[Coral-List] 2. Re: Atlantis Dubai whale shark (Sarah Frias-Torres)

Mon Oct 13 10:13:00 EDT 2008

I had reservations about posting this topic to coral list but did so
for several reasons:

1. There are rumoured to be reputable reef scientists working in
Dubai, who might provide first-hand disinterested information - so
far, little joy.
2. Whale sharks are an important tourist attraction in Maldives where
they are usually observed feeding over reefs and arguably constitute a
part of that coral reef ecosystem (as do the folks that brought us
Dubai-style coastal development, active in Maldives since a few
years).
3. The whale shark controversy provides opportunity to renew attention
to the larger issue of coastal ecosystem destruction off Dubai (done
deal and new deal) and looming in Abu Dhabi and elsewhere. You have
capitalized on this several times, and by the way, the request to
investigate the whale sharks was stimulated by your earlier post
describing Dubai coastal destruction which I had forwarded to the
person initiating my inquiry. That discreet businessperson described
the Palm as "the profanity", so the message is getting through. The
more reminders the better.
4. Last, the list did not appear to be overwhelmed with traffic when I
posted the inquiry, nor does it now, but even so, I will shift this
discussion off-list in a day or two if it does not as I expect peter
out on its own.

Bill

On Mon, Oct 13, 2008 at 8:39 AM, Tom Williams <ctwiliams at yahoo.com> wrote:
> I would love to see the whale shark released or assigned to a "fisheries" list serv and we should be concentrating on the loss of coral reef under the same Atlantis...but that is a done deal.
>
> By the Way, Name is Sami the Whale Shark
>
> Dubai press also indicated that more reefs are going under the sand fills in Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Umm Al Quwain, Ajman, Sharjah, Dubai (Port of JA expansion which will enclose more water discharged from the DeSal Plants), and finally the once-sleeping giant of Abu Dhabi (Net Profit from oil at $80/bbl = $200M/day)...and lots of land of <15m depth
>
> Basic issue - Dubai has proven it can be done and make money (land from sea $150/sq m cost, value = $1500+/sq m) - difficult to fight those economics...the entire Gulf has caught the financial bug...and I hear it has spread to Malaysia (Oman has too deep of water too close in for economic filling over the subject of this List Serv..
>
> TOM
>
> --- On Sun, 10/12/08, RainbowWarriorsInternational <southern_caribbean at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> From: RainbowWarriorsInternational <southern_caribbean at yahoo.com>
>> Subject: Re: [Coral-List] 2. Re: Atlantis Dubai whale shark (Sarah Frias-Torres)
>> To: "William Allison" <allison.billiam at gmail.com>, "tim ecott" <timecott at hotmail.com>
>> Cc: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>> Date: Sunday, October 12, 2008, 7:28 AM
>> Here is a neutral point of view on the issue.
>>
>> The only really justifiable argument to keep animals in
>> captivity is for breeding purposes, to ensure the survival
>> of the species in the wild.
>>
>> As part of The Ocean Project Rainbow Warriors International
>> has zoos and aquariums for bedfellows, even some which we
>> have heavily criticized in the past for their dealings with
>> captive cetaceans.
>>
>> In light of the recent IUCN World Conservation Conference
>> at in Barcelona and its conclusions we should focus on
>> mitigating the effects of climate change on species survival
>> chances.
>>
>> Keeping animals in captivity for display and as tourist
>> attractions should be abolished, if there is no proven
>> scientific program at the facility actually geared at
>> contributing to the survival of the species in the wild.
>>
>> Cetaceans and ever bigger species of sharks are being kept
>> in captivity for amusement purposes with obvious economic
>> rewards and this should be strongly discouraged.
>>
>> William Allison <allison.billiam at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Dear Tim,
>>
>> Please substantiate the allegations made in the first
>> paragraph.
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>> Bill
>>
>> On Fri, Oct 10, 2008 at 5:58 AM, tim ecott  wrote:
>>
>> > regarding the whale sharks:
>> > it is worth noting that contrary to what was reported
>> earlier: the Georgia
>> > aquarium has not successfully kept two whale sharks
>> alive. they BOTH DIED.
>> > also they were not captured off Indonesia but in
>> Taiwan and there is some
>> > controversy over whether they were 'rescued'
>> from fishermen or 'caught to
>> > order'. Whalesharks almost never survive in
>> captivity - there is one
>> > aquarium in japan which has managed to keep successive
>> specimens alive.
>> > in the case of the Dubai whaleshark which was
>> allegedly 'rescued' by
>> > Atlantis, it is worth noting that the rescue coincided
>> with the opening of
>> > the Atlantis Palm resort and the hotel pr team has got
>> itself in a real
>> > muddle over whether or not the shark will be released
>> at some future date.
>> > the chances of any useful 'research'
>> originating from this capture are, in
>> > my humble view. very very limited.Tim Ecott is the
>> author of Neutral
>> > Buoyancy: Adventures in a Liquid World (Penguin) and
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > 9> ****************************************
>> >
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>> (Rainbow Warriors International)
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