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1 Spotted Drum, Value: $3.26 (pretty, but inedible)
In a capitalistic twist on an old topic, Cambridge University-based group The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) quantified the benefits of conserving coral reefs, recently presenting their figures at the Diversitas conference in South Africa. They proposed that coral reefs are worth $172 billion dollars a year to the global economy, a number much higher than originally calculated by other economic environmental groups.
I envisioned researchers out there counting fish and coral (that’s $1.27 for that angelfish, but the grouper is worth at least $5.02 since you can eat ‘em!) But, alas, the calculation was based on a number of factors, calculated at a desk and not in the field, including tourism dollars, food chain contribution and cost avoidance from storm surge damage.
In addition to current value (no pun intended), the group also managed to calculate the return on conservation investment, citing a 7% return on coral reef conservation and a 40% return on mangrove conservation. This basically means that the value we get out of conservation efforts is actually more than the money we put in.
Everybody knows that conceptually, saving the oceans is a good thing to do. This study seems to provide some practical argument for it as well. I just keep picturing little seahorses shaped like dollar signs…
The SILFRA Rift offers insane visibility for extreme divers. Thanks to Scuba Iceland who made me aware of this incredible phenomenon I have to move Iceland up to my #1 location for my next dive trip. The Silfra Crack, where the American and European continents meet, offers three diving sites: Silfra Lagoon, Silfra Cathedral and Silfra Hall. Visibility is an amazing 100m+ (300ft+), but the water is super cold ( 2°C – 4°C all year ) because it is fueled by the runoff of glaciers. If strong currents and mid-dive earthquakes aren’t your thing, you might want to stick to Florida.
Some day I am going to buy a nice boat and sail away from it all. Granted, it will probably be a used row boat and my arms will tire before I even leave the harbor, but hey – I can dream. In the meantime I ogle other’s boats every chance I get, particularly when I am diving off the back.
In keeping my eye out for the best yacht I will never own, I was surprised to read about the latest in yacht design, the seventy-six meter long “Oculus” which looks less like a traditional boating vehicle and more like an…orca. A $95 million orca, to be exact. Yes, for that tidy sum you and 11 of your closest friends can ride the killer whale across the sea, or launch your helicopter off the top. If the ocean around you is not enough, you can go for a dip in its indoor swimming pool or just relax with any other of its indulgent onboard amenities. I’m pretty sure you will have no trouble with pirates, who will assume you are either from outer space or are the visual remnants of hallucinations from the prior night’s drinking binge. One downside: you will scare the heck out of seals everywhere you go.
Though we are coming out of a recession these babies are apparently flying off the shelves. Get one while you can!
No more plastic bags for me!
Historically, Mexico City has been a great place to get a cheeky case of asthma from the pollution or find out just how much your relatives love you by the amount of ransom they are willing to pay your abductors. Now there’s actually something to love about the place: a ban on non- biodegradable plastic bags. As of this past Wednesday it is illegal to give out these landfill and ocean cloggers in Mexico City, which joins other places that already have limits or bans, such as China, Tanzania, and cities in India Australia, Italy, South Africa, Ireland and Taiwan. According to the United Nations Environment Program, plastic bags are the greatest contributor to litter in the oceans and account for the yearly deaths of tens of thousands of turtles that ingest the bags (thinking they are a tasty jellyfish snack.) It’s a good step in the right environmental direction from a surprising source.
Author and periodic scuba-dive.org contributor KB on her misunderstood wetsuit:
KB in Palau in 85 degree water...with wetsuit
I’ve braved hungry sharks, roaring currents, and unidentifiable dive boat food. My dive buddy is known for pushing me in front of approaching predators with big teeth while he makes a quick getaway behind me. On the whole, I am a pretty adventurous diver, not easily intimidated underwater. But, I have never been able to conquer my fear of the great scuba diving beast: my wetsuit.
My concern falls into two categories: not having it on me and having it on me. First, similar to chocolate and my big brown dog, I need a wetsuit. Without it, no matter how similar the ocean temperature is to bath water, I get cold and then move to a shivering state faster than an octopus can strip a tasty clam. In a last ditch effort to warm up I will swim back and forth like a crazed tuna, a maneuver that has gotten me “rescued” several times by dive masters thinking I was out of my gourd.
Dive boat personnel frequently get a chuckle out of my space suit. “You don’t need that thing,” they say. “There are enough monsters in the sea already!” Easy there, buddy. I didn’t make fun of your mismatching shoes or bad taste in tequila. I know my limitations, especially when it comes to body temperature, so I schlep my 4mm suit with me to all dive locations no matter how small my suitcase needs to be. 1 pair of shorts, 2 shirts, 1 case of M&Ms, 1 wetsuit, and 2 weeks: no problem!
