all diver damage, and it would be like rearranging the
deck chairs on the Titanic. If you look at any ranking of
the causes of coral reef decline around the world, diver
damage is always near the bottom of the list. … Reefs
at Risk lists overfishing and destructive fishing as the
number-one local threat to coral reefs, with pollution
(including sedimentation, nutrient runoff and chemical
pollution) as the other big local threat. The top global
and future threats to coral reefs are climate change and
acidification.” — Douglas Fenner, Department of Marine
and Wildlife Resources, American Samoa
This was the springboard for some lively
conversations I had with Earle at a recent meeting of
the DAN® board of directors. She is of the opinion that
overfishing is a huge and largely controllable challenge
to our oceans. She believes each fish extracted leaves a
substantial hole in the ecosystem, as a fish that can no
longer procreate costs far more than just that one fish.
That’s why she is such an ardent proponent of marine
protected areas, nurseries where fish are allowed to
congregate, achieve critical mass and reproduce.
In light of her experience, her personal choice is to
not eat fish. All divers will develop their personal ethic
in this regard. There are things I used to do that I can’t
in good conscience continue to do. For years I thought
it was clever to order yellowtail snapper from the menu
when out to dinner, as retribution for all the times
they got in my way while I was trying to photograph
a queen angelfish or some other more glamorous reef
denizen. Now yellowtail are rare on our local Florida
Keys reefs, except in no-take sanctuary zones that are
closed to both hook-and-line fishing and spearfishing.
Even conch, a gastropod of little charisma, were so
plentiful in my early local-diving days that the boats
would stop on the way home, and we’d snorkel up
a half-dozen for conch salad on the way back to the
dock. Those days are done. Now it’s illegal to do that
here in the Keys, and, more significantly, the global
conch fishery is in real danger of collapse.
We divers see the coral reef with an intimacy
landlubbers never will, and as citizen scientists we should
know by observation what is right and what is wrong with
our oceans. We owe the sea a large measure of respect
and must each consider what our personal choices for
sustainable consumption might be. Earle observed with
some sense of urgency that we should care for the sea as if
our lives depend on it, for in more ways than we can now
fathom, they do.
AD
What’s New on
AlertDiver.com
Inspiring Passion
Read about Waterlust (Page 19), a
vibrant online film series that high-
lights water-related science, sport and
art to inspire interest in and commu-
nication about our aquatic resources.
Then watch Coast Guards, a Waterlust
film in which marine biologist Austin
Gallagher shares his fears and
fascinations about sharks.
Surf and Turf
South Africa is a predator’s
paradise both above and
below the surface. After you’ve
read Chris Fallows’ feature
article (Page 64) about a dive
destination brimming with
thrilling predatory creatures,
check out Alexa Frink’s gallery
of that country’s iconic topside
species.
Acoustic Insights
Take a look at “The Symphony of
the Reef” (Page 38), and learn about
the ways marine life use sound to
communicate. Don’t miss Ethan
Daniels’ bonus gallery, which
captures glimpses of some of
these unique behaviors.
Jack of All Trades,
Extraordinaire
Meet Nathan Myhrvold, a
DAN member and dynamic
innovator with a staggering
array of interests and
achievements. Read about him
on Page 24, then listen to him
discuss some of his ideas in
one of his TED talks, Nathan
Myhrvold: archeology, animal
photography, BBQ ....
All this and much more await at
|
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JENNAH CASTER
ETHAN DANIELS
CAMERON MYHRVOLD
JUAN VENTER
