High mercury (Hg) concentrations in seafood present a major global public health concern, especially in regions heavily dependent upon seafood like the Caribbean. Tissues from predatory fishes and other high trophic-level marine organisms such as odontocetes (toothed whales and dolphins) are often elevated in mercury, owing to biomagnification. We investigated whether salting reduces the total mercury (THg) concentration in muscle tissue from odontocetes (“blackfish”) taken for human consumption in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Muscle from 21 odontocetes was coated in table salt or sea salt and dried for one, three, or seven days, after which the THg concentration in each sample was determined and compared to the THg concentration in the corresponding unsalted control. Every salted sample had a lower THg concentration than the unsalted control (mean decrease = 29.4%). There was no difference in the effectiveness of table salt versus sea salt at reducing the THg concentration. Our results show that, while salting successfully removed Hg, only 11% of samples had a methylmercury (MeHg) concentration below the World Health Organization's 1.0 µg/g wet weight advisory level, indicating that consuming odontocete muscle still poses a risk to human health—though that risk may be reduced by the application of salt during drying. The method that we present here may also be applicable to tissues from other marine species with lower initial THg concentrations and may be effective at rendering those tissues safer for human consumption.

International expenditures for scientific research are important for small island developing nations, especially for those local communities that directly support research activities. We used the Abaco Islands, The Bahamas, as a case study to quantify the direct monetary inputs to a local economy via internationally funded scientific research. We found that over two years the external monetary influx was $995,310, via 24 research teams, spent across diverse business sectors on Abaco Island. A direct survey approach ensured this was a conservative estimate, leaving out numerous indirect economic impacts, thereby suggesting the actual monetary infusion was significantly higher. The highest expenditures were for services (e.g., local salaries and boat guides), lodging, food/drink, and major equipment (e.g., vehicles). While we do not have data from research teams working on other islands, significant research expenditures are made elsewhere in The Bahamas, including through government-sponsored efforts, environmentally-focused non-governmental organizations, and research centers. In addition to the research-based contributions that give rise to conservation and management decision-making, scientific activity brings benefits through the injection of money into local island economies. This relationship warrants study at larger regional scales, including across The Bahamas archipelago.

Sicydium sp., commonly known as gobies, are migratory freshwater fish that spend most of their life cycle in rivers, but when the larvae emerge they drift downstream to the sea where further development of juveniles occurs. Although Sicydium sp. are abundant in Jamaican rivers, little is known about the ecology of these species on the island and throughout the Caribbean. This study examines aspects of the ecology and biology of Sicydium populations in Jamaica. Fish sampling was carried out using dip nets and bottom kick nets at sites along the south coast in the Yallahs River, and along the north coast in the Swift River. A total of 850 gobies were captured, measured, and weighed. The values of the allometry coefficient or growth pattern (b) in the length weight relationships (LWR) were significantly different among males, females, and juveniles (p < 0.05). The growth pattern derived from LWR's was positive for females, males, and juveniles in the Yallahs River, and positive for females and juveniles but negative for males in the Swift River. The mean Fulton's condition factor (K) indicates that fish populations in both rivers are healthy and in good condition. These results augment the body of knowledge on Sicydium gobies in Jamaica.

The Diamondback Squid Thysanoteuthis rhombus is a globally distributed deep-sea species, one of only a few oegopsid nektonic cephalopods in which planktonic egg masses are well known. Here, we report three new T. rhombus egg masses found in the Bay Islands, Honduras, in 2020. Using the egg trace method, these egg masses provide one of the first indications that T. rhombus adults occur and spawn, and that their eggs hatch, in the Western Caribbean Sea. The first egg mass was 215 cm long and was stranded on an intertidal seagrass bed on Utila Island, from which we estimated 78,758 eggs. Two additional egg masses were photographed underwater: one in a scuba diving area near Utila Island, and one from the neighbouring Bay Island of Roatan. We reviewed possibilities that this squid could provide an alternative commercially valuable fishing and touristic resource for the Bay Islands. As part of our investigation, we conducted a comprehensive literature review plus an online search of citizen science, to provide an accurate count of egg mass observations to date, which resulted in a reference table of 108 T. rhombus egg masses known worldwide.

