Bonaire going down the drain??

[Mossman]

There are lots of things wrong with eating fish, especially reef fish. Besides the obvious ecological implications of further depleting stock already adversely affected by development, pollution, cruise ships, global warming, and lionfish, to name but a few of their adversaries, reef fish are often plagued with toxins like ciguatera.

Just because "generations" have done it before, doesn't make it right that generations can continue to do it. It's legal for Chinese to fish for shark fins, for example, and it's legal for Japanese to slaughter whales and dolphins. Is it wrong for anyone to complain about those practices simply because it's not occurring in his or her country?

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

There are lots of things wrong with eating fish, especially reef fish. Besides the obvious ecological implications of further depleting stock already adversely affected by development, pollution, cruise ships, global warming, and lionfish, to name but a few of their adversaries, reef fish are often plagued with toxins like ciguatera.

Just because "generations" have done it before, doesn't make it right that generations can continue to do it. It's legal for Chinese to fish for shark fins, for example, and it's legal for Japanese to slaughter whales and dolphins. Is it wrong for anyone to complain about those practices simply because it's not occurring in his or her country?

Not one credible person stated they were catching and eating (or even catching) reef fish

 

[Mossman]

Not one credible person stated they were catching and eating (or even catching) reef fish

"including the voice of Capt. Don, bitterly complaining about the stupidy of locals going after the reef fishes"

Not sure how credible Capt. Don is on all issues but if he says locals are going after the reef fishes, I'd at least pay some heed.

Of course Capt. Don might have been misquoted, so I took a look at the Bonaire Reporter's latest issue:

http://bonairereporter.com/news/011pdfs/newcurrent.pdf

On page 7 there's a pic of the Capt. Don poster and a letter to the editor on the subject. "Enjoy Our Reef Fishes. Let's Not Eat Them. A message from Caribbean reef pioneer Captain Don Stewart. Remember, reef fishes include barracuda, snappers, and groupers." Apparently Capt. Don truly believes there is enough of an issue with catching reef fish that he bothers to put his name and face on a poster at the airport. Is reef fishing a problem on Bonaire? Who knows?

"Not all fishing is limited to big game. [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Several boats also offer reef fishing, where you try to hook snappers, jacks, and groupers. Reef fishing can easily be done in an afternoon outing. Children will love this fishing experience."[/SIZE][/FONT]
Bonaire Fishing - The Catch of the Day

 

[mitridate]

Sorry, but I continue to disagree with you. Marine parks are created to PROTECT fish, not for fishing.
Bonaire is a good example how NOT to run a Marine Park, but on the other hand, it is a typical example of what happens when corrupt societies and governments are in charge.
By the way, we are currently on Bonaire and counted a total of 8 local guys spear fishing on April, 3rd, a sad record even for Bonaire, not to mention the fishing boats.
And incidentally the local Newspaper "The Reporter" has published a letter to the editor, in which concerned divers are raising their voices because of the brazen fishing activities in the Marine Park, including the voice of Capt. Don, bitterly complaining about the stupidy of locals going after the reef fishes.
Enjoy your fish


Cant argue with "logic" like that.... thoese "stupid" locals. Imagine fishing in their own waters like the generations before them with a hook and line... how dare they. I mean even if it is perfectly legal.

Generations of Japanese, Europeans etc went after whales, sea lions, sea otter, sharks etc. until their stock became depleted or extinct.
You should really start thinking twice before coming up with your LOGIC approach.........

 

[handben]

Prior to arrival, I had read so much about how Bonaire was in the forefront in terms of protecting their natural resources. I was taken aback as well the first time I went to Bonaire and saw so many local fisherman. The OP complains that the fisherman "are brazen enough to sometimes even utilize the buoys for mooring their boats while going after the fish." This is much better than the alternative that I have seen which is to use an old cinderblock and drag it along the bottom. Between the fishing and the lack of modern sewage treatment, I feel certain that the reef and its inhabitants are in much worse shape than they would otherwise be. It's hard to fault the fisherman though, they have to provide for their families and I suspect it is mostly us (ie dive tourists) who are consuming the local catch. We mostly demand our fish to be served fresh.

