ContextGlobally, more than 121 million people enjoy nature-based marine tourism, making it one of... more ContextGlobally, more than 121 million people enjoy nature-based marine tourism, making it one of the largest marine industries. Ocean degradation threatens this industry and management has not kept pace to ensure long-term sustainability. In response, some individuals within the industry are taking it upon themselves to monitor the ocean and provide the data needed to assist management decisions. Fiji is one such place.AimsBetween 2012 and 2016, 39 Fijian dive operators, in collaboration with eOceans, conducted the Great Fiji Shark Count (GFSC) to document sharks on their dives.MethodsUsing 146,304 shark observations from 30,668 dives, we document spatial and temporal patterns of eleven shark species at 592 sites.Key resultsSharks were observed on 13,846 dives (45% of recorded dives) at 441 (74%) sites. Generally, our results matched those from other, more limited surveys, including from BRUVs. We found high variability in shark presence, species richness, and relative abundance th...
The marine environment is vital for Fiji's tourism sector, yet industry and community partnership... more The marine environment is vital for Fiji's tourism sector, yet industry and community partnerships to conserve it have largely gone unrecognised. A study from March to October 2017 documented the extent and scale to which 'Marine Conservation Agreements' (MCAs) between tourism operators and indigenous, resource owning communities are used in Fiji, and their contribution to biodiversity conservation and fisheries management. More than half of operators (69.1%) interviewed had been involved, were involved, or were becoming involved, in some form of MCA, focused on temporary or permanent no-take Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). MPAs established through MCAs covered an estimated 26,625 ha, of which 21,000 ha comprised deep water and offshore reefs within two large marine reserves, and 5625 ha comprised mostly nearshore shallow fringing reefs and slopes. Only 28% of tourism-based MCAs included explicit economic incentives to the resource owners such as some level of payment, provision of infrastructure, or employment opportunities directly related to marine conservation. The remaining 72% supplied broader benefits such as sustainable marine resources or general employment in the tourism sector. Although MCAs are in place in Fiji with implied and not formal or explicit conditionality, they contribute to natural resource management and should be counted in global biodiversity targets.
Component Leader: Caroline VIEUX SPREP PO Box 240, Apia Samoa Tel: (685) 21929 Fax: (685) 20231 c... more Component Leader: Caroline VIEUX SPREP PO Box 240, Apia Samoa Tel: (685) 21929 Fax: (685) 20231 carolinev@sprep.org ... T he Initiative for the Protection and Management of Coral Reefs in the Pacific (CRISP), sponsored by France and prepared by the French ...
Waitabu Marine Park in the Vanua Bouma of Taveuni Island, is one of the original community-based ... more Waitabu Marine Park in the Vanua Bouma of Taveuni Island, is one of the original community-based marine managed areas in Fiji. Started in 1998, Waitabu’s no-take, or “tabu vakdua” area, was one of the first of the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Areas (FLMMA) network in 2001. Protected for 15 years, the tabu vakadua area is now rich in fish, coral and invertebrate life, and the community has recently started a new project; a temporary closure known as a tabu tara.
The oceans are in a state of rapid change – both negatively, due climate destabilization and misu... more The oceans are in a state of rapid change – both negatively, due climate destabilization and misuse, and positively, due to strengthening of policies for sustainable use combined with momentum to grow the blue economy. Globally, more than 121 million people enjoy nature-based marine tourism — e.g., recreational fishing, diving, whale watching — making it one of the largest marine sectors. This industry is increasingly threatened by ocean degradation and management has not kept pace to ensure long-term sustainability. In response, individuals within the industry are taking it upon themselves to monitor the oceans and provide the data needed to assist management decisions. Fiji is one such place where the dive tourism industry is motivated to monitor the oceans (e.g., track sharks). In 2012, 39 dive operators in collaboration with eOceans commenced the Great Fiji Shark Count (GFSC) to document sharks (and other species) on 592 dive sites. Here, using 146,304 shark observations from 30...
