Research Training Program

David Ramjohn
College of Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina

Dr. Bruce Collette, Ph.D.
Supervising Scientist
Department Vertebrate Zoology
Division of Fishes

"Of all the things I learned in this program, and there were many, perhaps it was hearing my mentors tell me 'I don't know' that impacted me the most. They made me realize that it was ok to not know everything, as long as I was willing to invest the time and energy to learn."

Zoogeographical Analysis of the Coastal Marine Fishes of
Trinidad and Tobago, W. I.

This research resulted in a tentative rejection of the hypothesis that the marine fish fauna of Trinidad is the same as that of Tobago. Over 1500 lots of specimens from Trinidad and Tobago, housed in the Fish Collection of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), were examined for capture locations and to verify species identification. These data supported spatial analyses of occurrence by species, families and higher taxa around both islands. The findings indicate significant differences in the fish species composition around both islands; however, no conclusive statements can be made due to unequal attempts to document the marine fishes of both islands. Tobago has been subjected to serious systematic inventory for the past 40 years, largely through the efforts of Dave Hardy and NMNH personnel, resulting in over 1300 lots of Tobago specimens compared to 200 for Trinidad. Trinidad has neither been subjected to similar rigorous research nor have the specimens been collected via similar, comparable sampling techniques. Despite this caveat, these results have implications for marine resource management, in terms of necessitating different strategies based on the dominant groups in each location, and provide direction for future research.

This research was supported by a grant from the Bill and Jean Lane Endowment.

Letter of Gratitude