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Environmental Action: Are the Eels Still Dying?
Bonaire Talk: Environmental Action: Archives 2008-2009: Are the Eels Still Dying?
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Pauline Kayes (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #196) on Wednesday, August 5, 2009 - 5:23 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

This afternoon, I snorkeled in front of the old Sunset Beach Hotel, and to the right at the broken down dock, I saw a 4 foot dead moray eel on the bottom with half its body in a crevice and the other waving in the sea.

Has anyone else been seeing dead eels?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jerry C Ligon (BonaireTalker - Post #36) on Wednesday, August 5, 2009 - 6:15 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Pauline: This adds to the faith that I put in divers observations if they are informed. This eel was reported last week,by 2 if my naturalist students, but I won't jump to a hasty conclusion that it was the same one. We will have to wait and see if any more eels are reported dead. Sometimes a fisherman will kill one that they catch, but this is in the protected area, therefor, the fishermen should not be here.
I have made 10 or 12 calls to Stinapa when I find a fisherman either inside this protected area, or fishing off the shore. It is the responsibility of each dive operation and hotel to call Stinapa when they encounter a fisherman in the protected area, otherwise, the protection is for nought, but I'm afraid only one or two operations are that conscientious. Jerry

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Glen Reem (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3061) on Wednesday, August 5, 2009 - 11:10 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Should not such dead eels (or other animals) be 'collected'?

One reason would be that then each occurrence could be id'ed: here Jerry is not sure if Pauline's eel is the same one seen 2 weeks ago. (I am surprised that any dead animal would remain in place that long without being consumed by scavengers. ???)

Another reason, especially with the recent mortality of eels, would be to id causes. As I read Jerry's BDA page, one of the problems in id'ing the cause last year was the lack of 'fresh' animal samples.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By eddie blizzard (BonaireTalker - Post #56) on Thursday, August 6, 2009 - 7:24 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post


quote:

It is the responsibility of each dive operation and hotel to call Stinapa when they encounter a fisherman in the protected area, otherwise, the protection is for nought, but I'm afraid only one or two operations are that conscientious.





Do all the dive-ops on the island know this?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kevin (BonaireTalker - Post #52) on Thursday, August 6, 2009 - 11:31 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

What are the protected areas that fishermen aren't allowed to be in?
Is fishing "off the shore" the same as fishing from the shore?

Thanks Jerry

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jerry C Ligon (BonaireTalker - Post #39) on Friday, August 7, 2009 - 6:54 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Kevin: Here is the official link to Stinapa with a Google map of the two protected areas. The northern most is 1.4 miles in length Also click on Regulations to see the rules and official regulations that apply to the Marine Park.
http://www.bmp.org/rulesandregulations.html.

By the way, "No fishing" means no fishing within these 2 zones, whether from a boat anchored inside or from shore. Jerry

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bart Snelder (BonaireTalker - Post #54) on Friday, August 7, 2009 - 5:22 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Actually, no fishing in these zones means no bottom fishing, which makes enforcement and control virtually impossible. Eddie, yes all dive operators know this.(and yes, therefore the no fishing zone a load of crap, because fishermen are still allowed to fish for "surface fish and baitfish", within the zone) Please Jerry, inform me which diveshop is "not that conscientious". I will gladly visit that diveshop with you and hold them to their responsibility. Feel free to post them on this board. I want names! Jerry, I have endless respect for your knowledge and involvement, but that is a nonsense statement. Having said that, it is not just the responsibility of diveshops and hotels, but of us all.
Pauline, I would hope it was an incident. Over the last two weeks I saw several juvenile spotted morays, which I hadn't seen in more than half a year. None! I was hoping they made a come back......

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By a retired Grunt (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #845) on Friday, August 7, 2009 - 7:04 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

We were there for three weeks in May and saw several juvy spotted morays along with quite few adults, but no where near what we saw in past years. We saw only ONE green moray in about 50 dives, and that was at Karpata at 80', almost 2/3 of the way out. The one was in great shape, but it was sad to see only one over the entire trip. Here is the one and only we saw...

eel

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jerry C Ligon (BonaireTalker - Post #40) on Friday, August 7, 2009 - 7:21 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Bart: On Wednesday, I approached two young Dutch boys, ages, around 8 to 12 who were fishing off the old collapsed dock next to our dive dock at Bonaire Dive and Adventure. I showed them the 4 yellow rocks that Stinapa placed along this zone because it is heavily illegally fished. Each is written in either Dutch, Popimentu, English or Spanish. I called the 2 boys in and asked them which signs they could read, and they pointed to the Dutch sign, but they could speak English to me. They also pointed back at Eden and said that their father said it was ok for them to fish along the shore here. I explained the no fishing zone. When we parted, THEY WALKED BACK TO EDEN BEACH.
Also, last week, one of our instructors, who swims in the mornings, found fishermen off of Eden Beach fishing. She knows someone who works at Eden Beach, and she came out of the water to ask him if he knew that this was a NO Fishing ZOne, and could he do something about these Eden Beach fishermen. We do not know what transpired.

