I led an Earthwatch project, a program of underwater research, during June, July, and August of 1997. The research was conducted on the prolific reefs of Papua New Guinea's Madang Province, a biological 'hot spot' that lies smack at the center of marine biodiversity. Clif Haugen, a student at the University of Pennsylvania, was my stalwart research assistant throughout the project. We gathered data through intensive underwater observation of barracuda behavior, utilizing SCUBA diving and snorkeling. Our operational base was the Christensen Research Institute, a research center that shared a peninsula and 22 acres of former coconut plantation with Jais Aben Resort. Seventeen Earthwatch volunteers — from a wide variety of backgrounds — joined us during our field season.

Twenty barracuda species prowl the world's seas, including species classified as predominantly solitary in nature and those of a typically more gregarious bent, that often form huge schools. We know next to nothing about the behavior, and even the basic biology, of most barracuda species. My previous research focused upon the great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda), largest and most cosmopolitan of these predators. 1997's study in Madang, that essentially examined and contrasted the social behavior of several barracuda species occurring in the same geographic area (sympatric species), yielded data that will contribute to an understanding of group formation and persistence in marine predators. Results from the study may have broader application and significance in approaching questions dealing with the evolution of sociality.