The Trouble with our Ocean

[Peter Burnside]

 "From an economic standpoint, I'm not sure that a
live reef is worth much more than a dead one.  Most
first time snorkelers...(the majority of the market)do
not know the difference.  They see a few fish, they
lie in the sun.  It's just another day at the beach."
-Journalist Joel Simon, author of "Endangered Mexico:
An Environment on the Edge" after visiting Cancun.

Thats the problem with reef ecotourism economics--for
those whose sole motivation for protecting reefs is
tourism dollars, it doesn't really matter how healthy
the reef is as long as the dollars keep coming. 
Solutions anyone?

Peter Burnside


Dear Ursula--I sympathize with you but would point out
that in the 
Florida
Keys, the water turned green and we still have those
who would deny 
that there
is a problem.  Sure the nutrients can't be traced to
the reef--its in 
the green
water...and the algal blooms.....etc. .     Regards,
DeeVon Quirolo, 
Ex.
Director,  Reef Relief

Ursula Keuper-Bennett wrote:

> Dear Coral Types,
>
> I've been following the debate about the demise of
coral reefs with 
great
> interest.
>
> As recreational divers who have adopted a coral
reef, we care very 
much
> about the health of "ours".  This reef is also home
to a group of 
Hawaiian
> green sea turtles we love and that makes our
interest even more 
intense.
>
> Right now coral researchers can discuss/debate all
sorts of issues 
that
> affect coral reefs --global warming, sedimentation,
pollution, 
run-off,
> over-fishing, coral predation, El Nino, bleaching,
faunal/floral 
changes,
> thermal events, coral mortality events, algae
blooms, this model and 
that
> model --but ultimately there's a problem.
>
> And Tim Ecott spelled it out nicely.
>
> He wrote:
>
> >Given that it is reasonably easy, in layman's
terms, to convince the
> >'general public' that the sea is an essential
component of our 
fragile
> >biosphere, then there seems only one useful end to
the debate about 
coral
> >mortality - that the planet is in deep shit.
>
> Drawing from our own experience diving in West Maui,
Hawaii, it is 
VERY
> difficult to convince the "general public" that our
section of ocean 
is in
> trouble, let alone get action.  And we ARE in
trouble.
>
> We've had repeated algae blooms:
>
> 1991  <http://www.turtles.org/head91.jpg>
>
> and here from just this summer:
>
> <http://www.turtles.org/cladophora000712am2.jpg>
>
> On strong current days we have to pick algae slime
off our favourite 
corals
> to make sure they don't smother:
>
>
<http://www.turtles.org/cladophoracoralpab000731am4.jpg>
>
> The vast majority of the sea turtles we know have
tumours.
>
> <http://www.turtles.org/98-50in99.jpg>
>
> Most corals to our northern perimeter are just green
lumps, with 
seaweed
> growing on them, killed in the '89 bloom.
>
> But here's the REAL problem.
>
> No matter how many turtles sicken,
>
>
<http://www.turtles.org/ukbvideos2000108000711am.jpg>
>
> no matter how much seaweed-stink lines our beach
attracting white 
flies,
>
> <http://www.turtles.org/98-50in99.jpg>
>
> no matter who SLIMY the water is to swim in (that's
my husband and 
his fins
> right side there, and yes, we dive in this stuff)
>
> <http://www.turtles.org/pabcladophora000714am.jpg>
>
> the "general public" lounging on the beach or
enjoying a tour on a
> catamaran, will look around and see only BLUE OCEAN
--and be lulled 
into
> thinking that nothing is wrong.
>
> That ocean BETRAYS us --it stays blue no matter WHAT
is happening 
under the
> water.
>
> Even in 1991 when I was armpit deep in Cladophora
one day.
>
> <<http://www.turtles.org/asp00900.jpg>>
>
> And there were rafts of Hypnea on the surface.
>
> <http://www.turtles.org/raft91.jpg>
>
> to anyone else looking seaward that day, guess what?
>
> That ocean was BLUE.  It was business as usual.
>
> And back then I was silly enough to think that all
that blight would 
harm
> tourism in our area --that people would not come
back because of the 
slime
> and the stink.  But I was wrong.  Last summer
(almost ten years 
later)
> tourists now PLAY with the seaweed, tossing it to
each other.  They 
lie on
> the lounge chairs --a bit away from the white flies
mind you --but 
still
> catch rays among the weed and the flies.
>
> Tim Ecott wrote:
>
> >We journalists are certainly 'simplistic'. It is a
simple issue. The 
reefs
> >are dying and most of the world doesn't know about
it - let alone 
care.
>
> He's right.  So long's the ocean's blue on top,
people really don't 
care
> WHAT'S been swept under the "carpet"!
>
> And calling back Tim's comment from before:
>
> >Given that it is reasonably easy, in layman's
terms, to convince the
> >'general public' that the sea is an essential
component of our 
fragile
> >biosphere, then there seems only one useful end to
the debate about 
coral
> >mortality - that the planet is in deep shit.
>
> I agree completely -- "the planet is in deep shit."
>
> And I'm convinced the planet is in deep shit because
we humans can 
adapt to
> anything --INCLUDING shit.
>
> So long's that ocean's BLUE!
>
> Ursula Keuper-Bennett
> TURTLE TRAX
>
> P.S.  This does not mean we've given up!
>
>
<http://www.turtles.org/zeusinflight000803amresampld.jpg>
> -----------------------------------------
>                ^               Ursula Keuper-Bennett
>               0 0              mailto:
howzit at turtles.org
>      /V^\            /^V\
>    /V     Turtle Trax    V\   
http://www.turtles.org
>   /                        \
>
> "A promise is a promise, Lt. Dan."
>
>            \       /      -- Forrest Gump
>            /  \ /  \
>           /__| V |__\
>         malama na honu





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