In August of 2010, I wrote about bioluminescence and the amazing work of Dr. Edith Widder. Widder is the founder and chief scientist at ORCA (Ocean Research and Conservation Association). Her studies of the bio-illumination given off by marine animals has taken her and her equipment to the deeper depths of the ocean. It is in these regions, where sunlight does not penetrate, that animals use bioluminescence - organically-produced light - to hunt prey, camouflage from or deceive predators, and identify others of their own species.
Many of the pictures we have seen of examples of bioluminescence involve bizarre looking creatures from those cold deep depths, yet it is a feature more common than you might think. Indeed, as much as 90 percent of all creatures found in the open seas exhibit some degree of bioluminescence. Call it nature's night lights.
Dr. Widder's research has taken her into a new direction and one that can have a direct benefit on understanding the pervasive and subtle impact of pollution on oceans and waterways. In an excellent article in the New York Times, Erik Olsen writes about Dr. Widder's recent studies using bioluminescent bacteria and how it can be used to identify pollutants.
Olsen writes,"Now, Dr. Widder has found a way to put bioluminescence to work to fight pollution in the Indian River Lagoon, a 156-mile estuary that scientists say is one of Florida’s most precious and threatened ecosystems.
Back in her laboratory here, she mixes the sediment samples with a bioluminescent bacterium called Vibrio fischeri. Using a photometer to measure the light given off by the bacteria, she can quickly determine the concentration of toxic chemicals in the sediment by seeing how much and how quickly the light dims as the chemicals kill the bacteria.
Measuring the level of pollutants in the sediment provides a better indication of the estuary’s health than measuring the level of chemicals in the water, Dr. Widder said. 'Pollution in water is transient,' she said, 'but in sediment it’s persistent.'
Her samples have revealed high concentrations of heavy metals and nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen, which can cause runaway algae growth; those organisms consume oxygen and stifle life in the estuary. Dr. Widder has also designed sensors that are placed around the estuary and can beam real-time data like current and flow direction of the water. Pairing those data with the toxicity of the sediment, she can trace the source of pollution. The method is far cheaper and quicker than the more common practice of sending samples to a lab for analysis."
Click here to read the entire article. And here's a link to a great video about Dr. Widder's work. It's fascinating research from a true expert in the field. And with this new chapter in her body of work, Widder is bringing the a unique element of ocean science into the broader realm of conservation and ocean management.
As Widder, herself, says, “It’s my belief if we can make pollution visible, and let people know what small things they are doing are actually making an improvement in this incredible environment. I think it could make a huge difference. It can be a game-changer.”
On Friday, as the sun began to set outside of Hemingway Marina, near Havana, Cuba, Diana Nyad once began her attempt to swim the 103 miles from Cuba to Key West, Florida - an accomplishment that was thwarted in early August due to a shoulder injury and an asthma attack, apparently brought on by the use of a foreign-made medication to combat the shoulder pain. With water temperatures and calm seas offering ideal conditions, Diana, at age 62, went after a goal that has alluded her for several years.
I was fortunate and privileged to have been on the Xtreme Dream team involved in the August swim as a shark watch diver, having filmed her earlier for a CNN documentary which aired recently. The expense of this kind of undertaking is enormous and so to try again so soon after the August attempt, Diana needed to scale back her operation. To save costs in airfare and accommodations, August lead shark crew member Luke Tipple and myself had to bow out (we had other obligations anyway), and Diana recruited three Florida locals, including Rob MacDonald and Johnny Rose who were with us in August.
With every meeting or conversation I have had with Diana, I was always impressed by her energy and determination. And so in the weeks following the August swim, in the back of my mind I was always thinking that if she got a sufficiently clean bill of health from her doctors regarding her right shoulder which had been such a big issue in the August attempt, she would be thinking seriously about making another go of it if the weather was right. So, Xtreme Dream redux - with Diana once again heading into the unknown of the first night crossing the Florida Straits on her way to Key West.
Challenges Once Again As has been reported on her website and in several news outlets, it didn't take long for challenges to present themselves - this time in the form of severe sea jelly, or jellyfish, stings. Diana received several stings from a Portuguese Man-of-War which required some quick action from Johnny Rose.
An entry from the Xtreme Dream blog: "A testament to Diana’s strength was the two hours tonight following her sting by numerous Portuguese man of war. Chief handler Bonnie Stoll said, 'Diana was stung along both arms the side of her body and her face.' Jonathan Rose, a safety diver and EMT, immediately got in the water with Diana to try and free her of the tentacles and stingers. Rose was also stung numerous times. The crew got Diana’s swimsuit changed and put a new suit on with a shirt covering her. After an hour and a half of treading water Diana began to rehydrate and swim her freestyle stroke."
The encounter took its toll on Diana and her ability to maintain her stride in the water. After getting some medical attention, under the watchful eyes of independent observers from the International Swimming Foundation to ensure that all rules for an unaided swim were met. Diana continued on and started to show improvement. Things were looking up.
Next up was some Saturday afternoon unwanted company: an oceanic whitetip shark. Even though Diana was using the electronic shark shields that we had also used in August, an oceanic whitetip can become intensely curious - this was the one species I had the most concern over in August. Fortunately, Rob MacDonald approached the shark and it proved to be less than curious and bid a hasty retreat. As it turned out, it wasn't the big creatures that would prove to be the greatest threat as the hours wore on.
A Difficult Decision Entering her second night of the swim, Diana once again encountered Portuguese Man-of-War and was badly stung about the face, affecting her eyes even though they are protected by goggles. This time, more extensive medical treatment was required and Diana had to make a tough decision; she chose to come aboard the support vessel, resting on the transom while receiving treatment from two doctors. This would normally signal an end to the entire swim attempt, but there was one more avenue available to her.
From the Xtreme Dream blog: "According to the independent observer from the International Swim Federation, Diana may continue the swim if she has only been removed from the water for medical treatment. In other words, not simply to rest. The swim then becomes something called a “staged swim,” meaning that it may occur in stages. Diana’s swim will still be record breaking if she decides to continue."
This is why it is so critical to having independent observers watching over a world record attempt such as this swim from Cuba to Florida. The observers can authenticate what was or was not accomplished and can verify changes in strategy that may be dictated by circumstances. With the support vessel not moving forward during her break, Diana eventually resumed her swim from the exact spot where she stopped to receive medical treatment; a record could still be accomplished as a staged swim.
Nature Can Have Its Way In the waters where Diana is swimming, there are several jellyfish species. Some of the most common are the Portuguese Man-of-War, the Moon Jelly, and the Sea Walnut. The Moon Jelly and Sea Walnut are relatively harmless, but the Portuguese Man-of-War can deliver quite a wallop. During the day, it is relatively easy to recognize with its large, bluish-purple dome that floats on the surface. Trailing underneath are stinging tentacles that can sometimes reach 30 feet in length. And these tentacles can still sting even when broken off from the main body itself.
