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Bonaire Nature & Nature Organizations: Suggestion for STINAPA
Bonaire Talk: Bonaire Nature & Nature Organizations: Fish and Sealife of Bonaire: Suggestion for STINAPA
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cecil (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #5146) on Friday, October 20, 2006 - 12:35 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Having just returned from my forth trip to Bonaire, there are two things that really concern me. The almost total lack of lobsters and the possible decrease in barracuda population. In 2003 there were barracuda on most dive sites, now they are few and far between. Lobsters have always been rare on Bonaire as compared to other places I have dived in the Caribbean.

My concern is that it's human predation that is limiting their populations. So my question and/or humble suggestion is to have no-take zones within the park. Maybe extend the Washington Slagbaai boundaries out into the blue water.

No-take zones have had some ongoing success stories most notable in the California Channel Islands and seem a logical next step in conservation efforts.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tribs, RD (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3524) on Saturday, October 21, 2006 - 8:23 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Cecil...I am very disturbed by your post. I was talking to Wes about it last night and he is concerned as well. When were in Bon last May/June (06) we both recall seeing more than normal barracudas and thought the population was doing quite well. And, I do mean we saw a lot of cudas. In one of my log book entries I have noted "barracuda heaven, one behind every bush." Now I admit, we do not know enough about their behavior and life cycle to know if the decrease you noted is indicative of a problem or if they are off doing something else somewhere else. However, to go from seeing any where from 10-20 on a dive to you seeing next to none is a bit alarming. Especially since we are talking about this happening in a few months time.

I like the notion of no-take zones, but is any one studying behavior? Is there someone at Stinapa doing fish counts? Did you report your findings to Stinapa? I will pay special attention to the numbers of cudas we see in December and let you know what we find. I'm hoping this is a behavioral thing and not predation.

As for lobsters, I have seen very few in Bonaire's waters and that has been consistent with all of my trips to Bon.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By michael gaynor (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2305) on Sunday, October 22, 2006 - 8:27 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Baracudda is a food fish and the local people only use hand lines to catch them. I really would not worry too much about them. I do agree re lobsters, however, the ones served locally in restaraunts generally are imported.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Vince DePietro (Bellevue Condos # 9) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #486) on Sunday, October 22, 2006 - 11:08 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I hardily agree with "no Take" zones in the park & would strongly support the enaction of same.
I've noticed the the scarcity of lobsters on Bonaire in other posts on this board. It's a big deal if you see a good size lobster.. very rare.. Yes I've been throughout the Carib & Florida & have seen them all over in other areas.l
I don't know why this is so. Sone other posts suggested the topography underwater was not conducive to them. But frankly, I suspect other reasons are in play here.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Grasshopper (BCHK10SFIAR) (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #19877) on Sunday, October 22, 2006 - 2:28 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

The marine park would be the folks to contact with information directly regarding fish counts, etc.. They track this stuff, since the reef around Bonaire is protected:-)

This similar topic came up on a different thread awhile back. Scroll down for Jack Chalk's response. Made me certainly see things in a different light and perspective...

http://www.oldbonairetalk.com/newsgroup/messages/36/266886.html

Now, if we could only win that dang lottery so we could retire, and buy a beach front home on Bonaire and I could volunteer for the BMP on a regular basis and live the dream and suck up all that knowledge and find out what's REALLY going on down there on that reef:-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jack Chalk - Habitat - STINAPA - BONHATA (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #239) on Sunday, October 22, 2006 - 3:14 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hello Everyone,

Just FYI...the government has already announced that "No Take Zones" will be implemented in the near future. It is something that STINAPA has been working on for many years, including bringing local fishermen from St. Lucia (they instituted No Take Zones many years ago and the fishermen found their catches increasing every year after they were instituted and are now the most ardent protectors of the No Take Zones) to Bonaire to discuss this issue with our local fishermen. We...STINAPA...then also sent several of our local fishermen to St. Lucia to see first hand the positive outcome that they could enjoy with No Take Zones implemented.

After years of discussion...sometimes very heated discussion...it is now going to be a reality with the support of the local fishermen for without their support it would never have worked.

Will keep you informed on the progress.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cecil (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #5153) on Sunday, October 22, 2006 - 3:43 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks Jack, I thought that might be the answer. It will be interesting to see how it works on Bonaire.