That is TWICE, Bart. so, DO NOT CALL THE FISHING ZONE PROHIBITION A BUNCH OF BULL, AND DO NOT ACCUSE ME OF A NONSENSE STATEMENT. I have called Stinapa whenever I have seen fishermen in front of BUDDY, in front of Capt Dons, and in front of Eden Beach along the old Sunset Hotel Beach. We leave the dock with our first boat at 9am. These shops leave earlier and therefore they are aware of the early fishing that is taking place and they do not call. No one comes to talk to the shore fishermen or none of the rangers come in their boat to confront a boat fishermen until after we call Stinapa I DO NOT MAKE STATEMENTS THAT ARE BASELESS.
You appear to take the roll of the Knight on a White horse and you are speaking for all the dive shops? Where does your confidence come from?
I do not want this to be a vendetta between you and I. It is wasted Negative effort. We must stand up for the no fishing rules, no matter if they are weak and could be better. we also must stand up for the reefs and DEMAND, as consumers, that the dive shops that we stay at on vacation DO NOT ALLOW SEWAGE TO OVERFLOW THEIR SEPTIC TANKS. This gives us more power than STINAPA has right now. What we do must be POSITIVE. Jerry

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Glen Reem (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3063) on Friday, August 7, 2009 - 8:39 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Is Bart Snelder a party in any commercial dive op or other commercial concern on Bonaire??

If so, why is he not required to conform to the rules on BT which require i.d. of such connection in the poster's name and/or profile????

Mods???

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kevin (BonaireTalker - Post #53) on Friday, August 7, 2009 - 8:52 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jerry - How about starting in BDA's backyard? I am under the impression that even Den Laman's relatively new septic system is still plagued with overflow issues. Is this incorrect?

A separate issue: Your message to Bart seemed to imply that because there were people fishing on or around Eden Beach (and Bart's shop is on that beach)that he should have known about it and stopped it. The implication is that twice you found offenders and therefore twice Bart failed in his duty. I do not feel this is an appropriate placement of blame. Two cases does not make one negligent.

If I am incorrect in the way I have read your post, I apologize. I have not personally met you but you have an excellent reputation. I have however met Bart and do not believe he acted negligent or condoned this illegal fishing.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie B. ~ Jersey Gal(*) (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #10132) on Friday, August 7, 2009 - 10:13 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

We have seen lots of juvenile spotted eels this trip. Two green morays so far too. Have been on island for almost a week, so I am thinking this is a good sign. Hope so anyway.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Vince DePietro-www.bonairebeachcondo.com (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2374) on Saturday, August 8, 2009 - 6:13 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Excellent Debbie..It's been some time since I've seen the green morays which used to be so ubiquitous around the Bonairean waters. Glad to see that it appears they may be coming back. :-) Now if they can just get this sewage issued resolved in some sort of timely fashion.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bart Snelder (BonaireTalker - Post #55) on Saturday, August 8, 2009 - 11:58 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jerry, I apologize for getting riled up (SP?) a bit. For better or for worse, I just think that there is barely anybody on Bonaire who is not involved in some way or another in environmental protection. Enough? perfect? Far far from it. Better than most places in the world? You bet! Bashing, differentiating (is that proper english?), or fingerpointing is simply a misplaced call imho. I agree with you completely that it is never them and us. It is us. Period. You and I at odds? Heck, I wouldn't dare! You forgot more than I will ever learn. However, as long as a no fishing zone is installed, with exceptions in both method and species rather than a complete ban, it is simply not a 'no fishing' zone to me. And unenforcable. Conversely, far far before 'no fishing zones' were ever even contemplated I tried to stop fishermen already. I always thought that the discrepancy between the diveshops giving dive orientations ( no gloves, no touch, no take etc.) and then fishermen wacking fish right in front of them, was nothing short of an affront. Having said that, I never saw those kids you mentioned (Sunset Beach is a bit beyond my eyesight, although I am 6'7" :-)), but I do remember I have been sent away myself a gazillion times, as a boy at that age, for fishing where that was not allowed, such as private trout ponds where the catching was easy, HA!! And I also always blamed my dad, hé hé hé. I wish I had seen those kids, so I could have sent them away, while trying to hide my laughter. :-) One thing is for sure, I am one hundred percent no knight and scared of horses HA!!
Glen, feel free to ask the mods to ban me or my posts from the board for defending the diveshops, all of whom are my competitors (and mostly friends :-)), for their own efforts to do their part, as perfect or imperfect as I do mine. For decades! My posts are NEVER with commercial intent.
As for the Eels, I hope the bug is gone or that the Eels are becoming resistant to them. Or both!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By ModCyn (Moderator - Post #820) on Saturday, August 8, 2009 - 12:33 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Glen, one is not required to put their business affiliation on their profile, or name, we just "suggest it," and it's usually suggested because the person was self-promoting and had not read the "posting policies."

