Do photographers inadvertently harass marine life?

[doctormike]

Rough estimate, 99.9% of the world's population is non-divers. Their actions (voting, shopping, eating, traveling, etc..) affect the global marine environment far more than a diver's wayward kick or dragging console. Or a photographer's strobe.

The only reason that these people even know about undersea life, let alone care about it, is because of photographers, videographers, and the people who run aquariums and marine parks. You know, the worst of the worst.

 

[Akimbo]

The minute part of the undersea world that recreational divers see is the exact opposite of the vast majority of the largely lifeless mud bottom of the ocean. The continental shelf is only 8% of the ocean and runs between 100–200 m or 330–660'. Divers routinely visit less than 1% of that. I'm not arguing that we can't visibly impact some of those tiny areas, but is is far from the big picture.

The ocean barely notices a few clumsy divers that disturb the bottom. The same divers that endlessly fuss about other divers conveniently forget about what their boat anchor does, let alone what drag nets do that supply their fish mongers.

 

[kelemvor]

I have seen photographers kick Moray eels to get that aggressive shot.

I have seen photographers ambush Whale sharks.

I have seen photographers use their flash/lights to blind turtles.

I have seen photographers stick their camera lens in the face of an Octopus.

I no longer point out marine life to photographers.

I fear not those who throw rocks at my coffin for I’m already dead

That sounds like the basis for a Johnny Cash song.

 

[doctormike]

 

[flymolo]

View attachment 728436

Ha! Nailed it!

 

[doctormike]

Ha! Nailed it!

Especially since Roy Batty was a bot...

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

As a past photographer ( Nikonos V with film) and spearfisherman I can tell you this:
Shooting fish with a camera, you can’t eat the photograph and most likely they just end up in a drawer somewhere and never get looked at. But with spearfishing you can take a photograph of a fish on the fillet table AND you get to eat it. So spearfishing is better.
Just look at my avatar, that is a photo of me holding up the fish, and it was also delicious.
But alas, nobody dives or cares about Northern California so it really doesn’t matter, and I like it that way. I’m pretty sure this whole thread is aimed at turtles, whale, sharks, moray eels, sea horses, corals, and other cute little tropical things, all of which we don’t have. We do have octopusses but as big as some of them get here I doubt any amateur photog would want to deal with one. They can ruin your day, and your very expensive camera rig.

 

[BoltSnap]

I just want Robocop, the OP, to dive with me and guide me and show me his whalesharks and I promise that I won't touch it or do anything to harm or cause it any distress.

 

[flymolo]

Especially since Roy Batty was a bot...

Time to start a new thread on Scubaboard: "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"

 

[MaxBottomtime]

We do have octopusses but as big as some of them get here I doubt any amateur photog would want to deal with one. They can ruin your day, and your very expensive camera rig.

They make great photo subjects.

They are also a danger to photographers.