why cleaner wrasses are so important

cleaner wrasses like clewra are vital for the health of coral reefs, ecosystems that are currently under threat. coral reefs are fragile and sensitive to changes in the environment, and climate change has led to widespread coral bleaching. many reefs across the indo-pacific are struggling and cleaner wrasses are part of the solution. they help maintain the balance by keeping the reef fish healthy, which in turn, helps preserve the reef ecosystem.

this is why my research focuses on cleaner wrasses like clewra. as a student at the university of hawai’i studying marine biology, i wanted to understand how their social behavior and cognitive abilities contribute to the reef’s health, especially in areas still relatively unaffected by coral bleaching. by studying these cleaner wrasses, we can compare their behavior and intelligence across different regions, providing insight into how environmental changes might impact the species in the future.

how cleaner wrasses maintain reef health

with her elegant, shiny purple, blue, and yellow body, clewra darts around the reef like a little underwater superhero. her mission is to clean her clients of annoying parasites and dead skin, leaving them refreshed and rejuvenated.

clewra’s unique talent lies in her ability to perform various gestures to attract and calm her clients. she trembles with excitement to signal she’s ready to clean, her flapping fins creating an irresistible invitation. some clients even say her touch is like a gentle massage, building trust and bonding. her “tactile stimulation” helps her clients relax, similar to a relaxing spa experience for humans.

cleaner wrasses don’t just clean fish for the sake of hygiene, they play a crucial role in the reef’s social structure. their cleaning services foster a sense of community where fish of all sizes and species line up to get their parasites removed. even predators like groupers and barracudas show up at the cleaning stations and wait patiently for their turn, demonstrating how cleaner wrasses contribute to peace and cooperation among marine life.

this unique social behavior creates a symbiotic relationship that benefits everyone. cleaner wrasses are essential because they help prevent diseases by keeping fish free of parasites, ensuring the survival of both the fish and the reef ecosystem. this, in turn, impacts human coastal communities, which rely on healthy reefs for resources and protection from storm surges.

clewra’s intelligence and skill

what makes clewra and others of her species truly fascinating is their intelligence. cleaner wrasses are among the few fish species that can recognize themselves in mirrors, a sign of self-awareness, a rare trait among fish. clewra, in particular, has a remarkable ability to remember individual clients and their cleaning preferences. some cleaner wrasses cheat by nibbling at the protective mucus of their clients instead of just eating the parasites, but clewra is honest and trustworthy. her clients keep coming back because they know she does her job well.

researchers have found that the social intelligence of cleaner wrasses may even contribute to the development of their cognitive abilities. fish that interact with these cleaners must adapt and respond to social cues, making the reef a place of constant learning and communication. my research aims to delve deeper into this intelligence by conducting behavioral and cognitive tests on cleaner wrasses like clewra.

the ecosystem’s hidden heroes

cleaner wrasses like clewra are essential for more than just maintaining cleanliness. their role in preventing disease and infection ensures the overall health of the reef. without them, the balance of life on the reef could collapse, causing a ripple effect that would impact both marine life and human coastal communities.

evanston, il – a team of northwestern university climate scientists teleport back in time with naturally preserved records they extract as cylindrical cores of lake sediment.

the sediment layers in the cores open the way to time travel through climate changes over the past 20,000 years. third-year ph.d. students bailey nash and aidan burdick analyze cellulose and carbonate materials, respectively, found in sediment over time to better understand how we can prepare for accelerating human-caused climate change now and moving forward.

after carefully extracting the sediment cores from lakes in greenland and the midwestern united states, the team brings them back to professor yarrow axford’s quaternary sediment laboratory on campus for the laborious analysis.

“this research is very iterative,” burdick said. “you do one thing, you learn something from it, you move on to the next, and eventually, you build a body of knowledge over time.”

burdick focuses his research on the midwest, looking at sediment deposits from lakes around the region. by building a record of illinois’s hydroclimate, his research will help serve illinois and midwest city officials by improving water resource management, among other applications.

“we can already see clear evidence of way more sediment being deposited after europeans arrived [in illinois], probably because of agriculture and things like that,” burdick said. “i’m using this core to try to understand lake chemistry in the context of carbonate materials. we can use the chemical variations in the minerals to see how the local hydroclimate has changed over time.”

while burdick is focused on the midwest and great lakes, nash noted that much of the team’s work takes them to the arctic, specifically in south greenland where deglaciation began around 15,000 years ago driven by rising air temperatures. this upcoming summer, nash will be visiting the community of narsaq to conduct her research.

