For the past two summers, I spent two weeks on the tiny island of Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand, doing marine conservation scuba diving with my younger brother. Koh Tao means Turtle Island in Thai, and although the island was named for its supposed turtle-like shape, the name is also fitting in that the island is an important breeding ground for Green and Hawksbill turtles.
Through New Heaven Dive School’s conservation arm, we learned about the main problems afflicting the waters around the island, potential solutions, and advancements in the field of marine ecology. Each day we would learn a new topic through a 2-hour lecture, and after a short break, we would go out into the open water to apply what we had learned. For example, we learned about how the population of Drupella, a voracious corallivorous snail, had exploded and was contributing to the abnormal and great loss of coral coverage in the Gulf; we undertook collection dives to control the population.
We also learned about problems that could be prevented if local fishermen were more respectful of the ocean, such as the use of mooring lines instead of dropping anchors onto the reef. However, while it’s easy for those of us pursuing conservation to judge these people in a negative way, I think it’s also important to keep in mind that we can do so since we occupy a position of privilege - the people who can afford to judge the local fishermen for harming the oceans are the ones who don’t need to rely on it just to subsist. Ultimately, we need to initiate more educational schemes, government subsidies, and other policies to align the incentives of the fishermen. If we can help them realize that protecting the oceans is not only economically feasible, but could potentially be more profitable for them than traditional fishing methods, restoration efforts would be so much more effective.
Through New Heaven Dive School’s conservation arm, we learned about the main problems afflicting the waters around the island, potential solutions, and advancements in the field of marine ecology. Each day we would learn a new topic through a 2-hour lecture, and after a short break, we would go out into the open water to apply what we had learned. For example, we learned about how the population of Drupella, a voracious corallivorous snail, had exploded and was contributing to the abnormal and great loss of coral coverage in the Gulf; we undertook collection dives to control the population.
We also learned about problems that could be prevented if local fishermen were more respectful of the ocean, such as the use of mooring lines instead of dropping anchors onto the reef. However, while it’s easy for those of us pursuing conservation to judge these people in a negative way, I think it’s also important to keep in mind that we can do so since we occupy a position of privilege - the people who can afford to judge the local fishermen for harming the oceans are the ones who don’t need to rely on it just to subsist. Ultimately, we need to initiate more educational schemes, government subsidies, and other policies to align the incentives of the fishermen. If we can help them realize that protecting the oceans is not only economically feasible, but could potentially be more profitable for them than traditional fishing methods, restoration efforts would be so much more effective.