While warm water temperatures and calm seas are the ideal conditions for a long distance swimmer, they are also ideal conditions for jellyfish reproduction. So it is during these summer months that the numbers can increase exponentially, thereby increasing the chances for an encounter. Worldwide, there have been increasing jellyfish "blooms" with thousands of jellyfish appearing at sea or along coastlines, sometimes washing up on beaches. Scientists have yet to draw definitive conclusions as to why these increases in numbers may be occurring but climate change and loss of natural predators are theories being researched.
Moving into Sunday, Diana persevered, having swam for over 40 hours. But she faced two additional nights before she would reach Florida and there was concern as to the threat of additional jellyfish encounters. Reluctantly, but giving wise consideration to her personal health and the counsel of her physicians, Diana concluded the swim at 11:00am, completing 82 nautical miles (over 92 statute miles) and once again proving herself to be a champion athlete and an inspiration to so many, young and old.
Diana, it's my birthday today and I'm only a couple of years behind you. You're a terrific reminder of what all of us can accomplish in our daily lives when we set our minds to it. You also demonstrate to us the wisdom of knowing when to change strategies so that drive is not mistaken for obsession.
". . . for each of us, isn’t life about determining your own finish line? This journey has always been about reaching your own other shore no matter what it is, and that dream continues.”- Diana Nyad, Sunday, 9/25/11
Now, as you so often say, "Onward!"
Read about Diana's swim at her website. Quotes sourced from her blog. Swim photos courtesy of www.diananyad.com.
In many parts of the world sportfishing is big business - there's no getting around it. And so whether you support or are opposed to the practice, it will probably be around for some time as long as there is money to made.
But it can be altered to provide for greater survivability of the fish through catch-and-release techniques. For conservationists, this isn't an ideal solution by any means. Dr. Sylvia Earle refers to catch-and-release as "torture and release" and to a large extant she has a point. Catching any fish by hook causes stress on the animal. After all, it was swimming and feeding one moment and the next, it's in complete survival mode fighting against some unknown force and slowly reaching a state of total exhaustion before being momentarily manhandled and then once again free to roam.
So, one way to look at catch-and-release is that it is an incremental step, one foot forward towards a greater awareness as to the sustainability and current dwindling populations of, in particular, large species like billfish and sharks. That is part of the philosophy behind the Shark Free Marinas Initiative (SFMI), supported by The Humane Society of America and the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation. This organization gets sportfishing marinas to sign up to be "shark free" - meaning no sharks can be brought in to their docks for weighing, trophy photos, butchering, anything. No sharks, period.
Sure, to us hard core conservationists it would be great if all sportfishermen abandoned their rods and reels but, again, the economic underpinnings make it very unlikely that state or local governments will pass the required regulations that would effectively outlaw the sport. In California, legislation to prohibit the possession, trade, and distribution of shark fins is preparing for a final vote in the state senate. Those who oppose the legislation, AB 376, are pushing their campaign for a series of crippling amendments not because they hate sharks or love shark finning but because they see considerable dollars and many jobs that will be lost with its passage. Those who favor the legislation must carefully hone their argument and keep in mind that it is not the moral position or even the environmental position that will likely sway the politicians; it will be the economic rationale. And in today's current economic mess, any talk of lost revenue or jobs will certainly catch a politician's interest.
But I digress. . .
If we concede that catch-and-release is at least one step back from the brink of destruction of a fish, it's not an unreasonable question to ask just how much of a step it really is. Just how traumatic is catch-and-release on, say, a shark? Are there any long-term effects? Does the animal survive for the moment but die some days or even weeks later due to complications?
To better understand the lingering effects of catch-and-release techniques, Florida's Mote Marine Laboratory will begin a one-year study on sharks, aided by a $192 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Assisted by the Florida Aquarium's Center for Conservation and the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, the study will enlist the services of several sportfishing charter boats and will focus primarily on the blacktip shark, a popular species for shark fishermen because it is known to put up a good fight and often leap out of the water - some of the same criteria that make billfish like marlin popular among sportfishermen.
“For the first time, we’ll take a magnifying glass to sharks’ behavior after release — for instance, we’ll look at how strongly they’re swimming after capture and whether they’re rolling or listing,”said project leader Dr. Nick Whitney, a staff scientist in Mote’s Center for Shark Research. “These measurements go way beyond ‘dead or alive.’ The vast majority of sharks may survive, but it’s important to know if their recovery time varies with different kinds of fishing gear. Our technique will yield new, hard data comparing standard J-hooks with circle hooks, which are designed to be safer for sharks.”
Scientists will enlist the use of accelerometers - the same little electrical devices that sense movement in your smartphone or handheld video game player - along with small data recorders to record the movements of a shark as it is released following a catch-and-release episode. Every flick of the shark's tail or tilt of its dorsal fin will be recorded. The devices will fall off the shark after a period of time and will be retrieved and analyzed to determine the shark's behavior after being caught. By understanding what is being inflicted upon the shark, either temporary or long-lasting, wildlife management agencies can then better determine how best to minimize the effects through regulations and the use of various types of fishing gear.
“The goal will be for the charter captains to use the same practices and gear that Florida anglers normally would, so we can compare the two hooks in a real-world setting and look at how they perform in relation to shark survival and behavior,”Whitney said.
Personally, I choose not to fish. As a diver I stopped spearfishing or taking game like lobster or abalone many, many years ago. But I realize that sportfishing is a popular activity and thriving business in areas like Florida, and that overly-efficient, but indiscriminate, commercial fishing probably poses a much greater threat to overall survivability for many ocean species. So, if I want to sit down with a sportfisherman and have a go at changing his mindset and his hobby, having the scientific facts, as this Mote Marine Laboratory study hopes to obtain, will give me some heft to my argument - and could just maybe help prevent me from getting punched in the nose.
It was Friday morning, August 5th. I was about to begin the day at my desk when I thought I would check my email one more time. And there it was; "Red Alert" - the Xtreme Dream was on. This was the moment that ocean marathon swimmer Diana Nyad had been waiting for, when the word would go out to her team of boat captains, kayakers, trainers, media consultants, supporters and friends to come to Key West, Florida as quickly as possible. From there, all would travel in a flotilla of boats to Havana, Cuba, to be with Diana as she set out to reach a goal that had been on her mind since the late 70s: to swim in open water from Havana to Key West, 103 miles, in approximately 60 hours non-stop, now at age 61.
I had the rare privilege to work with Diana in late April, filming her from an underwater perspective at Pepperdine's Olympic pool in Malibu, CA, for CNN. It was there that I first learned of her goal of making the swim from Cuba to Florida and I saw firsthand the energy and passion that she had in taking on this goal, not only as a competitive athlete but as someone who felt unencumbered by the personal myths and preconceived notions of age. Although of similar age (she is 61 to my 59 years of age), I must admit, I did not know of her prior accomplishments 30 years ago as a world record holder in endurance swimming. A little time spent on the Internet and I quickly realized that I had been fortunate to spend a brief day not with a geriatric hell-raiser bent on some sort of stunt, but with an accomplished and committed professional and a veritable force of nature.
