Marine man sticks by his fishy theory

A large wooden octopus sits like a hat atop Floor Anthoni's home in Leigh, 90 minutes north of Auckland.

"It's an old packing shed," he explains leading us into a downstairs room lined wall to wall with blue wetsuits. He holds up a rubber arm and looks up the sleeve.

"We engineered and designed these ourselves. They're 5mm thick to keep the students warm. Fish can't see blue so well."

Mr Anthoni has a doctorate in computer science, but his real interest is marine biology. Since 1992 he has run Seafriends, a private marine interpretation centre near Goat Island.

It has a conservation centre, classroom, marine aquariums, a public environmental and dive library, and dive rental. He takes around 4000 children a year through the Goat Island marine reserve.

Like the academic scientists at the Leigh Marine Biology centre just up the road, he wants to save the sea for future generations. But that's about the only thing the people in the two marine centres agree on.

Mr Anthoni claims to have made his own discoveries in the field of marine biology, and his theories have created controversy. Originally from the Netherlands, he has always enjoyed diving and underwater photography, where he says his discoveries began.

"I have been here since 1975. Being a cinematographer underwater I began to notice the sea life was changing and disappearing."

He decided to educate himself rather than attend university because he believes scientists are not taught to question the status quo.

He says his 20-year body of work shows marine reserves are largely detrimental to sea life. He also says spill-over fish - those that swim into the open ocean - are not producing improved fishing areas.

He claims to have discovered the real reason why our fish and shellfish populations are becoming depleted, and it's nothing to do with limiting fishing. Mr Anthoni's theory posits that marine reserves are feeding grounds for predator fish.

"If you put more eggs in the water, you put more food in the water for other creatures. Marine reserves feed outside places but it doesn't mean it will have an effect on the outside. Whatever way you look at it, it will never get bigger because in a marine reserve you close off the fisheries. They are unnatural, they create an unnatural environment then hope they will have a benefit on nature. There are fish that are declining in reserves, like wrasses and butterfish. What explanation can you give when they're not fished and they still disappear."

Mr Anthoni's explanation is that scientists have overlooked a bacteria that decomposes waste in the water. He says erosion carries soil pollution into the sea, so bacteria has increased. A poisonous plankton is also depleting fish stocks.

He says the Maui dolphin, existing off the North Island's west coast, faces extinction not just because of fishing nets, but because of this bacteria.

"They are living in a hellhole. My prediction is that they are doomed. For me, it's a good thing if the Maui dolphin dies off. It will be sad, but it will prove my theory."

That's just one of the theories he says have ostracised him from the marine science community.

"I wanted to speak at an engineers' conference in Rotorua. I was refused. I spoke to a group of 200 academics. I was booed off stage. I expected that, but not at such a childish level.

"That's why I discovered everything; because I dared to rebel. They're all my enemies, they rubbish me, because it's not peer reviewed. Scientists will exclude everything that's new."

Certainly, The Aucklander had trouble finding any local marine experts who would even discuss Mr Anthoni's findings.

However, Professor Stephen Wing, from Otago University's department of marine science, would. He says although there's no disputing depletion in coastal species, marine reserves do serve an important purpose.

"As a place that increases those important stocks, they can be really good. Fiordlands' marine reserve crayfish reproduction has increased by eight to 10 times more than outside reserves," he says. "The weight of evidence is that marine reserves do work for this but they're not a panacea for all problems on the coast."

In response to the claim fishing has not improved with spillover from marine reserves, he says several studies have proven otherwise, and a number of fishing world records have come from fishing outside reserves.

Mr Wing says he has not heard of a theory that bacteria and a poisonous plankton are causing the depletion of fish stock. "There can be intrinsic factors that can affect numbers. The one thing that comes out very strongly is that stopping fishing helps regrow their populations."

Mr Wing suggested if Mr Anthoni could provide proof through a scientific study this would help his position. But Mr Anthoni, who has published many theories on his Seafriends website, says he's had thousands of scientists look at his work but no one has responded.

WHAT IS GOAT ISLAND?

The Cape Rodney-Okakari Point Marine Reserve, known as Goat Island, was New Zealand's first marine reserve. It was established in 1975 and opened in 1997. It is on the northeastern coast near Leigh, about 90 minutes' drive from Auckland City.

It protects 547ha of shore and sea stretching from Cape Rodney to Okakari Point.

The University of Auckland's marine laboratory is based at the reserve.

Before protection, the area was almost a marine desert.

The Department of Conservation says: "Within 10 years, snapper and crayfish populations, decimated by overfishing, re-established, setting off a series of changes in the ecosystem of the reserve. Nowhere else on the coast teems with such a profusion of fish life that can be easily seen by visitors. The marine reserve has returned to what we imagine it would have been like prior to the arrival of humans."

As well as scientific research, the reserve is a training ground for diving and for seeing friendly fish.

- Source: www.doc.govt.nz

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