“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Maimonides

The Vieques Conservation and Historical Trust sponsored a workshop on the identification of phytoplankton common to Caribbean bioluminescent bays. The workshop was led by Scripps marine biologist Melissa Carter, who instructed participants from Puerto Rico and St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, on sampling and microscope identification techniques.

Previous bioluminescence projects studying the bioluminescent bays of Vieques and St. Croix have involved phytoplankton identification by Scripps. The idea behind the workshop is to enable local citizen scientists to perform simple, low cost, cell counting of preserved water samples.

Scripps continues to provide scientific expertise to Puerto Rico and St. Croix for study of the bioluminescent bays, to promote effective management and conservation.