.
The Waitt Foundation, an international organization with the mission to protect and restore ocean health is funding a six-month project in which YME students will study the impact that Hurricane Matthew has had on the shorelines and coral reefs of New Providence.
This project sets the foundation for future studies on Exuma, Grand Bahama and North Andros. Hurricane Matthew, which came up from the south to the north of the country, had an unprecedented impact on the people and communities of the four islands. YME teams will look at the loss of natural capital, such as fish populations, spiny lobster and mangroves that protect the coast from hurricane waves and winds to determine what the potential long-term changes might be to mangroves, beaches and coral reefs.
The passing of a second major hurricane in two years prompted YME founder and CEO Nikita Shiel-Rolle to take the YME youth programs in a new direction.
"This hurricane has changed everything. We will be talking about the before and after of this storm for decades to come. This storm will change not only how we live on the island, but will increase our need to understand what changes have occurred just off our shores," said Shiel-Rolle, a conservation biologist.
"This will be the first study of its kind in The Bahamas to actively engage high school students in applied conservation science that will document the natural resource cost of a major storm event."
Bahamians are naturally resilient to hurricanes and tropical storms, but after Hurricane Matthew many people are only just now beginning to see the enormous scale of the growing costs of recovery. The indirect costs of hurricanes emerge slowly after the storm and include lost wages, long-term effects on health and the loss of natural resources. We can easily see the trees and vegetation stripped away on land, but it is much harder to know what the immediate and long-term impacts will be on ocean resources and what this will mean for our economy and wellbeing.
Shiel-Rolle said hurricanes and storms in the past, such as Tropical Storm Noel, moved sediment and pollutants into near shore waters, resulting in the die-off of sea-grasses and sponges. On Long Island, she said the passing of the tropical storm in 2007 resulted in a coastal "dead zone" (result of an algal bloom that consumes all the oxygen in the water thus killing all other living organisms in that area) that impacted the livelihood of fishermen throughout the island.
The size and scope of Hurricane Matthew passing through the entire country, she said, presents a unique opportunity to look along the hurricane path from south to north at the damage to a large portion of the marine environment.
"Hurricanes and tropical storms are strengthened by unusually warm ocean waters. With sea level rise and global warming trends, The Bahamas may be facing an increasingly large number of severe storm events in the future," said Shiel-Rolle. "Young people who have the opportunity to learn about hurricane impacts on their shorelines now will be able to incorporate this information in the future for their personal safety and protection. The new YME Hurricane Matthew initiative can provide valuable training and exposure for high school students on four islands, by emphasizing the importance our natural resources play in supporting our way of life."
The YME Hurricane Matthew initiative will have four components: YME will work with students to document hurricane impacts in their neighborhoods, and encourage students to share their hurricane experiences across islands; students will work with mentors to carry out coastal assessments in key locations around the country to document coastal erosion, loss of vegetation, flooding and destruction of homes and buildings; students will learn about water quality and land-based sources of pollution to coastal water; and students will learn about mapping hurricane impacts along the coast and in the water.
YME has been offering marine conservation programs for the past 10 years but has redesigned this year's curriculum to enable students to work alongside Shiel-Rolle and Coastal Ecology Professor Kathleen Sullivan-Sealey.
"As a nation we have just experienced a massive hurricane that has drastically impacted our lives. I believe as Bahamians we need to be proactive if we are to ensure that we are prepared for future natural disasters, which could also have major effects on our coastal and marine environments. I am very happy that YME has the ability to mobilize and engage so many youth in a research project that will positively influence our response to hurricanes in the future," said Shiel-Rolle.
The project will lay the foundation for a long-term monitoring program that will be managed by YME. The data collected by members will produce valuable information that can be used by both governmental and non-governmental agencies. The usual YME curriculum engages students in marine leadership education classes hosted after school and on Saturdays. For more information about YME visit www.ymebahamas.org.

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