This is rather distressing. It doesn't sound like there has been any sort of major, published, peer-reviewed, quantitative documentation of this yet. But that said, something is not right when so many sport divers not only count dozens of dead or dying eels (the diver on this blog itemized in detail 50 encounters with dead eels), but even post video footage of one writhing in what looks to be the death throes.
In all the thousands of hours I've logged diving on Caribbean coral reefs I've never once seen a dead or dying eel. It's a rather disturbing mystery for now.
Did we do something to the moray eels of Bonaire?
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Rick wrote an entry about this not too long ago. He noted how difficult it is to properly collect tissue samples to diagnosis this phenomenon.
randy...
the bonaire marine park authority has contracted with a fish epidemiologist who is conducting the primary analysis... the final report has not yet been produced... preliminary findings are pointing to a parasite (likely a protozoan) as the agent here...
what started these events and why an outbreak of protozoans targeted morays are my first questions... apparently, unusual mortality events involving morays have occurred before (albeit not in bonaire)...
i'll keep you posted as the marine park gets more answers...
And as we know, the first suspect in something like this is always temperature. You raise the temperature in a marine environment and all the organisms become more vulnerable. Hate to try and attribute another problem to global warming, but basic physiology makes it an obvious direction to look.
very good. thanks.
what started these events and why an outbreak of protozoans targeted morays are my first questions... apparently, unusual mortality events involving morays have occurred before (albeit not in bonaire)...
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And as we know, the first suspect in something like this is always temperature. You raise the temperature in a marine environment and all the organisms become more vulnerable. Hate to try and attribute another problem to global warming, but basic physiology makes it an obvious direction to look.what started these events and why an outbreak of protozoans targeted morays are my first questions... apparently, unusual mortality events involving morays have occurred before (albeit not in bonaire)...
the bonaire marine park authority has contracted with a fish epidemiologist who is conducting the primary analysis... the final report has not yet been produced... preliminary findings are pointing to a parasite (likely a protozoan) as the agent here...
i'll keep you posted as the marine park gets more answers...perfect
Actually the anthropocentric view is much more biased, if we look at it with an attempt to being objective