LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

Lonnie Kaczmarsky, Executive Director

May 2003 -

Dear Aquarium Friends,

As you may already know, I’m in the Philippines working at the Silliman University Marine Lab from Nov. 1, 2002 until October 2003 as a result of my Fulbright Research Scholar Award. 

To give you an idea of what I'm working on here, the following is a summary:

There is plenty of coral reef here but I've come to learn that the southeast coast of Negros Island has quite a bit of wave energy during much of the year. I've been in the water doing field work most every day, and it's pretty physically exhausting. There have been few days giving me comfortable work conditions but I have been going in anyway while the local researchers at the lab look at me from land, shaking their heads.

A close-up of an endangered Philippine tarsier in the wild. Sonia and I spotted this one in a tarsier sanctuary surrounded by miles of fencing to keep out their chief predator - domestic house cats. They are the most primitive of primates.

My plan was to assess 15 to 20 sites for coral disease along a perceived pollution gradient spanning 20 km of coast from Dumaguete (the town we live in and the provincial capital). It has the largest population concentration in southern Negros and lots of raw sewage pouring out from it. Zero sewage treatment here! Doing six transects per site and tagging several hundred diseased corals for time-series monitoring with strong currents and surging waves has been slow-going, but I'm almost done. Other parts of the central Philippines have more sheltered conditions and so I've been surveying for disease in a number of other locations as well.

So far I've discovered a new syndrome plaguing the reefs here. Seen and identified in Hawaii as coral neoplasia (cancer), it hadn't been reported in the Philippines before and from what I've quantified so far it is quite severe. I have set up two dozen experimental aquaria for transfection experiments to see if the neoplasia may be associated with a pathogen and transmissible. I've sent a couple batches of tissue samples back to labs at the University of South Carolina for isolation and sequencing. While in a marine reserve on the small nearby island of Balicassag I discovered and quantified another first for the Philippines: a coral-killing sponge covering 63% of what was once dense coral reef. I've also been asked by the World Bank coral disease group to assist in conducting coral disease surveys in several other areas in the central and northern Philippines while I'm here. I've had to learn a lot of new coral taxonomy, as there are over 400 species of hard coral here compared to about 40 in the Caribbean!

Here I am about to plant a mangrove propagule in the St. Paul National Park on Palawan Island here in the Philippines (perhaps we can start a similar program once the aquarium is relocated).

Reviewing my data I've noticed some patterns and inevitably have come up with some hypotheses I want to examine. I needed to expand my survey range so I've been traveling quite a bit, by crowded little truck and motorcycle taxis and small outrigger boats. I must be quite a sight, as people are always staring (with friendly smiles), kids always crowd around, and sometimes I'm offered drinks and food!

I'm really enjoying the diving. The coral reefs, despite some areas showing signs of dynamite and cyanide fishing, are fantastically diverse and in the many marine reserves the fish are still abundant, big and varied. Even though I love St. Croix's reefs, I would highly recommend any diving/snorkeling enthusiast to visit here. Except for the airfare, everything is incredibly inexpensive here.

Recently, I've been invited by professors at the University of South Carolina and Florida International University to work with them on my PhD studying coral disease in St. Croix and the Philippines, and I've applied for a spring 2004 start date. I'm hopeful we will get the lease agreement for the Aquarium from the V.I. government so we can begin our campaign for capital soon. Sonia and I will be back on St. Croix this fall for a visit. Hope to see you then.

We sent a few pictures to let you know that Sonia and I are doing fine. People have been worried about us being here, with news of bombs in the Philippines but that is in the southern island of Mindanao where they've had problems for a hundred years. Our island and nearby islands are safe. Everyone we meet loves Americans and always are very friendly and helpful, it's really amazing how nice people are here.

Sonia (Lonnie’s wife) at the basket market on the nearby island of Bohol up in the mountains.

Hope all is well, it looks like spring is finally arriving there!

Take care,
Lonnie Kaczmarsky and Sonia Kulyk

Read Lonnie’s previous letter.

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