Fish Feeding?????????????????????

[Nan-L]

They do have fines but no one is there to enforce them. It would be nice if the tour guides would tell the people if they are seen touching/standing on the reef they will have to get out of the water for the rest of their tour..maybe that will keep their ears open!

 

We should start a post on every cruise board to inform people of what they are doing? I would LIKE to beleive they are in the dark to the damage they are doing.

Do they know it takes a 100 years to repair or to make coral that one touch destroys?

I grew up spending summers in the Bahama's ( the Caylipso used to dock were we lived), so I've known since I was 12, but I'm sure many do not..couldn't hurt to say it one more time!

 

The biggest problem is the people who do not swim well or are uncomfortable w/ snorkeling. They tend to try to find a place to stand above water to adjust their masks etc. as they don't know how to do it in the water.

I know they want to SEE the reef, but they really should be in a glass bottom boat.

Pretty soon there is going to be nothing left to see.And feeding the fish dog biscuits doesn't help either! The tours give them to the tourists to feed the fish. (I've also told quite a few people that it was bad for the fish and they say: "well the guide gave them to us!" )

[Nliedel]

Maybe we should start a post on every cruise board to inform people of what they are doing? I would LIKE to beleive they are in the dark to the damage they are doing.

 

)

 

Every snorkeling trip I have ever been on has had numerous warnings about it. People do it because they don't care. They think, "it's just me." They don't understand the impact they are having. The people who would read the posts would never consider touching a reef. Several posters would dismiss it and many who need to read the warnings won't read it. I wish posting was the answer. It's a darn shame.

[zqvol]

we r cruising this may and r going to snorkel in costa maya ,and grand camen .

what should we bring from home or sneek of the ship to feed the fish????

Please do not feed the fish. It alters their natural habitat. You will see plenty of fish without feeding them anyway. In fact by feeding them you will get so many around you that you will miss more than you see.

[CatD]

we r cruising this may and r going to snorkel in costa maya ,and grand camen .

what should we bring from home or sneek of the ship to feed the fish????

The best thing I saw someone take off the ship were the little boxes of cereal. Cheerios seemed to be a big hit with the fish in St. Thomas. Someone threw a handful down in front of my face and I got a real close up show!

[Nliedel]

The best thing I saw someone take off the ship were the little boxes of cereal. Cheerios seemed to be a big hit with the fish in St. Thomas. Someone threw a handful down in front of my face and I got a real close up show!

 

What part of the excellent reasons posted here are people not getting? This sort of attitude really bothers me. "Just do it, don't think about it, here's how. "

 

It's not healthy for the fish or the eco system. I know it's tempting, I understand it sounds like a good idea, and after all, you're only one person. What's one person? Except one person becomes two and so on. Even if you don't care about future generations it's still selfish to feed the fish.

 

This sort of behavior is just so, "me first, I don't care if it hurts anyone else" that I don't even know what to say.

 

:eek:

[CatD]

S O R R Y, already. You guys are probably right, but maybe you could just educate us instead of castigating us! I just read the read of the thread and regretted my reply but really! I'm really glad though that I read this thread because I probably would have done just as I saw the people before me do. It hadn't occurred to me to bring food to the fish until I saw someone else do it. So, the fish will be safe where I go now. Really if you think about it, what would it be like if we ALL fed the fish, huh? Like a Cheerios toxic waste dump, that's what! Lighten up now, but thanks for the good advice about leaving things be. I totally agree with that and I do wish people would take more care in how they treat nature. Not just in the Caribbean but here also!

[Nliedel]

S O R R Y, already. You guys are probably right, but maybe you could just educate us instead of castigating us! I just read the read of the thread and regretted my reply but really! I'm really glad though that I read this thread because I probably would have done just as I saw the people before me do. It hadn't occurred to me to bring food to the fish until I saw someone else do it. So, the fish will be safe where I go now. Really if you think about it, what would it be like if we ALL fed the fish, huh? Like a Cheerios toxic waste dump, that's what! Lighten up now, but thanks for the good advice about leaving things be. I totally agree with that and I do wish people would take more care in how they treat nature. Not just in the Caribbean but here also!

 

Sorry, I didn't realize you had posted without reading the thread. I figured since you quoted the last poster you had.

[scubaran]

For those who didn't read all the way through the thread:

 

Feeding fish - bad (read thread on why)

Watching fish - good

Taking shells/fish/rocks/anything - bad (only sand left if everyone did it)

Standing on coral - bad (would you want someone standing on you?)

