Ambient noise and temporal patterns of boat activity in the US Virgin Islands National Park

The large number of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Caribbean (over 100) gives a misleading impression of the amount of protection the reefs and other marine resources in this region are receiving. This review synthesizes information on marine resources in two of the first MPAs established in the USA, namely Virgin Islands National Park (1962) and Buck Island Reef National Monument (1961), and provides compelling evidence that greater protection is needed, based on data from some of the longest running research projects on coral reefs, reef fish assemblages, and seagrass beds for the Caribbean. Most of the stresses affecting marine resources throughout the Caribbean (e.g. damage from boats, hurricanes and coral diseases) are also causing deterioration in these MPAs. Living coral cover has decreased and macroalgal cover has increased. Seagrass densities have decreased because of storms and anchor damage. Intensive fishing in the US Virgin Islands has caused loss of spawning aggregations and decreases in mean fish size and abundance. Groupers and snappers are far less abundant and herbivorous fishes comprise a greater proportion of samples than in the 1960s. Effects of intensive fishing are evident even within MPA boundaries. Although only traditional fishing with traps of ‘conventional design’ is allowed, commercial trap fishing is occurring. Visual samples of fishes inside and outside Virgin Islands National Park showed no significant differences in number of species, biomass, or mean size of fishes. Similarly, the number of fishes per trap was statistically similar inside and outside park waters. These MPAs have not been effective because an unprecedented combination of natural and human factors is assaulting the resources, some of the greatest damage is from stresses outside the control of park managers (e.g. hurricanes), and enforcement of the few regulations has been limited. Fully functioning MPAs which prohibit fishing and other extractive uses (e.g. no-take marine reserves) could reverse some of the degradation, allowing replenishment of the fishery resources and recovery of benthic habitats.

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The Water Island Archaeological Project: archaeology and history in the eastern Caribbean

Antiquity ◽

10.1017/s0003598x00088700 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 75 (289) ◽

pp. 513-514 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

David G. Anderson ◽

R. Steven Kidd ◽

Emily M. Yates

Keyword(s):

World War Ii ◽

National Park ◽

Virgin Islands ◽

Cultural Resources ◽

Salt Ponds ◽

World War ◽

Us Virgin Islands ◽

The Us ◽

Us Government ◽

Park Service

In 1998 extensive investigations were undertaken on Water Island, US Virgin Islands, by a research team from the Southeast Archeological Center, National Park Service. The US government is relinquishing ownership of the island, an action that would affect cultural resources. Earlier surveys had located a number of sites, including the remains of three 18th- and l9th-century plantations, historic wells, prehistoric shell middens and an extensive World War II fortification complex (Wild & Anderson 1992; Knight 2001; Anderson et al. in preparation).Water Island, located off St Thomas, encompasses about one square mile, and is characterized by steep rocky slopes, a pronounced central ridgeline and a highly indented coastline with numerous bays and beaches (FIGURE 1). Fresh water comes from rainfall, and in small brackish ponds. Vegetation ranges from dry tropical thorn scrub to mangrove/salt ponds.

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Local and National Approaches to Nature Preservation: The US Virgin Islands National Park on St John and Beyond

Landscape Research ◽

10.1080/01426390802390657 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 34 (2) ◽

pp. 189-204

Author(s):

Karen Fog Olwig

Keyword(s):

National Park ◽

Virgin Islands ◽

Us Virgin Islands ◽

The Us ◽

Nature Preservation

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Ocular Findings and Visual Function in Children Examined during the Zika Health Brigade in the US Virgin Islands, March 2018

Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease ◽

10.3390/tropicalmed6020066 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 66

Author(s):

S. Grace Prakalapakorn ◽

Lucas Bonafede ◽

Linda Lawrence ◽

Daniel Lattin ◽

Nicola Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Visual Function ◽

Retrospective Chart Review ◽

The United States ◽

Virgin Islands ◽

Neurologic Examination ◽

Zikv Infection ◽

Us Virgin Islands ◽

Ocular Findings ◽

Ocular Structure ◽

The Us

Among children born with laboratory-confirmed Zika virus (ZIKV) infection, visual impairment (VI) can occur despite normal ocular structure. The objective of this report is to describe ocular findings and visual function among children examined during the Department of Health Zika Health Brigade (ZHB) in the United States Virgin Islands in March 2018. This analysis is based on a retrospective chart review of children eligible to participate in the ZHB (i.e., part of the US Zika Pregnancy and Infant Registry) and who were examined by ophthalmologists. Eighty-eight children attended the ZHB. This report includes 81 children [48 (59.3%) males] whose charts were located [average gestational age = 37.6 weeks (range: 27.6–41.3) and average adjusted age at examination = 9.1 months (range: 0.9–21.9)]. Of those examined, 5/81 (6.2%) had microcephaly at birth, 2/81 (2.5%) had a structural eye abnormality, and 19/72 (26.4%) had VI. Among children with normal ocular structure and neurologic examination, 13/51 (25.5%) had VI. Despite a low incidence of abnormal ocular structure and microcephaly, about a quarter of children examined had VI. Our findings emphasize that ophthalmological examinations should be performed in all children with suspicion for antenatal ZIKV infection, even children with normal ocular structure and neurologic examination.

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