[Coral-List] NGOs, Corals and Dive Industry

[Szmant, Alina]

In fact I do love my old Uwatek dive computer much better than all these new fangled ones...

Also, not all diving happens on coral reefs (thank goodness!).  I remember going out to the coral reefs off of Cairns on the GBR on one of those big dive boats and seeing the coral heads near the anchorages trashed by all the careless 'love' of mostly snorkelers but also divers. 

And yes, I think events like the lobster madness/reef destruction rodeo that is known as the "Lobster min-season" in the FKNMS should be banned.

And we are at it, the sale and use of spear guns in coral reef areas should be banned!  The few large fishes still out there are needed to maintain the important ecological function known as 'predation' that is integral to the health and well-being of coral reef ecosystems.

BTW, touching corals gently does not kill them.  In fact anyone who has grown corals in aquaria knows that you can handle them daily to clean and feed and they will thrive.  It's the bashing them with your fins and tanks, or dropping an anchor on them that does the harm.



"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people." Eleanor Roosevelt

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Dr. Alina M. Szmant
Professor of Marine Biology
Center for Marine Science and Dept of Biology and Marine Biology
University of North Carolina Wilmington
5600 Marvin Moss Ln
Wilmington NC 28409 USA
tel:  910-962-2362  fax: 910-962-2410  cell: 910-200-3913
http://people.uncw.edu/szmanta
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-----Original Message-----
From: coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov [mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov] On Behalf Of Eugene Shinn
Sent: Friday, November 22, 2013 12:58 PM
To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Subject: [Coral-List] NGOs, Corals and Dive Industry

I am a little surprise that this anti DEMA thread has lasted this long. 
Does not DEMA represent the diving equipment manufacturers? Is selling more equipment in their best interests? Is it not likely that this bill everyone is citing might lead to closing more areas to diving? And, might this action lead to less equipment sales? I suspect most of you have heard that part of the reef problem (other than the usual suspects) is divers 1) touching coral, 2) divers urinating, 3) sunscreen causing bleaching, 4) divers turning over corals in search of lobster etc. etc. 
Those could be cited as reasons to close diving in certain areas. One can envision the leaders of these companies sitting around pondering how to look green and at the same time keep selling the latest model regulators etc. Just be careful about what you wish for. You just might eventually be hearing something like, "If you like your old dive equipment you can keep it." Gene

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No Rocks, No Water, No Ecosystem (EAS)
------------------------------------ -----------------------------------
E. A. Shinn, Courtesy Professor
University of South Florida
College of Marine Science Room 221A
140 Seventh Avenue South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
<eugeneshinn at mail.usf.edu>
Tel 727 553-1158
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