CEA hosted a fish, lobster and coral recruitment monitoring workshop November 29–December 4, an activity of the new Targeted Research project, funded by the Global Environment Facility. The workshop brought together 24 Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System scientists, from México, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras, to learn how to plan powerful monitoring programs in their areas to measure recruitment to reefs that will be comparable regionally.

The workshop was conducted by Dr. Peter Sale from the University of Windsor, Canada. Dr. Sale was assisted by Dr. Ernesto Arias from CINVESTAV, Mérida, Yucatán; Dr. Robert Steneck, University of Maine; Dr. Bret Danilowicz, Georgia Southern University; Dr. Mark Butler IV, Old Dominion University; Dr. Kenyon Lindeman, Environmental Defense; and Paolo Usseglio, M.Sc., University of Windsor. Each taught a section of the workshop.

In addition to structuring a common protocol, a strong message was imparted that the scientists need to share their data and to help their communities and others protect the coral reef environment and their inhabitants through the use of good research data.

This workshop is the second held by the Connectivity Working Group, one of six components of the Targeted Research project. The Coral Disease Working Group, chaired by Dr. Drew Harvell, Cornell University, is another component that has met to conduct their coral disease studies on Akumal reefs.