For more than an hour the mama and baby bottle-nose dolphins swam circles around Imagine. Actually it was more like ovals. They pair dived and rolled, catching fish and frolicking. It was as if they knew they had a captive audience. The baby never strayed far from mama as the wild creatures maintained a safe 20 foot distance from the anchored boat.
It was one of those aha kind of moments when you know that there is beauty and hope for a world that seems to have gone astray. Under a nearly cloudless sky, swimming in the crystalline waters of Elizabeth Harbor off Great Exuma Island in the Bahamas, the dolphin duo became a reminder that all of Earth's creatures have a role to play in this world that we share.
It seems that our old world is wearing out. As populations explode and wilderness is devoured by bulldozers and backhoes, there are fewer and fewer spaces that wild creatures can call home. Ecosystems have become compromised and pristine areas endangered as man continues to look for paradise.
The solemn beauty and magical elegance of the colorful coral reef plays an important role in the survival of our scarred and tired planet. While these majestic formations only account for one percent of the ocean surface, over 25 percent of all marine life begins here.
Andros Island in the Bahamas is home to the third largest barrier reef in the world. Only the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Meso American Barrier Reef along the Yucatan Peninsula are larger. Of the world's reef systems, Bahamian reefs account for nearly eight percent of that total.
An established reef breaks up wave action and protects seagrass beds and mangroves, from erosion. In turn the mangroves and grass beds protect the reef from light filtering silt, freshwater runoff and pollutants. The simple beauty of a mother and baby dolphin fishing was all that it took to remind me of how fragile our world can be. Many of the fish that will feed baby dolphin began life around a reef.
In some areas Bahamian reef systems already struggle for survival. Climate related events such as hurricanes can damage a reef. Pollution from golf course runoff, sewage and damage from development continues to threaten this underwater world.
Invasive species have been attributed to creating an unbalance in the ecosystem of the Bahamian reef. In the early 1990's the red lion fish (pterois volitans) could only be found in aquariums and in the South Pacific and Indian oceans. The popular aquarium fish was thought to be released in Florida waters during Hurricane Andrew in 1992. This prolific species live under rocks, rocky shores and reefs. It can grow up to 18 inches and live as long as 10 years. It's spines, while not deadly to humans, contain a toxin that protects the predator from other predators. The lion fish has been found as far north as Rhode Island.
Scientists at Lee Stocking Island in the Bahamas discovered that the lion fish has a voracious appetite for native fishes, and can reduce the population of those native fish by up to 85 percent over a five week period. (Dr. Mark Hixon, Oregon State University).
With few natural predators, other than large groupers, the lion fish has adapted well in West Indian waters. There is open season on the lion fish and divers are encouraged to eliminate and report all that they see. It is easy to understand why this fish is considered invasive.
However, U.S. Executive Order 13112 defines "invasive species" as "an alien species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.
While the environment in the Bahamas and the United States might survive the invasion of the lion fish, there is another more damaging invasive species that may prove the most destructive of all. That species is man. Around the world, men and women waste important resources like water and fossil fuel. Plastic is dumped into oceans. Lights are left on. Trips in a vehicle are not synchronized to maximize time or fuel. Trash piles up in the form of recyclables and non recyclables. Medical waste washes up on shores. There is always a newer, better, and not really needed, gadget to buy. Food is wasted. Mega housing clusters appear where stately forest and productive farmland once stood.
Waters of of many rivers and lakes are not as clear. Deserts are being watered and rain-forests cleared. Lights dim the brilliance of the skies. Poor stewardship of our planet has already caused environmental harm. Song birds are disappearing. Asthma is on the rise and storms seem to be getting more damaging.
Perhaps it is too late to stop man's destruction, but there is certainly time to slow it to down. Living on a boat has taught me how live with less. I am careful to protect sea grass beds and reefs from the destructive gouge of a 45 pound anchor. My carbon footprint is only a fraction of what it once was. Can I improve. I'm certain of it.
Sharing a moment with mama dolphin and her baby was what I needed to remind myself that I want this experience for those who follow. Fifty years from now, I want my grandchildren to share a moment like this with their children. Our planet is capable of healing. If left alone Mother Nature will sooth and erase the scars left by man. The question is, will man allow it?
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