“one of the primary questions that i’m trying to address through my ph.d. work is how arctic lakes respond [to climate change], especially in regard to their lake levels,” nash said. “so, did lake levels rise or fall during periods of past warmth? and what does that mean for arctic communities that rely on these similar arctic lakes today as a municipal water source?”

after extracting cellulose from ancient plant matter in the sediment, nash uses a mass spectrometer to analyze cellulose isotopes over time. cellulose is the most abundant biopolymer on earth, and the isotopic signature of cellulose that gets preserved in geologic materials can serve as a record of differing past climate conditions.

“these isotopic compositions can say a lot about whether lake level was higher or lower in the past,” nash said, “or if the environment was warmer or colder than it is today — those pieces of the climate story.”

it’s not well understood whether lake levels in the arctic will rise or fall in a warming world, but the risk of lakes either flooding or drying up is a climate concern across the world. thus, nash feels this must be investigated. because their work takes place on indigenous land, nash also emphasized the focus their group has on community engagement and performing scientific research respectfully and ethically.

“these communities have a very complicated relationship with western science in general and the people that we represent when we come back,” nash said, “so it really takes time and open-mindedness entering these communities and building trust, honestly, and laying the foundation of mutual respect and understanding.”

in a field dominated by men, nash gravitated towards axford’s lab not only because of her specialization on arctic paleoclimate research but specifically after reading axford’s science article titled ‘thanks to the glass ceiling breakers,’ outlining her experiences as a woman in stem.

“today, i’m living my dream,” axford wrote in her 2016 article, “and yet, despite how far science has come… i have lost track of how many times i’ve met a colleague for the first time and been told, ‘i’ve read your papers. i thought you were a man!’”

“i was just blown away by everything she had to say [in the article],” nash said. “i thought she seemed like such an incredibly strong glass ceiling-breaking scientist… the arctic is the most rapidly warming region on the planet today, which poses a very immediate concern for climate scientists. i was very compelled by the argument that studying past and current arctic climate change impacts can help us better understand and prepare for current and future climate change impacts globally.”

picture this: you’re a montauk local on dec. 18 2023 and as you and your loved ones watch the news, a winter storm is expected. when hearing the term, “winter storm,” one immediately thinks of a blizzard. unfortunately, this close-knit hamlet and other long island towns experienced a storm resembling a hurricane.

it shrank many of the cherished beaches and caused major flooding, damage to coastal homes, and even a flood of trash on the shorelines. that’s not all. three more storms rolled in like turbulent waves within the next month. this destruction (to my hometown) brought perilous risks for the future of the local’s livelihoods. it’s a devastation that came to the attention of people of all ages. local instagram stories revealed ditch plains beach, webster beach, and main beach swept away by chaotic waves, leaving bare sandbags and trash for miles. 

some of the best waves come from storms like these, attracting surfers within the montauk community and outside of it, but there is a downside to this that the locals and the rest of eastern long island continue to struggle with. even though montauk is a small community, there is no doubt of its resilience when it is faced with hardships like this. we look back at hurricane sandy, a storm that ravaged the dunes, destroyed homes, and even took lives. despite those hardships and the loss of loved ones, these events have also prepared us for future ones by realizing how fragile our coastal environments truly are.  

as someone who grew up with the ocean — watching the waves crash against the coarse sand, doing the polar plunge, fishing with my family, and learning to surf — i want to protect my home. if none of us did, we wouldn’t have the lives we have now. from the moment my little self met the ocean, it immediately became a part of my life. it’s like one of your first friends that you can always go to, but the ocean will never leave. like a friendship, you need to protect it by safeguarding it and respecting how important it truly is. if you don’t, it weakens over time.

my family and i surf here, my dad takes my siblings, friends, and me out to fish. my two best friends and i paddleboard every summer, and those i graduated with from montauk public school and east hampton high school have a unique and special connection to montauk. everything in this town is interconnected because of the locals and those who visit.

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“giant clams give the reef life,” says delphia selch, “but today we hardly can see them on our reef.” giant clams play a critical role in coastal marine ecosystems and local food production all around the world, especially in the federated states of micronesia (fsm), a north pacific country of over 600 islands.

for the last 17 years, martin selch and his wife delphia have been growing endangered species of clams on the island of kosrae, the smallest of fsm’s four states with a population of under 7,000. these clams not only contribute to repopulating the reefs, but also provide sustainable and local food security.