 

[pdive]

Generations of Japanese, Europeans etc went after whales, sea lions, sea otter, sharks etc. until their stock became depleted or extinct.
You should really start thinking twice before coming up with your LOGIC approach.........

Get used to it my friend. Unless you wax euphoric about Divers' Paradise here on SB the Virtual Bonaire Chamber of Commerce pounces on you. Actually they are slipping - it took nine whole posts before you were called a "troll"

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

Get used to it my friend. Unless you wax euphoric about Divers' Paradise here on SB the Virtual Bonaire Chamber of Commerce pounces on you. Actually they are slipping - it took nine whole posts before you were called a "troll"

... and it only took him eight to make troll statements

"... but on the other hand, it is a typical example of what happens when corrupt societies and governments are in charge."

 

[Jersey]

Confusion reigns. Just returned and I was surprised to see a local and his kids pile into the pickup and head to Salt Pier just about every afternoon to fish with rod and reel from shoreline. A ship was docked at the pier awaiting loading. Signage on the pier clearly indicated that no fishing or other activities were permissable when a ship was onsite. An inquiry at the dive shop provided information that fishing with rod and reel was illegal everywhere as the shoreline is the marine park. (Of course they also told me diving at the Salt Pier was still off limits. The guard posted at the pier told us diving was fine as long as no ship was in.) Who to believe?

My criticism of STINAPA is their response and subsequent action (or lack thereof) to the arrival of Lionfish. Initially confirmed in 2009, by 2010 if you saw one it was kind of rare, and deeper on reefs. 2011 almost every dive included multiples, including shallow sitings. One dive provided 13 for our illustrious hunter. At one point he took 3 within a 5 foot radius of each other while I found another about 10 feet lower on the reef. Maybe 6 of them were large enough to eat, the remainder were carved up and left for fishfood. The marker solution was clearly a failure and should have been apparent early on. As a result the population exploded in just 2 years. Now they have allowed the ELF for trained users, but they make the users pay for them and they aren't cheap. You want to control Lionfish? (Eradication may be impossible) Give every staffer an ELF, training and turn them lose. I worry about the parts of the reef not open or accessible to patrol.

I applaud Bas and VIP for the Roundup. Lionfish are prolific breeders and voracious feeders. The native species haven't picked up on them as a food source though we heard that grouper, ocean triggerfish and eels have been seen taking them. During 2 weeks we saw only 1 seahorse, no frogfish ~ that was just sad :depressed:

 

[handben]

What we really need to see is more lionfish on the menus of the restaurants. I am told that it is very tasty. This could supplement the income of the lionfish hunters and do a good deed for the reef. With our appetites, we can make that fish scarce (at least in the easily accessible areas).

 

[Bas Noij]

Jersey, just to set the record straight: we do not have to pay for the ELF. It is provided to us by STINAPA free of charge. The course/workshop that we took before we got our ELF and contract was also free of charge. Replacing broken parts...also free of charge.

I think it is easy to criticize STINAPA but please realize that they were BY FAR the most pro-active in the whole region. Not a single island has been so active and as ready as we could be than Bonaire. On Curacao apparently they are still waiting for legislation to allow the use of ELF-like spears!

Eradication is not going to happen. Impossible. But we are working hard (and keep increasing our efforts) to at least try and keep the numbers down. A program is now in the making to start allowing tourists (under guidance) to also take a course in using the ELF for lionfish hunting and then go out on hunts with a guide.

Indeed the lionfish tastes GREAT! That might be a very valuable thing. At the moment (luckily) numbers and sizes are still a bit low to guarantee a steady supply to the restaurants but that seems to be a matter of time.