And that was that; or so I thought. Because of both my professional film/video background and kindred relationships with several leading members of the shark conservation community, I was called upon in late June to join her team of safety divers and to film her underwater during her swim. Everyone on the Xtreme Dream Team would be essentially "on call" waiting for the optimum conditions that Diana required to make the attempt. The prime ingredients: warm water temperatures in the high 80's and flat, doldrums-like ocean conditions. This is something that mother nature does not give up easily. July is probably the best month of the year to achieve both such conditions for any reasonable length of time, but this year July had not followed the norm. And so the days and weeks dragged on with email updates flying out to the team covering the latest weather reports or how Diana was feeling, and what she was doing to stay at the physical peak she would need. Laced through all of these communiques was the enthusiasm and encouragement of team members and Diana herself.
The Safety Diver Team (aka Shark Divers)
The safety diver team was headed up by my friend Luke Tipple - marine biologist, dive safety officer on many television productions, and Director of the Shark-Free Marina Initiative. Several other leading pro-shark professionals were enlisted to round out a team of four but due to scheduling conflicts as the weeks wore on, some would have to regrettably drop out and others were called upon to fill in. From the first meeting held to discuss safety diver protocol right up to the moment of the event, one mutual understanding between the divers and Diana existed: in the course of ensuring her safety in the presence of any sharks, only non-lethal techniques would be employed. No harm would come to any shark in the course of our duties.
So resolute were the divers in this regard, that when the New York Times reported on Diana's upcoming swim and erroneously described her safety team as "divers with spears," there was a momentary blow-up and some of the team members chose not to be involved with an endeavor that would have them characterized in such an anti-conservation manner. In the end, while many - including the divers - wanted to downplay the "shark-infested waters" angle and focus more on Diana and the swim itself, eventually Diana laid out her position regarding sharks so that members of the ocean and shark conservation community could be put at ease - despite the media's ongoing fascination with a sensationalistic shark angle.
Her is a portion of what she wrote for CNN's Health blog, The Chart, "Our team has worked hard toward this world record. But it is of paramount importance to us that we achieve the dream in perfect harmony with all the creatures of the sea we encounter . In some regard, I am humbly asking the sharks of this particular ocean to allow me to skim across the surface of their home for about three days. I am duly respectful of them, their habits and their habitat, as is every individual on the Xtreme Dream Team.
We are humbly entering their world, their territory. Yes, let’s not be naïve. There is reason to take intelligent precautions for my safety. But it is imperative to me and every member of my team that those precautions be in the hands of a highly expert, experienced team of four divers who are versed for many years now in using cutting edge, nonlethal technology to deter sharks.
These divers dedicate their lives to raising awareness for sharks and persuading nations around the world to ban shark finning."
Of course, in times past, this proactive non-lethal approach would not necessarily have been the case. And I can understand any trepidation that Diana might have had regarding sharks. Consider her environment - constantly swimming, rotating her head to take a breath and check her position in relationship to nearby kayakers and support vessels. She just wouldn't have the luxury that scuba divers or snorklers have of looking around at what might be swimming underneath and that can certainly prey on the imagination.
Add to that, the media frenzy that surrounded swimmer Penny Palfrey, following her Cayman Island swim where she encountered several sharks that were mistakenly reported by the press as having been killed, and it became very clear to Diana that a pro-shark protocol sufficient to protect her and the sharks was needed. We had a range of steps and options with regard to any shark encounter, but rather than detail them here, you can read about them at Luke Tipple's website.
Ultimately, Diana's safety diver team consisted of Luke, myself, Capt. Rob MacDonald, and Capt. Jon Rose. We were ready to go; the August tropical storm/hurricane season was bearing down and the windows of opportunity were narrowing. When tropical storm Emily, which was initially bound for Cuba and then the eastern Florida coast, dissipated unexpectedly, a potential weather window had opened. The word went out: the time is now.
The Dash to Havana
Quickly taking care of my personal affairs, I grabbed my dive and camera gear that had been packed and patiently waiting, and took the next available flight to get me to Key West where the first step - going to Havana - was being staged.
Diana's logistical team had the imposing task of coordinating the arrival of several dozen team members and observers from all across the country and getting them to their assigned vessels for the ride out to Havana - a difficult enough task if they had had a fixed date weeks in advance, but the nature of this event precluded such an advantage. Diana had moved on ahead to Havana and now the rest of the team must quickly catch up. The safety diver team was assigned to the Mirage, a unique type of custom outrigger/catamaran designed for accommodating kayakers on ocean expeditions throughout Florida and the Caribbean. With kayaks and dive gear all aboard and all passengers accounted for (except for our fearless leader, Luke, who was hung up with flight delays), we set off at seven that evening for Cuba. Luke would follow up on another boat leaving early the next morning.
The passage across the Florida Straits was mostly smooth and uneventful with only one period of rougher seas and windy weather - not the kind of thing an endurance swimmer wants to contend with, so we all hoped for this to be momentary departure from the anticipated ocean conditions Diana was counting on. Sunset was quite literally an explosion of color and many of us reached for our cameras to hopefully capture its beauty before the sun disappeared below the horizon. The crossing would have been idyllic but for the oppressive and stifling heat and humidity that is common for this time of year. Many of us chose to sleep out on the open deck. During the night I awoke to see a veritable ocean of stars, a sky alive with constellations and shooting stars, the likes of which I hadn't seen since gazing at the sky years ago in California's high desert.
As we approached Havana around midday, we assembled all the necessary passports and state department letters which Diana and her Havana ground ops team had worked so hard to have for us in time for the crossing. (Diana had missed an opportunity last year at making the swim because of delays in obtaining all of the required paperwork before the optimum weather window closed for the season.) Reaching Cuba were the key vessels, Voyager, Bellissimo, and the Mirage. Other support vessels would meet us out in international waters, just outside the 12-mile limit. We arrived west of Havana at the Hemingway Marina - a nod to the days when Ernest Hemingway would spend time in Cuba, writing, drinking, and fishing - but rather than partake in any of those activities, we settled in for several hours of customs and immigration inspections.
When finally allowed to put our feet on Cuban soil, we quickly had to re-group at the local marina yacht club for a meeting. Diana was there to welcome us all and give us a quick rundown as to what would be happening next. It was a strange mix of excitement and confusion. There would be no settling back in old leather chairs, knocking down a few beers or tasting the local cuisine. The narrow weather window, combined with the time spent being cleared by Cuban officials, only allowed for a quick update from David Marchant, Diana's navigator, as to upcoming ocean conditions followed by one final expression of determination from Diana along with her gratitude to all of those on the team. Just the day before, there was a press conference held, attended by reporters from across the globe. The buzz was in high gear and the Xtreme Dream was real, it was international, and it was fast upon us.