“giant clams have become threatened all around the world,” says martin selch. climate change and sediment runoff has caused many of the local giant clam species to become endangered or extinct. however, martin and delphia have dedicated their lives to cultivating six varieties of clams including tridacna gigas, the world’s largest mollusk species, that previously had disappeared from kosrae’s waters.

in this short documentary, discover the importance of giant clams, their contribution to food security and the marine environment, and meet the people dedicated to keeping them around forever.

on the island of guam student and conservationist, farron “theguamguy” taijeron, works to break down barriers to getting involved in the field. farron uses his reach and adventure experience to recruit freedivers, scuba divers, hikers, rock climbers, drone pilots, and almost anyone with a special interest to use their time outdoors to both better their health and the health of the planet.

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massive waves toss and turn, churning up 30-foot sheets of water that could engulf a ship. but deep below the surface lies layers of the ocean that contain multitudes beyond the limits of our imagination. across the open ocean, while humpback whales migrate from the antarctic peninsula to equatorial south america and loggerhead turtles voyage across the pacific, other marine life such as sea angels and chambered nautiluses can be found in the depths of the sea. in fact, scientists believe that only 10% of the species in our seas have been found so far, with over two million yet to be discovered.

in the face of such rich biodiversity, activities such as deep-sea mining in the high seas threaten these unique species and ecosystems. as the green transition ramps up to achieve the paris agreement goal of keeping climate change below 2 degrees celsius, demand for critical minerals such as lithium, nickel and cobalt are also rapidly increasing. the ocean floor below 650-foot depth, also known as the deep seabed, contains mineral deposits of increasing commercial interest that are distributed widely throughout the world’s oceans. this puts deep-sea species like the sea angel, chambered nautilus and highly migratory species like humpback whales and deep-sea ecosystems at risk as emerging scientific data hints at the long-term damage from seabed mining.

area-based management tools, as set up by international law frameworks, offer a strong solution to disruptive activities in the high seas. these tools include the use of marine protected areas (mpas) to regulate such activities in designated areas of the ocean. for example, mpas can regulate fishing and development for oil extraction and set up a regime to monitor and enforce these regulations through a management plan.

currently, most of the world’s mpas are within the national jurisdiction of countries, but the high seas treaty, also known as biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (bbnj) treaty, opens the opportunity for mpas to be established internationally in the high seas. the bbnj was formally adopted by the u.n. in june 2023 and signed by the united states two months later.

this sets in motion a whole new challenge of co-governance in the high seas global commons. who will propose mpas, take the lead on monitoring and enforcement and be responsible for sustained funding? these are just some from the slew of questions experts are starting to ask.

marine protected area research

this past summer, i set out to research how mpas could be successful in the high seas. by talking with experts from three different case study areas, i evaluated what is needed for mpas to be effectively implemented. as there are no current mpas established under the bbnj treaty, my case studies were comprised of large-scale mpas around the world: the papahānaumokuākea marine national monument of hawaii, great barrier reef marine park in australia and the ross sea regional marine protected area off the antarctic coast. i spoke with current and previous directors, superintendents and other staff of these mpas to glean the lessons learned about the implementation of protected areas in our oceans. these lessons include relationship building, adapting to scale and identifying key leadership.

relationship building and cooperation across agencies

papahānaumokuākea, meaning “a sacred area from which all life springs” in hawaiian, is a treasured marine national monument. encompassing the northwestern hawaiian islands, the 1.5 million square kilometers of protected ocean is made up of the islands and water stretching from nihoa to beyond midway atoll.  

lauren wenzel, the director of the noaa national marine protected areas center, illuminated that not only is it a unesco world heritage site for its natural value, but also for its cultural value to the hawaiian people. “culture is not just one piece of the pie, but looking holistically on how to bring it into everything,” wenzel affirmed about their commitment to co-management. the cultural management plan for the monument is extensive and includes bringing culture into every part of decision making.  

papahānaumokuākea marine national monument (pmnm) is an interesting model for the high seas because it is a large and remote area, many different agencies have interest in it and its management has a formal structure for bringing agencies together to work on decisions. after talking with experts like wenzel about the monument, the key lesson from its implementation emerged: relationship building between all stakeholders is of utmost importance to build cohesion and cooperation among all the different agencies and groups involved.

