Sea Grant biologist presents at CNAS STEM conference
CHamoru scientist Leilani Sablan underscored the importance of bridging science and culture and encouraging more indigenous scientists to practice on island during her presentation at the UOG College of Natural and Applied Sciences (CNAS) 3rd Annual Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) conference in early April.
The UOG Sea Grant turtle biologist presented “Guam Reef’s Fisheries: Weaving Science and Culture to Protect Our Future,” at the conference.
Sablan stressed the socio-cultural benefits of reef fishing as practiced in Guam and emphasized the prevalence of CHamoru cultural practices within the fishing community.
She said those who grew up in the community learn CHamoru names for fish species first before learning the English names. Traditional fishing practices are also passed on from generation to generation within the fishing community.
“We need those two (science and culture) important things together so that we can protect our natural resources for future generations,” Sablan said.
Sablan also mentioned the need to protect Guam’s reef fishes, which have seen a decline in stocks due to fishing pressure. She pointed out that unchecked exploitation could quickly remove species in decline.
“We have more people living on the island. With more access to fishing grounds, more boats, more fishing, we’ve seen a decrease in our fish stocks over time,” she said.
Also, she said high fishing pressure has led to a shift in size for some species, from large, vulnerable species that are slow to mature and grow, to smaller, fast-growing species.
She highlighted that the more specific fishes are studied throughout the years, the more scientists can understand their life history and response to fishing pressure over time.
Sablan said that fishing pressure is not the only threat to reef fish stocks. Some of these threats include sedimentation caused by runoff due to badlands and irresponsible development. Coral bleaching caused by rising ocean temperatures due to greenhouse gases and sedimentation is another threat.
She said Guam fishers can contribute to the ongoing efforts to preserve fish stocks on the island. “Harvest only what you need and use sustainable methods,” she said.
Sablan also encouraged fishers to participate in monitoring efforts by sending photos of their catch to fishery scientists.
Sablan is part of the UOG Sea Grant creel program. The data-gathering initiative seeks to identify fish species and collect catch measurements from local fishers. The long-term goal of the project is to study and identify reef stock trends over the years.
The annual STEM conference featured presentations on various STEM-related fields, including agriculture, plant sciences, biology (biomedical, environmental, marine), chemistry, mathematics, computer science and technology, engineering, and health sciences.