We now have a 3rd boat. It is 15 ft. from bow to stern and has a 25 hp motor on it. This will allow us to get to emergency sites much faster. Our friends at BICA (Bay Islands Conservation Association) were kind enough to let us borrow the boat until further notice. I am very grateful to Miss Irma Brady for this and I am delighted with our current relations with BICA.
Today, Lidia and I met with the police force of Roatan; both the National Police and Tourist Police. We delivered an in depth presentation concerning the threats to the reef, our conservation efforts and a brief summary on the ecology of the coral reef environment. It was very well received and the question and answer period was equal in length to the presentation period. I, personally, was much impressed by the concern and depth of knowledge shown by the police. We will be issuing all participants environmental certifications. In addition, after impressing the chief of police, 2 TV stations were called in, interviews were conducted and Lidia and I are going to be on TV tomorrow night at 7pm. I am very optimistic about our relations with the police force and thus I am optimistic about the future of the reef.
Today, Sunday the 1st of October, Nick and I went out to Carl's deep sea mooring in search of a sunken line. We were expecting to find the line at about 150ft. We descended into the deep blue about 1 mile from the shore at the GPSed coordinates. Our minds were spinning at 150ft and we decided to return to the surface. We were completely surrounded by the big blue and not a single reference aside from eachother's forms hanging in the void. I separated from Nick to gain some perspective. At 140ft. a 7ft. Marlin loomed out of the expanse and swam in between the 2 of us. It lazily drifted back into the blue after checking us both out. Now that was a great narked experience!!!! That marlin must have been over 200lbs.
Well I just got back from a 5 day conference on the Mesoamerican Reef (MAR) system in San Pedro Sula. There were 42 delegates from Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and Belize. The accomodations were very posh and the meetings were very UN-like with ear phones and translators. Much was accomplished and a new management plan headed by the Nature Conservancy for the MAR is close to completion. The 3rd meeting of this series will be taking place in late October in Belize City.
Hey Rubyjean. My favourite sites are Pablo's Place, Hole in the Wall, Herbie's Fantasy and West End Wall. But it doesn't take much to make any site your new favourite. All it requires is some nice rare macros, an eagle ray, a moray encounter, a little nitrogen narcosis and shark siting and presto you've got a new fave.
Actually, those arrests were made in the middle of the day. All 3!!! It makes me wonder why Nick and I have been getting up at 3am for dawn patrols and staying out till 1am for night patrols. Oh well, our current strategy is to keep everything random so that the poachers won\t be able to predict our movements.
Well we've had quite an active week here at the Roatan Marine Park. 1) On Thursday we caught 4 individuals in possession of approx. 20 fish and 2 spear guns. The use of spear guns is prohibited throughout the entire Bay Islands region. These individuals were apprehended and sent to jail overnight and they will be cleaning our beaches for the next month. 2) On Saturday we arrested 2 individuals that were in possession of 20+ queen conch. They too were sent to jail and have cleaned up the beaches of the West End. 3) On Sunday we arrested 2 more poachers who were in possession of 12 large lobsters, Again, jail time. We keep a record of all incidences within the park and after an individual has been caught 3 times they are sent to prison on the mainland. These arrests were our first in a month. All individuals were previously aware of our laws and all were gainfully employed.
For all who aren't already aware, it is illegal to export plastic bottles to any of the Bay Islands without first having a solution for their removal. Coca-cola has not done this and nor have any of the other bottling companies. Coca-cola is the chosen scapegoat because they are by far the most represented in trash piles and along the side of the road. We at the Roatan Marine Park are currently challenging Coca-cola to abide by Honduran laws and work with us for a solution to the problem, whether that be collection and shipment back to the mainland or a recycling program here on the island.
I don't think we'll ever be able to get rid of them since they cover the island naturally but bloom in annoying quantities where ever there is so much fresh tender meat about. Many other islands use raking as an alternative to pesticides but that might not be an option here because the powers that be seek more hi-tech and costly ventures for a reason that completely escapes me.
We have a phone number (504)349-4138 See Poacher Bust on Discussion Board. Actually, the system is a little messed up down here, even for a ticketing offenders sort of program. I asked the police if we could hand out tickets for speeding boats and they told me that they aren't allowed to issue tickets because of the amount of police corruption here. Basically, what was happening was the police were pocketing the cash instead of giving out tickets. I think that this will forever plague empoverished nations. Poverty leads to corruption and widespread corruption leads to poverty-and this is only natural and no one can be blamed aside from the nations or "nation" that has forced such countries into poverty and have made a concerted effort for decades to keep them this way in an effort to control the markets of the western hemisphere. Also, all boats are supposed to have registration numbers painted on them but the port captain has done nothing to improve the safety of our waters and has refused to make any affort despite our requests.
Hey Steve, I've never met you but I can let you know that the West End has probably changed a lot. For example, they turned Coconut Tree Divers into a parking lot for the casino....Just kidding. The Black Pearl is shut down but will be reopening with a massive Full Moon party on the 7th of September. It will now be know as FuBar. Greg
My dear Calvin, I believe look that fish up in one of the many id books abouot you find that it is in fact a "shark sucker"-a member of the remora family. You asked me for some replies.
Hello Stephen, Pretty much all dive shops will allow you to bring out some snorkellers with you for a small fee. As well, you will likely be limited to a specific few dive spots that can accomodate the two sports. In addition, I advise you to dive with one of the operations that support the Roatan Marine Park and everything that they are trying to do to conserve the reef and improve the quality of life on the island. These dive shops are: Anthony's Key Resort Ocean Connections Tyll's Octopus Dive School Coconut Tree Divers Native Sons Reef Gliders Sueno del Mar
Please feel free to drop in at the Marine Park office in Half Moon Bay when you arrive to discuss other eco-friendly options and safe diving practices.
As some of you may have noticed we have started running night time patrols and next week we will beginning very early morning patrols. Over the past month we have not encountered any poachers during our patrols and we are hoping that this is the result of lowered dependence on the reef rather than the fact that the poachers are getting more clever. Or perhaps since it is the low season there are less tourists chowing down on the illegal products fished from within our borders. A reminder to give us a call at the office if anybody sees any fishy business. -Greg
Has anyone any information concerning a natural way of controlling sand fly populations? I am currently seeking an alternative to tradition modes of pesticide spraying widely used throughout the Caribbean. -Greg
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