Great Fishwatching Vacations

Image of a Snapper school in the Galapagos Marine Reserve

Creating marine reserves can reverse the despoliation of the sea that fishing has caused, forming sanctuaries in which fish are safe from hook, trap and trawl. Where reserves have been established and are well protected, fish populations quickly rebound, sometimes becoming five or ten times as abundant as in fished areas. Fish in reserves grow larger, and the most vulnerable and spectacular species are able to make a comeback. Better still, reserves can supply fish to nearby fishing grounds, boosting catches.

Marine reserves provide a window to the past in which we are able to travel back two hundred years to experience the sea as it once was - teeming with fish. Places with well-protected marine reserves where snorkellers and divers can lose themselves among swirling shoals of fish include:


Image of Grunts, Hol Chan Marine Reserve
Belize: Hol Chan Marine Reserve

 

 

Image of St Lucia lobster fisher
St. Lucia, Caribbean: Soufriere Marine Management Area

 

 

Image of Dog snapper SPAG into sun
Belize: Gladden Spit Marine Reserve

 

 

New Zealand: Poor Knights Islands and Goat Island
Philippines: Apo Island
USA: Anacapa Island, California
Bahamas: Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park
South Africa: Tsitsikamma Marine Reserve
Egypt: Ras Mohammed National Park, Red Sea
Kenya: Mombasa Marine National Park
Australia: Great Barrier Reef Marine Park