Recreation
Fish Watching & Marine Parks
A Popular Recreational Activity
Fish Watching
Fish watching has potential to develop as an enjoyable and popular aquatic activity. Healthful swimming exercises will appeal to most age levels and present many opportunities for outdoor excitement and adventures by experiencing marine animal species not encountered on land expeditions.
As a potential group activity, social interactions may encourage increasing participation. Many of the accessories such as species keys, lists of animals seen, and cameras are becoming more available as Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (scuba) dive gear continues to become safer and easier to use. Online digital identification guides are readily available for fishes, as they are for birds, plants and other organisms. As the sport grows, additional near-shore Marine Protected Areas or marine parks may be required to ensure that a diversity of community organisms are available (not over fished) to the Fish Watcher enthusiasts.
The color patterns of most groupers can be quite beautiful and may change with the fish’s condition (such as stress or breeding condition) making identification more challenging especially for grouper photographers.
Fish watching can include a number of fun ways to observe fish underwater in their natural marine habitats. They may include: “hard hat” diving and open surface submersibles (as in Bermuda), inexpensive remote operation vehicles, snorkeling and, of course, scuba. These adventures and others will develop in popularity as people discover the fun of learning of and understanding fish habitats and marine environments.
Many vacationers or eco tourists anxious for new positive experiences maybe unfamiliar with the many forms/methods from which fish/grouper watching can take place. Beyond the skill needed and freedom to explore gained from scuba (fun for sure), is the simpler and less expensive snorkeling experience. Often the shallow depth limitations and buffeting by surface conditions may limit a very positive experience. And let us not forget more exotic undersea experiences that are available. Items of interest such as concrete statues, coral and other sea life, shipwrecks, discarded military equipment as well as the local fish community may attract more dive enthusiasts to specific destinations, especially now with the popularity of social media accounts of personal adventures. Shallow hard hat and multi-windowed surface submersibles are available to travelers in Bermuda and may be expanding to areas of Hawaii, Cayman Islands, ABC Islands, etc..
Commercial dive shops and charters might consider promoting development of small special use / no take areas to target with dive clients as destination diving. The dive companies could build and maintain approved bottom attractions within government permitted areas marked with a surface buoys with permanent anchors for vessel attachment. A popular public pass-time seems to be to present self-images on social media as a way to increase popularity.
Even in salt water only 1-4 ft. deep seeing a small stingray or a school of squid is possible in addition to small fish of many species. Seeing the secretive juvenile grouper near shore is more difficult, although some gag grouper can be caught with hook and line near piers and in grass beds behind barrier islands. Experience the unknown! Another option could be called “Extreme Fish Watching” (well it is extreme for the fish) being dragged up onto the beach with a small sein to see what species live together in that beach environment (high energy and moving sand). Each fish can be quickly returned to the water after photographic documentation. In the US, underwater parks may soon be the best place to see undisturbed/wild marine fish and other animals. Travel and boat trips may not be possible for many potential Fish Watchers who still may get great experiences at an ocean beach or city aquarium.
The Need For Protected Areas
Marine Parks
Historically the US public has privatized most land and habitats without expectation of these areas remaining as they were, therefore each terrestrial environment and associated animal community was changed to maximize production and profits. For those biologically or physically exceptional areas/environments that needed to be saved for future enjoyment by the countries citizens, National Parks were created with great limits on the types and amounts of changes that could be made.
The idea of preserving natural “wonders”, especially rare or easily destroyed environments was not readily accepted on land until relatively modern times. Yet, the need for preservation of similar special Marine environments for future study and enjoyment is already past due. Many types of partial “sanctuaries” already exist, but expansion and quality and quantity of protection should always be reviewed with consideration of increases.
In these protected areas, use is limited to light public observation/ participation. But the marine habitats and wandering animals and fish assemblages belonged to anyone who could catch them at the greatest profit (the more they take, the more money they make). Management of the fishing on some animal populations, as groupers, became necessary due to overfishing /drastic declines in number of the most popular species. Yet, it has been suggested by many conservationists that “no-take” Marine Parks may be the only way marine communities, especially valuable and highly sought after predators, will survive the relentless harvesting and technology of hungry humans.
The present Marine sanctuary system allows fishing to appease those interest areas while the Marine Protected Areas focus primarily on management of fisheries activities, and not for the preservation of the complete habitat and community. Special Marine Parks could be designed and established so that plant, animals and topographic structure are saved for future generations besides preserving the wonder of natural marine habitats/environments and their animals for the future general public. There is a very natural way to “make” more grouper by allowing some part of the population to reproduce at a rate faster than fish are harvested in a given area (like a National Park where the protected bison herds increase). A potentially great benefit of protecting wild animal and fish population is the “Surplus Production” effect. Without predators, including humans, a population will continue to grow until limited by food and/or space at which point some part will move away from the protected areas.
With fish, such as groupers, this “Fish Factory” production has the potential of increasing the availability of fish outside the production Park areas into areas that have been overfished for years to the benefit of local fishers. Completely protected parks also allow the growth and reproduction of older/ larger grouper individuals which contribute significantly to greater spawning and egg production benefiting the regional supply of that species. The establishment of complete “no-take” marine parks should be studied and considered for the enjoyment and education of future generations.
Someday in the future, large schools of grouper of several species may amaze our children viewing within a Marine Park, possibly from a tourist submarine. The kids may not realize that earlier in history the groupers existence was uncertain due to overfishing.