We quantified the economic revenues generated by shark diving and the distribution of these reven... more We quantified the economic revenues generated by shark diving and the distribution of these revenues to the principal local stakeholders involved with the industry, including businesses, government and local community. Shark-diving contributed US $42.2 million to the economy of Fiji, a sum composed of revenues generated by the industry combined with the taxes paid by shark-divers to the government. This estimate was based on self-administered questionnaires designed to collect information on the costs and benefit of the shark-diving industry. We conducted the study in August/September 2011 and distributed questionnaires on the islands of Viti Levu (including the islands of Nananu-i-Ra and Beqa), Vanua Levu, Taveuni and Kadavu, the Yasawa and Mamanuca groups. Questionnaires were answered by 289 divers, 18 dive operators, six resort managers (surveyed at Pacific Harbour and Coral Coast only), 14 dive guides and nine local subsistence fishers from villages that regularly received payment from shark-diving operators for the use of the reef of which they are the traditional owners. We took a conservative approach to all calculations in order to reduce the risk of over-estimating the value of shark-diving to the Fijian economy We calculated the economic revenue of shark-diving to Fiji based on three key pieces of information: (1) Total number of divers visiting the country and the proportion of tourists engaged in dive activities from the Fiji International Visitor Survey 2009 (2) All expenditures of the divers visiting Fiji primarily to engage in shark-diving activities (“dedicated shark-divers”) as revealed by our surveys; (3) The expenditures of divers who visited Fiji for reasons other than diving with sharks, but chose to engage in shark-diving while in the country (“casual shark-divers”) as revealed by our surveys. Expenditures of these divers were allocated as the proportion of their trip spent shark diving, rather than for their entire visit. In 2010 we estimated that approximately 49,000 divers were engaged in shark-diving activities in Fiji accounting for 78% of the 63,000 divers visiting the country. Dedicated and casual shark-divers accounted for 24% and 54% of all divers we interviewed respectively. The shark-diving industry contributed US $17.5 million in taxes to the government, a sum composed of corporate taxes from shark-diving (US $11.6 million) and the direct taxes from shark-divers (US $5.9 million) A minimum of US $4 million was generated annually by shark-diving for local communities. This revenue consisted of salaries paid by the industry to employees (US $3.9 million annually) and community levies paid by dive operators to traditional owners in villages for access to reefs (US $124,200 annually). Employees of the dive industry were predominantly Fijian (13 of 14 dive guides who responded to surveys). Community levies from shark-diving have played a significant role in promoting the conservation of reefs through systems of traditional ownership. Viti Levu hosted the largest number of dedicated and casual shark-divers (17,000) with Pacific Harbour accounting for around 50% of the shark-divers, or approximately 8,600 tourists. The Mamanuca/Yasawa group also hosted a large number of shark-divers (11,000) while Vanua Levu/Taveuni hosted approximately 3,600. Kadavu had only 17% of divers identified as casual shark- divers and no dedicated shark-divers interviewed during our survey. Shark-diving generated approximately US $10.2 million on Viti Levu (63% of business revenues from diving) and US $3.2 million (40% of the business revenues) in the Mamanuca/Yasawa groups.
A novel helper-free defective retrovirus containing the v-Ha-ras oncogene has been constructed an... more A novel helper-free defective retrovirus containing the v-Ha-ras oncogene has been constructed and used to introduce the gene into primary mouse mammary epithelial cells already containing the v-myc oncogene. Transplantation of such doubly altered cells into cleared mammary fat pads led to the formation of mammary tumors within 6 to 8 weeks of transplantation. In a separate experiment, both oncogenes were simultaneously introduced to normal epithelium and once again tumours were formed. Neither oncogene alone gave a significant rate of tumour formation, although myc alone gave a reproducible hyperplasia as previously reported and ras alone gave occasional dysplastic or alveolar lesions. The results presented here demonstrate the progression of a normal cell through a hyperplastic intermediate to a tumour-forming cell in a versatile in vivo transplantation model.
The South Pacific has experienced a remarkable proliferation of Marine Managed Areas in the last ... more The South Pacific has experienced a remarkable proliferation of Marine Managed Areas in the last decade. These protected areas, implemented by over 500 communities spanning 15 independent countries and territories represent a unique global achievement. The approaches being developed at national levels are built on a unique feature of the region, customary tenure and resource access, and make use of, in most cases, existing community strengths in traditional knowledge and governance, combined with a local awareness of ...
ABSTRACT Coral reefs in the Southwest Pacific are generally in good condition. There was extensiv... more ABSTRACT Coral reefs in the Southwest Pacific are generally in good condition. There was extensive coral bleaching during 2000-2002. Since then coral reefs have shown highly variable recovery with some reefs recovering fully to pre-bleaching levels of live coral cover, whereas ...
