  Research Internship Opportunities begin at RIMS The Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences at Anthony's Key Resort is excited to announce two incredibly unique internship opportunities this summer!
The Coral Reef Research Internship
and
The Dolphin Training & Research Internship
Under the direction of professional mentors and marine biologists, students will live and work at our facility and engage in a wide variety of activities to gain experience and skills that will make them more competitive when pursuing future employment and research opportunities in the fields of marine science.
These internships are open to upper-level college undergraduates or recent college graduates. Successful applicants may apply for research or independent studies credit through their home institution.
This summer's internships are limited to a total 16 interns and is offered for an intensive four weeks beginning July 22, 2017 through August 19, 2017.
For more details and how to apply, please visit www.roatanims.org. |
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at the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences  In February of 2016, the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences established a coral nursery program on Roatan to enhance local populations of the once-dominant staghorn (Acropora cervicornis) and elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata). Threats such as disease, sedimentation, pollution, hurricanes, and climate change have reduced the abundance of these species throughout the Caribbean by almost 90% over the past few decades. Branching corals are crucial to reef structure and create important habitat for fish and invertebrates. The primary goal of these coral nurseries will be to provide an active method of restoration that will help reestablish threatened populations of staghorn and other coral species.
As of now, we've deployed two coral “trees” at our location. The trees are constructed from PVC pipes to create branching structures to which the coral fragments are attached. Because the trees are elevated, they protect the corals from predatory organisms and sedimentation. Scheduled maintenance also helps to alleviate another stress of algal overgrowth.
“Corals of Opportunity” is the name given to the corals gathered for the trees. They are corals that have broken or fragmented naturally due to storm and wave activity. One hundred pieces were attached to each tree. After nine months, 95% of the 200 colonies have survived and more than tripled in size. We have seen no signs of disease or bleaching in any of the fragments. With these positive results, we are ready to increase the number of structures and hope to have between 8 and ten trees by the end of 2017. By March of 2017, the fragments should be a substantial size to begin out-planting. Out-planting involves taking newly created fragments from our nursery-reared corals and returning them back to the reef. The mother colonies will stay on the tree where they will continue to grow and offer a continuous source of fragments to “re-seed” the reef.
Our goal of this project is to make it completely self-sufficient by utilizing the visiting university groups and volunteer recreational diving community. By offering lectures and training to these groups, we can secure the human resources and funding needed to help clean and maintain the structures while replenishing local populations of critically important coral species. |
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2017 Buy 1 Get 1 Free 7-Night Packages Looking for a getaway this fall?
Come see us in August, September, or October!
But don't delay, because with this incredible offer the best bungalows and dates won't last long. starting at $1,059 for 2 people |
| | | Includes: Hotel Accommodations for 7 nights, Full American meal plan Airport transfers, Return flight reconfirmation, Welcome Island Cocktail & Orientation, Admission to Roatan Museum, Kayaking and Stand-up Paddle, Day excursion to Maya Key, Island Fiesta Night on the Key, Included w/ all 7-Night Packages |
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starting at $1,319 for 2 people |
| | | Includes Resort Package, Plus: 2 Snorkels daily by boat with guide, 1 Night boat snorkel, Underwater Fish ID Card, Reef Ecology Lecture & Fish ID Slide Show, 1 Dolphin Beach Encounter |
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starting at $1,419 for 2 people |
| | | Includes Resort Package, Plus: 3 Single tank boat dives per day, 2 Single tank boat night dives per week, Air tanks, weight belts, and weights, Buoyancy control workshop, Shore diving during shop hours |
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