Stoa Scleractinia Episode 2 - Tom Bowling

Episode 3, Part 1

Tom Bowling is a marine conservationist and aquarist. Growing up in South America, Tom had a fascination with understanding how small animals he found transformed in tanks. He bought his first car from selling fish he cultivated in his tanks, and expanded his scientific knowledge by undertaking a Marine Biology and Aquaculture degree at James Cook University, Australia.  He used this knowledge to develop innovative techniques for rearing fish in the Aquaculture industry and has experience in Australia and the Pacific Ocean. In 2012, he moved to Palau and started BIOTA. 

BIOTA is an aquaculture company with a goal to protect and enhance the marine environment. They have developed innovative ways to raise captive coral reef organisms, ensuring nothing sold comes from the wild. Furthermore, BIOTA have come up with multiple innovations in the industry, which include the first to close the life Cycle of the Bumphead Parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) and the captive breeding the Mandarin Fish (Synchiropus splendidus).  BIOTA not only educate people and communities about the importance of the coral reefs through the creation of the world's easiest salt water aquarium , but they also use the company as an opportunity to restock overfished reef fish populations  in Palau. 

If you're interested in learning how to start a coral reef ecosystem you can check out the BIOTA aquarium at the following link.

It's a great product that educates the buyer with a step by step process on how to start and maintain a saltwater aquarium*. 

“The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and brings eternal joy to the soul." - Robert Wyland 

Episode 3, Part 2

One of the biggest innovations that has happened at BIOTA is the domestication of Bumphead Parrot fish (Bolbometopon muricatum) so they can be reared and raised in tanks. 

The Bumphead  Parrottfish are an important species for maintaining ecological diversity and sand production on coral reefs . They occur in high numbers and are one of the most valuable food fish species available.  They are a gentle an inquisitive species, which unfortunately makes them easy to catch, therefore leading to the decline of its numbers in some areas. In Aquaculture, one drawback has been the fact the fish reared in tanks or cages need to be fed wild caught fish. Tom was already growing coral in The Marshall Islands when he saw the potential to grow the Bumphead parrot fish, which eats coral.  By putting these two farming practices together BIOTA can grow the Bumphead parrot fish born in captivity and feed them the coral grown and harvested at their facilities. It is a totally sustainable product that not only has the potential to be a valuable industry for island and nearshore communities, but can potentially restock reefs that have been depleted in this species through over-exploitation. 

"Innovations that are guided by smallholder farmers, adapted to local circumstances, and sustainable for the economy and environment will be necessary to ensure food security in the future." - Bill Gates 

Episode 3, Part 3

Corals polyps can reproduce sexually via spawning and a-sexually by making individual clones of each polyps. Another form of a-sexual reproduction can happen in the form of fragmentation. When pieces of corals break of a colony a new colony will form and grow into a new colony that can also go onto spawn.  It is important to relies the broken colony needs the right conditions to survive and grow. Any attempts to make coral fragments to grow out new colonies should be done by trained professional who have specific goals when it comes to the desired species. 

Impacts from human-induced climate change, overfishing, and localised human developments has caused significant habitat degradation of ecosystems worldwide. One method to help ecosystems recover is  to   restore ecosystems with important species that are genetically more resilient to environmental stress. It is an important part of the BIOTA ethos that any biomass exported from Palau is produced onsite and not taken from then Ocean.   Here, Tom talks about doing this on localised scales by growing out a high diversity of marine organisms from reef fish to corals and clams. It is an important part of the BIOTA ethos that any biomass exported from Palau is produced onsite and not taken from then Ocean. 

*Please note, any attempts to make coral fragments to grow out new colonies should be done by trained professionals who have specific goals when it comes to the desired species. 

"We must plant the sea and herd its animals … using the sea as farmers instead of hunters. That is what civilization is all about—farming replacing hunting." — Jacques Cousteau 

Episode 3, Part 4

COVID-19 has caused disruptions across the globe. Palau does not have any cases of COVID-19, but they have stopped tourism until it is safe for people  to return as visitors to the island nation. As Palau is well known for its scenic islands and SCUBA diving spots, the shutdown of tourism has affected the local economy. Throughout the  COVID-19 situation BIOTA has been  educating local kids about their natural environment. Tom and his team do this by getting them involved with restocking a highly sort after food fish in Palau, called the Rabbit Fish (Singanidae lineatus & S. fuscecens).

 Rabbit fish are an important herbivore within coral reef ecosystems and this outreach activity provides the youth with an important connection to nature. 

"The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature." Joeseph Campbell.

