The Island School is piloting a program to explore new technology that could help maintain spiny lobster stocks while the fishery remains in a healthy, sustainable state, researcher at the school Dr. Nick Higgs said yesterday.
Higgs explained that the research will help The Island School understand how to "get more from our oceans" while leaving them in a better state than when we encountered them.
"How do we get more from our oceans without impacting what its already providing us? We innovate, we use new technology, so that's what we want to do here, look at how can we maximize productivity," said Higgs.
"How can we get to new markets, maybe produce in different ways, not only to just produce a product, but to help restore the
ecosystems so that they're better than the ones we found?
"And the same is true for our corals. How do we get ecosystems into a better state than the way that we found them? That's really how we maximize what we get from the oceans, but also that holds true for the rest of our environment," he added.
Higgs gave a tour of the lobster tanks to a delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs and a delegation from the US Embassy, which included US permanent representative to the United Nations agencies in Rome, Ambassador Cindy McCain.
The Island School began the program one year ago, according to Higgs, and the school's tank house juvenile lobsters ranging in size from an adult palm to an adult fingertip.
Higgs said United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) funding has helped to move the program along.
Spiny lobster is one of The Bahamas' largest exports. The school also produces tilapia, which is consumed on campus.
Higgs explained that while the campus does not yet produce enough for a commercial-scale operation, it has exported its knowledge to assist operations around the country.
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