Groups publish Voluntary Standards for Marine Recreation

You can see how well you and your marine recreation provider follow the standards published by The International Coral Reef Action Network - Mesoamerican Reef Alliance (ICRAN MAR). The preface explains the initiative to develop the standards:

The standards described in this publication represent the culmination of a grassroots conservation process within the marine tourism sector in Mesoamerica. This three-year process–The ICRAN Mesoamerican Reef Alliance (ICRAN MAR)–is an ambitious initiative to improve environmental business practices that minimize impacts to the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef (MAR). Together with tourism, fisheries and watershed components, ICRAN MAR utilizes a holistic approach that will maximize private sector commitment to sustainable business practices, develop local and regional conservation alliances, and support effective marine protected area management. In this way, the project serves to address the most significant threats to the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, while supporting the region’s economic future.

Connect to the complete standards through the Web site of The Coral Reef Alliance.

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Volunteers propose Akumal Bay patrol

From the bulletin board at locogringo.com:

As most of you know, I've met with Paul at the CEA, and discussed the difficulties of having only one kayak for the CEA's Akumal Bay Patrol. Angie Blinns & I had an idea, which I presented to Gary B. (shape shifter), and I also contacted Paul about it. There is the possibility of the CEA aquiring a second kayak, but due to the lack of sufficient numbers of CEA volunteers, it would be available for tourist volunteers to use to help patrol the bay, and make sure snorkellers and swimmers are following reef & turtle protection protocols. Guidelines for being a part of the bay patrol would be provided by the CEA. Gary B. will be meeting with Paul on his upcoming trip, and needs to know how much support this idea has. We, as tourists, are a part of the problem---but now, we can be an active part of the solution!! Would anyone be willing to donate a few hours of their vacation to help preserve an area that many of us love? The way I see it--I'm in the bay for most of my trips down there anyway, and it would be my pleasure to be doing something proactive for the bay. I hope my grandkids will be able to go down there and have as much enjoyment of the area as I have been fortunate enough to do. So, what does everyone think????

Read all the comments at LocoGringo.

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Leatherbacks make big comeback in S. Florida this year

Though not exactly the Mexican Caribbean, any good news about turtle recovery needs to be posted far and wide.

From an article by Jennifer Gollan in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:

They outlived dinosaurs, only to wind up on the endangered species list. Now, leatherback turtles are poised to make something of a mild resurgence this year.

With a few weeks to go in the nesting season, "Anecdotal reports show this could be a record year statewide for leatherback turtle nests," said Meghan Koperski, environmental specialist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The state record, 935 nests, was set in 2001, Koperski said. Florida began keeping records in 1989.

So far, 39 nests have turned up in Broward County, closing in on the record of 41 set in 1997, said Lou Fisher, a natural resource specialist for the Broward County Environmental Protection Department. The county started keeping track in 1981.

Five species of turtles nest in Florida: loggerhead, green, leatherback, hawksbill and Kemp's ridley.

Green and loggerhead turtles nest in Akumal. Hawksbills live in the waters off Akumal, but don't nest there. Leatherbacks are not common to the area.

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"Clear cut" fish harvesting in Sea of Cortez

Let's hope that the horrific "clear cut" fishing techniques from the Pacific side of Mexico don't come to the Mexican Carribean.

As reported by SeaWatch, the consience of the Sea of Cortez, gill nets, hookah divers, and pistoleros de la noche are destroying the reefs and clearing them of every last reef fish.

Go to the Web page of SeaWatch, view the video, and send a message to Mexican officials: http://www.seawatch.org/mail_campaign/alert2.new.html

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Saving coral reefs becomes tourism priority

From a New York Times article by Bonnie Tsui:

GREEN sea turtles, cascades of glittering reef fish, blooming coral pillars — countless travelers have come nose to nose with a thriving undersea universe while on vacation. But increasingly, divers and snorkelers are swimming over bleached hunks of coral devastated by shore runoff or overfishing.

From the South Pacific to the Caribbean, coral reefs — which are among the most delicate of marine ecosystems — are bearing the brunt of climate change and other human-driven activities — including coastal development, deforestation and unrestricted tourism. Now, many in the tourist industry are trying to halt the damage. . . .

[T]he world’s second-largest barrier reef, the Mesoamerican Reef in the Caribbean, is seriously endangered by coastal development, runoff and pollution. The reef system stretches nearly 700 miles from the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico to the Bay Islands of Honduras.

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Caribbean Corals in Danger of Extinction: Climate Change, Warmer Waters Cited as Leading Cause

From an article on the Web site of Science Daily:

Caribbean coral species are dying off, indicating dramatic shifts in the ecological balance under the sea, a new scientific study of Caribbean marine life shows.

Two colonies of brain coral (Diploria strigosa) on Curacao show the effects of a coral disease called white plague. The colony on the left has died completely, and the disease has spread to the colony on the right, where it shows as a stark white band encroaching on the still-living, colorful part of the colony.

The study found that 10 percent of the Caribbean's 62 reef-building corals were under threat, including staghorn and elkhorn corals. These used to be the most prominent species but are now candidates to be listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

"One of the Atlantic Ocean's most beautiful marine habitats no longer exists in many places because of dramatic increases in coral diseases, mostly caused by climate change and warmer waters," said Dr. Michael L. Smith, director of the Caribbean Biodiversity Initiative at Conservation International. . . .

The threats to corals and other marine species include coastal pollution and human development; increased sedimentation in run-off water; thermal stress and heightened severity of hurricanes from climate change; and shifts in species dynamics due to over-fishing, according to the study. Scientists explained that the Caribbean has undergone the longest and most sustained impacts from human development since the colonization of the Americas.

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Turtle nesting begins

From CEA's newsletter:

We are pleased to inform you that we already have 17 Loggerhead nests on Akumal’s beaches, 16 of them located on site and 1 of them relocated. The first days of the season seemed to be slow, but now we are doing great! Our turtles have started nesting and in a couple of months we will have our first hatchlings.

Please help us keep this awesome natural event happening here by supporting us and actively participating in our different events and campaigns to protect our turtles: beach clean-ups, changing bright lights on the beaches, not leaving any objects which could block the way of females trying to nest, letting other people know that it is a federal offense to bother turtles, and don’t forget to inform CEA of your observations.

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