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Here in Hanga Roa, the fisherman rule. Despite being a UNESCO World Heritage site, the marine environment is not protected. The Chilean’s have neither the will nor the money to enforce any “no take zones”. As such, with the huge commercial “long liners” and “net boats” the area looks like an un-stocked aquarium. The water was a lovely 77 degrees with great visibility for the 4 dives we did here, just NO FISH. The tourism dollar is all that seems to matter and that is all about the Moai, not the marine environment. The dive shop told us that as little as 15 years ago, huge schools of fish and lots of sharks were in the area. Now they’re ALL GONE.
Easter Island
March 13, 2010