Why so few on Marine Life and Ecosystems forum?

[Steve_C]

But seriously, folks! Why do sea turtles swim using only their flippers while their freshwater cousins paddle with all 4 legs?

Freshwater turtles have legs while sea turtles have flippers. ST have to swim long distances. They are swimmers. Freshwter turtles just have to putz around a lake or pond.

Note that seals have flippers while otters have legs. Same sort of dichotomy.

Don't know if that is it, but sounds good to my nonexpert ears.

 

[Marie13]

As a marine biologist who has used SCUBA in my work for six decades, I am shocked that so few divers here on ScubaBoard frequent the Marine Life and Ecosystems forum. Are divers not interested in the critters they see underwater?

I can understand those who dive with a different "porpoise" (such as wreck and cave divers), but I would think the majority of recreational divers would be more interested in the marine life they encounter.

@drbill

I'm really only interested in Great Lakes wrecks. On the wrecks I've dove so far, very little marine life aside from the ever-present mussels. And gobies, lots of gobies. So, nope, you won't find me here.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

That sounds like so many divers I knew years ago. My regular dive buddies were more interested in shipwrecks or just going deep. Others I knew were social divers who would dive just so they could hang out in the parking lot afterward and drink beer. When Merry was a new diver they wrote about her on their website. They thought her enthusiasm about seeing new marine life was funny. When I read about her I wanted to meet her just because of her curiosity and thirst for knowledge. We've been together for twelve years now and still seek out new discoveries and try to document them as best as we can. Our interest in marine life has made each of our lives so much better.

 

[Steve_C]

It not just marine life. Lots of folks may like being outdoors and do not care about the learning about the critters.

Was at a neighbors and noticed she had a bird feeder with a lot of birds at it.
Me: oh you have a bird feeder
She: All we get is sparrows
Me to myself glancing out at the feeder: Well one of those sparrows has red on it, one has yellow, one is a carolina wren, one is a nuthatch, one is a titmouse, and there were a couple more.

I have met more than a few fisherman from my pier fishing days who did not know hardly any of the fish pulled over the side. They knew five kinds of fish. Those we eat, those we do not eat, rays, sharks, and flounders.

To each their own.

 

[Nick Steele]

It not just marine life. Lots of folks may like being outdoors and do not care about the learning about the critters.

Was at a neighbors and noticed she had a bird feeder with a lot of birds at it.
Me: oh you have a bird feeder
She: All we get is sparrows
Me to myself glancing out at the feeder: Well one of those sparrows has red on it, one has yellow, one is a carolina wren, one is a nuthatch, one is a titmouse, and there were a couple more.

I have met more than a few fisherman from my pier fishing days who did not know hardly any of the fish pulled over the side. They knew five kinds of fish. Those we eat, those we do not eat, rays, sharks, and flounders.

To each their own.

This is so true!!! I grew up outdoors really and I love just seeing everything but I would only really research something that interested me. When I was young (early teens) I noticed that some birds walk while others hop. I learned that is a forum of energy conservation for them. I never had a thing for plants so I know next to nothing about them.

Pier fishermen can be some of the most clueless about fish. But OTOH ive had an FWC officer (local game warden) one day try to give me a ticket for a 13” lane snapper (8” to keep). Told me it was a mutton snapper. I tried explaining the difference to him but he thought I was just trying to get out of a ticket (although I showed him fwc sites) he ended up getting his supervisor out to the pier and he was more fish savvy and the original officer apologized and they moved on.

That taught me to never give in unless you actually know you’re wrong because even the people who are suppose to know sometimes don’t.

 

[Gareth J]

As has been said, most divers are quite poor at identifying fish, or other things in the ecosystem.
On a forum, reluctance to post is probably increased because most people are worried about appearing foolish if they incorrectly identify something.

My late partner, was a biologist, she spent a lot of time correctly identifying things we saw and / or photographed.
She would get annoyed with my categorisation. Wreck / Not a wreck. Fish/Not a fish. Bitey Fish/ Not a bitey fish. etc.

I would like to be better than I am, but I don't put the energy or work into to become better.

 

[Rilelen]

I'm totally in it for the marine life...but did not know that forum existed! Thank you for the head's up!

 

[TMHeimer]

As has been said, most divers are quite poor at identifying fish, or other things in the ecosystem.
On a forum, reluctance to post is probably increased because most people are worried about appearing foolish if they incorrectly identify something.

My late partner, was a biologist, she spent a lot of time correctly identifying things we saw and / or photographed.
She would get annoyed with my categorisation. Wreck / Not a wreck. Fish/Not a fish. Bitey Fish/ Not a bitey fish. etc.

I would like to be better than I am, but I don't put the energy or work into to become better.

That could be true about being embarrassed about not knowing a species. I joined two shell forums, but still only know the common names and a very few scientific names. There are probably forums for most types of animals. Or one could just Google for example, fish species in your area.

 

[northernone]

Bitey Fish/ Not a bitey fish.

That's my primary delineation!

By the time I've researched enough to formulate a question about something I've seen I tend to find the answer already in the excellent existing threads... So I go on silently my way after adding a quiet little "like" to the source.

Cameron

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

As has been said, most divers are quite poor at identifying fish, or other things in the ecosystem.
On a forum, reluctance to post is probably increased because most people are worried about appearing foolish if they incorrectly identify something.

My late partner, was a biologist, she spent a lot of time correctly identifying things we saw and / or photographed.
She would get annoyed with my categorisation. Wreck / Not a wreck. Fish/Not a fish. Bitey Fish/ Not a bitey fish. etc.

I would like to be better than I am, but I don't put the energy or work into to become better.

I'm more like you. While I know quite a bit about our local marine life, when I travel I'm not one of those folks who spends surface intervals looking through marine ID books. When someone looks at a photo of mine and asks me what kind of fish that is I'm more likely than not to respond with something like "blue" ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)