ContextGlobally, more than 121 million people enjoy nature-based marine tourism, making it one of... more ContextGlobally, more than 121 million people enjoy nature-based marine tourism, making it one of the largest marine industries. Ocean degradation threatens this industry and management has not kept pace to ensure long-term sustainability. In response, some individuals within the industry are taking it upon themselves to monitor the ocean and provide the data needed to assist management decisions. Fiji is one such place.AimsBetween 2012 and 2016, 39 Fijian dive operators, in collaboration with eOceans, conducted the Great Fiji Shark Count (GFSC) to document sharks on their dives.MethodsUsing 146,304 shark observations from 30,668 dives, we document spatial and temporal patterns of eleven shark species at 592 sites.Key resultsSharks were observed on 13,846 dives (45% of recorded dives) at 441 (74%) sites. Generally, our results matched those from other, more limited surveys, including from BRUVs. We found high variability in shark presence, species richness, and relative abundance th...
The marine environment is vital for Fiji's tourism sector, yet industry and community partnership... more The marine environment is vital for Fiji's tourism sector, yet industry and community partnerships to conserve it have largely gone unrecognised. A study from March to October 2017 documented the extent and scale to which 'Marine Conservation Agreements' (MCAs) between tourism operators and indigenous, resource owning communities are used in Fiji, and their contribution to biodiversity conservation and fisheries management. More than half of operators (69.1%) interviewed had been involved, were involved, or were becoming involved, in some form of MCA, focused on temporary or permanent no-take Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). MPAs established through MCAs covered an estimated 26,625 ha, of which 21,000 ha comprised deep water and offshore reefs within two large marine reserves, and 5625 ha comprised mostly nearshore shallow fringing reefs and slopes. Only 28% of tourism-based MCAs included explicit economic incentives to the resource owners such as some level of payment, provision of infrastructure, or employment opportunities directly related to marine conservation. The remaining 72% supplied broader benefits such as sustainable marine resources or general employment in the tourism sector. Although MCAs are in place in Fiji with implied and not formal or explicit conditionality, they contribute to natural resource management and should be counted in global biodiversity targets.
Component Leader: Caroline VIEUX SPREP PO Box 240, Apia Samoa Tel: (685) 21929 Fax: (685) 20231 c... more Component Leader: Caroline VIEUX SPREP PO Box 240, Apia Samoa Tel: (685) 21929 Fax: (685) 20231 carolinev@sprep.org ... T he Initiative for the Protection and Management of Coral Reefs in the Pacific (CRISP), sponsored by France and prepared by the French ...
Waitabu Marine Park in the Vanua Bouma of Taveuni Island, is one of the original community-based ... more Waitabu Marine Park in the Vanua Bouma of Taveuni Island, is one of the original community-based marine managed areas in Fiji. Started in 1998, Waitabu’s no-take, or “tabu vakdua” area, was one of the first of the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Areas (FLMMA) network in 2001. Protected for 15 years, the tabu vakadua area is now rich in fish, coral and invertebrate life, and the community has recently started a new project; a temporary closure known as a tabu tara.
The oceans are in a state of rapid change – both negatively, due climate destabilization and misu... more The oceans are in a state of rapid change – both negatively, due climate destabilization and misuse, and positively, due to strengthening of policies for sustainable use combined with momentum to grow the blue economy. Globally, more than 121 million people enjoy nature-based marine tourism — e.g., recreational fishing, diving, whale watching — making it one of the largest marine sectors. This industry is increasingly threatened by ocean degradation and management has not kept pace to ensure long-term sustainability. In response, individuals within the industry are taking it upon themselves to monitor the oceans and provide the data needed to assist management decisions. Fiji is one such place where the dive tourism industry is motivated to monitor the oceans (e.g., track sharks). In 2012, 39 dive operators in collaboration with eOceans commenced the Great Fiji Shark Count (GFSC) to document sharks (and other species) on 592 dive sites. Here, using 146,304 shark observations from 30...
