Jake and Linda, I read (on another board) that someone that volunteered for the bonaire reserve data collection that there are no fish...lots of coral and stuff, but no fish. it has me wondering...what data are they collecting, and is it to observe what conditions? she also said that there was a lot of fishing at the reserves, but no diving...just curious....is it "dedicated" to fishing?

There is a lot of info collected on fish, invertebrates and corals. Only certain target animals are noted example - all Nassau groupers - any size, all other groupers only bigger than 30 cm, all butterfly fish, all parrotfish over 20 cm.
For invertebrates we were only suppose to count one kind of shrimp, one sea urchin, two snails, etc. Type of ground cover - coral, rubble, sand. Health of the coral.
I saw fish but not a lot of the fish being noted in the survey. I did the invertebrates portion so I covered a 50m by 2.5m strip at 10 depth (one of 8 sections). I only found three flamingo tongues. The shrimp I found were the wrong kind. The other snails the wrong kind, etc.

The data has been collected over 7 years in the same location as well as a number of other locations around Bonaire and Klein. They are looking for changes over time as well as comparing diving and non-diving impacts. The data is also collected Caribbean wide so any possible developing patterns might be found that way too.

There are two marine reserve sections along the coast. No diving of any kind is allowed. All other uses of the area like fishing is allowed. However that is not to say it is a fishing spot any more than any other bit of coast line.

Here's a link to a picture, story, and short video clip from the research dive on Saturday in the reserve.

http://www.bonairediving.com/richter/20020907-KarpataReserve/index.html

Please note that unless you have a DSL or Cable modem connection you will not want to bother with the video link. On a dial-up connection it looks like mud because of the video compression being used (one exception - if you want to hear my heavy breathing under water, that comes through fine on the low bandwidth connection :-) ).

In terms of the "no fish" comment. That seemed to be universal from all the fish counters on the dive upon exiting the water, but I believe that was primarily in reference to the species they were supposed to be counting.

Based on my observations, the fish life in the reserve was reasonable (but I've seen lots more fish in a lot more varieties elsewhere around Bonaire). In terms of corals - very nice and healthy looking soft and branching corals, but again, you can see this at sites with good water flow, like Forest, for example.

To paraphrase another diver from Saturday's ReefCheck dive - if I was allowed to dive here every day instead of just once a year, I wouldn't bother - there are equally nice or nicer sites, closer to home, elsewhere on Bonaire.

Jake

Jake

Nice sequence and very good breathing control so as not to spook them.

Brian & Sue

linda, thanks for the information. It is just curious that there is much less sea life (fish) when it is a "no diving" zone...do they have any "theories?"

Jake, great video, I am going to have to take a better look when I get time. Like how it slipped under the transect tape!

Cynde,

The relative 'lack' of fish along the coral slopes up north holds all along the places I have dived over the years. I think you would find a similar thing in any area with lots of coral: the fish that feed on coral are there but there is little food for those species that feed over sand. I like to watch fish so I don't dive the outside at Playa Bengé, etc.

In the more popular sites, sometime try comparing the heavy coral areas with sand-- I think you will find fewer fish over those coral patches, just as on the wide area coral slopes.

Jake, thanks again for sharing the video with those of us dreaming of life in the Caribbean! I'm sure marking off my countdown sheet with great anticipation of being back in Bonaire in Feb.