Which brings me to my second category of concern: the suits are, by design, tighter than NYC rush hour traffic. They usually have a zipper, put there like bait to lure the diver into thinking they actually have a chance at getting into the suit. I have heard that powder can sometimes enable the process, but no amount of talc could help me win this battle of The Bulge.
Once on, the neoprene acts like kryptonite for a diver’s positive self image of their body. It is so tight, one would think it acts like a girdle. But, no. Every hot fudge sundae and grilled cheese (with bacon) transgression is highlighted by the silhouette of the black suit against the white background of the inside of the boat. I’m pretty sure it was a very thin woman’s idea to paint it white in the first place. I try to overcome the inner tube effect by sucking it in until I realize there are some body parts that will not appear smaller no matter how much I deplete the atmosphere.
But then, the other divers on the boat put on their vests, specially crafted jackets that can be inflated with air for buoyancy. Suddenly we are all equal again, an army of strange sea life covered in lumpy gear shuffling towards the back of the boat in our fins. Splash! I’m in, floating towards the Technicolor reef below, my surface insecurities far behind me. Never have I felt, or looked, so good.
Bahama's Wreck
Now that Florida has finally gotten around to sinking the Vandenburg, their planned string of successful artificial reefs is complete. Recently I ran across an article discussing the cleanup of a failed 1970’s attempt at creating an artificial reef using that little known reef building material, used tires. I began to wonder: is all this artificial reef creation good, or are we just rationalizing our practice of throwing junk into the sea?
The available information base on artificial reefs is almost endless. But, from what I can tell, people claim four main purposes for artificial reefs:
Financial
a. “Dismantling my old boat will cost too much. Instead, I will throw it in the ocean and pretend not to notice when it sinks.”
b. “I have no reef, but I hear it generates income. Let’s get one!”
Environmental
a. “That hurricane/cruise liner/glowing green factory goo destroyed my reef. Help!”
b. “My shorefront property just became a houseboat. Where did my beach go?”
Sport
a. “Cool, dude! I need gnarly wave action for surfing.”
b. “Cool, divemaster! I need great reef action for diving.”
Accidental
a. “Oops, iceberg.”
b. “Well, that landing strip was shorter than I thought.”
And, from what I can tell, artificial reefs are made of a few different materials:
1. Manmade stuff – Wrecks, train cars, airplanes, cars, dump trucks, and the occasional toaster
2. Reef promoting materials – Rocks, odd manufactured products like reef balls
3. All else –Items placed for a purpose other than promoting reef growth, such as bulwarks and Hoffa
I now realize that the question of artificial reefs being good or bad is not straightforward. The success of the reef seems to be a combination of both the purpose and the material.
Some examples:
#1
Purpose: Mobile Bay homeowners desire Environmental shoreline protection
Materials: “All Else” flat bulwarks that actually dissuaded marine growth
Result: Got our beach back, but ruined the fish population
#2
Purpose: Surfer Dudes at Pratte’s Reef in El Segundo need waves
Materials: Reef promoting rocks
Result: The rock promptly sank into the sea floor leaving flat water and a large bill
#3
Purpose: Aruba had an extra airplane all dressed up but nowhere to fly
Materials: 60 ft long YS-11 previously owned by Air Aruba
Result: Promising evidence of coral and fish “Movin’ On Up”
So now I realize I can’t pass judgment on artificial reefs as a whole, but need to measure success individually. For every tire cleanup story there is a successful artificial reef just waiting for fish and divers to come and play.
Carl
My name is Carcharodon carcharias, the Great White Shark, but my friends call me Carl. I’m a recovering seal-aholic. It’s a ten step program involving less cuter food sources. The point is, I’m much more civilized that you make me out to be; we sharks are really misunderstood! I enjoy long moonlit swims and fin nipping just like any other aquatic romantic. Yeah, there was that one unfortunate incident with that surfer a few years back. But, he didn’t even taste good and I spit him out right away. Hey, we all make mistakes.
This week the Discovery Channel is running Shark Week, seven days of sensational shark shows filled with ferocity, attacks, and lots of close up teeth action (they always seem to pick the sharks that don’t floss – their mouths are way scarier.) I hear that the network is also pleading for reef conservation and appreciation of us beauties, but is this positive message getting lost among the carnage? Or, is depicting our “active” lifestyle the only way to attract viewers so that the conservation message can be delivered? Hey, we at the reef appreciate all this publicity, but keep in mind we’re not bloodthirsty monsters, but reasonable fish just looking for a snack (I personally get light-headed at the site of blood, I haven’t donated in years). Why can’t we all get along?
Shark Week link: http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/sharkweek/sharkweek.html