Dark in deep places
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under india
A lot of light already gets filter out when you’re 30 meters below the ocean’s surface. Overhangs, gorges and swim-throughs make things all the more eery when sunlight seems so far away.
Tags: andaman and nicobar, divemaster training, fish, india, jackson's bar, ocean, photography, scuba diving, silhouette, wildlife
A man yesterday asked me why I care about the ocean…
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under india
Lionfish...
And I actually struggled briefly. I can list all the ecosystem services the ocean provides: carbon sink, climate regulation, regional weather control, vital food chains. I can talk about all the direct human needs that are satisfied by the ocean: the billions that live off fish for protein, the hundreds of millions whose jobs depend on the seas.
Those are all reasons why I care. But my passion is really driven by the wildness of the blue below, and how exhilarating and yet also peaceful it is to visit that world.
Tags: andaman and nicobar, divemaster training, fish, india, lionfish, ocean, peace, photography, scuba diving, wildlife
I’m a lionfish, hear me roar
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under india
Lionfish eyeing me suspiciously. But with his protection of poison spines, he’s not going anywhere.
Tags: andaman and nicobar, divemaster training, fish, india, lionfish, ocean, photography, scuba diving, the wall, wildlife
I’d say he’s my favorite fish, but I say that about too many fish…
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under india
Can you see him?
Possibly a bearded scorpionfish though the distribution is wrong. Still, they’re incredibly fun to spot.
Tags: andaman and nicobar, divemaster training, fish, india, ocean, photography, scorpionfish, scuba diving, the wall, wildlife
Riding the current with bannerfishes
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under india
Current dive
Longfish bannerfish cruise headlong into a moderate current. This way bits of food come to them and they essentially hover above the reef. I’m attempting the same, though I’m not streamlined like a fish and tire a bit quicker.
This dive was also one of my first dives leading a large group. I had seven other divers (though one was an instructor) following me on the Wall.
Tags: andaman and nicobar, divemaster training, india, longfin bannerfish, ocean, pennant coralfish, photography, scuba diving, the wall, wildlife
I’m thankful for wild spaces and so much more
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under india
Tomato clown
I have a lot to be thankful for: people I love, the direction of my life, numerous opportunities and wild spaces like this anemone+tomato clown.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
Tags: andaman and nicobar, anemone, anemonefish, divemaster training, fish, india, ocean, photography, reef, scuba diving, the wall, tomato clownfish, wildlife
Baby clownfish, bubble anemone
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under india
Hiding
South Button. This guy is so tiny even in macro, he’s just not visible.
Tags: andaman and nicobar, anemone, anemonefish, divemaster training, fish, india, ocean, photography, scuba diving, south button, tiny, wildlife
Now for something completely different…
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under india
All natural...
Nature, iridescent.
Tags: andaman and nicobar, anemone, anemonefish, divemaster training, fish, iridescent, ocean, photography, scuba diving, south button, wildlife
Is shark finning the answer to shark finning?
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under ecuador
Cruising behind him
Global shark catch is staggering. As many as 73 million sharks are taken from the ocean each year; most are relieved of their fins and dumped back in the water while still alive. These beautiful and important predators now face serious threats from our wanton harvesting, mostly to satisfy the demand for shark fin soup.
First and foremost this is tragic simply in terms of human decimation of biodiversity. Excepting that ecological concern, there are real reasons to worry from an entirely anthropocentric standpoint. For one, sharks provide ecotourism benefits to many coastal economies, as divers pay substantially to see them. Also, as apex predators, a decline in shark populations can lead to explosions of other species on lower trophic levels, which can threaten ecosystems of commercial importance For example, fewer sharks lead to more rays which lead to less scallops for us to sell for dipping in butter.
Is there an answer? Shark sanctuaries are fantastic; they represent the ideal of conservation. However, given problems with enforcement and the potential for bans to simply displace degradation rather than curtail it, national prohibitions don’t seem realistic as a complete solution.
I argue, rather, that we need to recognize — at least in the interim — the reality that shark finning will likely continue. We would do well then to incentivize conservation and better management so that fishermen and fleets develop an interest in preserving rather than over-harvesting. In this class paper, I lay out the economic reasoning for a nation-by-nation transferable shark fishing quota system.
This would push harvests toward social and biological optimums; in conjunction with marine protected areas and fishing best practice standards, a quota system might actually slow the destruction of shark populations worldwide.
It’s not a particularly palatable option for shark lovers (myself included). Under a quota system, some number of sharks like the one above will still be killed for an overpriced, elitist broth. But it also might do better to ensure that a sustainable population of sharks sticks around.
Tags: conservation, economics, ecuador, environment, fisheries, fishing, galapagos, galapagos shark, ifq, individual transferable quotas, itq, marine protected areas, ocean, photography, quota, scuba diving, shark, shark fin soup, shark finning, wildlife
The road is no place for you little buddy
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under united states
Nearly road kill
I almost ran this little guy over on my morning ride a couple days ago. I haven’t seen a Banded Woolly Bear (known in my childhood as a woollyworm) in years.
I dodged him at the last second while going through Rock Creek Park, turned around and stopped to ponder him for a few minutes. I also tried to get him off the road with the leaf above. He briefly got on the leaf, but as soon as I moved the leaf he began to play dead — as is the woolly bear’s defense mechanism — and fell to the ground.
I decided to leave him there lest I cause more trauma. Cute little bugger though. Legend has it they herald the coming of a strong winter.
Tags: banded woolly bear, biking, fall, leaf, park, photography, tiny, wildlife, woollyworm, worm