adaptive management with slow scale-up

the great barrier reef marine park (gbrmp) protects much of the largest living structure on earth — the great barrier reef. it expands a massive length of 2,300 kilometers long, about the same length of the u.s. west coast from the canadian to the mexican border. 

jon day, ph.d., a former gbrmp director, highlighted the threats that the marine park is currently facing, emphasizing climate change, water quality and unsustainable fishing in the area. the gbrmp is a fascinating model for the high seas because, through day’s guidance, it has adopted an intensive zoning plan to help curate management plans to specific areas, such as areas of high tourism or high vulnerability. 

for implementation to be successful, day called attention to the lessons of starting small, proving it can work, and then leveling up slowly but surely. he advocated for the case of high seas mpas, that “you don’t jump straight to what you think is ideal management. you start off slowly, you show how it can work, and then you build on that and improve it.” any progress on the high seas on an international timeframe will move gradually, so adopting an adaptive management framework of building on successes and changing when things fail will be key.

identifying key leadership

last but not least, the ross sea regional marine protected area (rsrmpa) in the southern ocean was most recently adopted as an mpa in 2016. as the largest mpa in the world, the rsrmpa covers a surface area of 1.55 million square kilometers, more than three times the size of california.  

this protected area is an imperative case study for the high seas because it is the only large-scale mpa governed internationally. cassandra brooks, ph.d, an expert on the ross sea who helped push for mpa status, expanded upon the importance of needing strong diplomatic relationships between countries for an international mpa.

brooks observed that the key lesson from implementation of the rsrmpa is that “specific countries have to take leadership for dumping resources into [the mpa].” both countries and organizations alike will need to step up into these leadership roles and clearly state who will put forward the resources, such as enforcement vessels and long-term sustainable funding into high seas protected areas.

implications for the high seas

the bbnj treaty lays out a framework for establishing mpas in the high seas.  but this is new territory, entering into new waters. looking toward already established case studies of large-scale mpas provides key lessons for the future implementation of high seas mpas. in june 2023, governments around the world formally adopted the bbnj treaty by consensus.

but this is just the first step. the next and most crucial step is ratification of the treaty. the agreement is currently out for signature, with the high seas alliance’s treaty ratification tracker showing the current number at 82 signatures from un member countries. signing only signifies willingness to proceed with ratification. in order for the treaty to enter force, at least 60 countries need to both sign and ratify the agreement for it to become law.

once it enters force, countries can jointly begin proposing and designating protected areas in the high seas. there are already areas in the high seas identified for protection, including the salas y gómez and nazca ridges far off the chilean and peruvian coasts. this region of connected submarine mountain ranges is made up of about 40% of all seamounts in the southeastern pacific ocean, which is home to both migratory endangered species like leatherback sea turtles and some of the world’s highest levels of endemic marine biodiversity. providing sanctuary through mpas for these homes to vulnerable animals and biodiverse ecosystems is imperative. this is how we protect the migratory whales and turtles, the deep-sea sea angels and nautiluses and all of the two million other species in our ocean yet to be discovered.

as hit artist björk stood behind a dj booth, her music filled a busy square as whale bones and roses scattered the ground. dozens of roses were placed around the space representing the 148 fin whales killed off the coast of iceland the previous season. the crowd was filled with young and old, natives and tourists gathered to make their sentiments about whaling known. 

ida harris, a 17-year-old icelander, stood proudly in a bustling crowd in downtown reykjavík, the capital city of iceland, wielding a sign at a protest. her light, curly hair framed her young face and pale skin while her eyes were alive with passion for a cause she has dedicated years of activism efforts toward. 

“[whales] decrease the amount of greenhouse gas emissions,” she said. “on the animal cruelty front, it’s completely inhumane.”

whales are the only carbon-sequestering organisms in the ocean comparable to the role of large trees on land. studies find that the natural death of a great whale sequesters significant amounts of co2. as a whale falls to the bottom of the ocean, approximately 33 tons of co2 is captured and not resealed back into the atmosphere, while a tree only absorbs an average of 48 pounds of co2 annually. furthermore, phytoplankton, which contribute 50 percent of oxygen to the atmosphere, feed on whale waste and cultivate a cycle of fostering phytoplankton growth. 

the 2022 whaling season was the first to be officially documented and audited by the icelandic government. despite explosive harpoons being used to hunt these whales, results showed 41% of whales were not killed in an immediate and painless manner as required by current whaling regulations. 

according to the professional council on animal welfare, “when hunting large whales, it is not possible to meet the conditions necessary to ensure the welfare of animals during killing.” therefore, the hunting of whales does not align with the provisions outlined in the animal welfare act.

a report on the economic impact of whaling showed that hvalur hf., the last remaining whaling company operating in icelandic waters, has not turned a profit in years. this is largely in part to a widespread decrease in demand for whale meat and byproducts. in fact, this disinterest is coupled with restrictions across 183 countries on the transportation and trade of whale products by the convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora (cites). 

harris encourages visitors to iceland to boycott restaurants serving whale meat. she says it does not represent the culture of a modern iceland. 

