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I believe that the potential damage that divers could do to the actual
gametes once they are in the water column is negligible compared to all
other life threatening stages these still have to go through. My concern
would go more to the brooders or to the parent colonies. The problem involved
with promoting coral spawning is that <B>lot's of divers</B> want to see
it, even novice divers. You are dealing with <B>night dives</B> and <B>close
up observation</B> here and as everybody knows that chances of damaging
corals (and other life) are much bigger in these situations. I've seen
experienced divers taking <B>pictures</B> of spawning coral while laying
on other corals surrounding it. (Keep in mind that the parent colony will
spawn next time again if still in good condition) Dive operators that really
care about the reef should deal with these things.
<BR>I hope this answers some questions
<BR>
<BR>
<P>Brylske@aol.com wrote:
<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE> A question arose recently from
a diver that I was hesitant to answer
<BR>until I gathered some expert opinion. It relates to the issue of diver
impact
<BR>on coral reefs. But unlike the usual concern, which involves direct
damage to
<BR>reef structure, this query involved another form of potential
<BR>impact—disturbance during mass spawning events. A similar issue
has already
<BR>arisen with respect to the closure of the Tortugas South reserve if
to scuba
<BR>diving. The rationale, which I’m proud to say that the diving
industry has
<BR>largely supported, is the avoidance of disturbance to known fish spawning
<BR>aggregations in this area. However, the question at hand does not involve
<BR>fish, but coral spawning. The diver wondered whether there might be
some
<BR>detrimental impact when scuba divers are present during mass spawning
events.
<BR>The concern was raised because many dive operators are now promoting
tours
<BR>specifically to observe these events.
<P> My gut, less-than-expert reaction was that, given
the large area of such
<BR>spawning events and the relatively small area where diving activities
might
<BR>take place, the presence of divers is likely to be negligible, if not
totally
<BR>inconsequential. Further, my understanding is that the lipid content
of the
<BR>gamete packets make them buoyant, so fertilization does not occur under
<BR>water, but at the surface when the packets break up. This would seem
to
<BR>further negate the effect of divers in the water.
<P> So, I’d love to hear experts in this arena
chime in and wax poetic. Do
<BR>you believe that such diving activity could have any significant detrimental
<BR>consequences, and if so how? Might the mere presence of divers inhibit
gamete
<BR>release? Could the exhaust bubble actually facilitate the breaking
up the
<BR>packets? I can't promise that this thread will be as entertaining as
the
<BR>recent discussion of the role of overfishing, but it’s a legitimate
concern
<BR>of some of the more environmentally-aware members of the recreational
diving
<BR>community. Your insights would be much appreciated.
<P>Alex F. Brylske, Ph.D.
<BR>Marine Conservation & Education Specialist
<BR>Project AWARE Foundation
<P>Please respond to:
<BR>3324 SW 8th Court
<BR>Cape Coral, Florida 33914
<BR>USA
<BR>800-729-7234, ext. 675 (phone-US toll free)
<BR>941-945-1987 (phone)
<BR>941-945-1926 (fax)
<BR>alexb@padi.com (Email)
<BR>brylske@aol.com (Email)
<BR>www.projectaware.org
<BR>~~~~~~~
<BR>For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the
<BR>digests, please visit www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the
<BR>menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver.</BLOCKQUOTE>
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