One of the interesting thing about doing a fair amount of traveling is that you get to meet a lot of different people.  Now during my travels I can say that I have never met two people who are exactly alike.  And, to my way of thinking that is a good thing.  Too many similarities and I think life could become way too boring.

The thought occurred to me recently that some people I have met are very committed to making sure that certain animals  are not wiped from the face of the Earth.  It’s my understanding that we are in the mist of a significant extinction period of time.  To my way of thinking the ocean would not be the same without turtles, manta rays or even sharks.  Now I don’t get particularly excited about reptiles, but turtles are just fun.  Their expressions always remind of grumpy old men.  Were sharks to go away after hundreds of millions of years of survival it would mean that an apex predator would be gone from the ecosystem.  Removal of the apex predator would mean that there would be far less balance in the marine ecosystem than there is now.  Mantas, until recently I had never had the chance to see them up close in the ocean.  They are graceful and are able to glide through the ocean like no other animal I have seen.  

 Now, I will be the first to admit that I have always enjoyed eating seafood.  The problem is that the nets that have been used over the years often are damaged or lost and can create a hazard to marine life in the form of ghost nets.    

Often marine life cannot see the lines that make up a net.  When a net is cut lose in the ocean, it is not uncommon for it to catch creatures that it was not intended to catch.  Not long ago I was sailing with a young boat captain who had come across a net that had captured a giant manta ray.  Now manta rays are endangered and quite often they are enormous.  Cutting one loose while you are on scuba gear takes quite a bit of courage.  If you get caught in the net with the animal and it can still swim, it can drag you down to depths that you cannot survive.  Now, think about jumping in the water with no scuba gear on and cutting an animal loose from a net when the animal is only slightly wider than an SUV.  Now that takes courage.  So my caps off to you Captain Jordan.