[0:11]This is the ocean. With our eyes, we can see that there's a lot of water, coral, crustaceans, sea cucumbers, even more water, whales, and of course, sharks.
[0:24]On a microscopic level, that we cannot see them, there's also zooplankton, bacteria, and even more volumes of water. But the ocean can also look like this, bare and desolate, filled with polluted water, algae, bleach coral, and even and of course, trash. My life has been intertwined with the ocean ever since I was born. I was born near the beaches of California on the West Coast where my parents would roll me down in my stroller to the shores and to Florida. Where bi annual trips to visit to visit my grandparents became accompanied by early morning drives to catch the sun rising over the waves. And to the Outer Banks in North Carolina, where a week filled with family also meant getting to spend hours at the shores searching for jellyfish, Portuguese man-of-wars, and crabs. I live in New York now, and though it is a coastal state, I do not live near many unpolluted large bodies of water or the ocean. However, I always knew that I wanted to pursue my interests. In eighth grade was when I first realized that I could pursue my passions during the summers. I began to live on catamaran sailboats and worked hard to get many scuba diving certifications, including my one for Patty Rescue Diving. This past summer, I lived in Fiji and studied at a marine reserve, also designated as a marine protected area or MPA. A marine protected area is an area of the ocean protected by laws established by national governments. There are four primary types of MPAs, each with different laws and regulations depending on how strict they are. Many people use MPAs for conservation purposes as well, and they have been proven to helping in raising the populations of endangered species, protecting marine species in general, and increasing biodiversity. In Fiji, I studied at the Shark Reef Marine Reserve. This marine reserve is designated as a no-take zone, meaning that nothing can be taken from this area of the ocean. The SRMR was established in the Shark Reef and shark corridor in between the islands of Viti Levu and Begna in Fiji in order to help control fishing. Every day, I lived in close quarters with 12 other teenagers and two mentor biologists, listened to hours of lectures on sharks and got to witness shark behavior in person during dives. Animals that I had only ever studied in textbooks now literally swam over, under, and right next to me. For example, I could finally see their dermal denticles of close, felt how they sense me with their ampulla of Lorenzini and heard their massive jaws crunch down on tuna heads. But that's everyone's dream, right? But seriously, it was my dream and it was amazing. I've always wanted to help these animals survive in a clean and pristine habitat. Learning about sharks at the Shark Reef Marine Reserve opened my eyes to too many shark facts and future careers. However, I wasn't just having fun on this adventure, and one could even say that I was being an ecotourist. But what exactly is ecotourism? Ecotourism is a specific kind of tourism that aims to help the environment and movements associated with it. So, by common sense, ecotourism can be a good thing. If executed correctly, ecotourism combines exhilarating experiences and education all into one activity. In addition, ecotourism also generates a lot of money for conservation organizations. These organizations then go on to tackle larger issues such as bioaccumulation and biomagnification, two problems where toxins build up in ocean animals over time. In addition, they also help to tackle anthropogenic or human threats such as commercial fishing. The Shark Reef Marine Reserve is a prime example of good ecotourism. As you can see in these images, trained scuba divers would lower a trash can filled with tuna down into the ocean. Sharks then fed on this tuna as humans like myself watched in awe, as 50 or more sharks flooded the water in front of us. So, you may be asking, how is this good for the sharks? Aren't humans just feeding sharks food? There's a simple answer to this question, and it's that this kind of ecotourism generates a lot of money for countries like Fiji. Because many countries depend on healthy oceans for things like food, travel, and their economies, having clean oceans is crucial. These these countries then put the money back into conservation organizations that better the ocean as a whole. For example, one shark being killed and sold for its fins is less profitable for a country than humans getting to observe this same shark for its entire lifetime. The Shark Reef Marine Reserve has created what I like to call a virtuous cycle in Fiji. The reserve has helped the local community surrounding it by providing them with places to fish that don't harm the sharks, and also by giving them shares of income. In addition, the reserve also allows people and places besides dive operators to benefit economically from the SRMR. And finally, the cycle has also helped the ecosystem and the shark reef rebound. Shark populations have increased, local fish are more prevalent, and the country's economy is doing better than ever. However, some companies exploit people's curiosities during ecotourism sessions. These companies will take the money generated from tourists and put it back into their own pockets, so it does absolutely nothing for the ocean. In addition, these companies will use unsafe methods to show people ocean animals. They will grab and touch animals underwater, which is firstly illegal, and second of all, very dangerous for both the humans and the animals. Whale watching is actually a prime example of bad ecotourism. Though most companies market themselves as harmless and environmentally friendly, these companies will use unsafe methods in order to satisfy tourists. The boats that they use during these sessions will chase whales, which scares them and can also injure them. In addition, in the long run, noise pollution generated from this kind of whale watching also hurts whales' communication styles and general lifestyles. It's hard to know what to do when you're just one person, so here's what I'm asking you to try and do. It's not as dramatic as swimming with and doing research on shark populations, but we can all do our best to keep pollution out of waterways and the ocean in general, specifically with plastic and petroleum products. In addition, if you're going into any body of water, you can try and use and wear ocean and reef safe products. And finally, if you're traveling abroad and planning on taking part in ecotourism, do your research on companies and make sure you know where your money is going. But, in a larger sense, I want you to all take away the sense of awe that I have in the ocean. Nature is the most beautiful thing on this planet, and we as humans need to understand just how large our impact is on it. I remember the first time I ever saw a shark. Its dark and silky body swam right under me as I watched and wondered. This creature that I have been taught my entire life to fear was simply existing in its habitat, and as a diver, I was a privileged guest in its home. I was filled with a sense of newness and wonder and awe at this animal that is living has been living in the ocean for millions of years. We all need to realize just how large our impact has been on ecosystems and the environment in the past few decades. Now is the time before it's too late to do something with the power that we all have. Thank you.
