Starfish picture trend: Cool for social media, harmful for the fish

Social media platforms are  awash with images of such tourists holding the starfish out of water to take a picture and posting a cute caption to go along with the post, not realising at that very moment the starfish is in a fight for its life, can’t breathe and probably has a few minutes before it dies.

By the time you are taking the picture, you are also taking the life of a marine creature in Zanzibar’s biodiverse marine ecosystem that is the very fabric of its existence.

Francis Mbonde, a local tour guide who goes by Lubaacris Tours Safari on social media, has seen the worst of the practice. Scrolling on Instagram, he sees all the smiley faces holding on to the starfish.

He said the beauty in its appearance has unfortunately caused the starfish to be prey to humans. “Tourists get attracted to them and love to take pictures with them, but sadly, they have to lift them out of the water,” he said. Most of the time, starfish are washed up on the shores and seen during the low tides at the sandbanks, he said.

Some tourists who get into boats to explore coral reefs and the waters of the Indian Ocean often get involved in this practice. Mbonde gave a scenario: when one picks up the fish for a picture in a boat with eight tourists, if they pass around the starfish for a picture, after each of the eight takes a picture with the fish, by the time they are done, it would surely be dead. He reasoned,

The situation on the ground is a little bit complex. When you speak of the local guides and their responsibility to educate the visitors against picking up the starfish out of the water, some swear that they try their best to warn tourists, but they claim some of the tourists ignore them.

While speaking to locals, they say tour guides cash in on the trend; a tourist wanting a picture with a starfish is charged extra cash by the tour guides, who then go ahead and help them get the perfect picture in the name of the dollar bill.

Mbinde said, alternatively, one can take a picture of or with the starfish while it’s still underwater, where it’s in its natural habitat and safe. “Touching the fish isn’t harmful; picking it out of water is,” he insisted.

As a tour guide, you should expect a tourist to question you about why he/she cannot pick up the starfish, maybe out of curiosity or sheer stubbornness, and you must be ready with an educated response that will make the tourist not only understand the harm but also be an ally in educating others about the dangers of picking them up out of water.

Mbonde understands the pressure fellow guides face when they want to make sure their clients have a good time while on the island and the desire to let them get away with taking a simple picture with the fish, not wanting to spoil the good vibes they are having with the client by denying them their picturesque moment, hoping for satisfactory tips from a satisfied customer at the end of the trip.

The very social media where tourists post their pictures has raised contrasting views; some tourists claim they do not take the starfish out of the water but find them ‘beached’ by the tides. Asking what to do when you are strolling by the beach and you find them by the shore.

And it was too late to put them back into the water, of which she was advised not to touch them and let nature have its own way; if tides take them back, that would be fine, but let nature be.

In some cases, tourists have been proactive; after understanding the authority’s call to let starfish remain in water, one tourist found out that local fishermen use them as bait to catch lobsters, and he was questioning if it is legal for the fishermen to do so.

It’s not just tourists who are guilty of the practice; some local children have been seen taking canoes to hunt for the starfish to sell them to tourists.

Allegedly, even some of the Maasai guards who roam by the beach pick the starfish from the water to give to tourists to take pictures in exchange for money. And this has been going on for years. Ceaseless campaigns to raise awareness are crucial; some tourists are genuinely not aware.

They simply see lovely creatures and yearn to just take pictures, not knowing the dangers they put the poor creature in. “To all tourists who want a photo with a starfish: please put your head underwater and then take a photo with a starfish. Let’s respect marine life and keep them in the water where they belong,” one suggested.

A consortium of tour guides took it upon themselves to launch a campaign against the practice of taking pictures with starfish, requesting all tourists not to do it and guides to help spread awareness of what happens when the starfish is out of water and becomes part of the impromptu photo session.

They explained that the bodies of starfish have papules called dermal gills where carbon dioxide gases are exchanged for oxygen between the coelomic liquid of the starfish and the water. Elaborating on how these species breathe, simply put, it’s like a starfish has hundreds of tiny noses all over its body.

“As fresh air is toxic to starfish and they can’t hold their breath for very long, each time they’re lifted out of the water for a photo, they are drowning and suffering from a buildup of carbon dioxide,” the campaign said. “It’s the equivalent of someone filling your lungs with water for a little while and then emptying them again. It’s not a good day out.

When this is done repeatedly, it’s a flip of the coin as to whether the poor creature can die from drowning or the stress of being semi-drowned so many times,” they insisted. Indeed, social media has tempted us to go to extremes to gain the attention of our followers or gain new ones.

The campaign goes further to say, “Wildlife are not our playthings. Just because a creature is slow enough to be caught by human hands, that doesn’t give us the right to do so, and the social media attention gained certainly does not justify the harm caused to the critter,” they posted on a Facebook group. Understanding that humans might not have sinister motives for their acts, the initiative insists that,

“This is an act we’re all guilty of at some point. What was happening to that animal in the moment didn’t cross our minds. But now we know better, so we must do better.”

The Zanzibar authority is aware of what has been going on, and boats have been deployed to warn tourists against taking pictures with starfish.

They come right before the tourists’ boats depart from the shores, and with loudspeakers, they warn tourists and their guides. It’s more of a reminder and not a punishable offence as yet, although many people online have suggested making it one so that the law can dissuade others from doing the same.

Mbonde, on the other hand, understands the temptation that comes upon seeing the magnificent colourful starfish for the first time; he said most tourists have never seen it and have only watched it on television, so coming face to face with it could be overwhelming.

But urged common sense to prevail. With the number of tourists flocking to the tiny spice island growing, intentional steps should be taken to protect marine life lest it become extinct.

 right before our very own eyes. Though the practice of taking pictures with starfish is not the main event that brings the tourists to the island, the danger of it becoming one is real, catapulted by social media.

Zanzibar cements its reputation as one of the world’s best travel destinations. Mr Mbonde urges visitors to respect the culture, norms, and way of life of the island, similarly to what is expected of any tourist visiting any foreign destination that encounters a different culture.