Watching coral - good (but don't expect any movement)

snorkeling - good

snorkeling without regard to where your fins are - bad

 

Hope this summary helps,

Randall

[Bigerr19]

Hi,

 

Know what you mean. I just came back from a cruise to Antigua where I did a snorkel cruise, my wife doesn't dive and wanted to get in the water. People were swimming across the shallow part of the reef (much to the dismay of the snorkel master (if that's what they call the guy in charge)). As I was swimming by I saw a guy standing on the reef with his fins. I said, "you know you're standing on the reef?" after the snorkel master said not too about a million times. And he just looked at me with a dumb look on his face and said, "Yeah". :confused: I just shook my head and swam on (he was bigger than me and the snorkel master was 10 ft. away and heard the whole thing). Some people just don't get it. For them, swimming pools are available for their snorkeling pleasure. :rolleyes:

 

Ramda;;

 

I just had a similar experience on our cruise last week. In Curacao we snorkeled at a shallow site with a sunken tugboat. Our guide specifically told us not to touch the coral or the tugboat. About 10 minutes later another snorkel excursion pulled up and dumped another 30 people in the water. Within minutes, a snorkeler from the new boat was standing on the top of the window frame of the tugboat. Several people, including myself, told the guy to get off. He said he was only standing on metal, not coral, and "thanks for the advise". He continued to stand on the wreck adjusting his mask and snorkel for a few minutes until he was good and ready to swim away, regardless of how many people told him to move.

 

I mentioned it to our dive boat operator and he said it unfortunately happens too often, no matter how strongly they advise not to touch. He mentioned that the tugboat used to have a roof before people standing on it caused it to collapse. Pretty sad.

 

You can see the guy standing on it at the top of the picture.

 

[diverearl]

Can anyone tell me where all the left over food goes that all these cruise ships dump each night? Kind of reminds me of the me first the heck with the rest of the world as long as I can enjoy my cruise attitude some have. I would think a box of cereal would be a very small part of a ton or two of scraps dumped seven nights in a row into the ocean.

 

Also the oils and fuel waste the ships engines put in the water and the air, yuck.

 

(Wonder if any plastic gets into this food stuff that the turtles might mistake for a jelly fish, eat it and sufficate, sounds kind of selfish for us to be cruising, huh........)

 

Have a nice cruise

[Nliedel]

They incinerate all the leftover food on the ships.

 

Even if they did dump the scraps in the ocean, and they do not, it would be a different scenario. When people go to the same place day after day and feed the same thing the animals become dependant on that food supply. That attracts less desireable fish and along with those, predators. Easy pickings.

 

There is no arugment that can justify the thoughtless feeding of wild animals in my opinion and that of many other people who dive. I'm not saying non divers do not care. Many, many do. However divers as a group are more aware of the delicate balance in the oceans.

[diverearl]

What about the live a boards do they incinerate their food scraps, all these eco savy people? Just asking.

[Nliedel]

I cannot speak for small ships. Large cruise ships incinerate all their food.

[diverearl]

What about the fuel waste? And by the way Please don't feed the sharks either. (even if it is someone with a different opinion than yours). I emailed my boy in Iraq and ask him if that is why he is there, just wanted to make sure it hasn't changed since I fought for your right to disagree with me.

 

I hate to agree with you about anything but I must confess I do get a bit upset when people touch or grab onto the coral or reef or just stand on it, but again until I can join you on your walk on the water trick I better leave their mistakes alone.

[Nliedel]

I'm not sure what your point is about Iraq and people fighting for free speech. It's not really germaine to the conversation here. Seems more than a bit of a red herring.

 

I never claimed to walk on water, never insulted you at all. You seem to be bent on taking this very personally. I am stimied by your inability to disagree without insulting me.

 

You seem to be spoiling for a fight. I however, do not have to play.

[diverearl]

My point is most divers feed fish at some point in their diving. Most have been on a shark dive or to stingray city or something similar. Scuba Diving Magazine runs an article almost every month about a shark dive in March it is how to get the best shark shot ever (Photo) and they are one of the most read dive mags around. I don't see the difference of someone limited to snorkeling using food to attract fish. There is a difference between feeding fish and destroying life be it an ant they step on, a roach they kill for being in their precious home or a pretty fish.

 

The Iraq thing is just to remind us it is the only thing our kids are in the military for is your freedom to have an opinion, or choose to put poison on the fire ant or not, or feed the fish or not without being attacked. I have watched long enough as you have admonished the people on this board just because you disagree with them. I tried to keep quiet but not anymore. Now you can read my opinion regularly.

[Nliedel]

I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to say to someone who just told me they are going to post against me from now on because they don't like what I have to say.

 

You're welcome to your opinion certainly. This is a large place and not everyone is going to get along.

[Nan-L]

Oh come on people!!

Aren't we taking this a bit too far?

I ws hoping this tread WOULD educate a few to stop feeding fish/ standing on the reefs! Many don't know what they are doing is hurting what they have come to see.

We all do stuff that is not great.. but if we can help stop a few I'm all for it!

If you must feed fish use fish food for that tpye of fish! But be aware when slow season hits all these fish are going to be looking for you!

Please this is really not a debate it is a fact!

I've WATCHED reefs disappear because of this!

[diverearl]

There is a big difference between standing on coral or a living reef or animal for that matter and feeding the fish. Standing on a living organism will likely hurt or kill it ( FACT) - feeding fish will not destroy the fish, this is simply your opinion. I will say the sharks at your famous shark dives and the stingrays at the alley have become accustomed to the feedings why don't you tell all the divers to boycott these dives? The guy that started this thread didn't want your opinion just a little help.

[Nliedel]

It's a public forum. People post their thoughts. Once a thread is out there, it's out there. The OP has no ownership. Nan is just as welcome to post her opinion as anyone else is Earl.