Anyone have any insight on this message? This was posted on TripAdvisor from someone after I replied to a poster asking about the diving on Bonaire. (which I feel has great diving!) I am not familiar enough with this possible sewage problem and fishing problem. Thanks for any help!

"The sewage damage that clearly you are unable to identify is a result of sewage that has leeched through the rock of the island and into the ocean. There is NO sewage treatment plant on the island. The 100,000's of poops made by all of us are trucked to pits in the center of the island and dumped. After many years they have begun to leech into the ocean. This is evident by the proliferation of red algie and dead hard & soft corals in the deeper parts of the reef. Further stress is placed on the reefs by the local fishermen who continue to fish in the so called "protected" reef (Marine Park). I witnessed this activity myself more than once while we were there. And lastly, when we went out for dinner one night I was surprised to find "conch fritters" on the menu. When I asked the owner if they were fresh, he said they were very fresh. A local fisherman had delivered them to him that afternoon... So much for protecting the decimated conch stocks on the island. Please, get out and discover other better protected and healtier eco-systems in the world before you tell me to slow down"

Evidence of the sewage leaching problem is quite evident, particularly on some of the northern sites.

Bonaire does have great diving...for now. But if the sewage situation is left unchecked, the reef is going to suffer dramatically in the years ahead.

The good news is that, if you believe what you read, Holland is moving forward with appropriate funding for the creation of a proper sewage treatment facility.

Time will tell.

Sheila K's comment is pretty much right on .
It is a total Caribbean problem , not just Bonaire's problem .

Locals fish the reefs at free will .
I have had locals ask me after my dive , "did you see any Grouper ? "

It is not as easy to get out and discover other better protected and healthier eco - systems as you might think .

Enjoy what is left while you can , hopefully the next generation of politicians will actually "protect" the so called protected areas.

The comment on TripAdvisor is absolutely accurate. And the sewage problem is getting even worse with not only all the poop of locals and visitors dumped in trenches, which have begun to overflow with all the rain (so they have made even more trenches), but also poop from cruise ships, like the Freewinds and the Discovery (WHICH IS ILLEGAL so someone is getting paid off here).

For those of you who love Bonaire's reefs, lobby your dive shops, dive masters, etc. about this pollution so they can in turn lobby the Tourist Board and the government to halt taking sewage from the cruise ships and to install a state-of-the-art sewage processing plant. Meanwhile the Tourist Board wants even more cruise ships next season.

Obviously the Tourist Board and the government take all you divers for granted as they think you will come no matter what so they do not make waste management a real priority. I guess when a diver or tourist dies of some horrible bacteria from all that wastewater in the sea maybe they will pay attention but by then the reefs will be "dead."

(WHICH IS ILLEGAL so someone is getting paid off here)

-not only can you get your poop dropped for free but you can buy a lot at Red slave and build the house of your dreams right on the water.

Sorry....wrong topic. Should have placed my comments under "bonaire conspiracy".

Elections are on March 2nd. Make it happen I would suggest. Lobbying around is proven to be unsuccessful......

The coral bleaching is much worse than it was just 18 months ago. Sea lettuce is over-running huge areas of reef. Red algae is on the reef and covering huge areas of sand. The lionfish population is growing exponentially. Other fish species have practically disappeared. "Gin Clear" used to describe Bonaire's waters- no longer. Visibility is down to 30-50 feet. Not long ago visibility exceeded 100 feet nearly everywhere off Bonaire. What is that gunk suspended in the water? I've only been diving Bonaire's reefs since 1995. The degradation of the reef since then is severe. The reefs of Bonaire are dying. It may be a long, slow death but they are dying.

Id say you're pretty much on target Bruce. For myself I havent seen fewer fish and I felt that the bleaching had recovered somewhat from last August to January. The overly warm water did a number on the reef. Over the years the vis has dropped. I dont see it being as limited as the 30-50 you describe but it clearly (no pun intended) has worsened in the past 15 years.

That gunk suspended in the water comes from (IMHO) waste water from the island. Tourism drives the island but kills it as well. As an owner of a property that is rented and generates me income, I would rather make less $ and see fewer tourists....but Im selfish like that.

Im glad to see the negative posts about the reef. It raises awareness and drives away a few people.

I thought there was a temporary sewage treatment capability that was supposed to be established on Bonaire. What happened to that?

The word temporary is key. Just use it somewhat more......; The temporary permit handed out by the temporary government to temporary start building the temporary plant with temporary contractors using temporary building materials while temporary .........

My hope is the people and government of the Netherlands will recognize the severity of the situation and do what can be done to protect the reef. A wastewater treatment plant seems like a no-brainer to me. I'm sure they treat their wastewater in Holland, so why would they not treat the wastewater on Bonaire?It's a matter of fiscal priorities, as such maybe it's time to put the money where the mouth is. The tourism, growth and development on Bonaire should be able to provide funding for a wastewater facility. I see the destruction of the reef as negative. Public opinion could make difference, so we should all speak out. No one can deny the reef is in trouble. Some of problems are natural, some man-made. Some are beyond the scope of the Netherlands to remedy, but why not collectively do what we can?