TELEVISION SERIES ON CORAL REEFS

[liquid]

This came across Coral-list this morning and I thought that the members here could certainly lend this gentleman a hand with some good ideas for the television series that he's working on. Please post your ideas to this thread as I will be forwarding the URL to Louis. Let's see who can come up with the most innovative idea!

Shane

From: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, August 05, 2002 1:37 PM
To: coral-list
Subject: TELEVISION SERIES ON CORAL REEFS

Hello everyone,

My name is Louis Prezelin. I have had the privilege of spending many years documenting the undersea world with the Cousteau expeditions and work on programs with National Geographic, The Discovery Channel, The Travel Channel and others.

I am presently involved in the writing of a proposal for a series of one hours television specials on the subject of coral reefs of the world.

Considering the number of shows produced on this subject, I am focusing on innovative angles to this broad topic, such as:

- Human stories illustrating the interaction of humans and reefs throughout the world in the past and present time. This includes the good, the bad and the ugly. I wish to inspire but also offer striking reality checks.

- Research programs with a potential for an attractive visual story such as extraordinary behaviors and aspects of the reef ecosystem which have not yet been documented on television.

- Reef studies pushing the conventional envelop and including the use of exotic undersea devices such as subs, ROVs or other intriguing "toys".

- … Anything else which, in your opinion, would make a good story for the general public!

I look forward to your thoughts on creative reef stories. I also welcome the opportunity to discuss featuring you or your work as part of this series which will offer significant opportunity for exposure.

Thank you for your interest.

Cordially,

Louis Prezelin
Director
PACIFIC VISIONS INC.
Phone/fax: 805 966 9819

 

[Anonymous]

howzabout a (small even) hilight on some of the advances of the propagatory hobbyists, and industry people, and the positive impact that the knowledge may have on the reefs-along with the mac efforts for harvest guidlines?

or the chem,military waste issues mentioned in some of the posts on the b.b.

coral bleaching?

jellyfish symbionts (some fascinating relationships there!)

 

[MandarinFish]

How about how Indonesian law forbids cyanide fishing, but people do it anyway and if you film them doing it the military will draw weapons on you and confiscate the evidence (all cameras, film, etc)?

C-Quest, ORA, and planktonic stage harvesting-then grow out of larval fish for captive rearing as an alternative to things like the above?

The cost of this hobby is, in fact, high and terrible on our reefs. The more you learn, the more you realize this.

I would like to see it investigated and show positive results too, as mentioned in other post. I second it.

 

[Anonymous]

One show could be about the GBR and the Park Authority. Last year one of the Australian senators almot shut down the take of coral from the GBR. A small, but vocal group, along with the scientific community down there presented the authorities with evidence to turn the tide and keep the hobby alive. It could show how our hobby and the reef can co-exist and people can benefit. Australia could/should be a model for the world on how to manage our hobby and the reef at the same time. It would bring attention to the reefs and the conservation efforts of those in the hobby. I compare the effort down under to Ducks Unlimited where monies are put back into the reef so it will be there in the future. Just a thought.

 

[JRF]

How about not just coral propogation for hobbyist use but propogation of corals in coral farm facilities to be put back in the wild.
JRF

 

[Anonymous]

i find the the news of a brittle stars ability to see through the spines of its legs a facinating.

 

[wade1]

One thing that concerns me greatly is the way in which journalists will alter any story given to them so that it fits into a pattern regardless of the original intent. I say this now because I'm concerned. I have no problems showing cyanide collecting as bad or even linking some loss from reefs to our trade, however I think there are things that people will cling to above others and the neighbor keeping a reef tank is an easy target. Suggestions are great, but I'd urge you to think heavily about what you give them as 'fodder' for a TV show that wants "new angles". Perhaps the producer/director has a brain, perhaps not. Just be careful.

Now that my pessimistic side has faded for the day, the part about showing propagation and images of home tanks established purely from aquaculture would be awesome.