Sunday, August 7th - It Begins
After going through another round of customs so that we could depart, our brief stay in Cuba was over and we positioned ourselves just outside the marina along a seawall where Diana would start. There was a crowd of both American and Cuban supporters awaiting Diana's arrival. It was a curious sight, given the strained relationship that has existed between Cuba and the United States for so many decades. A large Cuban flag was erected at the starting point and many in the crowd shouted, "USA, USA, USA..." For a moment you could sense the walls erected by politicians and ideologies had come down, all around this one event and the determination of one woman.
Finally, at a little before eight o'clock, the moment had come. Jumping into the water, Diana swam out to position herself next to the lead support vessel, Voyager, a small catamaran that she had been working with for some time as she trained for this day. Extended from the starboard or right side of Voyager was a boom holding a long strip of red LED lights and a wide white ribbon of vinyl plastic. Together, day or night, these two would act as, essentially, a visible stripe down an oceanic highway. Diana would follow the stripe and the Voyager would then be better able to keep her on course. Trailing next to her were two kayaks to also help keep her on course. Each kayak carried an electronic device called a Shark Shield. The Shark Shield gives off a very low electrical field that has been shown to be very effective in repelling curious sharks. With each kayaker carrying a shark shield suspended below their kayak, Diana would be swimming inside an electrical bubble, so to speak. Encountering a more determined animal, we safety divers would have to then enter the water and chase it away using poles with padded tips. However, sharks were not foremost on the minds of the handlers and crew on Voyager at the start of the race. What was important was for Diana to find her stride, set a comfortable pace, and concentrate on moving forward. Florida awaits.
Moving Into the First Night
As the sun began to set, the first challenge to Diana's goal reared it's head. Only three hours into the swim, her right shoulder began to bother her and with each and every stroke the pain became more excruciating. But still, she kept up her pace, stopping every 45 minutes for fluids or a high protein liquid meal. When I heard from one of the team that Diana was experiencing some shoulder pain, I immediately recalled her mentioning to me in April, at Pepperdine, she had a previous shoulder injury that she always had to be conscious of not exacerbating. But that was her left shoulder. Her right shoulder compensated and was particularly strong throughout all of her training, so this new development came as quite a surprise to all.
To be in accordance with all the recognized rules and regulations for marathon swimming, crew members have to be extremely careful in how they come in contact with the swimmer. Any extended contact can be perceived as assisting the swimmer through the water, thereby disqualifying the swimmer from any official record. And there were observers on board watching throughout the swim. So, Diana's handlers carefully provided her with Tylenol and an ice pack to use during her fluid/meal breaks to hopefully ease the pain in her shoulder.
In the meantime, with Luke set to arrive the next morning, the safety diver team had to make some adjustments to their original planned schedule of two divers on, two divers off in four-hour shifts. We decided to position Jon aboard the Voyager while Rob and I would follow along in a large, solid keel, powered inflatable - a common fixture found on large boats and luxury yachts. Performing a shark watch at night is the most challenging as your use of any type of searchlight is very restricted. Bright beams of light moving through the water can be very distracting, if not outright alarming to the swimmer. But with the three of us now in position, we settled in for a long night. We would be going non-stop until Luke arrived the next morning. Of course, there was no whining; all you had to do was listen to the rhythmic splash of each of Diana's strokes to remind you who was really doing the hard work - hundreds of strokes each and every hour - focused and in her zone, trying to ignore the searing pain that was racing through her shoulder.
Ocean conditions were changing and not necessarily for the better. There were periods of relative calm, but any stretch of swells or wind-induced chop would work against her, knocking her about and making staying on course all the more difficult. The currents that move through the straits between Florida and Cuba can change direction from predominantly west to east or vice versa, or even double-back and become a mixture of the two. At the start of the swim, currents were basically moving in a northeasterly direction, so either Diana would need to push into the current to stay on her course line or make a series of course corrections, possibly ending up further north of her intended final destination and adding a few more miles to the swim.
As night slowly turned to morning, another challenge raised its head. Diana began to feel her breathing becoming restricted, more labored. She was having an asthma attack! This had never happened to her during all her years of swimming. The difficulty of having to deal with it now only added to the frustration as to why. Why? Was it induced by stress? Or perhaps a reaction the pain medication? Diana only takes Tylenol as she has bad reactions to aspirin or ibuprofen, but she was assured by her physician on-the-scene, Dr. Michael Broder, that she had only been given Tylenol.
Second Day: The Mark of a Champion
That morning, Luke arrived on one of the smaller support vessels and joined the rest of the team. I was now atop the Voyager, watching the waters for any uninvited guests. Schools of baitfish would occasionally boil at the surface or yellowtail would come by to inspect the trailing ribbon that ran underneath Diana, like the arrow on a compass. But for now, there was nothing to worry about as far as sharks were concerned. The safety divers had their job to do and so did Diana's handlers, lead by her business partner and close confidant, Bonnie Stoll.
Bonnie is another strong personality. A bit brusk at times, or in-your-face if need be, she is also Diana's number one supporter and cheerleader. Bonnie is absolutely relentless in her ability to keep Diana focused, to keep her emotionally pumped up. Some of us have that little voice that speaks to us inside our heads, that gets us out of bed and moving. Bonnie is that voice, literally and forcefully, for Diana when she is swimming. And right now, with all that had happened to Diana in the first few hours of the swim, Bonnie was needed more than ever. Rarely have I ever seen a relationship between any two people that is as supportive as what I saw between these two: the swimmer and the clarion supporter.
But it was becoming more and more of an uphill struggle for Diana. The asthma was depriving her muscles of critically needed oxygen, sapping their strength. Dr. Broder had Diana try an inhaler and gave her antihistamines but their effectiveness was being countered by the sheer physical effort that Diana was expending. She couldn't take a break, rest a while on the boat while the medications kicked in - that would end the swim right then and there. So, Diana would soldier on, hearing words of encouragement and support from her handlers, the kayakers, the crew, and of course from Bonnie.
Even in an ideal set of conditions, marathon swimming extracts a heavy toll on the human body. Sleep deprivation, leading to hallucinations; vomiting from the cumulative ingestion of seawater while swimming or drinking; hypothermia; the assault on your entire internal system from the loss of electrolytes, despite continued efforts to replace such fluids. Over so many hours, the human body slowly begins to shut down. Only a determination in mental focus can get a well-trained athlete through it. Diana is just such an individual; but now she is being put to the test. What might have been surmountable over the course of several days has befallen her within the first twenty-four.
In a peculiar way, it was both inspiring and painful to watch. Diana would take a break, floating on her back, bemoaning why these things were happening to her all at once. Drinking fluids and trying to keep food down, Diana would often look at Bonnie or her handlers with a distant, faraway look. Bonnie would be giving her words of encouragement while David Marchant and the other crew members would be discussing her current course and what progress was being made. Perched atop Voyager, I wondered how much more of this Diana could take. And just when I thought she might be contemplating calling it quits, she would roll over and begin swimming again, that rhythmic splash, splash, splash of each stroke ringing across the water. There were times when I just couldn't believe what I was seeing.
