Boat noise in Bocas "potentially harmful" to dolphins: researchers

April 14, 2014

Panama’s once-sleepy Bocas del Toro Archipelago is an increasingly popular destination for tourists. Attractions include dolphin-watching tours around the mangrove cays of the Caribbean getaway. While the dolphin population of Bocas is relatively small — about 200

individuals — a boat tour can almost guarantee a close encounter with the charismatic creatures. Not surprisingly, dolphin-watching boat traffic has increased exponentially in recent years.

New research by visiting scientists at STRI’s Bocas del Toro Research Station shows that noise from boat motors alters the way bottlenose dolphins communicate while foraging, one of their most noise-sensitive activities. Dolphin whistles become lower in minimum -ending- and peak frequencies, but longer in duration. Lower and longer whistles can travel longer distances allowing dolphins to avoid or reduce their signals to be masked by boat engine noise. However, this also means that dolphin acoustic communication space is drastically reduced by the roar of boat motors prompting them to make these changes.

The findings, published in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America in April, “clearly suggest that interactions with dolphin-watching boats are potentially harmful.” Authors Laura May-Collado, of the University of Vermont, and Shakira Quiñones-Lebrón, of the University of Puerto Rico, wrote: “Our results also indicate that intrusive dolphin-watching activities and associated engine noise may be negatively impacting individual fitness in this small dolphin population.”

Between 2004 and 2012, May-Collado and team collected 56 hours of dolphin whistle recordings from 47 individuals, all photo-identified. The recordings were made in the presence of two to 17 dolphin-watching boats, with an hourly turnover of 34 boats. These are low-season figures. During the peak of the tourist season, up to 100 boats can interact with dolphins in a single day.

Aggressive dolphin watching can have other negative effects. “Dolphins reduce their feeding and socializing time, two very important activities for their survival, when the number of boats increases,” said May-Collado. Her team has also documented boat strikes, which killed at least 10 dolphins between 2012 and 2013. They also observed calves separated from their mothers, which can reduce the chances of survival of offspring. “All in all, this is an industry that is far from being sustainable in Bocas. So we are trying to increase education, training, and outreach activities and use the information we have to propose a management plan that minimizes risk of population extinction in Bocas.”

 http://www.stri.si.edu/english/about_stri/headline_news/news/article.php?id=1795

Panama Adventure Tours

Panama is the land of Adventure. Panama offers clear blue waters for snorkeling and diving, rainforest adventures, vibrant communities, and idyllic islands. A tour of Isla Bastimentos reveals an ecosystem rife with both terrestrial and aquatic wildlife, while a Panama Canal tour showcases the manmade "eighth wonder of the world." Whether trekking through rainforest or enjoying the laid-back nightlife of Bocas del Toro, you'll forever associate Panama with the best in natural and cultural landscapes. Pick your passion: http://www.adventure-life.com/panama/

For a list of  tours while in Panama: http://www.uncoverpanama.com/panamatours.html

Decameron Panama: Beaches, Golf and Casinos Outside of Panama City

Decameron Panama, or The Royal Decameron Resort, Golf and Casino, is located just outside of Panama City in Farallon. This all inclusive resort has received mixed reviews from many visitors which leads me back

 to the issue of expectations when traveling Panama. When visiting this resort you should expect the typical Panamanian treatment and service. Your drink may not arrive at warp speeds, but you will get it. Your room may not be the most lavish nor will the hot water work 24 hours a day, but the staff won’t really care.
What you can expect in the Decameron Panama all inclusive resort is a great deal on food, drinks, fun and sun a short distance from the city. This place would be ideal for a family side trip when visiting panama because of the cheap rates and loads of pools for the kids. The Decameron panama will only set you back around $90 a night for one person and you’ll never have to dip into your wallet during your stay. The Decameron is only about an hour outside of Panama City so getting there is a short bus, taxi or van ride. The grounds of the Decameron are stunning. The ocean views are breathtaking and the culture is completely Panama.  The best way to enjoy this all inclusive is to relax, and once again remember that you aren’t in Kansas anymore. Take it as it comes and enjoy.

http://www.uncoverpanama.com/ For places to stay in Decameron, Playa Blanca, Miramar.


 http://panamapulse.com/browser/?onsurl=%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F~r%2FThePanamaGringo%2F~3%2F1gN45gkmoJQ%2F

Panama Event Calendar • April 2014

George Harris: Quién Se Quiere Ir

Theater

 

WHERE: El Teatro Bar, Panama City

WHEN: April 1st and 2nd, 7:30 p.m.

