be sure they’re secure.
But it was worth both
the effort and the wait
because the results were
fascinating — these
animals travel huge
distances, spending
about half of the year
on shallow reefs and
the other half in deep water. We tracked tiger sharks
all the way into the North Atlantic. This work was a
crucial part of achieving our conservation goals, and our
findings were instrumental in persuading the Bahamas
to create a shark sanctuary.
AD: Science obviously played a big role. I know you
have a doctorate in marine fisheries. How else has
this tied into your work?
Harvey:
My whole career has been built around science.
I completed my Ph.D., and about two years later I left
academia to become a full-time artist. Eight to 10 years
after that I jumped back into academia with both feet
and created the Guy Harvey Research Institute (GHRI)
at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale,
Fla. Scientific knowledge is key to all parts of my work.
We must learn about the animals we’re trying to protect
before we can teach others about them. With my art,
my personal observations and research while diving
have been key to creating authentic compositions.
AD: I understand you’re vitally interested in
the health of the resident stingray population at
Stingray City and sandbar on your home island of
Grand Cayman. Explain some of the research you’ve
conducted to this end.
Harvey:
The census of the stingray population in the
North Sound of Grand Cayman was started in 2001
by the GHRI in collaboration with the Department of
Environment (DoE) in the Cayman Islands. The history
of the sandbar and Stingray City is well known, but
nothing was known about the natural history of the
species, the southern stingray. Two master’s-degree
students did the work for the first two years and tagged
181 animals from the sandbar, 22 from Stingray City
and, for a control, another 20 animals that do not get
replenished by humans.
Passive integrated transponder (PIT) tagging of
individuals allowed us to track
an individual’s growth and
reproductive patterns. Site
fidelity was found to be very
strong, the sex ratio was seven
females to one male, and growth
rates were not affected by
replenishment, but reproductive
rates may have been increased.
Diurnal behavior was changed
to active daytime feeding at both
sites and quiet dark hours, which
is the reverse of normal behavior.
A new study this year should
provide more data.
The census was carried out in
2005, 2008, 2012 (twice) and 2013
with help from vets who work
at the Georgia Aquarium. Blood
analysis and ultrasound to test
for pregnancy was carried out on
each animal. The population at
the sandbar was steady up to 2010
but went in decline in 2011. This
prompted additional work, which
M E MB E R P R O F I L E
DIVE SLATE
//
GUY HARVEY
28
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