Did You Know? Killer whales are the top predator in the ocean; a healthy adult can prey on anything that lives in the sea and has no predators of its own. View More Rescuing the Reef in Belize Rescuing the Reef in Belize SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund Read more... View the Archives

By Teryl Nolan SeaWorld Orlando and Laura Simmons, Discovery Cove We were 80 feet under water, with no ocean floor in sight. All around us was deep-blue, pristine water and perfect silence. In moments, we could be face to face with a 40-foot whale shark. It's only a three-hour flight from Orlando, but it feels like another world. Located on the east coast of Central America, Belize is nestled between Mexico and Guatemala and home to some of the most amazing marine life in the world. We were there not only to experience the country's amazing barrier reef and the world's largest fish, but also to witness conservation in action. Teryl and Laura prepare to explore. Since 1992, the Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks have worked in partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), an international conservation group whose mission is "to preserve plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth." One such community is the entire Meso-American reef, from Mexico through Belize and Guatemala to the Bay Islands of Honduras. In Belize, TNC, with the support of the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund, is helping to preserve the fragile reef ecosystem - the second longest in the world. For more than a decade, the Meso-American Reef Program has identified sites in Belizean waters in need of protection from pressures such as over-fishing, unregulated tourism development, sediment run-off and global climate change. Long-term protection is imperative for the survival of the reef and its inhabitants. As aquarium supervisors at Discovery Cove and SeaWorld, we traveled to Belize to join Julie Scardina, Jack Hanna and the "Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures" film crew to document the marine life of Belize and the impact of conservation efforts. Our first dives were with Dr. Melanie McField of the World Wildlife Fund, also a SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund partner. Her studies with the invertebrates of the Meso-American reef are helping demonstrate how pollution affects the health and stability of the reef environment. While Melanie collected sponge samples with Jack, we surveyed the reef. It was teeming with life. The species were the same as those found in the waters surrounding Florida, but the difference in the size and health of the hard and soft corals was tremendous.

Our next dives took us to deeper waters. It is around full moon - April through July - that cubera snappers (Lutjanus cyanopterus) form massive schools to spawn. The lunar cycle, in combination with several characteristics of the ocean-scape, make this a premium site for the impressive gathering of more than 20,000 fish. The spawning aggregations, or SPAGS, have been at the forefront of the Conservancy's studies for the past decade. It has been determined there are several unique characteristics required for the snapper to form SPAGS. With the cooperation of fishermen, the Belizean government, and the use of satellites, scientists have identified and protected 11 sites. TNC also has worked closely with Friends of Nature, a local non-profit conservation group that co-manages two such sites - Laughing Bird Caye National Park and Gladden Spit & Silk Cayes Marine Reserve. These sanctuaries are critical to the health of the fisheries throughout the Caribbean. Made up primarily of fishermen and tourism industry representatives, Friends of Nature developed guidelines that identify whale sharks and SPAGs as protected resources. This group and others working in the region have been invaluable to the success of the Conservancy's work. They provide significant data to the research team and have converted the fishing culture to more sustainable practices. Many former fishermen have become eco-tourism guides. By focusing on cubera snapper, the spawning locations of dozens of species have been preserved. Indirectly, hundreds of species will enjoy protection, including the whale shark (Rhincodon typus) - the world's largest fish. For 10 days around the full moon, SPAGS are present. We followed the fish to the deep, rough waters that lie beyond the reef for a brief chance to dive with the whale sharks. It was not only impressive to see the ball of tens of thousands of fish swirling and mixing at depths of 80 to 150 feet, but also to see the giant sharks feeding. During one of our dives, we witnessed snapper coming together for a brief but vigorous interlude. On another trip, we were left speechless after snorkeling with a female whale shark as she cut the surface repeatedly. As she passed within feet of us, her spots, fins, mouth and fluttering gill slits seemed massive. Exhilarating. After our amazing experiences on the Meso-American reef, we left Belize in awe of its natural beauty, knowing that preservation efforts have been a success. We are proud to know that the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund is supporting such worthy and effective conservation programs. Many former fishermen villages like this one have become eco-tourism guides.