Picking up rocks and combing through seaweed?

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dianna912

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Messages
197
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185
Location
Virginia
# of dives
200 - 499
We've started to really notice other divers' behaviors, and it bothers me. I'd love to see a respectful discussion on whether this is an acceptable practice.

We've seen divers picking up marine life (sea cucumbers and starfish, for example) to look under them, along with rocks and shells and using a tickle stick to literally comb through sea grass. Now, granted, if you have seen something and you are trying to get a better look, I understand that. But just picking marine life up to look underneath it? It seems like such an affront to being a good steward of our oceans, and most disturbingly, I've mostly seen this with highly experienced divers and dive masters. I also understand the appeal, though, as a divemaster doing just this found the only pom pom crab we've ever seen. It also kind of feels like cheating.

Thoughts?
 
Agree with everything except maybe the picking up of rocks. At least in this area, I don't think that does much to alter the ecosystem. Well maybe a tiny little bit in some way. I'm sure many will say is it very harmful. I suppose it disturbs creatures that have sought shelter under the rock and made it their home. I suppose they can find another rock or become prey.
I had to crawl out today-- the kelp picked up ME. I tried not to hurt it.
 
Not that touching everything is my jam, but I don’t see how one can be so worked up about disturbing the ecosystem by a dive guide picking up a starfish unless one were even more adamantly against fishermen permanently removing sealife from the ocean.
 
Not that touching everything is my jam, but I don’t see how one can be so worked up about disturbing the ecosystem by a dive guide picking up a starfish unless one were even more adamantly against fishermen permanently removing sealife from the ocean.
Some will say that it's OK if you eat what you take. I disagree. If only half of all the big fish (and bycatch) was taken by commercial fishermen and dumped into a field in Kansas the fish population would not be decimated.
 
Not that touching everything is my jam, but I don’t see how one can be so worked up about disturbing the ecosystem by a dive guide picking up a starfish unless one were even more adamantly against fishermen permanently removing sealife from the ocean.

I might be the wrong person to make that comparison as a vegetarian, ha.

I do see fishing for sustenance (especially eating what you catch) as different from just disrupting wildlife for a good photo, though. I understand that we all have an impact, but the less the better, at least in my opinion. On the flip side of the argument, though, if I am able to capture a great photo and post it on my facebook and instragram feed, capturing people's attention while also promoting concepts of reducing plastic waste, for example, maybe that small disturbance is worth it?
 
I might be the wrong person to make that comparison as a vegetarian, ha.

I do see fishing for sustenance (especially eating what you catch) as different from just disrupting wildlife for a good photo, though. I understand that we all have an impact, but the less the better, at least in my opinion. On the flip side of the argument, though, if I am able to capture a great photo and post it on my facebook and instragram feed, capturing people's attention while also promoting concepts of reducing plastic waste, for example, maybe that small disturbance is worth it?
Every time we travel to dive we use a fair amount of resources and generate a lot of waste. Even using the internet is energy intensive. A single Google search is like burning a single match. The Haber process of industrial nitrogen fixation from the atmosphere accounts for half of the nitrogen in your body; without this only half of us would be around right now as natural nitrogen fixation is insufficient to support current global levels of agricultural productivity, vegetarian or not. So while ethically, aesthetically and romantically “distressing”, from a practical standpoint poking a pufferfish is low on my list of “things I put a lot of energy worrying about”.
 
I do a good bit of hiking in forests, and I often think about the parallels with diving. Maybe a rule of thumb is that if you wouldn't do it in a national or state park/forest, don't do it in the ocean. There are such things as marine protected areas (MPAs)/parks. Not all of the ocean is a marine protected park, but it wouldn't hurt if divers were to treat areas frequented by divers with similar care expected in marine parks. Protected forests usually have marked trails, with instructions to stay on the marked trails so as localize the damage, however minor it may be, caused by each visitor's footsteps. That isn't feasible in the ocean. However, digging stuff up is discouraged, if not illegal. In backcountry campsites, you're asked to be careful to limit what you disturb. I keep these thoughts with me when I dive.
 

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