[Coral-List] Arrecife Alacranes Park manager needs documentation for proposed regulation re: divers distance from reef

Tue Jul 30 09:59:54 EDT 2013

This has been a long-debated item and until we figure out a way to make it
more profitable for the industry to minimize and secure all the crap they
sell to "gotta have that" divers minimum distances aren't going to work - I
give it the same chance as getting the average US diver understand what a
meter is.

It strikes me that these is some low-hanging "fruit" that we ignore and
that dive guides could start with. Every time I go on a dive boat, I look
around at the plethora of gauges, cameras and other widgets and gizmos
hanging off divers who maintain little (i.e., no) awareness of them once
they are in the water (including some of my fellow researchers). The camera
bounces off the reef; the 10-pound console package replete with unused
compass, unmonitored depth gauge (that's what a computer is for, right?),
safety sausage, diver recall device and countless other crap I can't
identify drags across the reef - not to mention that octopus with a 40-ft
hose (OK perhaps and exaggeration, but how many of you have seen the loop
snag gorgonians, sponges, other divers?). And then, the diver sees that
great fish shot and loses all sense of the world around them as they thrash
the reef getting their camera untangled from all those costly gadgets they
never use. I once watched an environmental monitor (I believe the late Bob
Dill coined the apt term "biostitute") videoing a cable mitigation
job...... dragging all these items behind and rather effectively using her
fins to thrash the life out of the biota she had just filmed.

My point? If the dive industry was more interested in the reef than in
selling little used and poorly understood gadgetry, we'd be better off. At
a minimum, a dive guide could spend a little time helping the divers secure
are these projectiles before they start the dive.

Dennis

On Mon, Jul 29, 2013 at 11:13 PM, Chloe Hunt <hunt.chloe at gmail.com> wrote:

