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Professional Education Research Diving for science and sustainability By Cathy Lau 文：劉靜萍 Scuba diving is a popular recreational activity; it is also an “One of our missions is to identify how toxicity is related to species and essential tool in marine ecological research. location, and to identify the mechanism by which the biotoxins present in marine environments are transformed into ciguatoxins as well as their The SEA STAR team researches a type of marine biotoxins called transfer and bioaccumulation mechanisms along food chains,” Dr Chan ciguatoxins found in coral reef food fish, as well as sustainable ecological said. aquaculture. These researchers are based in the State Key Laboratory in Marine Pollution (SKLMP) at CityU. The acronyms SEA and STAR come That is why scuba diving is so important. Diving enables students and from Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture and Shenzhen Toxic Algae scientists to directly observe the morphology, behaviour and interactions Research. of living marine organisms in their natural habitats; and hence enable an understanding of the actual ecological processes in the environment. “Over 500,000 people are affected by ciguatera fish poisoning each year, and such a trend will continue to rise since coral reef food fish are “We believe that the scuba diving conducted by scientists is an invaluable regarded as a delicacy,” said Dr Leo Chan Lai, Associate Director of SKLMP. research tool. A train