In 2003, the
Bermuda Biological Station for Research
celebrated its centennial as an independent, non-profit institution for marine research and education. It was indeed a great year to remember the many contributions made by BBSR scientists and students since its founding by professors from Harvard and New York University in 1903.
I am especially grateful to some of the leading lights of the marine science world, who came to Bermuda to help BBSR celebrate at the centennial black-tie gala
and as part of the ExxonMobil Centennial Lecture Series. Thank you to guest speakers Robert Ballard, Sylvia Earle, Robert Gagosian, Robert Duce and John Woods, and to BBSR alumni Craig Carlson, Clay Cook, Peter Garrett, Tony Michaels and Debbie Steinberg, who spoke at the
alumni reunion in August.In my Annual Report
message last year, I reflected on the role that BBSR played for the world of marine science during its first century. As much as the centennial was a year for looking back, it was also one that demonstrated great promise for BBSR's second century. The focus of my report this year, and of this Annual Report in general, is on the long-range planning BBSR is conducting to help ensure that the institution fully realizes its potential in its second century.
BBSR Board
Chairman Robert Cawthorn and Vice Chairman Ian Strecker initiated a long-range planning exercise in the summer of 2003 that involved both the board and staff. This will continue in 2004 with a blue-ribbon External Review Committee chaired by Professor Robert Duce.
A major part of BBSR's long-term plan is the construction of a new building
, which will add approximately 14,000 square feet of valuable laboratory and teaching space to the current facility. BBSR broke ground on June 25, 2003, with a
ceremony officiated by world-renowned marine scientist Sylvia Earle and Lady Judy Vereker. The new laboratory building is expected to be occupied by the end of 2004. Articles in this Annual Report highlight
how these new facilities will help advance BBSR research and education in the areas of ocean observations, ocean genomics, and the development of early warning diagnostic tools for ocean health.Perhaps
now more than ever, the world needs an institution like BBSR to focus on these areas of research. This was underscored by the work of several high-profile commissions addressing the state of the world's
oceans, all of which were in the process of wrapping up their deliberations in 2003. These include the U.S.
Commission on Ocean Policy chaired by Admiral James Watkins, the Pew Oceans Commission, the Defying Ocean's End Conference convened by Conservation International
and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the initial reports of the Census of Marine Life. The discussions of the scientists and policy makers involved in these commissions point to one over-arching conclusion: the world's oceans are in trouble, and a
major investment is needed to understand important connections between the ocean and climate, and between ocean health and human health.Although it has not yet been released, I expect the Watkins
Commission report to include an emphasis on the connections between ocean and human health as well. This is an area in which BBSR scientists have already made an important contribution, including a briefing
BBSR organized in the U.S. Capitol in February 2000 for members of Congress, staff, and representatives of Federal agencies. In 2003, BBSR's International Center for Ocean and Human Health brought the Atlantis Mobile Laboratory
to Bermuda for its initial trial run, thanks to support from the XL Foundation and Bermuda Container Line. Atlantis is the brainchild of Éric Dewailly, a BBSR adjunct scientist from
Laval University
in Québec City. The mobile diagnostic laboratory vans allow a range of tests to be made on both the marine environment and humans, for example, levels of mercury in fetal cord blood. Following the success of the Bermuda-based trial run, BBSR is now working with Dr. Dewailly to secure funding for implementing this project in other island nations.
Another important aspect of BBSR research on the connection between ocean health and human health is its rapidly expanding program in ocean genomics. BBSR Trustee Ray Moore spearheaded BBSR's program in
molecular biology in the early 1990s, which has been led since then by Hank Trapido-Rosenthal
. In 2001, two active BBSR collaborators, Steven Giovannoni of Oregon State University and BBSR alumnus Craig Carlson of the University of California at Santa
Barbara, encouraged the development of a Marine Genome Bank at BBSR. This has proved to be an important precursor to a vastly expanded genomics program in 2003 in collaboration with J. Craig Venter and his team at the Institute for Biological Energy Alternatives
in Rockville, Maryland. The importance of Bermuda's ideal location for marine research was again brought to the world's attention in 2003 when the Sargasso Sea was the first stop on Dr. Venter's global
Sorcerer II Expedition
to survey marine and terrestrial microbial populations. We look forward to increased collaboration with Dr. Venter's team when BBSR's new genomics laboratories come online in 2004.A major attraction to
Bermuda for Dr. Venter was the five decades of time-series measurements that BBSR scientists and colleagues have collected at Hydrostation "S" and, since 1988, at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study
site off Bermuda. In November 2003, Hydrostation "S" was occupied for the 1,000th time, a remarkable testament to the dedication of many scientists, crew and technicians. As a result of these time series, the Sargasso Sea is arguably the most well-characterized area of the open ocean in the world.
Closer to shore, BBSR continues to have an active program of research and education on Bermuda's environment. Kent Simmons, who first came to BBSR as a
Bermuda Programme
intern more than two decades ago, was named head of BBSR's Bermuda Environmental Program. He is joined by a talented group of scientists working on a range of coral reef and atmospheric issues, including
Andrew Peters, Joanna Pitt and Samantha de Putron. BBSR Education Officer
Helle Patterson retired in 2003 and has been succeeded by JP Skinner, who is continuing to build on the strong base of programs developed by Mrs. Patterson for Bermudian schoolchildren in recent years.
None of this would be possible without the active involvement of both volunteers and financial supporters. I especially would like to thank BBSR's new Development Committee Chair, Kathy Watson, and her team,
as well as BBSR's Associates, Corporate Investors and private foundation supporters.
Anthony H. Knap
, Ph.D.
President and Director
March 12, 2004
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