Fiji 2019: Save the Nautilus teamed with the Ministry of Fisheries, the Ministry of Environment, and the University of South Pacific to continue nautilus sampling efforts in the Fiji Islands, specifically focusing on Suva Harbour. The team used baited traps to survey nautilus populations and recorded the shell diameter, weight, sex, and took photographs of all nautiluses collected during the expedition. A small subset were collected for research and education purposes to be maintained in an aquarium. There is much to learn from sampling wild populations and better understanding their population demographics and by combining the field work with laboratory-based efforts, overall nautilus conservation efforts will be improved upon. The Save the Nautilus team also conducted a seminar and workshop at the University of South Pacific on nautilus biology, behavior, and their conservation. 2019 was year two of the larger five-year plan to work within Fiji on developing long-term sampling techniques to support nautilus conservation efforts as well as stewardship of the deep-sea habitat as a whole.
Save The Nautilus was started by 11-year-old Josiah Utsch & with help from his friend Ridgely Kelly.Our Mission is to raise awareness about the nautilus and its precarious future.
