Dive profit at the cost of conservation

[Doc Harry]

We have all seen a lot of dive ops and live-aboards give briefings about "don't touch" and "stay off the bottom," etc.

We have all seen many divers ignore these briefings, either intentionally or unintentionally.

We have also seen the dive masters ignore bad behavior of their clients, because the DMs don't want to get into trouble with their boss for pissing off the customers.

The management of these dive operations are driving the problem. Management is always the problem.

Therefore we have to put pressure on management without getting the DMs into hot water.

 

[covediver]

Many U.S national marine sanctuaries, including Florida Keys, were created not to preserve the ecosystem but to keep an unwanted ocean use (generally offshore oil and gas) out of an area.

Once created, these managed areas needed to me "managed". Successive rounds of five-year revisions to sanctuary management plans (hence the advisory committees) mean that every half decade or so, greater levels of restriction will be applied, because the "no acton" alternative in every management program review is bureaucratically unacceptable.

Initially, large activities with a few readily identfiable parties are denied indulgence (treasure salvors, for exampe). It then expands to more activities but those still with readily identifiable participants (commercial fishing gear restriction, commercial sport diving operations). The law of diminishing returns eventually comes into play as the target audience of the successive regulations becomes larger and more diverse (that is, harder to control). The only way to effectively regulate these users is an outright ban on access or use or attempts to reguate individual behavior. This seems to be the case in the present discussion.

I recall about 20 years ago being chided by a divemaster for putting on a pair of cotton rubber work gloves before diving off the resort's boat, more out of habit than anything else. He publicly chastised me for that behavior, saying that I would be more incline to touch the reef if I had on gloves (an arguement I find quite spurious). He got quite angry with me when I asked why the dive shop running the boat sold the same gloves if we were not supposed to waer them.

The FKNMS is a success in that it fuses visitation with its existence. One can hardly see a Keys tourism promotion without a Sanctuary acknowledgment. Education, a key aspect of every management program, only goes so far. Bad technique is not limited to the stereotypical overweighted quarry divers from Wisconsin. I have recently seen pictures of Sylvia Earle on social media hovering over a reef with the console dangling beneath.

 

[drbill]

It has been my experience that many of the instructors, DMs and dive operators have relatively little in-depth knowledge of the marine environments they conduct classes in. Of course there are major exceptions to this generalization. I think this is rather sad. I constantly hear instructors conveying misinformation to their students about the marine life they may encounter on their dives. This is one reason I started the weekly "Dive Dry with Dr. Bill" newspaper columns and my "Munching & Mating in the Macrocystis" local cable TV show... to educate both divers and non-divers about our ecosystems and the ecological threats to them.

 

[drrich2]

I'm curious as to how concerns about all this would shake out in the real world. How much you expect to see beyond a greater emphasis on teaching to avoid reef contact, & better finning technique to achieve this.

In a prime real estate coastal destination, a developer aiming to build a resort creating a lot of jobs & bringing an inflow of tourist dollars is one thing; the small minority of the population diving or running low margin dive shops don't have anywhere near the clout. Unless you can leverage a clear environmental concern such as perhaps mangrove preservation, I don't see stopping that resort from going up. For the dive industry to have a strong say in local concerns is unusual; perhaps in Bonaire, but I doubt so much in Florida. You might get a species protected (e.g.: goliath grouper), but when you start trying to preserve coastal property from human presence, that's harder to do.

And when you guys head to the Caribbean or wherever, do you want to stay in thatched huts with no AC and just enough electricity to recharge batteries & run a little light at night?

How many threads hit Scuba Board seeking trip suggestions for divers with non-diving co-travelers to entertain, or who want to dive but also more?

I'm also reminded that dive tourism, even relatively insensitive, could in some areas be protective. If I recall correctly, in Palau they've figured out that a live shark is way more valuable to the local economy than a set of fins. So, large numbers of divers flying in (& spending money) to see the sharks will do some reef damage, but encourage shark conservation. If Bonaire weren't a 'diver's paradise,' it'd probably be somebody else's paradise, that might be doing more damage.

And while the plight of the reefs is real, it's one of many special causes clamoring for aid. How many of you have inboxes & mail boxes with a daily influx of pleas for help with animal cruelty, people living with dread disease (e.g.: leprosy) or severe want (e.g.: the poor of Haiti), environmental causes (e.g.: stop the killing of wolves), efforts to fund political causes to prevent opposition from damaging America, etc...?

In summary, let's say a dive resort in the Florida Keys wanted to 'do more.' How?

Richard.

P.S.: There are some ways. Buddy Dive Resort in Bonaire participates in coral restoration. Diving Bonaire, you can see where stands of stag horn coral have been started. I want to see what the rest of you think is practical for dive shops to do. And remember, they don't have a lot of money, and can't afford to discourage & tick off customers.

 

[Scared Silly]

Here is an interesting article:

‘We don’t buy panda products – so the Chinese should get their hands off our elephants’ | GantDaily.com

I could write volumes but a few thoughts:

1. People are apathetic when it comes to fights unless it directly affects them. However, one person can make a difference.

2. There will always be bigger fish to fry (sorry bad pun), but one has to start somewhere.

3. Where to start? at home. Look at where your goods are coming from and where you spend your money.

4. Never be afraid to say something. Especially, with the advent email.


BTW anyone see this article?

American Airlines Will No Longer Ship Shark Fins | Discovery Blog | Discovery

I do not think any SB members were involved but I know several have been involved with Disney, Hilton, and most recently Marriott and their stances on SFS.

 

[descent]

... let's say a dive resort in the Florida Keys wanted to 'do more.' How?

I am always pleasantly surprised at how much people are willing to do for a cause if you just ask the right way.

Bossy: "Hey! We need three more on the restoration project after lunch." OK, go to Home Depot and get three more. I'm eating.

Still not so good: "Do you want to save this endangered species today?" Really? The entire species? This afternoon?

Better: "Hey, <first name>. Can you help me and divemaster Jared install another rack in the restoration nursery? We need a third person to pull this thing into place while we hold the ends."

 

[drbill]

My post above was not intended to disparage instructors and DMs. Their job is to instruct students on how to safely dive on SCUBA. I applaud those who go beyond that (largely DMs for dive ops in travel destinations) and learn as much as they can about the marine ecosystems they dive in, but recognize that is not their primary responsibility. It is a good thing to see others who are trained in marine biology and teaching and present more detailed information about marine life to those interested. Of course I can't understand why a diver would dive if they were not interested in the marine life they see... but that's just me!