Published On:Saturday, October 30, 2010
FRIENDS of the Environment has partnered with Dr Craig Layman and his research team from Florida International University to restore a vital tidal creek and wetland area in Abaco.
Broad Creek, located just south of Marsh Harbour near Camp Abaco has been blocked for more than 30 years after a road was constructed to build the camp.
DONE AND DUSTED: Central Abaco Primary students pictured after a field trip. Friends of the Environment has partnered with Dr Craig Layman and his research team from Florida International University to restore a vital tidal creek and wetland area in Abaco.
The restoration project entailed removing a small area of the road, installing culverts to allow water flow under the traffic, and then reforming the road. The team then had to selectively remove mangroves that had encroached into the channel after road construction had taken place.
Kristin Williams, executive director Friends of the Environment, said: "Tidal creeks and mangrove wetlands are among the most important habitats in the Bahamas because of the important role they play as nurseries for juvenile and adult fishes and invertebrates. "For example, these areas provide a safe home for juvenile Nassau Grouper and crawfish before these individuals move to deeper waters as adults. "Unfortunately, human impacts are responsible for significant wetland degradation across the country, including direct removal, dredging and pollution.
"But perhaps the most common problem in the Bahamas is fragmentation - the result of some obstruction, typically a road, that blocks the flow of water from the ocean into the wetland. Without this flow of water, sediment builds up and the water becomes extremely hot, salty, and depleted of oxygen, creating a harsh place for animals to live.
"Fragmentation results in drastic changes to the environment and the loss of critical fish nurseries."
Within the first 24 hours of the culvert installation, several snappers and barracuda had already begun to use the previously blocked area.
Dr Layman said: "Within just a couple of years, the successful restoration could lead to significantly increased production of snapper, including marked increases of adult snapper on nearby reefs."
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