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Marine Life & Conservation

Cruise Ships

Published

11 years ago

on

For this occasion I’ll limit my comments to Roatan since I have something of a history with the place – my first visit being about nine years ago – but the same could equally apply to many of the places I’ve visited – Costa Rica, Jamaica, Turks and Ciacos, the Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Belize and on and on.

I first heard about Roatan in the late Nineties from a friend who told me of an island paradise where you could happily stay in a little cabana for $5 a night and dive your brains out.

He didn’t lie – Roatan is still a bucolic place with its own sense of time. There is little to do there but dive and lay on the beach. The draw was the sheer amount of wildlife. For me it was a revelation. I’d never anything like this quantity before – anywhere. Rivers of Blue Tang’s, French Angels and Rainbow Parrots everywhere. One of the sites is called “Fish Soup” for the utter profusion of fish there. These days it’s more of a thin broth. The cruise ships began docking in Roatan about five years ago and I’ve been back twice in the interim and each time there was a marked fall-off in the numbers of reef inhabitants. Those rivers of fish are just gone. Spotted Eagles and other rays used to be everywhere – in April I saw one! I know they’re shy to begin with but they were just nowhere to be seen.

I’ve wondered too, about polluting bilge water from those ships. Prior to their arrival the largest boat in the archipelago was the ferry that zips twice a day between Roatan and Utila.

Roatan is known for its healthy corals, but I noticed this last time how much less vibrant they seemed to be – much of the colour seemed to have been drained. Bleaching, which was unknown down there, is now commonplace; but that’s true everywhere I’ve been too. Higher temperatures or no, coral is dying everywhere. The soft corals especially have suffered.

There is a funded reef protection plan – each diver is asked to donate to the upkeep and to fund anti-poaching patrols, but these are easily evaded by local fishermen who have found that there is plenty of demand for fish now that the cruise ship passengers flood the West End during peak season.

Many passengers disembark looking to do a day’s diving and I can’t help but feel that much of the damage to the reefs comes from them – they arrive, dive shops have little or no knowledge of their abilities, they dive, then leave. So often I’ve witnessed “divers” who have no buoyancy skills whatsoever in sixty feet of water, trashing the coral and it just makes me furious. Diving itself is becoming deleterious to the very environment we’re down there to enjoy. If you cannot control your altitude you shouldn’t be anywhere near coral – period.

I don’t want to get into a screed about Diving Clubs and their lack of focus on oceanic health but something is clearly wrong with the model that pushes divers very rapidly through training courses before they’re ready. To me every certifying agency needs to have environmental concerns way up front and woven into their very fabric – otherwise we’re going to kill the very thing we all love.

I’m down there trying to make friends (I’ve had so many pranks played on me by fish so don’t tell me they’re stupid and don’t have a sense of humour) and I fear that may not be possible too much longer.

SM

For further reading on the Cruise Ship issue try http://WWW.responsibletravel.Com/copy/how-responsible-are-cruise-liners

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Marine Life & Conservation

Shark Trust launches Oceanic 31 Shark Art Auction

Published

2 weeks ago

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November 1, 2024

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After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.

People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:

https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction

It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.

The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.

One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.

Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:

https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24

Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26th November until the 7th December. Entry is free.

Find out more here:

https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31

 Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”

Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction

Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden

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Marine Life & Conservation

Meet Steve Backshall in the Bite-Back Prize Draw

Published

4 weeks ago

on

October 21, 2024

By

steve backshall

Until 28 November, prizes worth a massive £10,000 – including experiences, products and tuition – feature in a line-up of items that can be won for £5 in an online prize draw to celebrate Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation’s 20th anniversary and help generate crucial funds for the future.

Top of the list of prizes is the chance to spend time with adventurer and wildlife expert Steve Backshall, a workout session with Nat Geo star Aldo Kane, a kayaking trip alongside white-water expert and diver Sal Montgomery and a Zoom call with ‘shark whisperer’ Cristina Zenato.

On top of that, some of the most admired companies in the diving and scuba industry have been quick to support the charity with fabulous prizes that make the £5 ticket price worth more than just a flutter.

Master Liveaboards, BSAC, Midlands Diving Chamber, Go Freediving and Blue Shark Snorkel have all generously donated experience prizes, while celebrated photographer Alex Mustard has donated a print and artists Scott Gleed and Olivier Leger have donated a sculpture and illustration to help boost the fundraising pot.

Fourth Element has donated Ocean Positive gear and LA watch company Nodus has gifted the charity a stunning dive watch. For land lovers, the charity has included a five star London hotel stay at Bankside Hotel plus a family visit to Longleat Safari Park in the roster of prizes.

Campaign director for Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed with support from companies and individuals that we truly admire and who have supported us on our 20 year journey and we’re truly grateful to them all. While we feel incredibly proud of our achievements over the past two decades – and we are super excited about the next chapter – this prize draw isn’t a vanity project. It represents a real lifeline to our work and important advancements in the global protection of sharks. So we hope divers, dive clubs and even bargain hunters grab some tickets to make this a massive success.”

The charity hopes that the prize draw will generate crucial funds to launch a brand new, ground-breaking, campaign to enrol the public and increase support for the protection of sharks around the world.

To enter the competition visit www.bite-back.com/prizedraw. The prize winners will be announced on 1 December 2024.

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