Bahamas non-profit dives boldly into the future, trailblazing fight against Caribbean coral crisis
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Perry Institute for Marine Science (PIMS) celebrated its 50-year milestone anniversary on December 10, bringing together a mix of local and international stakeholders, partners and friends to commemorate its longstanding legacy of ocean conservation and scientific discovery in The Bahamas.
Despite being initially postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the celebration drew a crowd of esteemed dignitaries, including former Attorney General of The Bahamas John Delaney; British High Commissioner to The Bahamas Sarah Dickson; Chargé d’ Affaires of the Embassy of Brazil Mari Carmen Rial Gerpe; and Richard Wesch, economic and commercial officer at the US Embassy.
In celebration of its 50th Anniversary, PIMS announced that in 2022 it will provide scholarships for Bahamian youth to attend Windsor School’s Marine Academy. The prestigious high school program ignites students’ passions for healthy oceans locally by providing comprehensive training in marine biology through cutting-edge research, lab work and field excursions.
Expanding on PIMS’ work locally, the organization’s senior scientist, Dr Krista Sherman, remarked at the event: “Our dedicated staff are working to tackle the devastating impacts of climate change on coral reefs; illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing of our economically valuable fishery resources; and the unsustainable coastal development and pollution that threaten nearshore ecosystems and communities.
“Today, we are urgently working to address the ravaging impacts of stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD)…a disease that rapidly kills hard corals at a rate of up to 50 meters (55 yards) per day.”
Sherman was the first woman in The Bahamas to receive her doctorate degree in marine biology. Prior to joining PIMS, she worked for the Bahamas National Trust, Cape Eleuthera Institute and the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort Aquarium.
The Perry Institute documented the first case of SCTLD in The Bahamas and was instrumental to the establishment of the Bahamas SCTLD Task Force in partnership with government and other NGOs.
The water-borne disease has spread to at least six different islands over the last two years. A renowned coral reef expert, PIMS executive director and tropical marine ecologist Dr Craig Dahlgren underscored the disease’s impact to the Bahamian tourist economy.
“For coral ecosystems, stony coral tissue loss disease is as contagious as COVID and as deadly as Ebola to humans,” he said.
“Sadly, this is not an overstatement. Climate change and SCTLD are a one-two punch that will put an end to coral reefs in The Bahamas as we know them unless we act now.”
Addressing the fact that Bahamian government policy halted most scientific research throughout 2021, Dahlgren concluded: “We are eager to work with the government to rapidly understand and, in fact, treat this disease in The Bahamas… We must act now.”
On the frontlines of the coral crisis, PIMS also manages the largest network of coral nurseries used for restoration in The Bahamas, spanning 12 different islands and growing more than 7,000 critically endangered corals.
Due to PIMS’ institutional credibility, the US government has supported its Bahamas science for the last half-century.