> We have been looking at managing diver behaviour, and the diving industry
> as a whole, for almost 10 years in SE Asia through the Green Fins approach.
> While I have heard dive guides and leaders include maintaining maximum
> distances from the reef (usually 1 to 2 m) very nicely in pre-dive
> environmental briefings, it will always only be a guide for the visiting
> divers and something which is very difficult to actually enforce or police
> as a rule. We have found that promoting best practices through
> environmental training, instead of strict rules, is a much more effective
> way of managing a sustainable and environmentally receptive diving
> industry.
>
> The Green Fins approach is based on threats posed to reefs by divers and
> the diving industry, and shares knowledge and guidance on how to mitigate
> those threats through best practice. The approach and results from a case
> study are described in a paper, which can be found at
> http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0964569113000719. Green
> Fins has been tested in SE Asia and, as part of work with UNEP and The
> Reef-World Foundation, it will be piloted in other regions, potentially
> the Caribbean as well as WIO.
>
> Please do let me know if you would like any further information, or find
> more at www.greenfins.net.
>
> Best of luck with your endeavours,
>
> Chloe
> Programmes Manager
> The Reef-World Foundation
>
>
>
> On 28 July 2013 00:00, <coral-list-request at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
>
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> >
> >
> > Today's Topics:
> >
> >    1. Arrecife Alacranes Park manager needs documentation for
> >       proposed regulation re: divers distance from reef (Sustento
> >       t?cnico para regla de buceo en PN Arrecife Alacranes (Mexico):
> >       distancia del buzo al arrecife) (Georgina Bustamante)
> >
> >
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 1
> > Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 16:00:49 -0400
> > From: "Georgina Bustamante" <gbustamante09 at gmail.com>
> > Subject: [Coral-List] Arrecife Alacranes Park manager needs
> >         documentation for proposed regulation re: divers distance from
> reef
> >         (Sustento t?cnico para regla de buceo en PN Arrecife Alacranes
> >         (Mexico): distancia del buzo al arrecife)
> > To: "CaMPAM Forum" <CAMPAM-L at LISTSERV.GCFI.ORG>,        "'coral list'"
> >         <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>,       "'Gulf and Caribbean
> > Fisheries
> >         Institute Network'"     <GCFINET at LISTSERV.GCFI.ORG>, "'Bruce
> > Potter at
> >         IRF'" <bpotter at irf.org>,
> >         <wcpa_north_america_caribbean at yahoogroups.com>
> > Message-ID: <09ec01ce8971$aa681260$ff383720$@com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain;       charset="iso-8859-1"
> >
> > (My translation to English below)
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > El colega Ren? Kant?n, director del Parque Nacional Arrecifes Alacranes,
> > necesita ayuda para apoyar una nueva regulaci?n en el parque: los
> > buceadores
> > deben mantener una distancia m?nima de 1.5m del arrecife.
> >
> > Favor de leer su mensaje abajo y comunicarse con el si puede ayudarlo.
> >
> >
> >
> > GB
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > From: Rene Humberto Kantun Palma [mailto:rkantun at conanp.gob.mx]
> > Sent: Thursday, July 25, 2013 2:53 PM
> > To: gbustamante09 at gmail.com
> > Cc: renekantun at hotmail.com
> > Subject: RV: Sustento t?cnico para buceo
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Estimada Georgina:
> >
> >
> >
> > Una disculpa por distraerte de tus m?ltiples ocupaciones.
> >
> >
> >
> > Te comento que estamos en el proceso de modificaci?n del Programa de
> Manejo
> > del Parque Nacional Arrecife Alacranes, en el estado de Yucat?n, M?xico;
> en
> > dicho documento estamos proponiendo incorporar como regla administrativa,
> > respetar, en las pr?cticas de buceo, una distancia m?nima de 1.5 metros
> de
> > las formaciones coralinas, con objeto de evitar da?os a las mismas. Hemos
> > hecho una investigaci?n bibliogr?fica, pero ninguna de las publicaciones
> > habla fehacientemente que para realizar sustentablemente el buceo se debe
> > respetar distancia alguna, solo mencionan buenas pr?cticas y controlar la
> > flotabilidad, incluso algunas AMP de M?xico contemplan o proponen
> > distancias, pero no se?alan metodolog?a alguna para determinarlo, peor
> a?n,
> > proponen distancias diferentes (Sian Ka?an 2.5, Cozumel 1.5, etc.).
> >
> >
> >
> > Con base en lo anterior, atentamente te solicito tu apoyo a fin de que a
> > trav?s de tu red de contactos puedas hacer la respectiva consulta, de lo
> > cual estoy seguro que algo saldr? en alg?n lugar del mundo, lo que
> > permitir?
> > fortalecer la propuesta de imponer una distancia m?nima al realizar el
> > buceo
> > en el PNAA.
> >
> >
> >
> > Por el amable tiempo de haber revisado el presente correo, te agradezco
> > infinito y aprovecho para enviarte saludos, con la esperanza que nos
> > saludemos pronto, quiz?s en M?rida??
> >
> > Espero tus comentarios.
> >
> > Cordialmente
> >
> > RK
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Lic. Ren? H. Kant?n Palma
> >
> > Comisi?n Nacional de ?reas Naturales Protegidas
> >
> > Director
> >
> > Parque Nacional Arrecife Alacranes
> >
> > Reserva de la Biosfera R?a Celest?n
> >
> > Calle 18 No, 120 X Av. P?rez Ponce, Col. Itzimn?
> >
> > M?rida, Yucat?n, C.P. 97100
> >
> > Tel. 999 938 07 09 / 999 938 07 08
> >
> > Ext. 101 y 106
> >
> > renekantun at hotmail.com
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > La informaci?n que se env?a al destinatario mediante esta
> > transmisi?n es propiedad exclusiva de la Comisi?n
> > Nacional de ?reas Naturales Protegidas. Si usted no es el
> > destinatario de esta informaci?n o si la ha recibido por
> > error, se le comunica que la copia, distribuci?n,
> > modificaci?n, retransmisi?n, revelaci?n o uso en cualquier
> > forma, est? estrictamente prohibida.
> >
> > ------------------------
> >
> > CaMPAM members,
> >
> > Our colleague Rene Kantun, director of Arrecifes de Alacranes NP, need
> your
> > help to Support a proposed regulation: for divers to keep a 1.5m distance
> > from the reef.
> >
> > Read my English translation of his message below, and contact him if you
> > can
> > help.
> >
> >
> >
> > GB
> >
> >
> >
> > Dear Georgina:
> >
> > An apology for distracting from your busy schedule.
> >
> > We are in the process of modifying the Management  Program of Alacranes
> > Reefs National Park, Yucatan, Mexico. We are proposing to incorporate a
> new
> > regulation on diving practices re: a minimum distance of 1.5 m to coral
> > formations in order to avoid damage to them. We conducted a literature
> > search, but none of the publications justifies convincingly the distance
> to
> > be respected, just mention good practice and control buoyancy, even some
> of
> > Mexico AMP (2.5m  for Sian Ka'an, 1.5m for  Cozumel, etc..).
> >
> > Based on the above, I request your support for this query thru your
> network
> > and contacts.  I hope something will come out somewhere in the world,
> which
> > will strengthen the proposal to impose minimum distance to make diving in
> > the NPAA.
> >
> > Thank you ??. hoping to greet us soon, maybe in Merida??
> > I await your comments.
> > Cordially
> > RK
> >
> > Lic. Ren? H. Kant?n Palma
> >
> > Comisi?n Nacional de ?reas Naturales Protegidas
> >
> > Director
> >
> > Parque Nacional Arrecife Alacranes
> >
> > Reserva de la Biosfera R?a Celest?n
> >
> > Calle 18 No, 120 X Av. P?rez Ponce, Col. Itzimn?
> >
> > M?rida, Yucat?n, C.P. 97100
> >
> > Tel. 999 938 07 09 / 999 938 07 08
> >
> > Ext. 101 y 106
> >
> > renekantun at hotmail.com
> >
> >   ??
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
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-- 
Dennis Hubbard
Chair, Dept of Geology-Oberlin College Oberlin OH 44074
(440) 775-8346

* "When you get on the wrong train.... every stop is the wrong stop"*
 Benjamin Stein: "*Ludes, A Ballad of the Drug and the Dream*"