I guess since all the mods know Bart, and that he owns Wannadive (with a partner I THINK ;-)...and that well, I use Wannadive on my trips where I have an option to choose a dive shop, it's common knowledge to us who he is and what his affiliation is. He wasn't self-promoting at all (which he has never done in his posts).

So there ya have it.

Back to the more important topic of illegal fishing along the coastline.

(BTW Bart, love the statement "( no gloves, no touch, no take etc.) and then fishermen wacking fish right in front of them...") outstanding :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Glen Reem (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3064) on Saturday, August 8, 2009 - 5:36 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Didn't ask for ban, just curious on i.d. I agree on the fishing.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Pauline Kayes (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #199) on Saturday, August 8, 2009 - 9:21 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jerry, Yes, yes, yes! It is so hypocritical to claim "sustainable tourism" accolades while simultaneously pouring sewage onto the reef! If Sylvia Earle, who is coming to Bonaire at the end of the week to receive an award, only knew what has been truly going on here, she might think twice about being "used" by the Tourism Corporation to trumpet Bonaire's eco-reputation. Sooner or later, the truth will come out--but by then the Reefs of Bonaire will be for all intents and purposes DEAD! Like Jamaica!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jerry C Ligon (BonaireTalker - Post #41) on Sunday, August 9, 2009 - 6:59 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Pauline: My sentiments exactly. I have payed attention to Bruce Bowker's guest editorial in the August 7-21 Reporter, entitled "The Power of a Single Person to Make Changes." What a positive statement that needs to be taken to heart by all of us. He lists 16 specific things that were done here on Bonaire that improved conditions. I do not know the individuals that were involved in every single one those acts of kindness that he lists, but I hope that they were a scattering of local Bonaireans on that list.
I sometimes feel that the passion that it takes to make changes comes from us transplants, like Capt Don, who came here with a wider "World View", and immediately knew what a treasure Bonaire was. Often, a Bonairean's World View is only to the local horizon with no context about the rest of the world. They are non-judgemental, and perhaps fail to see things slipping away. Jerry

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hendrik Wuyts (BonaireTalker - Post #35) on Monday, August 10, 2009 - 9:19 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I have a great movie for Sylvia Earle, its a compilation of the films from Sean Paton named 'Impact of tourism.
Who can I give this film to so it gets into Sylvia Earle hands?


 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Pauline Kayes (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #201) on Monday, August 10, 2009 - 11:02 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Henrik, I have e-mailed Sylvia Earle several times with no answer. Since I won't be on the island when she comes, I asked Sean if he could try to talk to her about the sewage and the dumping. So maybe he could do it. Perhaps another option is to find someone who is going to the reception for her at the governor's house next weekend to give it to her.

She should definitely know what is really going on here, so she could speak out for the reef. If she knew, I have no doubt she would be horrified!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mel Briscoe (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #538) on Monday, August 10, 2009 - 11:07 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Sylvia is too nice a person and too politic to speak out directly on this matter while a guest receiving an award in a foreign country.

Fine, get her the info, preferably in advance, but don't expect any major "statements" while she is there.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Pauline Kayes (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #202) on Monday, August 10, 2009 - 12:10 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Mel, you are right, maybe not while she is here but later I am sure, because she is committed to the oceans and the reefs, and if she knew speaking out could help stop the sewage that much faster, she would do it at the appropriate time and in the appropriate context.

What's most important is that this myth of Bonaire being the "champion of the reefs" needs to be dispelled. This is one reason why the problem keeps continuing: resting on laurels from years ago while the reefs quickly die in front of our eyes.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hendrik Wuyts (BonaireTalker - Post #36) on Tuesday, August 11, 2009 - 11:51 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I will pas the video to Sean and see if he can get it to Sylvia Earle

 


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