Wade

 

[leftovers]

One of the many coral recovery programs such as that in the US and in the Caribean. Where captive raised corals are being used to reseed dead or dying coral reefs that were killed off by various elements.


Can also show/highlight the various coral/fish protection programs being used to bring back stressed populations of fish and corals both here and abroad.

Unfortuanately anthing abroad will have to show the absolute devastation through human stupidity and inability or desire to change vs the limited spot recovery programs trying to protect the resources.

 

[Anonymous]

wade-
you know what would be way cool?-a documentary on riddle,delbeek, sprung, bornemann,nilsen,fossa,et al, and their tanks-with a focus on the propagation advances they've helped to achieve(not necessarily for this prezelin guy, but an awesome idea,imho, nonetheless-it's also a great oppurtunity to get exposure for these guys and their achievements outside the typical venues..how many people could be enlightened through pbs(!)...)

 

[Bobzarry]

How about ocean farming for food? Some years back I had heard of something along these lines farming vegetable not fish. If they are out there what is the impact? if not-why not? if it was tried and failed, what is the impact on the area it was tried on?


Bob

 

[wade1]

Vitz- I like the idea.... could highlight people who have established coral propagation setups, whether personal or for business. Some of the big names would work if they had 'pretty' tanks that were very healthy currently up and running. Something inherent is the recent (past 10 years) advances in captive coral care and equipment.

Babzarry- not a clue on farming anything edible plant wise from the ocean... I know of many fish and shellfish production farms (although those cause serious issues in and of themselves), but even so, they wouldn't really be directly relevant to coral reefs that I can see...

 

[Kalkbreath]

How bout we show how the collection of fish and corals helps keep those reefs where collection tales place free from blast fishermen or timber mill sewage from killing these reefs,because the natives run off these industies from those reefswhich they are farming? Or how reefs where coral collection takes place are the healthiest in the world, and how its the reefs which collection does not take place that are dying. Or how about a nice long story on the jumbo Airstip in the Maldive Islands that used live coral as fill {twenty football fields worth thirty feet tall,,,nmore live coral then this hobby uses each year multiplied by 1000 years} All this distruction for Eco-tourism of all things!
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Spyder Victor

 

[zebrasoma171]

I agree with wade's first post in this thread.
This could be another situation like the "Raiders of the Reef" article in Audobon magazine a few years back. Julian Sprung and others gave information to the author that was then spun into a negative slant against the hobby. When facts were disputed in a later issue's Letters to the Editor the author didn't budge from his stance.

We should be wary of situations like this because the aquarium hobby is a relatively easy target for someone with an agenda looking to give themself a sense of accomplishment. It would be much harder to acheive a feeling of success trying to fight cruise lines, tourist boards, big hotel chains, or the logging industry.

I'm all for responsible collection in the aquarium industry, captive and Walt Smith type propagation, and practices that stress the sustainability of the reefs and the aquarium trade. I'm just a little leery of how people outside our hobby might present any information regarding our hobby.

Sorry if this seems cynical but I think that in our zeal to help in this situation we could actually end up hurting.

JMO

Al

 

[platapus]

What network, and when will this series be aired? I would liek to see this?

I third the idea about a program that shows the benefits that propagation has on the reef aquria industry, as well as the posative effects of reseeding dead and dying reefs -

 

[wade1]

Remember... none of these ideas will make it any further than this board unless those who propose them contact the guy in the email at the top.

Wade

 

[Anonymous]

LiquidShaneo wrote:

Please post your ideas to this thread as I will be forwarding the URL to Louis.!

:arrow: :?:

 

[liquid]

Yep, I will be forwarding this thread URL to the aforementioned person when I return from vacation. I believe, however, that he was looking futher than focusing on our hobby. He is more interested in different angles that he could take the issues affecting coral reefs and apply them to a unique angle on a TV series.

Shane