Our Research
At the Perry Institute for Marine Science, we lead the way in tackling urgent threats facing our ocean. Our conservation research explores the complex relationships among fisheries, coral reefs, mangroves, and coastal habitats, emphasizing how healthy marine ecosystems directly support the livelihoods of coastal communities.
- Strengthening Coastal Resilience: Our studies focus on coral reefs, mangroves, and other habitats that protect coastlines from storms and erosion.
- Sustaining Biodiversity: We investigate the health and diversity of fish, corals, and marine species to drive conservation and responsible management.
- Empowering Local Communities: By training local stakeholders and sharing our findings, we enable sustainable livelihoods and foster ocean stewardship.
- Global Impact: Our data informs worldwide initiatives, advancing science-based policies for climate resilience, biodiversity, and marine resource sustainability.
1. Fish
- Sustainable Fisheries: We conduct comprehensive stock assessments for grouper, snapper, conch, and other key species.
- Community-Led Management: By training local fishers in data collection, we empower communities to practice science-driven harvest limits and responsible fishing techniques.
2. People
- Socioeconomic Research: Through surveys and collaborative discussions, we explore how marine resources affect the livelihoods, culture, and well-being of coastal communities.
- Education & Capacity Building: We offer workshops and partner with schools to engage, train, and inspire future stewards of the ocean.
3. Coral
- Reef Restoration: Our research efforts include studying the impact of coral nurseries, transplant initiatives, and long-term monitoring to restore reef resilience and biodiversity.
- Disease Mitigation: We focus on understanding and combating coral diseases—such as Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease—to protect and revive threatened reef systems.
4. Invertebrates
- Population Assessments: From queen conch to spiny lobster, we track invertebrate health and abundance to inform sustainable harvest strategies.
- Life-Cycle Studies: Our research examines spawning behaviors, larval development, and critical habitats that support invertebrate populations.
5. Habitat
- Marine Protected Areas (MPAs): We evaluate the effectiveness of MPAs and recommend science-based management to conserve biodiversity.
- Mangroves & Seagrasses: By restoring critical coastal habitats, we bolster shoreline protection, carbon sequestration, and nursery grounds for countless marine species.
- Ecosystem Connectivity: Our holistic approach recognizes how interconnected habitats—reefs, seagrasses, mangroves—sustain fish stocks and support healthy coastal economies.
Implementation of Access and Benefit Sharing in The Bahamas: A Precautionary Tale (2024). Conservation, 5(1), 3, doi: /10.3390/conservation5010003.
A Climate Vulnerability Assessment for Caribbean Recreational Fisheries (2022). Environmental Defense Fund, 37 pp.
Antillogorgia elisabethae Management Plan for The Commonwealth of The Bahamas (2021). Prepared for the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP), Nassau, Bahamas. 77 pp
Contemporary and emerging fisheries in The Bahamas – conservation and management challenges, achievements and future direction (2018). Fisheries Management and Ecology, doi: 10.1111/fme.12299.
Historical processes and contemporary anthropogenic activities influence genetic population dynamics of Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus) within The Bahamas (2017). Frontiers in Marine Science, doi:10.3389/fmars.2017.00393.
Integrating Population Biology into Conservation Management for Endangered Nassau Grouper (Epinephelus striatus) (2016). Marine Ecology Progress Series, 554:263-280.
Multi-year tracking of Nassau grouper spawning migrations (2016). Marine and Coastal Fisheries, 8:522–535
Nassau grouper migration patterns during full moon suggest collapsed historic fish spawning aggregation and evidence of an undocumented aggregation (2017). Bulletin of Marine Science, 93:375–389
Nassau Grouper Policy Brief. Nassau, The Bahamas (2018), 7pp.
Nassau Grouper (Epinephelus striatus) Conservation Management Plan for The Commonwealth of The Bahamas. Prepared for the Department of Marine Resources, Nassau, Bahamas (2018).
RAD-seq analysis and in situ monitoring of Nassau grouper reveal fine-scale population structure and origins of aggregating fish (2020). Frontiers in Marine Science, doi: 10.3389/fmars.2020.00157.
Review of the benefits of no-take zones. A report to the Wildlife Conservation Society 104 pp.
Spatial and temporal variability in parrotfish assemblages on Bahamian coral reefs (2020). Diversity 14: 625.
Understanding and managing fish populations: keeping the toolbox fit for purpose (2018). Journal of Fish Biology, doi:10.1111/jfb.13549.
Acknowledging and Supplanting White Supremacy Culture in Science Communication and STEM: The Role of Science Communication Trainers (2022). Frontiers in Communication, doi: 10.3389/fcomm.2022.787750.
Characterization of a thermally tolerant Orbicella faveolata reef in Abaco, The Bahamas. Coral Reefs, doi: 10.1007/s00338-020-01948-0.
Joining global efforts to halt coral reef decline: a call for more diversity, equity, and inclusion atinternational scientific meetings (2022). Reef Encounter: The new magazine of the international coral reef society.
Acropora cervicornis and Acropora palmata cultured on a low maintenance line nursery design in The Bahamas (2022). PLoS ONE, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267034.
Bahamas Coral Reef Report Card Volume 2: 2015-2020
Bahamas Coral Reef Report Card (2016), Volume 1: 2011-2013.
Characterization of a thermally tolerant Orbicella faveolata reef in Abaco, The Bahamas (2020). Coral Reefs, doi: 10.1007/s00338-020-01948-0.
Census of heat tolerance among Florida’s threatened staghorn corals finds resilient individuals throughout existing nursery populations (2021). Proceedings of the Royal Society B, doi: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1613.
New Providence Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease Preliminary Assessment. Nassau, Bahamas. Report submitted to the Department of Marine Resources. 9pp
New Providence and Rose Island, Bahamas Coral Reef Report Card (2014).
Rapid assessment of the occurrence of stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) along the southern coast of Grand Bahama, Bahamas (2020).
An assessment of the queen conch resources of the East Grand Bahama National Park (2019). 9pp
Authority, capacity, and power to govern: Three marine protected areas co-managed by resource users and non-governmental organizations (2025). Marine Policy, doi: 10.1016/j.marpol.2025.106647
Bahamas Coral Reef Report Card Volume 2: 2015-2020
Bahamas Coral Reef Report Card, Volume 1: 2011-2013 (2016)
Bahamas protected: Realizing the 2020 goal to effectively manage and expand Bahamian marine protected areas. A report prepared for the Ministry of the Environment for The Bahamas on the ecological gap analysis workshop held in Nassau, New Providence (2016). The Nature Conservancy, Bahamas National Trust, and Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation, Nassau, Bahamas. 41 pp
Marine biophysical monitoring plan for The Bahamas National Protected Area System (BNPAS) (2020). Submitted to the Bahamas National Trust, Nassau, Bahamas
Monitoring program for The Bahamas National Protected Area System. Methods for assessing the ecological condition of coral reefs, seagrasses and mangroves (2014). Report submitted to the BEST Commission under the GEF FSP Pilot 3 Demonstration Project “Tourism and coral reef health in the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park”. 22 pp
New Providence and Rose Island, Bahamas Coral Reef Report Card (2014)
Preliminary assessment of Hurricane Dorian’s impacts on coral reefs of Abaco and Grand Bahama. Report submitted to the Government of The Bahamas. 28pp
Rapid ecological assessment for the expansion of Lucayan National Park (2014). Rapid ecological assessment for the expansion of Lucayan National Park. 34pp
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