I just returned from an assignment in South Eleuthera shooting promotional material for Powell Pointe Resort of Cape Eleuthera and came across one of the more fascinating dive photo ops I've encountered in some time, the Fish Cage. The Cage is an experiment in aquaculture being conducted by The Island School, an educational institution with students from grade school through high school, in conjunction with The Cape Eleuthera Institute, a dedicated marine research facility. Both are located just up the road from the resort and are funded by the Cape Eleuthera Foundation.
The experiment? Raising Cobia. They begin life as fingerlings and are raised in tanks until they are about 10-12 inches in length. They are then transferred to the cage where they are fed twice daily until reaching market size. The cage is located just a couple hundred feet from the edge of the wall, is anchored in 84 feet of water, measures about 50 feet in diameter and rises to a depth of only 25 feet at the top.
Depending on your perspective the Fish Cage looks like either an underwater hot air balloon or, when viewed from the side, a flying saucer. No matter how you view the cage, it is a superb subject by itself or is easily transformed into a striking backdrop for the sponge-laden coral heads surrounding it. The cage is frequently shrouded by schools of Yellowtail Snapper, Horse-Eye Jacks and such with large Black Grouper, Dog Snapper and Hogfish near the bottom. Sharks also make regular appearances and, during my stay, there was a sighting of a group of over a dozen Spotted Eagle Rays passing by the cage. This close to the deep waters of the Exuma Sound, you never know what may appear out of the blue.
Far beyond the photo opportunities, this approach to mariculture is sorely needed. The constant flow of current-driven, clean water flushes detritus that would be a pollutant in more contained fish-farming situations. With the fish being protected from natural predators, the final result is expected to be a far greater yield than one could expect out of a natural open ocean breeding program. Considering the stress being put on the ocean's natural stock by overfishing and/or poorly regulated fishing, I hope to see much more development of these types of sustainable, easily replenishable resources and soon. I also applaud both The Cape Eleuthera Institute and The Island School for their admirable efforts. This very well could be and should be the wave of the future.
Posts