Episode 2, Part 5

BIOTA has made innovations in Aquaculture and the ornamental fish trade that are being recognized at an International level. In 2019 Tom Bowling won the Marine Aquarium Societies of North America (MACNA) Aquarist of the year award. They have perfected the art of breeding wild caught fish and raising their offspring in captivity. The Captive bred fish they sell, have a higher survival throughout the entire process of the ornamental fish trade. From packing and exporting to maintaining in in aquariums, the fish BIOTA are an excellent example of how far the Aquaculture industry has come. 

One of the most known ornamental species BIOTA sell is the Mandarin Fish (Synchiropus splendidus), which are notoriously difficult to keep alive in tanks. The Mandarin Fish raised in BIOTA tanks are weaned onto pellets and even come to the surface to feed, which is something that would never happen with a wild caught fish of this species. BIOTA created the BIOTA aquarium, which is a product designed to help people learn how to keep ornamental fish in a step-by-step process. This gives confidence in both the buyer and the seller that these precious fish will survive in the best conditions possible.

 "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them." - Albert Einstein 

Episode 3, Part 6

Here, Tom Bowling explains how he went from managing a clam farm in the Marshall Islands to setting up BIOTA in Palau. One of the tools Tom has started to use for his fish collections is the closed circuit rebreather (CCR). 

Compared to conventional open circuit SCUBA diving systems, the CCR allows for much longer bottom time and optimum Nitrgen levels in the gas being breathed. They also allow the diver to get much closer to marine life as the bubbles are no longer a factor, and therefore the diver is further immersed into nature. Although, CCR's were once considered a dangerous tool, there have been significant improvements in the technology and safety for using them for all kinds of diving activities. 

Tom's choice of CCR is the JJ-CCR (www.jj-ccr.com) , which he uses with Shearwater Research diving computers (https://www.shearwater.com/) to get the most out of his occupational dives. 

*Always seek appropriate training and certification from recognized facilities when considering using any type of diving equipment that is new to you (including CCR). 

"Nature seemed to me full of wonders, and I wanted to steep myself in them. Every stone, every plant, every single thing seemed alive and indescribably marvelous. I immersed myself in nature, crawled, as it were, into the very essence of nature and away from the whole human world." - Carl Jung 

Episode 2, Part 7

The damage done from plastic pollution to global ecosystems in the relatively short time it has been around is frightening. The good news is there are already countless solutions that have been created to combat this problem. Unfortunately, successful solutions are often drowned out by fear mongering headlines in the media. There are any ways you can eliminate or repurposed plastic in your everyday life.

It just takes a simple search on a search on your favourite search provider. One initiative Jason talks about here is “Precious Plastic”(https://preciousplastic.com/). Precious Plastic is a movement created to help people recycle and re-purpose plastics, and turn it in to things like construction material, furniture, or jewellery. The website has an incredible amount of information that should in school curriculum and dominating the new headlines.

“Humanity must seek what is not simple and obvious using the simple and obvious.” ― Gaius Musonius Rufus, Musonius Rufus on How to live.

Episode 2, Part 8

Apart from being a marine conservationist and musician, Jason Neptune works as a chef. He fully understands the importance of making consumer conscience decisions with sourcing food he is going to cook for other people. The key principle that he relies on is to find food that has been as locally sourced as possible. Jason spearfishes as an activity to catch the food he is going to eat. When done responsibly, spearfishing is without a doubt the most sustainable form of seafood there is. The freediver can be selective with their catch and pick fish and other marine organisms that have had the chance to go through at least one reproductive cycle. In Western Australia, where Jason lives, there are strict rules against taking undersize or restricted animals. The punishment involves a fine, jail time, and authorities will seize all possessions involved with an illegal catch. That includes your boat, trailer, and car! It’s really not worth acting in a manner not in accord with nature! Being consumer conscious about what foods you buy can be both beneficial for your health and the planet. In most cases, what’s better for the planet is better for your mind and body, especially if it does not come wrapped in plastic and smothered in toxic chemicals.

“Everything that exceeds the bounds of moderation has an unstable foundation.” - Seneca

Episode 2, Part 9

Debates surrounding how various diets affect human health and the environment are ongoing. One thing is for sure, many of the pesticides and herbicides used in the production of our food is not good for either human or ecosystem health. Jason shares his experience working on bushland regeneration projects where they were combatting the blackberry weeds on river banks in Australia. Instead of using a herbicide called metsulfuron (which is unselective in the plants it kills), Jason and his friend used a different approach, including a whipper snipper (aka brushcutter) and small amounts of glyphosate to get rid of the blackberries. This method helped keep the bushland intact whilst removing the blackberry for a lot less money. Be sure to look into Jason's methods if you want to get rid of weeds, but do not want to kill everything else in the process.

“The nation that destroys its soil, destroys itself” - Franklin D. Roosevelt