COST/TICKETS: Not listed

  

DESCRIPTION: Straight from Miami, this Venezuelan-born comedian will entertain and delight you with his hilarious wit!

 

Click here for more information

Arlequino, Servidor de Dos Patrones / Arlequino, Servant of Two Masters

Theater

 

WHERE: Teatro La Quadra, El Cangrejo, Panama City

WHEN: April 1st through 13th, 8:00 p.m. 

COST/TICKETS: Tickets $12.00

  

DESCRIPTION: A comedy full of intrigue, comic errors, struggles and triumphs, this is the story of a poor young man who works for two bosses at the same time, secretly

Click here for more information

Festival de Bellas Artes / Fine Arts Festival

Art & Culture / Fun for Kids / Music

 

WHERE: Volcan, Bambito and Cerro Punta, Chiriqui Province

WHEN: April 3rd through 6th 

COST/TICKETS: Free

  

DESCRIPTION: The 5th annual celebration of art, music, dance and more, in the beautiful setting of the highlands of Baru Volcano

Click here for more information or phone 6845-6455

Festival Internacional de Cine Panamá 2014/ International Film Festival

Cinema

WHERE: Casco Antiguo, Panama City

WHEN: April 3rd through 9th

COST/TICKETS: Free for some events, admission for others                     

  

DESCRIPTION: Annual film festival, now in its 3rd year, that brings directors, actors, celebrities and fans together, with all the glamour of other similar events such as Cannes and Sundance 

Click here for more information 

 

Proximas ferias Panama • Fairs in Panama • Turismo

http://turismo.prensa.com/ferias.asp

Monkey Island Tours • Panama Canal Adventure

Monkey Island is located at Gatun Lake in the valley of the Chagres river between Panama and Colon Provinces in the Republic of Panama.

 

 

Its surface area is 164 square miles. Gatun lake is the second largest artificial man-made lake in the world. This lake was created in 1907 and took 6 years to flood. It was created to help the transit of ships across the isthmus. This lake is the reservoir of water needed for the operation of the Panama Canal. It is surrounded by nature and history everywhere – the flora and fauna makes this place a must-see while visiting Panama.

You can take a boat tour through the Panama Canal into secret waterways to find hidden islands where Capuchin and Howler monkeys can be seen leaping in the trees above. Occasionally, they become curious of visitors and venture down to take a closer look.
A Panama Canal tour provides a unique opportunity for viewing wild monkeys in their natural habitat. Other animals you might spot on this tour includes Two and Three-toed Sloths, Crocodiles, and turtles that are native to Gatun Lake.

The boat ride to and from the island passes through the Panama Canal, giving you the chance to spot huge container ships during their passage across the world.

The World's 8 Best Places to Retire in 2014

By Kathleen Peddicord December 31, 2013 10:42 AM

 

If you could retire anywhere in the world, where would you go? As we find ourselves at the beginning of a brand new year, that's a question worth asking. The very good news is that we are living in a time when it's not only possible, but easier than ever to launch the retirement adventure of your fondest day dreams almost anywhere on earth that appeals to you.

Specifically, here are the best, most comfortable, affordable, convenient and rewarding spots worldwide for retirement in 2014. Which one is calling your name?

1. Coronado, Panama

Monthly budget: $1,800

Monthly rent: $600

Panama caters to foreign retirees like no other country in the world. Day-to-day living is affordable, the approach to taxation is favorable and property prices remain a bargain outside the capital city. The country boasts perhaps the world's most generous incentive program for retirees and uses the U.S. dollar as its currency, meaning no exchange-rate risk for retirees whose retirement income is also denominated in greenbacks.

