Fast Moving Coral Disease Alert on Bonaire

[nippurmagnum]

Shades of the pointless debate about mask effectiveness during COVID . . .

Here's the bottom line:

You can debate all you want, science-based or opinion-based, but the reality is that whether or not this helps the SCTLD situation, it certainly doesn't HURT anything.

So until someone can put forth a cogent argument about how following the STINAPA protocols is detrimental to anything, perhaps we can all act like responsible adults and - especially since today is Earth Day - shelve this pointless back-and-forth and just do as we're asked when in Bonaire? (Or just don't go if you feel you can't/won't comply?)

I agree that this is very reminiscent of the debate about face masks during COVID, but that was hardly a pointless debate. People were coerced into wearing face masks for years, and meta studies eventually found that the use of face masks by the general public made little or no difference to the spread of the virus. The “protocols” STINAPA has now promulgated seem grounded in the same kind of talismanic wishful thinking.

The most cogent argument against the STINAPA regulations is this: if SCTLD is spread by parrotfish or water currents or any other non-diver phenomenon, then the main effect of banning diving anywhere north of Karpata is to ensure that divers won’t be able to enjoy the beauty of those hard corals before they get affected anyway. And that all the local businesses in Bonaire that depend on divers will suffer as the mounting restrictions lead divers to go elsewhere.

Bonaire has long described itself as the home of diving freedom. And that has been its main appeal to me: dive where you want, when you want, by yourself if you want. Even before the SCTLD outbreak, I never thought the reefs on Bonaire were particularly healthy (and for that matter, the only thing STINAPA seemed to excel at was collecting its mandatory fee from divers). But I did relish the freedom that the island offered. Losing that freedom is not without cost, to divers or to the island.

 

[mbs]

So what if the dive shop only has one disinfectant tank - low amount of bleach. Which equipment is at risk of damage?

 

[Outbound]

So what if the dive shop only has one disinfectant tank - low amount of bleach. Which equipment is at risk of damage?

Anything made of rubber, or containing rubber components. So, almost all dive gear. Things like reels and dive knives can go into the bleach solution. Most everything else in the ammonium chloride solution. Cameras and dive computers go in the anti-microbial soap solution.

 

[mbs]

Right. I read that from stinapta as well. But what to do if the shop has only 2 tanks, 1 mild bleach and the other plain water and the instructions are everything in bleach and then plain water for 10 mins? I want to be compliant.... But not risk damage!

 

[tursiops]

Right. I read that from stinapta as well. But what to do if the shop has only 2 tanks, 1 mild bleach and the other plain water and the instructions are everything in bleach and then plain water for 10 mins? I want to be compliant.... But not risk damage!

Ask the shop to please follow the instructions from STINAPA.

 

[wgw04024]

What evidence is there that these diver disinfection policies are effective in preventing the spread of Stony Coral Disease on adjacent sites of a small coral reef island?

It seems it would be more useful to have the parrot fish and turtles disinfect themselves after each meal on the coral.

As a diver on Bonaire I spend an hour dive never touching the coral. The parrot fish and turtles are eating the coral and pooping the remains all over. They chomp one coral and without disinfecting themselves go chomp on another coral.

Sounds a lot like 2 weeks to stop the spread and shut down all the small businesses but let the large businesses stay open. Look how well that worked out...

This solutions sounds alot like the covid vaccine solution...

 

[SoccerDad]

I agree that this is very reminiscent of the debate about face masks during COVID, but that was hardly a pointless debate. People were coerced into wearing face masks for years, and meta studies eventually found that the use of face masks by the general public made little or no difference to the spread of the virus. The “protocols” STINAPA has now promulgated seem grounded in the same kind of talismanic wishful thinking.

The most cogent argument against the STINAPA regulations is this: if SCTLD is spread by parrotfish or water currents or any other non-diver phenomenon, then the main effect of banning diving anywhere north of Karpata is to ensure that divers won’t be able to enjoy the beauty of those hard corals before they get affected anyway. And that all the local businesses in Bonaire that depend on divers will suffer as the mounting restrictions lead divers to go elsewhere.

Bonaire has long described itself as the home of diving freedom. And that has been its main appeal to me: dive where you want, when you want, by yourself if you want. Even before the SCTLD outbreak, I never thought the reefs on Bonaire were particularly healthy (and for that matter, the only thing STINAPA seemed to excel at was collecting its mandatory fee from divers). But I did relish the freedom that the island offered. Losing that freedom is not without cost, to divers or to the island.

Isn't it great that you can pick another island!

 

[Joneill]

Isn't it great that you can pick another island!

As should anyone that is truly concerned about the further spread of SCTLD in Bonaire. Why risk making it worse when no one, including STINAPA, seems to know how/what actually spreads it.

I crossed a return to Bonaire off my list for this year so as not to possibly add to the problem (I was last there in 2018).

 

[SoccerDad]

As should anyone that is truly concerned about the further spread of SCTLD in Bonaire. Why risk making it worse when no one, including STINAPA, seems to know how/what actually spreads it.

I crossed a return to Bonaire off my list for this year so as not to possibly add to the problem (I was last there in 2018).

That is the perfect response. Instead of complaining or posting that there is no proof and why should we do it. Just go with what STINAPA wants everyone as divers to do or decide to dive elsewhere.

 

[tursiops]

STINAPA is being unfairly slammed for its protocols and recommendations. They are simply repeating the science community's consensus and the best-practice strategies against all the unknowns...

SCTLD has been around for almost a decade; there are many peer-review research articles on it and a number of agency and organizational strategies to obtain more definite information and determine more effective approaches.

Two examples: (1) AGRRA is trying to map and synthesize the knowledge about and prevalence of SCTLD throughout the Caribbean. (2) NOAA has been working this problem for many years. An example is the disinfection protocols developed by the Florida Key National Marine Sanctuaries and repeated by the Flower Gardens NMS on p5-7 of the link.

If you want to read the actual decontamination protocols, they are attached.