Tourists collecting coral and shells for souvenirs is hurting the territory’s marine environments, but the University of the Virgin Islands and scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and are hoping to help reverse the trend.
NOAA and For the Sea Productions founder Ziggy Livnat have put together a seven-minute etiquette video and 30-second public service announcement that will be played on the local airwaves in hopes of preserving local marine habitats and deterring visitors from pilfering from the territory’s beaches.
Local laws prohibit anyone from taking living or dead corals and shells from the beaches and reefs, but every year, almost 260 pounds of these natural resources are confiscated at airports in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, which NOAA officials said at a press conference held Tuesday at UVI, contributes to the erosion of marine habitats for fish and coral species.
The video and corresponding PSA is meant to encourage visitors to "leave paradise where it is" by just looking and not touching. Making sure snorkelers don’t step on coral reefs with their fins, and telling boaters the importance of anchoring on a sandy bottom instead of in coral or seagrass beds, is also included in the etiquette tips.
The video and PSA will be aired on television, radio stations and in hotels and dive shops throughout the U.S. Caribbean, while educational posters at airport and cruise ship terminals will be put up in an attempt to stop potential violators before they even get to the beach.
"We really want to make sure the word gets out," said Lisamarie Carrubba, natural resource specialist at NOAA Fisheries Caribbean Office, who added that the V.I. Tourism Department and V.I. Hotel and Tourism Association have also been cooperating with the educational campaign.
"We want our visitors to look at these things, like our reefs, and have a beautiful memory, but return from their vacations leaving paradise in its place," she said.
The video is available in both English and Spanish, with Academy award winning actor Benicio Del Toro voicing the main character of a smooth trunkfish. Grisel Mamery, host of the Puerto Rican television show "Que Noche," is the voice of the spotted eagle ray in the Spanish-language version.
It took Livnat and his crew seven months and several hundred dives in the territory and Puerto Rico to gather the footage for the video. Along with Del Toro, the video features local talent as the voices of the animals, along with music composed by Puerto Rican group Asi Somos. The video, according to Livnat, was inspired by the success of a similar film produced for Hawaii by Livnat’s production company.
At the press conference Tuesday, Livnat said the new Caribbean Marine Etiquette PSA is among the CINE Golden Eagle Award winners for fall 2010.
Livnat will also be working with UVI’s Marine Advisory Service on a package of 13 three-minute segments for a similar educational campaign geared toward local residents. The series, called "Learning to Sea — the Virgin Islands," will launch this summer, with the segments produced by Livnat appearing weekly on TV2 News.
Livnat said each episode, in high-definition, will feature a different marine animal in its natural environment, along with original musical composed by a local artist. Production is set to begin in April, with the first episode airing in early July. The project is also sponsored by V.I. Lottery VI EPSCoR, the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands and Coral World.