During one of my breaks, I prepared my underwater video camera to film Diana from underneath. I needed to have Diana's handlers let her know I would be coming into view from below, so as not to startle her. With camera ready, I rolled over the side of the inflatable with the idea of filming Diana as she ended a fluid break and resumed swimming. I saw her roll over and begin to move forward, so I pushed the record button. Just a mere few seconds into it and suddenly an error message appeared in my viewfinder! A digital media card was malfunctioning and in the classic manner: at the worst possible moment. I returned back to the Mirage to sort it all out, revising the game plan by hoping to film her again tomorrow, Tuesday, as by now the light was beginning to fade.
The Decision
My next scheduled shift was from eight to midnight that evening. When I was shuttled back out to the Voyager, I could see that Diana's condition had worsened. Her pace was much slower and her breaks were more frequent and lasting longer. Additionally, the current was definitely working against her now. She would swim for a few minutes, still following Voyager's illuminated stripe and bordered on each side by the kayakers. But then she would stop, roll over, and you could see the current drifting her back. After a few minutes, she would roll back over and resume swimming but she was definitely losing ground. Calculations were being worked out and estimates were being discussed. Twenty-four hours into the swim, perhaps a third of the way across, but with her slower pace she could be looking at 60, maybe even 80 more hours. The human body could not withstand such prolonged abuse.
As the evening wore on, Bonnie was there to spur Diana onward. She kicked it into high gear, giving Diana a series of a-atta-girls to snap her out of the hallucinations Diana said she was beginning to have. ''You can do it. You can make it. There you go. That's it," Bonnie called out across the water. When Diana would stop and roll over, Bonnie would go into overdrive to get Diana's attention, asking her questions, keeping her communicating.
Then at one point, Bonnie lowered her voice and talked to Diana as she treaded water alongside the boat. Bonnie talked of options: stopping right now or continuing onward. "Whatever you want to do, I will support you." Tears welled up in her eyes and that strong voice I had been hearing throughout the day was now aching, openly feeling Diana's pain. Diana could only gaze at her, nearly unable to speak. It was one of the most heart-wrenching moments I have ever witnessed: the devotion of two people to each other and to a long struggle for a sought-after goal - all being put to the test somewhere in the middle of the ocean between Cuba and Florida.
Somehow, from somewhere deep inside, that determination which has pushed Diana as a world-class athlete, which propels her to believe what she has accomplished in her younger years is only a prelude to what she can do throughout her entire life at any age, that spark was still alive. Diana rolled over and resumed swimming.
Jon Rose and I finished our shift at midnight, with Luke and Rob coming to relieve us. Diana's pace seemed to be improving. She was mixing in a breast stroke - new to her - along with her usual freestyle. Jon and I motored back to the Mirage and I was thinking that what I saw at eight o'clock was the beginning of the end but what I saw by midnight gave me some encouragement. But it was not to last. I was told that Diana was questioning whether she could go on, that the shoulder pain and asthma would never allow her to finish. Bonnie told Diana it was her decision, that if she took her hand it would all be over. Diana knew it was her decision and hers alone. Surrounded by friends and supporters all inspired and moved by what she had endured over the past thirty hours, Diana took Bonnie's hand and called it a night.
Luke jumped into the water to assist in getting Diana out and Dr. Broder began treating her dehydration, vomiting, and hypothermia. The Voyager headed to the Bellissimo where Diana was brought on board for further treatment. And with that the Xtreme Dream came to a close. All of the vessels set a course for Key West to offload gear and get through U.S. Customs and Immigration.
The Next Step: Moving On
Back at Key West, the news media awaited for Diana to step out from the Bellissimo. With cameras rolling and team members, friends and supporters cheering, Diana emerged to say a few words. It was hard. She broke down several times and you could feel her disappointment. Now she would be faced with the countless interviews where she would have to relive it again and again, something that many athletes have to contend with; finding how to put the loss of a specific goal in context with their overall record of achievement. How does an Olympic athlete deal with years of training and preparation, only to see it gone in a instant? Or a professional football team with a perfect season losing the Super Bowl? How do you reconcile your capabilities with what fate allows to transpire at any particular moment? Dealing with those feelings can be the true signs of a hero and Diana is already showing she has what it takes to put this all into perspective.
On Tuesday, the New York Times reported, “It was my decision to stop and nobody else’s,” Ms. Nyad said during a phone interview Tuesday morning moments after arriving at a Key West marina. “I’m deeply grieved and disappointed, but I can hold my head up high. We pictured that moment of me crawling up on that Key West shore. We knew it was my year and my time, even at 61.” Ms. Nyad said she had no regrets. She had concluded that the combination of her injured shoulder and the asthma attack made continuing impossible. “It was over, I knew it,” she said. “My body was at the absolute very end. Willpower wasn’t a part of it anymore.”
Before the team left the Key West marina, Diana came out to thank each of us and we thanked her right back for all her enthusiasm and inspiration. I had a brief moment where I said to her, "You may not have reached the 103 miles, but you gained 103 million supporters instead."
From that first day in April when I met Diana Nyad, I have been inspired by her passion in believing you can reach for anything you wish, regardless of any obstacle that the world might put in your way. At age 59, I am pursuing a career in a field populated with many people half my age. But with role models like Diana Nyad, what I wish to accomplish in film and conservation seems well within reach. I am honored to have had the opportunity to meet Diana.
Sometimes life reminds us that a specific goal may be far less important than the actual journey and the people you touched or who touched you along the way. Are you listening, Diana? There you go. That's it.
Artificial reefs serve as a possible remedy for natural coral reefs that have been damaged either by pollution, temperature (in the form of coral bleaching), or too much manhandling from snorkelers and divers, just to name a few. They can provide new habitats which can increase the populations of fish, from local reef fish to larger pelagics, and they can take some of the pressure off of a reef enhancing the reef's ability to rejuvenate.
Scientists, conservation organizations, and groups invested in tourism are looking for new methods and materials for establishing artificial reefs. Two of the most common artificial reef formations are sunken wrecks and concrete structures, sometimes referred to as "reef balls." Wrecks have been around since man has sailed the seas and there are many who serve as unwitting artificial reefs. But today, we find organizations that take decommissioned vessels, clean them of any potential pollutants and deliberately sink them. These wrecks could last from 50 to 100 years or more and in that time, a substantial reef structure can form - one that could possibly outlive its original foundation.
Reef balls, basically made of concrete and other ground up substrate that can provide a firm base for coral growth, are perhaps less mysterious than sunken wrecks and a bit more plain-looking. However, they can provide a very natural-like foundation for a coral reef and, given time, they can look for all to see, including man and animal, like any other natural reef given enough time for coral and sea grasses to take hold.
