Hey all,

I had planned to buy some marine fish food and feed the fish while snorkeling, but heard that is not good for the fish. Can someone clarify? I certainly want to respect what's good for Bonaire and its fish population.

Thanks!

Thanks for asking this great question. It's an opportunity to discuss an issue that so far isn't a huge issue on Bonaire. As Bonaire becomes more populated and attracts more marine tourism, I'm hopeful that we can develop a no-feeding norm to avoid the problems that developed in places like Hawaii and the southeastern U.S.

Five Good Reasons Why We Shouldn’t Feed Marine Wildlife:

Feeding removes one of the greatest pleasures of venturing into the wild – observing natural behavior. Marine animals that are fed behave very differently from those that forage and hunt on their own.

Marine animals in the wild have very particular diets. Eating other foods can weaken and sicken wildlife.

Feeding causes marine animals to lose their natural fear of humans. These animals become easy targets for people who do not respect wildlife and would hurt them intentionally. Also, people who become fearful may injure an animal in an attempt to defend themselves against a mistaken “attack.”

You always risk injury when you do not keep a respectful distance from marine animals who may misinterpret your actions. Marine animals defend themselves with teeth, spines, venom, and toxins to name a few adaptations. There is no guarantee that a marine animal knows where the food stops and your fingers begin. Sadly, it is usually the animal which loses when the person feeding complains of being “attacked.”

Feeding causes injuries and harmful interactions between marine animals by forcing competition and confrontation among individuals and species which otherwise would not interact.

Actually, Bonaire has 'been there, done that'. It has been discouraged, at least, for more than 10 years, as I remember the timing.

Some years ago feeding fish was a popular pass time for divers. Hot dogs for eels and Cheese Whiz strings from aersol cans for Yellowtail Snappers were two frequent things.

Dive ops and others stopped the practise after several occasions of eels mistaking bare fingers for hotdogs and reports that Cheese Whiz binds Yellowtails too. Not to mention that no diver could be in the water without a surrounding cloud of Yellowtails. A real nuisance for divers and all the reasons against given above for the fish.

I see no legal prohibition in the BNMP rules online but any diver will find themselves 'discouraged' from feeding fish, even with marine fish food.

Please don't feed the fish or any other animal underwater.

Mildred..Both Marlene's & Glen's posts provide accurate advice. By artificially feeding fish as you suggest you are in effect training them and changing their natural behavior. All sorts of odd things can then take place aka the law of unintended consequences. Please leave the fish food, hot dogs or cheez whiz at home and just enjoy the natural state of things on Bonaire.

cheez whiz for fish? i can't believe people would ever do that.

Thanks for the always helpful information. I didn't feed the fish when I first visited Bonaire last year but I do remember the fish near the shores would come right up to us - probably result of having been fed in the past.

18 days and counting til i'm in the water (not feeding the fish)......

Yeah
I remember that 25 years ago, on Grand Cayman if you ripped open a Velcro pocket you would suddenly be surrounded by Yellowtail Snappers. Personally, I feel that feeding any wildlife is not a good move.
Mick

I do have a story about a guy who fed fish with hard boiled eggs which he stuffed down his trunks for safe keeping but I am afraid of making male BTers eyes water and might have to slap myself.

Ah, Julia.... no Great Barracuda, I hope!!!

While in aruba at baby beach, folks feeding fish in the shallow corals. Very sad and Wrong. Parrots fighting for pieces of sliced bread from
snorkelers. Fish swelled to nearly twice their size and colors faded. Watched a couple of Dumb
A$$$ get bit in the frenzy. Fish would swarm to anyone in the area. Please do not feed the fish.

I'm kind of laughing....when we end up barfing in rough seas while ab diving, we call it feeding the fish.

"You ok over there?"

"Yeah, just feeding the fish."...

A cautionary tale for a far-away land:
"A female French tourist was attacked and killed by a shark while diving in a remote site off Egypt's Red Sea coast today. It was the first fatal shark attack in the Arab country for five years, state media and a French embassy official said.............. Marsa Alam is a remote southern dive spot on the Red Sea coast frequented by tourists hoping to avoid the crowds at more popular sites in the Sinai peninsula, where tourists flock in large numbers for the colourful coral reefs.

'This very rarely happens. It seems that the victim aggravated the shark or presented it with food, which caused a change in the shark's behaviour,' Amr Ali, the president of the Society for the Preservation of the Red Sea Environment, said. Sharks are common in the area and tourists often take pictures, but attacks are rare...."

I am not sure if the "feeding" bit it's just an attempt by the Egyptian authorities to contain panic, but feeding fish really does not sound like a good idea!

do not interact with the wildlife... please...
I have to remind my hubby of this often!