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Biological Surveys of Carondelet, a Shallow, Submerged Seamount in the Phoenix Islands, Kiribati

Carondelet is a remote seamount in the Phoenix Islands of the Republic of Kiribati. Earlier expeditions of the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) were not able to survey the seamount due to challenging ocean conditions. In 2015, scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Kiribati Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resource Development conducted surveys around the shallow habitats (<30 m) of the seamount to characterize coral reef fish and benthic communities.

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As remote as they were beautiful, the coral reefs around the 5 volcano tips making up the Southern Line Islands dazzled National Geographic explorers in 2009 during a visit. Remarking that they re-painted the image of what a pristine coral reef looks like—bursting with color and life—the tea

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Plans to diversify Kiribati’s economy away from a reliance on licenses for fishing access are some way off being realized, and the island needs to keep its focus on fisheries, according to a local tuna fisherman.  Mike Tallarida, a Kiribati captain operating purse seine vessels in the Wester