We quantified the economic revenues generated by shark diving and the distribution of these reven... more We quantified the economic revenues generated by shark diving and the distribution of these revenues to the principal local stakeholders involved with the industry, including businesses, government and local community. Shark-diving contributed US $42.2 million to the economy of Fiji, a sum composed of revenues generated by the industry combined with the taxes paid by shark-divers to the government. This estimate was based on self-administered questionnaires designed to collect information on the costs and benefit of the shark-diving industry. We conducted the study in August/September 2011 and distributed questionnaires on the islands of Viti Levu (including the islands of Nananu-i-Ra and Beqa), Vanua Levu, Taveuni and Kadavu, the Yasawa and Mamanuca groups. Questionnaires were answered by 289 divers, 18 dive operators, six resort managers (surveyed at Pacific Harbour and Coral Coast only), 14 dive guides and nine local subsistence fishers from villages that regularly received payment from shark-diving operators for the use of the reef of which they are the traditional owners. We took a conservative approach to all calculations in order to reduce the risk of over-estimating the value of shark-diving to the Fijian economy We calculated the economic revenue of shark-diving to Fiji based on three key pieces of information: (1) Total number of divers visiting the country and the proportion of tourists engaged in dive activities from the Fiji International Visitor Survey 2009 (2) All expenditures of the divers visiting Fiji primarily to engage in shark-diving activities (“dedicated shark-divers”) as revealed by our surveys; (3) The expenditures of divers who visited Fiji for reasons other than diving with sharks, but chose to engage in shark-diving while in the country (“casual shark-divers”) as revealed by our surveys. Expenditures of these divers were allocated as the proportion of their trip spent shark diving, rather than for their entire visit. In 2010 we estimated that approximately 49,000 divers were engaged in shark-diving activities in Fiji accounting for 78% of the 63,000 divers visiting the country. Dedicated and casual shark-divers accounted for 24% and 54% of all divers we interviewed respectively. The shark-diving industry contributed US $17.5 million in taxes to the government, a sum composed of corporate taxes from shark-diving (US $11.6 million) and the direct taxes from shark-divers (US $5.9 million) A minimum of US $4 million was generated annually by shark-diving for local communities. This revenue consisted of salaries paid by the industry to employees (US $3.9 million annually) and community levies paid by dive operators to traditional owners in villages for access to reefs (US $124,200 annually). Employees of the dive industry were predominantly Fijian (13 of 14 dive guides who responded to surveys). Community levies from shark-diving have played a significant role in promoting the conservation of reefs through systems of traditional ownership. Viti Levu hosted the largest number of dedicated and casual shark-divers (17,000) with Pacific Harbour accounting for around 50% of the shark-divers, or approximately 8,600 tourists. The Mamanuca/Yasawa group also hosted a large number of shark-divers (11,000) while Vanua Levu/Taveuni hosted approximately 3,600. Kadavu had only 17% of divers identified as casual shark- divers and no dedicated shark-divers interviewed during our survey. Shark-diving generated approximately US $10.2 million on Viti Levu (63% of business revenues from diving) and US $3.2 million (40% of the business revenues) in the Mamanuca/Yasawa groups.
A novel helper-free defective retrovirus containing the v-Ha-ras oncogene has been constructed an... more A novel helper-free defective retrovirus containing the v-Ha-ras oncogene has been constructed and used to introduce the gene into primary mouse mammary epithelial cells already containing the v-myc oncogene. Transplantation of such doubly altered cells into cleared mammary fat pads led to the formation of mammary tumors within 6 to 8 weeks of transplantation. In a separate experiment, both oncogenes were simultaneously introduced to normal epithelium and once again tumours were formed. Neither oncogene alone gave a significant rate of tumour formation, although myc alone gave a reproducible hyperplasia as previously reported and ras alone gave occasional dysplastic or alveolar lesions. The results presented here demonstrate the progression of a normal cell through a hyperplastic intermediate to a tumour-forming cell in a versatile in vivo transplantation model.
The South Pacific has experienced a remarkable proliferation of Marine Managed Areas in the last ... more The South Pacific has experienced a remarkable proliferation of Marine Managed Areas in the last decade. These protected areas, implemented by over 500 communities spanning 15 independent countries and territories represent a unique global achievement. The approaches being developed at national levels are built on a unique feature of the region, customary tenure and resource access, and make use of, in most cases, existing community strengths in traditional knowledge and governance, combined with a local awareness of ...
ABSTRACT Coral reefs in the Southwest Pacific are generally in good condition. There was extensiv... more ABSTRACT Coral reefs in the Southwest Pacific are generally in good condition. There was extensive coral bleaching during 2000-2002. Since then coral reefs have shown highly variable recovery with some reefs recovering fully to pre-bleaching levels of live coral cover, whereas ...
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