[Coral-List] An Open Letter to the Scuba Diving Industry
Melbourne Briscoe
Mel at briscoe.com
Sun Nov 17 22:17:27 EST 2013
With all due respect, and with much sympathy for your goals, I think this
letter is very unlikely to be helpful to your cause, for three main reasons:
(1) it is not addressed to anyone in particular, so is probably going to
suffer the tragedy of the commons; (2) it is not signed by anyone, so has
all the credibility and anonymity of any unsigned comment; and (3) is very
condescending to some rather thoughtful and intelligent people...not the
best way to get them on your side.
Never the less, good luck.
-----Original Message-----
From: coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
[mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov] On Behalf Of Steve Mussman
Sent: Friday, November 15, 2013 4:06 PM
To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Subject: [Coral-List] An Open Letter to the Scuba Diving Industry
Dear Industry Leaders,
I'm not sure if you are aware, but it appears that we've got some serious
problems
developing with our marine ecosystems. I'm particularly concerned about
the
future of
coral reefs which just might be a personal bias although it does seem
that
your entire
industry's economic future is inextricably linked to our ability to
preserve
healthy coral
reefs world-wide. Have you ever considered the role that coral reefs play
by
providing
the dramatic backdrop that actually gets so many people captivated and
enamored with
scuba diving in the first place? I think that without coral reefs many
people who dive would
likely seek out other diversions. I know you are aware of some of our
oceans' problems like
plastics and other forms of debris. Clean up campaigns are widely
promoted
and that's a
good thing. You are also on top of the lionfish invasion. Speaking of
fish,
you might want to
put more emphasis on sustainable seafood because many species seem to be
vanishing.
Have you noticed that? It won't be nearly as much fun to scuba dive if
the
fish disappear,
especially the bigger ones! Getting back to corals, have you heard
that
climate change
and ocean acidification are bad news for coral reefs? I haven't heard
you
talk about
it much. I realize that climate change is a controversial issue, but
ignoring it won't make it
go away. Politicians and media personalities seem to know a lot about it,
but maybe you
should listen more to all those marine scientists who actually study
coral
reefs. They may
be an odd bunch, but they know a thing or two about coral reef ecology.
They
really do and
they are pretty adamant about the fact that man-made climate change and
ocean acidification
are going to be very detrimental to coral reefs around the world. The
ones I
know are actually
worried about it. Problem is that they are generally a well-behaved group
and consider self-restraint
an integral part of maintaining their scientific objectivity . . .
although
I think some of them
would secretly like to scream out from time to time in frustration
because
you and some
others don't seem to be paying much attention. I can't speak for them,
but I
believe they would like
to see the diving industry become more responsible and pro-active. They
would probably
recommend that you begin appealing directly to the community of divers to
help change attitudes,
end the debate and affect change. There are actually some simple steps
that
your industry
could take that might help alter the current downward trajectory if you
would just exert a little
more leadership. Contrary to what the naysayers predict, prudent action
would not result in
economic ruin; it might even stimulate growth! To be clear, the science
is
telling us that the
threats are real and time is running out if we are to have any hope of
mitigating the impacts.
I sincerely hope that it is not too late because your industry's fate as
well as that of our coral
reefs is in the balance. We may be able to develop synthetic 3-D coral
reef
structures, but
don't be fooled into thinking it will be the same. Despite technological
advances like virtual reality,
the diving industry can't hope to maintain it's financial stability built
on
some fabricated substitute
for what was once a wild, live and dynamic underwater wonderland. So for
the benefit of divers
and non-divers alike, please take the first step and forthrightly and
publicly address this issue.
I know you can do it and it might make a difference. It's certainly worth
a
try.
Thank you and warm regards,
A Concerned Diver
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