Services

CSS owns a wide array of equipment and software to provide the following services in Puerto Rico and throughout the Caribbean

Community Assessments

CSS team is highly trained taxonomists that can provide species level data of fish, corals, sponges, octocorals, and other benthic reef organisms on shallow-water (<30m), mesophotic (30-50m), and deep-water reefs (>50m). We can provide community assessments, including the diversity and abundance of reef organisms, the cover of benthic organisms, and the size and biomass of fish assemblages. We are trained individuals that can assess the populations and impacts of reef species listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Fisheries Science

CSS's multidisciplinary approach will provide an integrated picture of the fisheries in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. We can collect, identify, and analyze ichthyoplankton and zooplankton samples. Visual assessments of populations with the use of fisheries independent surveys and fishing gear are other techniques that we employ to provide fisheries information.

Equipment: We have plankton nets of all mesh sizes (64, 202, 300, 500 microns), bongo plankton net, nekton net, and Nikon stereo microscope (SMZ-745), and flowmeters.

Mapping

With the use of instruments, field expertise, and drone instrumentation, we can provide detailed maps for any of your needs. We have extensive experience producing habitat maps for shallow (<30m) and mesophotic (30-50m) water marine ecosystems and single beam bathymetry contour maps.

Equipment: Phantom quadcopter drone, Lowrance 4-Elite GPS-Sounder combo, ArcGIS

Water Quality

Water quality is an important parameter for the health and resilience of marine ecosystems, such as coral reefs and seagrasses. We can assess the water quality parameters at any site, whether fresh or saltwater. These are the following parameters that can be recorded, temperature, salinity, conductivity, total dissolved solids, dissolved oxygen, ammonia (freshwater), and coliform bacteria (Enterococcus sp., E. coli).

Equipment: YSI Pro2030, Incubator, UV light, Hanna Ammonia Freshwater test kit

Sediment Collection

Contact us to collect and handle sediments using the full RCRA standards. We will ship or deliver the sediments to your respective locations. Sediments can be collected with the use of a Petite Ponar grabber capable of retrieving 2.4 L of sediment volume, traps, and sediment corer. For cores we use a submersible Stanley BR87 hammer, which is a portable heavy duty hydraulic hammer driven by a 20 h.p. hydraulic pump. Biodegradable hydraulic fluid is used in our systems to avoid any environmental pollution. Three inches in diameter and up to 10 feet long aluminium pipes are usually used for vibra coring in soft sediment bottoms.

Data Analysis

CSS team is proficient in R and other statistical programs such as PRIMER (+PERMANOVA) and SPSS. We can provide analyses in the following statistical procedures: