Ecological Society of America

"Project B.L.E.A.C.H. - BCC Led Exercise to Advance Coral Health" Special Project

Funded and conducted in two phases (2003 and 2005), Project BLEACH, an expedition to research and educate fishermen on the ecological danger of chlorine bleach fishing in Abacos, Bahamas, was an ambitious undertaking for the Bethune Cookman College SEEDS Chapter. The scope and logistics of this study were so complex that it was necessary to break the study into two parts: Part I was an intensive one-week research and interventional expedition that took place during summer break of the 2003 academic school year. Part I of this project was itself split into 3 phases (the third part of which formed the basis for a return trip to the island). Part II was designed to explore remote areas of the reef for evidence of bleach fishing and to assess the overall coral health of the Abacos. One of our primary objectives was to join native fishermen on their daily lobster-fishing routines in order to learn firsthand what the local attitudes were toward bleach-fishing behavior. In Part I we researched native coral reefs, conducted educational seminars on reef preservation, and accompanied Abaconian fishermen/divers to document bleach fishing. In Part II we used advanced dive techniques to document bleach fishing and lobster harvest methods. The project overall was a groundbreaking international ecological expedition where for the first time in the history of the school and the island, students from a historically black college discussed coral reef preservation with native fishermen of that beautiful, but ecologically threatened land.