Investigating underwater meadows

In late February 2023, the BES-Net team from Trinidad and Tobago (TT), working with principal researcher, Dr. Kelly Kingon, provided an opportunity to members of the public to learn about the field techniques used in the project’s research on seagrasses.  

Through these half-day workshop exercises – one in Tobago and one in Trinidad – those who took up the invitation were briefed on the focus of the research, which involves documenting the flowering patterns of seagrasses in the Bon Accord lagoon in southwest Tobago and Williams Bay in northwest Trinidad.  Further, Dr. Kingon described and demonstrated the field sampling apparatus which is used to take samples of benthic fauna which may play a role in the pollination of the seagrass species found at these sites.  

Participants went into the water at the bays and did some snorkeling and also brought up catch in a seine net to take a closer look at the organisms found there. The participants, who came with diverse interests, were also excited about the exercise and indicated their desire to visit again and learn more about the progress of the research. The research activity ends in July 2023.