Welcome back, sorry I missed you last week. I did enjoy your hospitality a couple of times.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cyn (GH) (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #19887) on Sunday, October 22, 2006 - 4:13 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Wow, thanks Jack, please keep us informed.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Brian (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2159) on Monday, October 23, 2006 - 1:56 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Good news, it will be good to see more mature fish around.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Vince DePietro (Bellevue Condos # 9) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #488) on Monday, October 23, 2006 - 6:18 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jack..I think that's great news & very glad to hear it..
Care to shed any light or your theories on the apparent scarcity of lobster?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Susan - "BSDME" (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #349) on Monday, October 23, 2006 - 6:50 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

From Amigoe September 29, 2006

Fish reserves in Underwater Park

KRALENDIJK – The Bonaire Bestuurscollege (governing parliament, BC) has decided to create fish reserves in the underwater park. Before commencing, the BC will ask local fishermen for their input and advice.

No fishing will be allowed within the fish reserves. That may seem to conflict with fishermen’s desires, but that’s not the case. In the reserve areas, reef fish will be able to live and breed unmolested. If the reserve becomes satiated with certain types of fish, they’ll naturally leave the area in search of new feeding grounds, areas where fishing is allowed. This will provide more and larger fish than before.

Bonaire is currently being over-fished. Fishermen are noticing that they are catching fewer and smaller fish than a few decades ago. Marine research confirms this. During the past few years the American scientist Steneck has been studying the decrease in the quantities of fish in Bonaire’s underwater park at the request of Stinapa, the managing agency.

In the nature policy plan, unanimously adopted by the Eilandsraad (Governing Board) in 1999, the government wrote about the pressing need for a “combined plan to control the future of the fishing industry and manage the biological riches of the seas surrounding Bonaire.” Stinapa currently has a management plan for the underwater park. Regulations regarding reef fish are part of this plan, but the regulations increasingly appear to be insufficient.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Vince DePietro (Bellevue Condos # 9) (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #860) on Sunday, April 15, 2007 - 6:27 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Well here we are 6 months later. Can anyone advise the present status of the proposed "no fish zones"?
I have not read nor heard of anything current on this issue.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By eddie blizzard (BonaireTalker - Post #24) on Saturday, June 13, 2009 - 4:17 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Updates?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Vince DePietro-www.bonairebeachcondo.com (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2255) on Saturday, June 13, 2009 - 6:02 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Eddie..The no fish zones were implemented last year.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By eddie blizzard (BonaireTalker - Post #25) on Saturday, June 13, 2009 - 4:03 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Ahhh ... cool. So is there a map of them yet? Something online?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By michael gaynor (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3714) on Saturday, June 13, 2009 - 5:06 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

http://www.bmp.org/rulesandregulations.html will tell you what you want to know..WWW.Stinapa.org is the main site..

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Walt III - www.RecTekScuba.com (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #430) on Saturday, June 13, 2009 - 6:47 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

The No FISH ZONES are a big Joke!!

Every morning there are local fishing boats moored in the NO FISH ZONES fishing!!!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By eddie blizzard (BonaireTalker - Post #26) on Sunday, June 14, 2009 - 12:33 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Why is no one accountable? It amazes me how much the locals get away with.

Is there corruption on Bonaire?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By michael gaynor (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3715) on Sunday, June 14, 2009 - 9:22 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

It takes time to bring some folks to accept changes. The local fisherman have been there for a few hundred years and it a matter of education and gentle persuasion. It took time to protect the turtles, and conch poaching is on the decline. I don't think that Bonaire is immune from corruption but as we see on the news everyday, it is a world wide problem.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By BonnieC (BonaireTalker - Post #27) on Sunday, June 14, 2009 - 1:17 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I checked the "rules and regulations" link and found this:
Bait fishing and trolling will be allowed within the zones, but what is locally known as “bottom fishing” will be prohibited.
So what you are seeing may actually be permitted within the rules of the no fish zone.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By MadMan (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #199) on Sunday, June 14, 2009 - 7:59 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Eddie do you have a beef with the locals?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By eddie blizzard (BonaireTalker - Post #29) on Sunday, June 14, 2009 - 8:54 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Does it sound like I have a beef? I guess some are trolling and/or baiting so that's allowed.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By *Freddie* (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #12218) on Sunday, June 14, 2009 - 9:00 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

ignore him Madman Please!!!

 


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