There have been other candidates for artificial reefs. Along the California and Gulf coasts, retired oil rigs are being debated as potential artificial reefs when the upper superstructure is removed to just far enough below the surface so as not to pose a shipping hazard. Other structures have become artificial reefs sometimes by accident. In San Diego, California, the NOSC (National Oceans System Center) closed down a research tower situated about a mile offshore, in the late 80s, and was preparing to turn it over to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Unfortunately, before Scripps could take possession, heavy storms came in and knocked it over: a loss to Scripps but a gain for local mussels, anemones and a wide variety of local fish - not to mention local scuba divers who now had a new underwater attraction to break up the wide, sandy vista of San Diego's Mission Bay.
But not all artificial reefs have been successful, regardless of the best of intentions and considerable thought put into the design. Not everything that mankind makes can become a suitable foundation for a reef. Case in point, the disastrous Osborne Reef off the coast of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
In the early 70s, Broward Artificial Reefs, Inc. proposed an extensive artificial reef consisting of discarded tires. The supposed benefits would be the elimination of unsightly, old worn tires and the chance to entice more game fish for recreational fishing. The project was endorsed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and, with the aid of many private, commercial and even naval vessels, the Broward County government deposited over two million tires, bound together with steel clips, cables, or nylon rope, across 36 acres. A new artificial reef seemed to be on its way.
But it was not to be. The securing cables, clips and ropes corroded and the lightweight tires were now on the move. Pushed around by currents and storms, the tires smashed into living corals as they spread out a like an ever-increasing steamroller. After one particular storm, thousands of tires piled up against a reef, while others made their way to local beaches.
Even if the tires had managed to stay together, it turns out that they were not a good platform for reef growth due to their flexibility and the fact that, as the rubber breaks down from long exposure to sunlight and seawater, several low-level toxins are given off which have the potential to stunt the growth of sealife.
"The really good idea was to provide habitat for marine critters so we could double or triple marine life in the area. It just didn't work that way,"said Ray McAllister, a professor of ocean engineering at Florida Atlantic University who was instrumental in organizing the project. "I look back now and see it was a bad idea."
Reef Rescue videotaped the condition of the tire reef in 2010:
From time to time efforts have been made to salvage the tires. State campaigns have been put in play, often supported by the military (Navy divers have used the cleanup as part of their training), but the cost is enormous and so progress has been in fits and starts. The military has scaled back their involvement as their resources are being taxed by two wars and looming budget cuts. To date, around 73,000 tires have been recovered - a considerable number, but with the original number totaling over 2 million, there is a long ways to go.
"We've literally dumped millions of tires in our oceans,"said Jack Sobel, director of strategic conservation and a marine scientist for the Ocean Conservancy scientist, when speaking about the concept of tire reefs on a worldwide scale. "I believe that people who were behind the artificial tire reef promotions actually were well-intentioned and thought they were doing the right thing. In hindsight, we now realize that we made a mistake."
We are now getting to a point with the condition of the oceans and marine ecosystems where there is less tolerance for "experiments" and a greater need for solutions for which we are much more certain about the outcome. Unfortunately, our actions that adversely impact the marine environments are bad enough; we can't afford to have our solutions simply add to the problem.
Read more about the history of Osborne Reef. Read more about the reef in 2007 in USA Today. Read more about cleanup efforts in 2010 in Reef Rescue.
It has been many years since Sea World Orlando was in the business of caring for sick or injured dolphins or small whales from the wild. With the outbreak of a deadly morbillivirus - a measles-like virus - in the Miami Aquarium, brought in by some sick pilot whales, which killed several of the aquarium's captive dolphins and other marine mammals, Sea World abruptly stopped the practice.
Until now.
In the next few weeks, SeaWorld Orlando will open a new facility dedicated to the treatment of sick, injured, or stranded wild cetacea. The medical complex will be isolated from the main park and its exhibits, with its own tanks, water filtration systems, and even separate decontamination showers for employees. The main tank will contain 40,000 gallons with enough room to hold a 13-foot pilot whale.
Of SeaWorld's research and rehab efforts of various marine animals, Brad Andrews, chief zoological officer for SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, said, "This is what we do. [It] gives us an extremely interesting example of what's going on with the wild populations. They're like the canaries in the coal mine as they come up on shore."
According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, about an average of 51 whales, dolphins, and porpoises are stranded on Florida shores, analyzed from eight years worth of recent data. Of that number, about a third of them were sent to rehab facilities.
Marine amusement parks like SeaWorld have been criticized by many pro-cetacean activists for the treatment of dolphins and whales in captivity. These are open ocean animals that utilize echo-location and various long-distance sounds as a form of communication and hunting. It is said that the tanks provided by marine amusements parks can not possibly provide enough room to ensure that the animals have a healthy, mentally-stimulating environment.
While that is an argument that has merit (and I am one that basically sides with that position), organizations like SeaWorld have also spent millions of dollars on research and rehab. So, it presents a bit of dilemma as it is the revenue from their entertainment activities that supports efforts like the new medical complex.
Critics believe SeaWorld's new facility is simply a politically-correct way to acquire new captive animals: nursing a sick or injured animal back to health and then transferring it to permanent captive status. SeaWorld has not acquired any new animals from the wild since the late 1970s. And of the 200 cetaceans held throughout the entire company's string of parks, only 5 were sick or injured animals rescued from the wild.
In response to critics, Andrews said, "The goal here is to take care of the animal, treat the animal and let it go." To be sure, there will be many who will be watching whether SeaWorld sticks to that strategy. If they do, it will be welcomed indeed - and captive dolphins and whales will be a separate argument to be debated.
Ocean conservation requires not only an understanding and appreciation of the various worldwide marine ecology and the species that contribute to their existence; an understanding of the specific environmental threats to ecosystems and specific sealife, whether directly man-made or occurring naturally through cyclical patterns. We also need to understand the cultural histories that formulate the attitudes of people regarding the ocean and its future.
In the case of endangered species, likes sharks, whales, tuna, or a wide range of commercially harvested animals, we often turn towards Asian or developing island nations and the long-standing culture steeped in the use of seafood. We wring our hands when considering how these societies can appear to be so singular in purpose and dedicated to consuming natural marine resources - both locally and in international waters.
To be sure, these nations have long cultural histories intertwined with the bounty of the sea and it is a challenge to get them to objectively look at what is happening to their treasured ocean resources before it is too late. But internal progress is being made, although it is a slow process. "Outsiders" can have only so much of an effect; much has to come from self-realization within the culture itself. We see this with anti-shark positions being taken by citizens in Taiwan while a healthy trade in shark fins continues. Japan's harvest of whales and dolphins continues while the consumption of their meat is declining. These conflicting positions represent the achingly slow process of transforming a society to a new way of thinking.
Often, one does not have to travel far to find these same dichotomies at work. In the United States, take the State of Florida for instance. Surrounded on all sides, except for its northern border, by ocean, the "Sunshine State" has a long history with the sea and, in light of today's environmental concerns, we see a culture that is in flux with wasteful attitudes or activities colliding with conservation.
