| About RIMS | |
The Roatan Institute for Marine Science is ideally located for marine study on the northwest coast of Roatan where over 30 miles of fringing and barrier reefs, seagrass beds, mangroves and shoreline are home to an astonishing profusion of life. Founded in 1989, the primary objective of this facility is the preservation of Roatan’s natural resources through education and research. In the past decade RIMS has established itself as a dedicated teaching institution. Our facility is visited year-round by colleges, universities and high schools from abroad to study tropical marine ecosystems and the bottlenose dolphins we house at our facility. Many programs are for academic credit, some are in conjunction with other field research stations, and others are simply introductory courses to the ecology of coral reefs in the Caribbean. RIMS is surrounded by approximately 13 km of protected area known as the Sandy Bay Marine Reserve. Within this area no spear fishing, trapping or collecting of any kind is allowed, nor is anything to be taken from the reef. Only single line fishing is permitted. To discourage touching or grabbing coral, divers and snorkelers are not permitted to wear gloves within the reserve. Local dive resorts and the municipality of Roatan support the Reserve, and RIMS has initiated a long-term reef-monitoring program within the Marine Reserve. Coral, fish and invertebrate populations, conditions on the reef such as salinity, turbidity and temperature are monitored over time in order to gauge reef health. Student groups are invited to participate in the reef-monitoring program. The institute is dedicated to preserving the natural resources of Roatan. Any research to be conducted must be approved by the institute prior to arrival on Roatan. All groups must adhere to the rules and regulations of the Marine Park and RIMS. |
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