Re: NANFA-- Feeding Fish - In the Wild

Katrina kruse (underseavisions_at_attglobal.net)
Mon, 24 Jan 2000 14:52:04 -0800

I have been known to feed wolf eels in Washington State at a dive site known for
wolf-eels. There are 13 individuals that I know of. Feeding these animals has only
one known downer -- divers who are new to the site sometimes have wolf-eels come
out of their holes at break neck speeds and scare them! This is NOT a preferred
species (no one wants to eat them) and are in fact protected, so the down side is
not as great as it could be.
Sharks on the other hand should not be acclimated (in my opinion) to people
because, in short, people want to kill them, fin them or whatever. Divers already
understand there is no danger, but the up top people and fishermen still want them
dead. So I believe whole-heartedly that the shark cage "feeding" deal should not
be allowed -- if you want to see sharks you pick where you dive and dive a lot. If
you want to see how they behave, it it this rare occurrence that gives you an
idea.
The feeding itself isn't the "bad" thing, it is the regular, commercial feedings
that get fish associated with a site they may not normally feed in that is closer
in proximity to their enemy -- us! katrina
ps - I have dove with white tip reef sharks, black tip reef sharks, nurse sharks,
wobegongs, hammerheads, dogfish and 2 other "I don't know whats" and never paid
for a "shark feeding." I went to where they hang out and hung out. A thrill yes! I
do feed octopus, wolf-eels, sunflower stars their native foods - I pick it up as I
make my way to their homes (underwater of course and fresh as fresh as can be)
"Whitlock, Steve" wrote:

> So, I read an article this weekend about a controversy brewing in Florida in
> regards to feeding sharks on dive trips. One side states that feeding
> sharks allow people to appreciate them and their beauty..........and to
> understand sharks better by exposing more divers to them. Divers then
> understand that sharks are not the enemy and should be protected. On the
> other side there are spear fishing groups who suggest that feeding sharks
> makes them into pests that expect food when they see divers. If the sharks
> don't get food they become aggressive. In short, they want to make it
> illegal to feed sharks/fish/eels.
>
> Now, what do members of the NANFA list think on this issue? Is there any
> time/situation when feeding wild fish would not cause harmful unintended
> consequences? If feeding fish allows people to observe them closer and
> appreciate them more..........should it be permited?
>
> SW
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Shireen Gonzaga
> Sent: Monday, January 24, 2000 10:41 AM
> To: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
> Subject: NANFA-- Fish topics at the upcoming AAAS meeting
>
> Thought you might be interested in knowing about the
> fish topics that will be covered at the upcoming
> American Association for the Advancement of Science
> meeting. For those of you not familiar with this
> organization, it's a broad-coverage scientific
> organization that also publishes the journal Science.
> These annual meetings are heavily covered by the
> science press and attended by influential people in
> science and science policy. So I'm happy to see
> fishies being featured in their program.
>
> I'll try to attend these sessions, as well as a Pac-NW
> Salmon press conference being held by Nat. Sea Grant,
> and if I can understand what the the heck they're
> talking about, I'll write up something for a future AC
> (if Chris wants it).
>
> If anyone on the list will be attending this meeting
> too, lemme know!
>
> cheers,
> shireen
>
> -----------------------------------------------------
> >From http://www.aaas.org/meetings/2000/lif.htm
>
> Back to the Future: Restoring Ecosystems Impacted by
> Fisheries
>
> Organized by Tony J. Pitcher,
> University of British Columbia, Canada;
> Daniel Pauly, University of British Columbia, Canada
>
> Monday, February 21, 2000, 8:00am - 11:00am
>
> SPEAKERS
> Tony J. Pitcher, University of British Columbia,
> Canada
> How Fisheries Impact Aquatic Ecosystems
>
> Daniel Pauly, University of British Columbia, Canada
> Simulating Fisheries Impacts on Acquatic Ecosystems
>
> Russ Jones, Council of the Haida Nation Aboriginal
> Fisheries: TEK and Back to the Future
>
> Nigel Haggan, University of British Columbia, Canada
> Co w/ Jones
>
> Andrew Trites, North Pacific Universities Marine
> Mammal
> Research Consortium
> Ecosystem Change: Unraveling the Effects of Fisheries
> from Natural Oceanographic Changes
>
> Christofer H. Boggs, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
> Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service
> Turning Back the Clock for Pacific Tuna Fisheries
> Using
> Ecosim
>
> Rashid Sumaila, Michelson Institute of Economics
> Ecoval: Evaluating the Benefits from Alternative
> Ecosystems
> Using Ecological Economics
>
>
> Scientific Advice for Endangered Species Recovery
>
> Organized by Andrew A. Rosenberg, National Marine
> Fisheries Service;
> Usha Varanasi, NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center
>
>
> Monday, February 21, 2000, 3:00pm - 6:00pm
>
> SPEAKERS
>
> William Rodgers Jr., University of Washington
> A Common Property, Cultural Legacy and Regional Icon
>
> Jack Stanford, The University of Montana
> The Normative River: Recipe for Salmon Recovery
>
> Peter M. Kareiva, Northwest Fisheries Science Center
> Escaping Past Legacies to Promote Recovery of Salmon:
> A Cumulative
>
> Risk Analysis Brian Riddell, Pacific Biological
> Station
> Salmon Recovery in the Columbia Basin: Science Reviews
> and
> Changing Perspectives
>
> Mike Lynch , University of Oregon The Genetic Risks of
>
> Extinction
>
> Usha Varanasi, NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center
>
> Making Science Useful in a Complex Political and Legal
> Arena
>
> =====
> ---------------
> Shireen Gonzaga
> Baltimore, MD
> __________________________________________________
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>
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> / reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
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/"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily
/ reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
/ Association"
/ This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association
/ nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word
/ subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to
/ nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to
/ nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead.
/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org