Characterization of Marine Communities Associated with Peanut Island Boulder Reefs: An Educational Outreach Project
Abstract
Peanut Island attracts thousands of Florida residents and out of state visitors annually to enjoy the beaches and snorkel the nearshore marine habitat. The island was created from spoil dredged during the creation of Lake Worth Inlet. The periphery of the island was designated as a county park and includes a manmade boulder reef easily accessible from shore. Few resources are available for visitors to identify the various marine creatures. Surveys using Go Pro camera videos and photos were conducted monthly during high tide between August and November 2022. The data was used to identify and enumerate the fishes and invertebrates associated with nine boulder patch reefs in shallow water (~1-2m depth). Total abundance was categorized into four groups: abundant (100+), common (50-100), occasional (25-50), and rare (<25). The two goals for this research were to create an inventory of organisms associated with the boulder reef and increase the public’s environmental awareness and understanding of the local marine environment. This will be accomplished by creating a brochure and poster for the parks naturalists to use. They will contain a QR code that can be accessed by phone and will provide pictures to help identify the various fishes and invertebrates which frequent this area. Additionally, information on the ecology of these organisms will be provided. This project is ongoing and we plan on continuing surveys from February to April 2023, with plans to make seasonal comparisons to the previously collected date from the fall term.
Faculty Sponsors
Dr. Paul Arena
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
4-5-2023 12:00 PM
End Date
4-6-2023 4:00 PM
Characterization of Marine Communities Associated with Peanut Island Boulder Reefs: An Educational Outreach Project
Alvin Sherman Library
Peanut Island attracts thousands of Florida residents and out of state visitors annually to enjoy the beaches and snorkel the nearshore marine habitat. The island was created from spoil dredged during the creation of Lake Worth Inlet. The periphery of the island was designated as a county park and includes a manmade boulder reef easily accessible from shore. Few resources are available for visitors to identify the various marine creatures. Surveys using Go Pro camera videos and photos were conducted monthly during high tide between August and November 2022. The data was used to identify and enumerate the fishes and invertebrates associated with nine boulder patch reefs in shallow water (~1-2m depth). Total abundance was categorized into four groups: abundant (100+), common (50-100), occasional (25-50), and rare (<25). The two goals for this research were to create an inventory of organisms associated with the boulder reef and increase the public’s environmental awareness and understanding of the local marine environment. This will be accomplished by creating a brochure and poster for the parks naturalists to use. They will contain a QR code that can be accessed by phone and will provide pictures to help identify the various fishes and invertebrates which frequent this area. Additionally, information on the ecology of these organisms will be provided. This project is ongoing and we plan on continuing surveys from February to April 2023, with plans to make seasonal comparisons to the previously collected date from the fall term.