Four recent news articles highlight how Florida can have one foot in the past and one in the future. Reported in Ocean City Today, the 31st Annual Ocean City shark tournament concludes today. This three-day event brings in sportfishermen hungry to catch the largest or heaviest shark in the hopes of winning trophy money that can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. Sportfishing is not only part of the societal fabric of Florida, it's also big business, so the likelihood that it's going to go away anytime soon in deference to overfished species like sharks, tuna, billfish, or other game fish is fairly remote.
As reported in Ocean City Today, "The Ocean City Shark Tournament is the second of two fishing competitions that allow anglers to accumulate points toward the “Ocean City Sharker of the Year” title. The first event was Mako Mania, which took place June 3-5. Divisions for the event, which has become one of the largest shark tournaments on the East Coast, are: mako, open (threshers and blue shark only), release, bluefish, tuna and dolphin."
As much as shark advocates abhor these shark tournaments, within that listing of categories for the Ocean City Shark Tournament lies one ray of hope: the "release" category. The tournament directors are working to promote catch-and-release of sharks as opposed to bringing in dead ones. And they are trying to facilitate a change in attitude by using bait that is tantalizing to the human species; more trophy money is being diverted to catch-and-release prize categories based on species, size or number. Sure, I would be the first to say let's put an end to all shark sportfishing tournaments tomorrow, but that would be an easy pronouncement for me, coming from California where such events mostly don't exist. But to Florida and its long-standing history in sportfishing, baby steps are required.
However, it would appear that progress towards all catch-and-release is continuing. The Blacktip Shark Shootout, a two-day event which concludes today, has adopted an all catch-and-release format.
As reported in the St. Petersburg Times, "Shark, like tarpon, could be the next great catch-and-release fishery. Every angler knows that if you catch a fish and kill it, you've got dinner. But if let it go, it can be caught again and again. 'And they are pretty hardy,' {charter captain and tournament co-founder, Joel] Brandenburg said. 'Sharks put up a great fight, and after you release them, they will swim off as if nothing ever happened.'" Now, there are plenty of shark researchers who might want to argue that last statement, but that's a fisherman talking - albeit one who is making an effort to change the way things have been done for years.
However, attitudes about sharks as a food source still persist, and not just overseas in Asian restaurants and marketplaces. NaplesNews.com ran an article on Friday titled "Locals attack shark, buffet style at CJ's on the Bay." It seems that a popular local eatery is heralding in the summer with Loco for the Locals Luau, a Hawaiian island-style barbecue, and rather than use the more traditional roasted pig as the main course, this year the restaurant decided on a whole shark.
“We wanted to do something for our local customers as well, customers that may or may not be members of the Chamber [of Commerce, which held a prior event using roasted pig],” Chef Laura Owens said. “We threw some ideas around and I said, ‘lets roast a shark.’ We might be setting some new ground.”Well, I sure hope not. In fact, it's a slap in the face to Hawaiian culture to use the concept of a luau and, at the same time, roast an animal that is revered throughout Hawaiian tribal history.
However, while there is not a widespread understanding as to the perilous conditions to which shark populations are faced, even in the waters off Florida, progress is being made by Florida regulatory agencies to better protect more species of sharks that have been the target of sport and commercial fishermen for decades. KeysNet.com reports that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Comission is considering protections for tiger sharks and hammerhead sharks - two species that have been popular with sportfishermen over the years and whose numbers have noticeably declined.
According to Neil Hammerschlag, shark expert from the University of Miami,"Tiger sharks and hammerheads do not reproduce often or quickly, and both are highly prized for their fins for use in shark-fin soup. The pregnant animals come into shallow water to give birth, where the pups can find food and protection from other predators. That tends to make them very vulnerable to fishing. Studies have shown that taking even a few large individuals can have a big effect on the population in a local area."
With already 22 shark species protected in Florida, ranging from great whites to smaller Caribbean reef sharks, a prohibition on landing tiger and hammerhead sharks would not necessarily impact the sportfishing industry, according to Christy Johnson of SeaSquared Charters.
"We do catch and release for big sharks,"she said. "I don't know anybody who takes the bigger sharks, except maybe trying for a mako."
So, one does not have to travel far to find conflicting attitudes about sharks or other dwindling fish stocks and what needs to be done about it. Progress is being made but old habits and cultures die hard. It will take patience and persistence on the part of those who recognize the need for immediate steps to preserve our natural resources while accepting the fact that some will need to come kicking and screaming - or may never come around at all.
Read about the Ocean City shark tournament in Ocean City Today. Read about the Blacktip Shark Shootout in the St. Petersburg Times. Read about the roasted shark Luau at NaplesNews.com. Read about tigher and hammerhead shark protections in KeysNet.com.
Every now and then we get mysteries than can initially defy explanation or fuel the imaginations of those seeking easy justification of conspiracy or doomsday theories. With regards to the oceans, there have been coral die-offs, algal blooms, whale and dolphin beachings, and mass fish deaths that occur from time to time. And this week, one more strange event occurred that, at this moment, has marine scientists scratching their heads.
Sharks have washed ashore along the northern beaches of Manatee County, Florida. This is an area along the western or Gulf of Mexico side of Florida, south of Tampa. The dead sharks, fifteen so far, consisted of bonnethead, blacknose, and sharpnose sharks - relatively small sharks that cruise coastal waters.
As reported by Bay News 9, marine scientists from Florida's MOTE Marine Laboratory do not believe the sharks succumbed to any effects from the Gulf oil spill because the normal range and travel patterns of these particular species of shark would have precluded them from getting in harm's way. However, it is nonetheless unusual for so many sharks to be found dead within a specific area - the occasional shark, yes; but fifteen sharks in a week, no.
"There were no real indicators of what went wrong with them,"said Dr. Nick Whitney, Staff Scientist for the Center for Shark Research at MOTE Marine Laboratory. "There are no obvious signs of damage from fishing or net damage or anything like that."
Tissues samples were taken for analysis to determine whether the sharks died due to the effects of a red tide - an algal bloom that can carry dimoic acid which has been shown to cause neurological disruptions and death in seals and fish. Recently, an isolated mass die-off of sardines in Manhattan Beach, California left the harbor with literally tens of thousands of dead fish either floating on the surface or piling up on the harbor bottom.
Being the shark admirer that I am, I found this all very disappointing; I have dived with bonnethead sharks and they are beautiful, delicate sharks - petite relatives to the larger hammerhead species.
I also found it a bit ironic as I had just recently read an article that had listed the "top five unfounded health hysterias." The editors of the Big Think blog ran their self-appointed five and four of them revolved around over-hyped perceived threats from autism-causing vaccines, fluoridated water, the SARS virus, anthrax . . . and number five was shark attacks.
