Current Projects
These are some of our top projects currently underway, either undertaken independently or through collaboration with local and international organizations.
January 2022 - August 2025
Strengthening the recovery of Nassau grouper in Puerto Rico
Funded by NOAA's Endangered Species Act Section 6 program, awarded to the Dept. of Natural & Environmental Resources, Isla Mar has been contracted to carry out the tasks of monitoring the last known Nassau grouper spawning aggregation in Puerto Rico. Other tasks include locating juvenile critical habitat and working with enforcement to educate about closures and species ID.
Project Lead: Isla Mar
April 2022 - June 2023
Characterizing the diet of the yellowtail parrotfish with DNA metabarcoding
Funded by NSF, this project uses the genetic technique of DNA metabarcoding to assess and characterize the gut contents of yellowtail parrotfish. This study will give us a better idea of the exact items that this parrotfish species consumes. This project is in collaboration with the University of the Virgin Islands.
Project Lead: Isla Mar
Partner: University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez
March 2021 - June 2023
Investigating the use of recycled glass sand for coral reef restoration
Sponsored by the local brewery, Medalla, our team is working to establish a sustainable solution to the glass bottle waste issue on the island by turning it into useable sand to incorporate into coral reef restoration. This exciting project will plant 400 coral fragments and observe their growth over the course of one year to test the suitability of using the recycled glass sand for this type of restoration purpose. Read more about it here.
Project Lead: Isla Mar and HJR Reefscaping
July 2022 - July 2026
Setting the baseline for a marine debris-free Puerto Rico
Funded by NOAA's Marine Debris Program as part of the Biden-Harris Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this project will remove 70 abandoned derelict vessels (ADV) from around the island. We will also develop a coordination strategy between agencies to help facilitate a faster response to these issues. We will also be leading several outreach initiatives to educate about ADV prevention.
Project Lead: Isla Mar
Partners: HJR Reefscaping, DNER
new projects in 2022 & 2023
Review of Hind Bank MCD and Grammanik Bank - for Caribbean Fishery Management Council
Reviewing the Tres Palmas Marine Reserve Studies and Management Plan - for DRNA
Comparing survey methodologies for sampling fish spawning aggregations - Caribbean Fishery Management Council
Multi-strategic Approaches to Scaling-up Ecosystem-based Restoration to Improve Coral Reef Recovery and Resilience around Puerto Rico - with ISER Caribe
Past Projects
Using eDNA to locate fish spawning aggregations | NOAA
Shark Watch: evaluating the significance of coral reef sharks in the Puerto Rican fishery with an emphasis on the management of Nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum) | DNER
2022
Documenting parrotfish spawning aggregations in the Caribbean | CFMC
National Coral Reef Monitoring Program | NOAA, with HJR Reefscaping
Characterizing critical habitat of juvenile Nassau grouper in Puerto Rico | CFMC
2021
REEFhabilitation Citizen Science Training Video | The Nature Conservancy
National Coral Reef Monitoring Program Fish Calibration Part 2 | NOAA
Regional assessment of parrotfish fishery, biology and outreach for the Caribbean | CFMC
2020
National Coral Reef Monitoring Program | NOAA, with HJR Reefscaping
Improving the Field Training of Fish Surveyors using Tablet Technology (Artedi) | SeaGrant
Evaluation of the Tarpon Mark and Recapture Project at Boquerón Impoundment | DNER
2019
Documenting the Fish Communities of Hacienda La Esperanza | Para La Naturaleza
Coral Reef Restoration of the Tres Palmas Marine Reserve | NFWF, with HJR Reefscaping
NCRMP Fish Calibration Part 1 | NOAA, with HJR Reefscaping
Rapid Response Assessment of MCEs after Two Hurricanes | NSF, with UPR-Mayaguez
2018
Tres Palmas MR Citizen Science Project | SeaGrant, with Amigos de Tres Palmas
Monitoring Grouper Spawning Aggregations in Puerto Rico | NOAA, with HJR Reefscaping
Pass on Parrotfish Social Media Campaign | The Nature Conservancy in the Caribbean
Assessing distribution and abundance of coral reef sharks in Puerto Rico | Global FinPrint
Coral cores of Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems in Puerto Rico | USGS, with UPR Mayaguez
2017
2012 -
Coral Ecosystem Connectivity, Pulley Ridge to the Florida Keys | NOAA, with UPR-Mayaguez
University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems Cruise | with UPR-Mayaguez
National Coral Reef Monitoring Program Puerto Rico | NOAA, with HJR Reefscaping
Coral coring on MCEs to assess accretion rates, habitat composition | NatGeo, with UPR-Mayaguez
National Coral Reef Monitoring Program Puerto Rico | NOAA, with HJR Reefscaping
Monitoring Grouper Spawning Aggregations in Puerto Rico | NOAA, with HJR Reefscaping
Comparing Diver vs. Towed Video Surveys of Queen Conch | NOAA, with UMES