“whaling in iceland has no cultural significance. it is not a historic thing like people like to say it is. icelanders have been very recently modernized,” harris said. “old icelanders have never eaten whales, caught whales, done anything with whales. just us now.” 

a board member of the youth environmental association of iceland and an active participant in the fridays for future protests, harris has advocated for environmental justice and change since she was just 13 years old. now she and other environmental organizations in iceland have resumed protests against whaling after the ban was lifted on sept. 1, 2023. 

“we demand a revocation of the whaling license and that these brutal killings be stopped and banned once and for all,” the organization hvalavinir stop whaling in iceland stated, accompanying a global petition.

local icelanders are not the only activists working against the whaling industry. 26-year-old american lillian seibert spent her fourth time visiting the land of fire and ice at a whaling boycott. after she knelt down to sign her neat signature, denoting her defiance to the industry, she took photos and videos to share with her thousands of instagram followers. 

“culture evolves, and some things go out of fashion when they go out of necessity,” seibert said, glancing around the crowd of tourists and icelanders. “i think that that’s just part of the growth of culture that becomes part of your history.”

while not native to iceland, seibert said she has dedicated her travels to sustainable tourism practices. a petition to ban whaling in iceland that was shared in reykjavik and online has now garnered over half a million signatures from all over the world. much of this initiative was led by young activists fighting for the rights of animals and for their right to a healthy world. 

hvalur hf.’s permit to hunt fin whales will expire in december of 2023. activists are hopeful that their work to stop whaling once and for all will take root in 2024. a bill has been proposed in the icelandic parliament to shut down whaling operations. 

“it is proposed to make whaling illegal by repealing the act on whaling, no. 26/1949, and bring whales under the law on the protection, preservation, and hunting of wild birds and wild mammals, no. 64/1994,” according to the bill. 

anti-whaling groups like hvalavinir-stop whaling in iceland have continued to organize gatherings in recent weeks, mobilizing followers on social media to continue protesting the whaling permits and speak in support of the proposed bill.

“i’ve always been really passionate about the health of this planet and how intertwined it is with human existence. any species that we share this planet with has just as much of a right to be here as we do. so, i’m for stopping whaling. i think everyone else here can agree with that too,” seibert said with a nod, grinning as she scanned the crowd of passionate environmentalists. 

this summer, i took a trip aboard lindblad expeditions’ national geographic resolution to explore the ways in which the company is working to make ecotourism more sustainable. while traveling up and down the western coast of iceland, i learned about the ways that food is sourced, served and disposed of on a 138 passenger lindblad ship. while a completely sustainable cruise experience might still be out of reach for the largest of these ships, responsibility is always scalable.

editor’s note: lindblad expeditions, our planet forward storyfest competition partner, made this series possible by providing winners with an experiential learning opportunity aboard one of their ships. all editorial content is created independently. we thank lindblad expeditions for their continued support of our project.

fishing is evolving in iceland, and the country continues to learn from and adapt to the looming threat of climate change and overfishing. i witnessed a condensed timeline of this shift, from visiting a century-old abandoned fish factory, to the forefront of industry innovation in the nation’s capital. this story is a portrait of iceland’s adaptability, and commitment to preserving not just an industry but a piece of their cultural identity.

click on the presentation below to see the full story.

editor’s note: lindblad expeditions, our planet forward storyfest competition partner, made this series possible by providing winners with an experiential learning opportunity aboard one of their ships. all editorial content is created independently. we thank lindblad expeditions for their continued support of our project.

in this video, storyfest winner tyler hickman reflects on the history of the fishing industry in iceland and what modern-day fishers can learn from the past.

a special thank you to lindblad expeditions for their continued partnership with planet forward and for sponsoring our storyfest winners as they traveled across the rocky coastline of iceland, interviewing experts, and creating their upcoming stories. an additional ‘thank you’ goes to icelandair for supporting the students’ air travel.