Photo: Katie Grieve surveying coral
The British Sub-Aqua Jubilee Trust (BSAJT) has recently awarded two grants totalling £3,000 in support of projects in Thailand and the Red Sea.
A grant award of £1,000 has been made Katie Grieve from the University of Glasgow. Katie plans to investigate the effect of different reef characteristics (temperature, light levels, wind prevalence, chlorophyll levels, structural complexity and coral cover) on the recruitment of juvenile fish to the reefs of Koh Phangan, Thailand. Juvenile fish recruitment is the settlement of young fish larvae to specific habitats, which is an important process for maintaining fish populations and coral reef health. This project will be conducted using scuba-based surveys collecting data along transects of the coral reef.
The other grant of £2,000 goes to Leo Yokota, who is co-leading a team from Glasgow University to undertake research projects in El Quesir, in the Red Sea. The projects are:
- Investigating the proportion of coral impacted by increasing sea temperature.
- Investigation into the temporal variation in marine biodiversity in the Red Sea using marine soundscapes.
- Investigation of the Blue Spotted Ribbon Tailed Ray habitat preferences and distribution.
Chair of the BSAJT, Gavin Anthony welcomed the Trust’s opportunity to support these projects and to assist divers to undertake interesting and valuable underwater research and projects.
Gavin said:
I would like to encourage applications from other divers, groups and Branches who wish to make use of their diving skills to improve our understanding and knowledge of the underwater world. The Jubilee Trust has funds available to give grants for appropriate projects, so please take a look at the kinds of projects that can apply for funding on the BSAC website.
Jubilee Trust guide to projects
Details of how to apply are also available at: How to apply for a Jubilee Trust grant