Panama City is being remade in real time right now thanks to a myriad of public works projects, including the expansion of the Panama Canal. Panama also offers some of the most advanced medical care facilities in the region. Many Panamanian doctors are U.S.-trained, and Panama City's hospitals are first-rate.

My top recommendation for retirement in Panama in 2014 is Coronado, a beach community on the country's Pacific coast about an hour outside the capital. Life here could be comfortable, convenient and turn-key, as this area is home to one of this country's most established communities of foreign retirees.

http://news.yahoo.com/world-39-8-best-places-retire-2014-154245784.html

For more hot retirement countries.

http://panamavacationrentals.co/

For vacation rentals and real estate investment.

Coral Reefs in Panama • Are they still pristine?

Aaron O'Dea's time machine is a 20-foot aluminum tube. Beneath the waters of Panama's western Caribbean, he drives it into the rubbly seabed with a 45-pound cylindrical hammer.The strenuous effort quickly depletes oxygen tanks and leaves Aaron and his team aching and breathless.

 

Although the dive site seems pristine, the scenery is deceiving. Surrounded by warm, emerald waters and untouched mangrove islets, Panama's Bocas del Toro - like most coasts of the Caribbean - abounds in natural beauty. But beneath the surface, the seabed once blanketed in vibrant reef communities is now covered with grayish dead coral.
Like a detective on a cold case, Aaron O'Dea, a paleobiologist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), drills down hundreds of years into the seabed in search of clues to present day changes in marine ecosystems of the Caribbean.
Coral fossils are emissaries of the ocean's past. Highly sensitive to environmental changes, they serve as indicators of ocean health. Though warming seas, acidification, pollution and overfishing are generally held responsible for the decline of coral reef communities, precisely when and why their deterioration began is unknown.
"The health of the oceans is like a patient with a complex medical history who falls ill in a foreign country. If local doctors treating the patient don't have a full medical history, they may endanger the patient's life," says O'Dea who sees how baseline data will aid marine conservation efforts. "If we wish to diagnose and treat life in the seas, it is essential we know the ocean's history."

With each hammer strike, the coring system delves into the past collecting sediments and fossils. Aaron's team journeys 50 years back in time just prior to the precipitous decline of the reefs. One hundred years ago reveals the impact of Bocas del Toro's first intensive banana plantations. Five hundred years into the past corresponds to the arrival of Europeans to this 9,000 year-old archipelago that is now an international tourist destination.

"The question is, what did the Caribbean look like in the past and what were the principal drivers of the changes we see today," says O'Dea. The fossils will tell the story.
Core samples with marine sediments layered one on top of the other will be sent to Scripps Institution of Oceanography where x-ray scans will determine the types of sediment retrieved. Shellfish fossils will be dated with uranium-thorium, revealing their dates to within a handful of years. Back in Panama, O'Dea's team of lab assistants and students will spend months interpreting the fossilized mollusks, coral, clams and more; cleaning and classifying them according to age to reconstruct the marine history of Bocas del Toro.
"Once we demonstrate our aim in Bocas del Toro, we'll expand both spatially and temporally throughout the Caribbean and the rest of the world. Our findings will be used to direct the recovery of the seas."

Aaron O'Dea's coring system consists of a 6-meter (20-foot) aluminum tube marked off into 20-centimeter (8-inch) sections. These visual references help his team monitor how far the cylinder has entered the seabed.

 http://www.stri.si.edu/sites/what_is_pristine/index.html

National Parks of Panama Map

A map is a visual representation of an area – symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, regions, and themes.

Although the earliest maps known are of the heavens, geographic maps of territory have a very long tradition and exist from ancient times. The word "map" comes from the medieval Latin Mappa mundi, wherein mappa meant napkin or cloth and mundi the world. Thus, "map" became the shortened term referring to a 2 dimensional representation of the surface of the world.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Map

Visit   http://www.uncoverpanama.com/mapsofpanama.html 

For more maps of Panama