[Coral-List] ECOBIOBALL??
Mark Tupper
mtupper at coastal-resources.org
Wed Jun 20 12:33:28 EDT 2012
Hello Listers,
Iâm a bit surprised that with the torrent of responses Abbie has received,
nobody has actually addressed her specific questions. We all know that
seaside golf courses cause eutrophication from fertilizer runoff, and that
eutrophication has been demonstrated to damage coral reefs. However, I think
the accusations of âgreenwashingâ are somewhat off-base because Albus Golf
is actually a technology company that specializes in manufacturing
biodegradables for the sports and leisure industry. They are not in the
business of building golf courses.
Anyway, Abbieâs specific questions where (1) whether the fish food contained
in this golf balls will be equally safe for freshwater or marine fish, and
(2) whether the release of fish food from a degrading golf ball will affect
fish behavior. Related to the general issue of eutrophication, one could add
the question (3) would these golf balls add a significant nutrient input in
addition to the fertilizer runoff typical of seaside golf courses?
The first question cannot be answered without knowing exactly what the fish
food in the golf ball is comprised of. However, the majority of common
aquarium fish foods can be fed to both freshwater and marine fish (Artemia,
Spirulina, Tubifex, etc.). There are specific exceptions, but if these golf
balls contain typical fish food such as used in the aquarium trade, it
should be equally safe for both freshwater and marine fish.
The second question probably depends on the number of golf balls that enter
the water at a given course, and their spatial distribution. A total of 300
million golf balls are lost in the water every year in the USA alone. So a
seaside golf course is likely to put quite a large number of balls in the
water. Typically, there will be one or two particularly challenging holes
that will see the majority of lost balls. I could see this causing a problem
with attracting fish to those specific areas. On the other hand, on less
challenging courses where fewer balls are lost, an occasional feeding via
golf ball might not disrupt natural feeding behavior.
The third question probably depends on the first two, i.e. how many balls
are lost and the nutrient content of the food inside. Information on the
nutrient content should be available from the manufacturer.
Lastly, I would be somewhat skeptical of any resort actually using the
EcoBioBall for any length of time for the simple reason that it is a very
poor performer. The EcoBioBall made quite a splash (pun intended) when it
was released a few years ago, but it failed to catch on when golfers
realized that a ball without an elastic core will only fly 60% as far as a
traditional golf ball. So, serious golfers would lose about 100 yards off
their drive. That fact will sink the EcoBioBall far more quickly than its
environmental concerns.
Cheers,
Mark
Dr. Mark Tupper, Director of Environmental Science
Coastal Resources Association
Head Office: 16880 87 Ave., Surrey, BC, Canada V4N 5J4
www.coastal-resources.org
Email: mtupper at coastal-resources.org
Tel. 1-604-961-2022
Philippines: c/o Ricky Mijares
Poblacion, Sagay, Camiguin, Philippines 9103
On Tue Jun 19 8:05 , nicole caesar sent:
Hi Abbie,
I'd like to commend you on posting your query first of all, as many
education outfits operate in isolation, away from the available expertise
and knowledge centers. The responses that you've received so far are
right on the money. Coastal systems are delicate and ecosystem shifts
occur suddenly and swiftly when nutrient balance and visibility are
altered - either due to anthropogenic or natural impacts. The only
persons who may suggests that golf courses do not lead to eutropication
are the golf course managers themselves. Time and time again, we have
witnessed and published on the ecosystem shifts that occur on nearby coral
reef systems as the algae bloom in the newly nutrient rich waters. The
fish populations associated with the declining coral reef systems also
decline. EcoBioBalls are proposing to add More nutrients to an already
eutrophic system. Based on past studies the impacts will be detrimental
to the larger biota that we love to
observe as humans/visitors, along with a shift in fish behaviour. To get
further information on possible impacts, it may be good to provide the
coral list with the following information: what climate zone are the golf
courses in question located in, characteristics of the adjoining coastline
(shallow warm water, deeper cold water), are there reefs nearby etc.
Congratulations to Albus Golf on their novel, misguided idea. I do not
recommend that it be implemented, and I volunteer to lead them on a field
trip down to the Keys to educate them on the impacts on urban run-off on
nearshore systems. We can play some golf, i'll take them on a snorkel,and
plop them down for a nice long informative powerpoint presentation in that
order.
Thanks,
Nicole.
Nicole O. Caesar
M.S. Marine Science
Recipient, USF Signature Research Doctoral Fellowship
Board Member, Florida Chapter, AWRA
Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Geography, Environment, & Planning
________________________________
From: Ian Zink <[1]izink at rsmas.miami.edu>
To: "ENGMAN, JAMES" <[2]ENGMANJ at hsu.edu>;
"[3]coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa..gov" <[4]coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
Sent: Monday, June 18, 2012 5:47 PM
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] ECOBIOBALL??
EcoBioBalls sounds like greenwashing of practices which contribute
substantially to coastal eutrophication, as is suggested below. Should
wiseoceans.com ask the wise question "is golf ball waste the biggest
enviromental impact caused by coastal golf courses?" the feel-good add-on
of these golf balls doesn't target the main issue.
Similarly, should golf balls which could change coastal fishes' behavior
(public feeding of the wildlife around coastal golf course) be
introduced? Though this product seems to alleviate one problem, it may
introduce another..
________________________________________
From: [5]coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
[[6]coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml..noaa.gov] on behalf of ENGMAN, JAMES
[[7]ENGMANJ at hsu.edu]
Sent: Monday, June 18, 2012 2:01 PM
To: [8]coral-list at coral.aoml..noaa.gov
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] ECOBIOBALL??
I won't comment on the fish-feeding ball proposal. Is it safe to assume
that these seaside luxury resorts use N and P fertilizer, herbicides and
insecticides to keep their turf nice and pretty? There's an awareness
issue.
James Engman, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology and Chair
Department of Biology
Box 7520
Henderson State University
Arkadelphia, AR 71999-0001
phone 870-230-5314
fax 870-230-5144
email: [9]engmanj at hsu.edu
-----Original Message-----
From: [10]coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
[[11]coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov','','','')">[12]coral-list-bou
nces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov] On Behalf Of [13]info at wiseoceans.com
Sent: Monday, June 18, 2012 11:33 AM
To: [14]coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Subject: [Coral-List] ECOBIOBALL??
Dear Coral-list,
I run a marine awareness and conservation company called WiseOceans and we
(along with other things) provide Marine Educators at resorts. One of the
luxury resorts we work at is planning on introducing ECOBIOBALL by Albus
Golf. [15]www.albusgolf.com
I have not had any experience of these before and am keen to gather
scientific opinion on the environmental and ethical pros and cons of these
golf balls.
According to their website ECOBIOBALL is the first ever ecological and
biodegradable golf ball to contain fish food in its core. It is 100% safe
for marine flora and fauna, is manufactured using non-contaminating
materials, and is certified as a biodegradable and non-toxic product..
Once the golf ball has been hit into the water, its external layer
biodegrades in less than 48 hours, releasing the fish food contained in
its core into the surrounding water.
One concern is that the same type of ball and therefore fish food is used
for fresh and salt water, would that be an issue? I also have
reservations on fish feeding as a whole as it can often change behaviour.
I would appreciate some thoughts. Thanks so much
Kind regards
Abbie
--
Abbie Hine
www.WiseOceans.com
"In the end we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we
understand and we will understand only what we are taught" Baba Dioum
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