In botanical research, vascular plants tend to overshadow their counterparts, the bryophytes. This trend can be observed in the Virgin Islands, with roughly 1,200 tracheophytes identified in the region and no official count of bryophytes on record. In this study, we documented the diversity and distribution of the bryophyte species of the Virgin Islands (British, United States, and Puerto Rico) using historical data from collections available through online herbaria. We also documented which islands had the most species recorded, as well as which species and families were the most abundant. Linear regression tests were used to explore what factors may have a strong influence on the total number of species on a particular island, such as elevation, average annual rainfall, and land area. Lastly, we investigated the possibility of collection biases between the study sites by comparing the number of collections to the number of species recorded for each island. Overall, we found 115 species of bryophytes that belong to 28 families: 83 mosses, 30 liverworts, 2 hornworts. A positive correlation was found between the total number of species and the elevation of the island, but no correlation was found for land area and annual rainfall. With 55% of the collections being recorded there, St. Thomas was the island with the most collections. The results of this study will help broaden what is known about the bryophyte species of this region and can potentially open doors for more modern botanical expeditions.

The small Indian mongoose (Urva auropunctata) is a non-native invasive species across the Caribbean and a rabies reservoir on at least four islands in the region. Although previous studies reported mongoose density estimates in their non-native range, the variability in trapping designs, study seasonality, and analytical methods among studies precludes direct comparisons. This study is the first to report mongoose densities for the island of St. Kitts, West Indies. Our objective was to quantify mongoose densities across four habitats characteristic for the island. High capture and recapture rates in this study resulted in detailed estimates of spatial heterogeneity in mongoose densities, ranging from 0.53 (CI95: 0.46–0.61) mongooses/ha in suburban habitat to 5.85 (CI95: 4.42–7.76) mongooses/ha in nearby dry forest. Estimates were robust to the estimation method used (correlation among methods, r > 0.9). Female-biased sex ratios estimated from fall season versus mostly unbiased sex ratios estimated from summer season suggests seasonality in capture success resulting from differences in sex-specific activity patterns of mongooses. We found no effect of habitat characteristics, at the scale of trap placements, associated with mongoose capture success.

Information about the taxonomy and ecology of polychaetes from Caribbean Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems (MCEs) is limited. To fill this information void, substrata samples were collected using technical diving from several mesophotic localities (between 40–91 m depth) in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands between 2007 and 2012. A total of 76 genera, distributed among 34 families, were identified. All genera have previously been reported from the Caribbean and from other marine ecoregions. Syllidae was the best-represented family across all sampled localities with the largest number of genera (15) and the highest number of individuals (5,755, or 80.85% of the total records). Haplosyllis was the most abundant and most frequently sampled genus in the sampled sites. Bajo de Sico, a mesophotic coral ecosystem (MCE) off the west coast of Puerto Rico, was the location with the highest abundances (1,183 worms), while the MCE of the extended insular shelf off La Parguera Natural Reserve on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico had the highest number of genera (59), perhaps related to higher sampling effort and its greater spatial heterogeneity. In our qualitative samples, the abundances and number of Polychaeta genera tended to be higher in the shallower sites (<60 m) than in the deeper ones (>60 m).

Snakes of the genus Geophis are a typical Mesoamerican faunal element, where the Common Earth snake (Geophis hoffmanni) is one of the more widely distributed species. It is found in Costa Rica on the Atlantic lowlands, Pacific central and southwestern lowlands, the Central Valley, and slopes of the cordilleras up to 1200 m a.s.l. On July 2, 2021 we encountered a juvenile Common Earth snake in a semi-urban area in La Unión, Guápiles, Limón, Costa Rica. This species has a uniform dark gray to black dorsum and a white venter, but all scales of the young snake we found were pinkish, without any contrasting section of the body, but with clearly defined head shields. Based on the coloration of our individual, its pink eyes, and not having more evidence of the causes of the anomaly, we determined it as albinism. Several albino dipsadid snakes have been reported from South America, here we add Geophis hoffmanni to this list. Although this species is nocturnal, recent analysis have noted that correlates of ecological attributes of snakes and major color aberrations are not clearly established. Even though Geophis hoffmanni is a common species with a wide distribution, this is the first report of a chromatic disorder in this species. These anomalies are rare in nature and reporting their occurrence increases the knowledge of the natural history of species.

