Green Pages

Queen Conch and the Graveyard Hypothesis By Emma Boling, Sofia Gonzalez, David Marsh, and Emma Pranger, Spring 2025 students ~ Edited by C.E. O’Brien, Associate Professor of Tropical Marine Ecology and Dani Backman, Waterfront Assistant, The School for Field Studies, Center for Marine Resource Studies, South Caicos ~ Special thanks to Fall 2024 Grave Conch-erns research team: Zachary ...

TCI is home to the spineless ancestor of all creatures with a spine. By Dr. Eric S. Cole Sometimes scientists get it so right it’s almost magical. In 1999 Neil Shubin and a small team of paleontologists began flying to the furthest north stretch of land above the Arctic Circle, Ellesmere Island, to excavate an exposed bit ...

Mutant ninja pupfish. By Dr. Eric S. Cole Most residents and visitors to the Turks & Caicos Islands are naturally drawn to their magnificent beaches and open waters. A few rare and restless souls explore the more remote—and perhaps less inviting— inland marine ponds. These “Anchialine” ponds are unique in that they provide refuge and habitat to ...

Marine research for our changing climate. By Danielle Backman, Waterfront and Program Assistant ~ Edited by Yuqian Zhang, Ph.D., Resident Lecturer in Marine Conservation Governance, The School for Field Studies, Center for Marine Resource Studies, South Caicos For over 40 years, The School for Field Studies (SFS) has been transforming lives by inspiring students to become global ...

The oddly shaped boxfish. By Lydia A. Harris ~ Edited by C.E. O’Brien, Ph.D., The School for Field Studies, Center for Marine Resource Studies, South Caicos Ask someone to draw a fish, and you can probably guess the basic shape they will draw:  a horizontal oval with a triangle on one end for a tail. Easy enough, ...

Eels of the Turks & Caicos Islands Story & Photos By C.E. O’Brien, Associate Professor of Tropical Marine Ecology, The School for Field Studies, Center for Marine Resource Studies Eels are members of the order Anguilliformes, a group of mostly marine fishes characterized by their elongated bodies without scales. They also lack the pelvic and (usually) the pectoral ...

Gauging sustainable spiny lobster fisheries. Story & Photos By Marta Calosso & John Claydon, Founders & Directors, FisherFolkFirst The majority of commercial fishers in the Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI) are free-divers, and their fishing techniques have remained largely unchanged for almost 50 years. This fact should be celebrated as a testament to the quality of the ...

Part 2:  Menagerie a trois Story & Photos By Eric S. Cole, Biology Department, St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota The life cycle of a jellyfish, and in particular the upside-down jellyfish (Cassiopea) involves something called alternation of generations, going between a swimming form, (the “medusa” that most of us recognize as a jellyfish), and a tiny anchored ...

Keeping Turks & Caicos “Beautiful By Nature” through storytelling and art. By Teresa Tomassoni, Amy Avenant and Katharine Hart Art and storytelling are powerful tools our ancestors have used from the beginning of time to preserve cultural heritage, pass on generations of wisdom about nature and advocate for her protection. They are tools that help us humans ...

Developing ocean stewardship and sustainable livelihoods for fisherfolk. Story & Photos By Marta Calosso & John Claydon, Founders & Directors, FisherFolkFirst The Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) is the most important fishery in the Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI). It also has the potential to be one of the most sustainable fisheries in the world. Almost all ...

Part 1:  The Medusa Worm (Synaptula hydriformis) Story & Photos By Eric S. Cole, Biology Department, St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota Trigger warning: this creature’s habits are so foreign, they may offend the senses. One of the most marvelous life-forms I’ve encountered in both The Bahamas and Turks & Caicos islands is a tiny sea cucumber named Synaptula ...

Getting the edge on seagrass meadows. By Natalie Ritter (The School for Field Studies), Violet Apodaca (Bowdoin College), Kira Kaplan (Smith College), Lily Marynik (Wellesley College), Sophie Moniz (Connecticut College), Rory O’Connor (Lehigh University), Paul Stanley (University of Massachusetts Amherst) and Aliya Swearngin (Grinnell College) Edited by Dr. C.E. O’Brien, The School for Fields Studies, Center for ...

Our “feathered friends” are an important indicator of environmental health. Story & Photos By Dolly Prosper, DECR Environmental Officer: Terrestrial Ecologist Humans have always been fascinated with our avian neighbours. Throughout history, the relationship between humans and birds has been multifaceted, encompassing utility, symbolism, and mutual benefit. The genesis of our intricate bond was due to caloric ...

Restoring TCI reefs. By Kort Alexander and Kara Rumage, The School for Field Studies Center for Marine Resource Studies, South Caicos We sit on the siderails of the boat in anticipation, hands holding our masks and regulators in place. The captain counts down from three and we lean back until our tanks hit the water. We are instantly ...

New Natural Capital Investment Plan to launch this summer. By Andy Tetlow, International Biodiversity Officer, Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) The environmental landscape of the Turks & Caicos Islands plays a vital role in the country’s tourism-focused economy, providing “ecosystem services” that have a significant impact on communities across TCI.  What are ecosystem services, you may ask? This ...