The Trouble with our Ocean

[Ursula Keuper-Bennett]

Dear Coral Types,

I've been following the debate about the demise of coral reefs with great 
interest.

As recreational divers who have adopted a coral reef, we care very much 
about the health of "ours".  This reef is also home to a group of Hawaiian 
green sea turtles we love and that makes our interest even more intense.

Right now coral researchers can discuss/debate all sorts of issues that 
affect coral reefs --global warming, sedimentation, pollution, run-off, 
over-fishing, coral predation, El Nino, bleaching, faunal/floral changes, 
thermal events, coral mortality events, algae blooms, this model and that 
model --but ultimately there's a problem.

And Tim Ecott spelled it out nicely.

He wrote:

>Given that it is reasonably easy, in layman's terms, to convince the 
>'general public' that the sea is an essential component of our fragile 
>biosphere, then there seems only one useful end to the debate about coral 
>mortality - that the planet is in deep shit.

Drawing from our own experience diving in West Maui, Hawaii, it is VERY 
difficult to convince the "general public" that our section of ocean is in 
trouble, let alone get action.  And we ARE in trouble.

We've had repeated algae blooms:

1991  <http://www.turtles.org/head91.jpg>

and here from just this summer:

<http://www.turtles.org/cladophora000712am2.jpg>

On strong current days we have to pick algae slime off our favourite corals 
to make sure they don't smother:

<http://www.turtles.org/cladophoracoralpab000731am4.jpg>

The vast majority of the sea turtles we know have tumours.

<http://www.turtles.org/98-50in99.jpg>

Most corals to our northern perimeter are just green lumps, with seaweed 
growing on them, killed in the '89 bloom.

But here's the REAL problem.

No matter how many turtles sicken,

<http://www.turtles.org/ukbvideos2000108000711am.jpg>

no matter how much seaweed-stink lines our beach attracting white flies,

<http://www.turtles.org/98-50in99.jpg>

no matter who SLIMY the water is to swim in (that's my husband and his fins 
right side there, and yes, we dive in this stuff)

<http://www.turtles.org/pabcladophora000714am.jpg>

the "general public" lounging on the beach or enjoying a tour on a 
catamaran, will look around and see only BLUE OCEAN --and be lulled into 
thinking that nothing is wrong.

That ocean BETRAYS us --it stays blue no matter WHAT is happening under the 
water.

Even in 1991 when I was armpit deep in Cladophora one day.

<<http://www.turtles.org/asp00900.jpg>>

And there were rafts of Hypnea on the surface.

<http://www.turtles.org/raft91.jpg>

to anyone else looking seaward that day, guess what?

That ocean was BLUE.  It was business as usual.

And back then I was silly enough to think that all that blight would harm 
tourism in our area --that people would not come back because of the slime 
and the stink.  But I was wrong.  Last summer (almost ten years later) 
tourists now PLAY with the seaweed, tossing it to each other.  They lie on 
the lounge chairs --a bit away from the white flies mind you --but still 
catch rays among the weed and the flies.

Tim Ecott wrote:

>We journalists are certainly 'simplistic'. It is a simple issue. The reefs 
>are dying and most of the world doesn't know about it - let alone care.

He's right.  So long's the ocean's blue on top, people really don't care 
WHAT'S been swept under the "carpet"!

And calling back Tim's comment from before:

>Given that it is reasonably easy, in layman's terms, to convince the 
>'general public' that the sea is an essential component of our fragile 
>biosphere, then there seems only one useful end to the debate about coral 
>mortality - that the planet is in deep shit.

I agree completely -- "the planet is in deep shit."

And I'm convinced the planet is in deep shit because we humans can adapt to 
anything --INCLUDING shit.



So long's that ocean's BLUE!



Ursula Keuper-Bennett
TURTLE TRAX


P.S.  This does not mean we've given up!

<http://www.turtles.org/zeusinflight000803amresampld.jpg>
-----------------------------------------
               ^               Ursula Keuper-Bennett
              0 0              mailto: howzit at turtles.org
     /V^\            /^V\
   /V     Turtle Trax    V\    http://www.turtles.org
  /                        \

"A promise is a promise, Lt. Dan."


           \       /      -- Forrest Gump
           /  \ /  \
          /__| V |__\
        malama na honu