Current Projects
Past Projects
In 2024, MAR Consulting revisited its earlier coral reef research around Saba in the Dutch Caribbean by assisting another benthic survey at 10 selected sites, with fieldwork executed by Van Hall Larenstein University and the Saba Conservation Foundation. This follow-up aimed to update information on the reef and potentially measure the effects of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) and recent bleaching events. The original study, carried out in 2021 and 2022, assessed the ecological health of Saba’s coral reefs across 18 underwater sites, evaluating fish assemblage diversity, coral recruit dynamics, benthic substrate composition, and macroinvertebrate assemblages, resulting in a comprehensive update on the reefs' status.
This time MAR Consulting focused on processing and analyzing the benthic information, reviewing another 18,750 data points.
Saba Reef Status Monitoring 2024
In 2022, MAR Consulting played a vital role in facilitating the Arronax Expeditions survey team in their quest to locate shipwrecks and deepwater reef systems around the island of Saba. Over the course of one week, the team utilized advanced sonar technology to map waters around Saba, revealing the intricate contours of the ocean floor and providing valuable insights into seafloor composition. In addition to facilitating the sonar mapping, MAR Consulting contributed its expertise in habitat mapping and offered invaluable local knowledge of Saba’s underwater ecosystems. This collaboration not only enhanced the expedition’s effectiveness but also deepened the understanding of the deeper marine environments surrounding the island.
Altough no shipwrecks or gold were located, Aronnax Expeditions hopes to return to continue the sonar work and extend it to even deeper waters.
Aronnax Expeditions 2022
In 2021 and 2022, MAR Consulting participated in a comprehensive coral reef monitoring study around the island of Saba in the Dutch Carribean. This project aimed to assess the ecological health of Saba’s coral reef systems through the systematic monitoring of various ecological factors across 18 designated underwater sites. The primary objectives were to evaluate fish assemblage diversity and abundance, assess coral recruit assemblage dynamics, analyze benthic substrate composition, and investigate the macroinvertebrate assemblage. The multidisciplinary team of researchers from the Van Hall Larenstein University, the Saba Conservation Foundation and MAR Consulting successfully conducted all monitoring activities which resulted in a comprehensive update on the status of Saba’s coral reefs.
Our team played a crucial role in data processing and analysis, individually reviewing over 135,000 benthic data points alone.
Saba Reef Status Monitoring 2021-2022