Las serpientes del género Geophis son un elemento faunístico típico de Mesoamérica, donde la culebra de tierra común (Geophis hoffmanni) es una de las especies más ampliamente distribuidas. En Costa Rica se encuentra en las tierras bajas del Atlántico, las tierras bajas del centro y suroeste del Pacífico, el Valle Central y las laderas de las cordilleras hasta los 1200 m s.n.m. El 2 de julio de 2021 encontramos una culebra de tierra común juvenil en una zona semiurbana de La Unión, Guápiles, Limón, Costa Rica. Esta especie tiene el dorso gris oscuro uniforme a negro y el vientre blanco, pero todas las escamas de la serpiente que encontramos eran rosadas sin ninguna sección contrastante del cuerpo, pero con los escudos de la cabeza claramente definidos. Basados en la coloración de nuestro individuo, sus ojos rosados y sin ten-er otra evidencia de las causas de la anomalía, la determinamos como albinismo. Se han reportado varias Dipsadidae albinas de Sudamérica, aquí agregamos Geophis hoffmanni a esta lista. Aunque esta especie es nocturna, análisis recientes han señalado que no se estableció una correlación clara entre los atributos ecológicos de las serpientes y las principales anomalías cromáticas. Aunque Geophis hoffmanni es una especie común con una amplia distribución, este es el primer reporte de un desorden cromático en esta especie. Estas anomalías son raras en la naturaleza y reportar su ocurrencia aumenta el conocimiento de la historia natural de las especies.

Targeted fishing of invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans and P. miles) in the Caribbean creates an opportunity to monitor lionfish for food safety and to examine their utility as environmental sentinel species. The goals of this study were to assess P. volitans for histamine toxicity (scombroid poisoning) and to quantify mineral and heavy metal contaminants in lionfish in Grenada, West Indies. Histamine concentrations in lionfish muscle significantly increased after heat stress but remained below maximum allowable concentrations for consumption. Mineral and heavy metal concentrations were tested in muscle and liver from lionfish from two separate reef systems using inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry. Total arsenic levels in liver were significantly higher in fish sampled from Boss's Reef than those from Halifax Harbor, but they were not interpreted as clinically significant. Lead, mercury, cadmium, copper, molybdenum, and cobalt were below the detectable limit of the analyzer. Thallium, selenium, iron, zinc, and manganese were detected in muscle and/or liver tissue at expected concentrations. Lionfish represent a low risk for histamine toxicity and have not bioaccumulated significant heavy metals in Grenada to pose a food safety risk. The higher arsenic concentrations in Boss's Reef suggest that the location should be monitored and studied in the future. The potential for lionfish to act as bioindicators for heavy metals is uncertain and needs further validation.

Adult female sea turtles are highly migratory, moving between foraging and nesting areas that can be thousands of kilometers apart. Conserving sea turtles and their habitats therefore depends on knowledge of space use across these migration-linked environments. Here, we describe migratory behavior of hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata), a globally imperiled species. We used satellite telemetry to characterize the movements of females from nesting areas in Jamaica (n = 4) and Antigua (n = 4), West Indies, over 1998–2001. We mapped migrations and summarized space use during inter-nesting and foraging periods with kernel utilization distributions (UDs) and minimum convex polygons. Seven of eight turtles made post-nesting migrations, with paths ranging 56–1324 km in length, representing straight-line displacements of 68–1206 km. Two turtles sampled in southern Jamaica made short-range migrations within southern Jamaican waters, whereas two from northern Jamaica migrated further to foraging areas in the waters of Belize and Honduras. Three migrants sampled at Long Island, Antigua migrated to St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, and Redonda, respectively, with a fourth individual remaining resident in northeastern Antigua. Inter-nesting movements observed for three turtles produced 50% UDs ranging 12–44 km², with centroid depths between 4–13 m. Foraging UDs for seven turtles spanned 8–111 km² and 2–161 m in depth. Our results reveal variable migratory strategies, demonstrate international connectivity between hawksbill foraging and nesting habitats, and provide important information for Caribbean conservation efforts such as the design of protected areas or fisheries policies.