Poor sharks - lumped together in our over-worked imaginations with other obscure or statistically remote diseases or medical conditions. And yet the great malevolent ocean monster is, itself, truly susceptible to mysterious maladies that can deprive the ocean of an important member of the marine community.
It is an unfortunate situation when something of beauty is at risk of being destroyed through no fault of it's own. But off the coast of Florida and throughout the Caribbean, that is the fate that awaits the lionfish (genus: Pterois). For all its graceful movement, striking color, and ornamentation, it is, regrettably, an invader that threatens the ecological balance of reef communities throughout the region.
I just returned from two weeks at sea along the shallow banks northwest of Grand Bahama, and with every reef dive I undertook I was guaranteed at least a half dozen sightings of these small Indo-Pacific predators. Known for having a voracious appetite to match its venomous spines, it was reported in one study that a lionfish can consume three-quarters of a reef's fish population in as little as five weeks. Left unchecked, the lionfish threatens the Bahamas' annual $5 billion tourism industry (that's billion with a "B") and nearly half of the island's employment. Bathers can get stung by the lionfish's dorsal spines or divers can find reefs denuded of colorful tropical fish and this can spell economic ruin for many Caribbean nations.
So, how did this all come about? How did a fish found in the South Pacific make its way halfway across the planet? Well, it certainly would need some help, an accomplice or two.
And that would be us.
The lionfish invasion in the Caribbean is a textbook example of invasive species distribution. Because of its beauty, juvenile lionfish are a popular addition to home saltwater aquariums. That is, popular until your other aquarium fish begin to disappear one by one as the lionfish grows and its appetite blossoms.
So, could it have found itself in the Atlantic when a frazzled home aquarist released it into the wild? Possibly, although it has been reported that the pivotal moment may have occurred in 1992 when Hurricane Andrew battered the southeast coast of the U.S., smashing an aquarium tank in Florida, and releasing six lionfish into open sea. Through the 90's, lionfish expansion was slow, but the first one showed up in the Bahamas in 2005. Two years later, the population exploded (some studies have indicated that a possible reason for the lionfish's successful growth is due to its resistance to many of the parasites commonly found in the Caribbean). The invasion was in full force and the war was on.
Over thousands of years, the lionfish found its proper place in the Indo-Pacific as both predator and prey. Groupers and other large fish fed on them, helping to control their numbers. But in the Bahamas, groupers have been overfished, so there aren't enough of these controlling predators to do the job (and even juvenile groupers are at risk of becoming a lionfish's next meal).
NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration does not mince words when describing the lionfish invasion. "With few known natural predators, the lionfish poses a major threat to coral reef ecosystems in the Caribbean region by decreasing survival of a wide range of native reef animals via both predation and competition," says NOAA's Office of Research. "It was not unusual to observe lionfish consuming prey up to 2/3 of its own length. Results of the experiment show that lionfish significantly reduce the net recruitment of coral reef fishes by an estimated 80%. The huge reduction in recruitment is due to predation and may eventually result in substantial, negative ecosystem-wide consequences. It is also important to note that lionfish have the potential to act synergistically with other existing stressors, such as climate change, overfishing, and pollution, making this invasion of particular concern for the future of Atlantic coral reefs."
While in the Bahamas, I saw signs and posters proclaiming that the only good lionfish in Caribbean waters was basically a dead one. Crew members would regularly dive with short tri-tip spears in hand, looking under reef ledges - a favorite lionfish hangout - and stabbing any lionfish they came upon, leaving it there perhaps to eaten by a scavenging shark.
In fact, several of the crew reported trying to entice Caribbean reef or lemon sharks to feed on a speared lionfish in the hopes that the sharks would develop a taste for the enemy invader. The sharks would have to learn the best approach to avoid a discomforting sting and, in fact, I saw one shark make repeated bites - spitting out the lionfish until it found the right angle by which it could comfortably consume the free meal.
While the lionfish is one of the tropical ocean's most beautiful inhabitants (and one of my personal favorites), as an invasive species it unintentionally poses considerable risk to the Caribbean marine ecosystem. Could a natural balancing mechanism take hold through predation by fish who discover a new potential prey item in their midst? Or will mankind, having been responsible for the lionfish's introduction in the Caribbean in the first place, now have to take extraordinary steps to eradicate this species? To date, the success of the lionfish shows that there are no easy answers, as is often the case with other invasive plant and animals species around the globe.
Read about the lionfish invasion in NPR.org. Read about NOAA studies of the lionfish invasion.
Each year, around this time, blacktip and spinner sharks congregate off the southeast coast of Florida as a prelude to a northerly migration. And this year was no exception. Sharks numbering in the hundreds, if not thousands, were observed off Palm Beach, getting within 100 yards of shore.
In this area, you have a white sandy bottom that is shallow and extends quite a ways out to sea. Against this bright backdrop, the sharks, with their darker coloration on the tops of their bodies, stand out quite clearly, as seen by this helicopter video taken for Florida's Sun-Sentinel.
The sharks will move as far north as Chesapeake Bay, feeding on migrating schools of baitfish like mullet. Scientists who study animal migrations are always curious as to what might be the motivating factor for a particular migration. Is it due to a change in climate or water temperature? Or to find suitable mating grounds? Or is it following a particular food source. That appears to be the case with these sharks off of Florida - simply gravitating where the hunting is good.
Blacktip (Carcharhinus limbatus) and spinner sharks (Carcharhinus brevipinna) are not considered particularly dangerous sharks. However, in Florida they have been implicated in as many as one-third of Florida's total number of attacks. But with these attacks, poor visibility and mistaken identity are the root causes.
"These are not really aggressive species,"said Brent Winner of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "But if the water is murky and you see hundreds of sharks, you probably should stay out of the water. Even though they don't eat people, the chance of being bitten is there." First, you need a hungry shark, one who is on the hunt. This is a critical first step as these sharks do not bite just for the fun of it. Then you add in reduced visibility in the shallows as that white sand I mentioned earlier gets stirred up in the surf. The shark is looking for a small fish, and the flash of white from a human hand or foot - particularly if aided with gold or silver jewelry which can look like sunlight dancing on fish scales - can cause the shark to make a quick dash and grab. Of course, as soon as it realizes its prey does not taste like a fish, it quickly moves on its way. But the result is there's now a new statistic for the shark-human interaction record books.
When I see footage of these shark migrations, it don't view it with any sense of alarm, regardless of how the media portrays it. It's good to see these congregations and the only fear should not be directed at the sharks but at any unscrupulous fisherman who views it as an easy catch.
In August of 2010, I wrote about bioluminescence and the amazing work of Dr. Edith Widder. Widder is the founder and chief scientist at ORCA (Ocean Research and Conservation Association). Her studies of the bio-illumination given off by marine animals has taken her and her equipment to the deeper depths of the ocean. It is in these regions, where sunlight does not penetrate, that animals use bioluminescence - organically-produced light - to hunt prey, camouflage from or deceive predators, and identify others of their own species.
