Freeport, Bahamas – After
the great success of their first public lecture for 2015, the Grand Bahama
branch of the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) is gearing up for the second lecture
which will feature Melanie Stiassny from the American Museum of Natural
History, presenting on her newly published book, ‘Opulent Oceans’.
“There
are many things about our ocean's history that we are not aware of,” said
Shamie Rolle, Chairman of the Grand Bahama Regional Branch of the BNT. “This
would include adaptations or evolutionary developments of all marine creatures
and their habitats. On Tuesday, February 17th, at 6:30 pm ,we’ll be
featuring Melanie Stiassny, who will lecture on her book ‘Opulent Oceans’ revealing
the research behind this new book on
evolutionary biology of fish and other marine life. We welcome all of you to join us for this
interesting and timely lecture which will be held at the Rand Nature Centre.”
Ms.
Stiassny has conducted extensive research throughout the world's tropical
freshwaters studying the evolution, behavior, and conservation of fish, and in
the course of her studies she has described or “discovered” over 55 species new
to science. Fish play a central role in
aquatic ecosystems and are of considerable economic importance throughout the
world, and especially in The Bahamas. Fish
are also among the most threatened of all the planet's creatures as many are
becoming extinct even before they can be discovered – with fishing practices
playing a major role in their decline .
Fishing
is an important industry in The Bahamas,
and in Grand Bahama we are looking at providing protection for several new
areas which are important nurseries for key fishery species. The Grand Bahama branch of the BNT encourages
everyone to attend this lecture, and explore opulent oceans with the BNT. You can learn more about this event and other
upcoming BNT events on the BNT Facebook page
The Bahamas National Trust was created by an Act of Parliament in 1959
to build and manage the national park system of the Bahamas. Possibly the only
non-governmental organization in the world charged with such a responsibility
the TRUST, as it is commonly known works daily to conserve and protect the
natural resources of The Bahamas, through stewardship and education for present
and future generations. There are currently 27 National Parks managed by the
TRUST with more than 1 million acres of marine and terrestrial areas protected.
Website: http://www.bnt.bs/ Facebook
