BHB on Undercurrent

[uncfnp]

That is not what the article said.

I'll clarify I think some rules should apply to the short section of bridge. I took issue with the comment, fish offshore, if at all.

Fish is a healthy part of the human diet, it has been since man sharpened his first stick next to the water's edge. It is also not cheap, the average price per pound for snapper, hogfish and grouper is anywhere from $20-$30. Aside from the activity being fun for people, it's often a nice meal for people who can't afford to go to the fish market and buy it.

I've witnessed locally here what many would deem "trash" fish from a table fair perspective and being thrown back, as dinner for the family. Enjoy your catfish.

So find a compromise.

I'll make a couple more points that I think are worth noting.

The next time you're about to complain about a spearfisherman, remember there is no nets, lines and terminal tackle left behind when spearfishing. There's no bait being used and therefore depleting a food source up the food chain. There's also no decompression or swim bladder injuries for small or out of season fish when brought to the surface.

Secondly, fishermen, through fishing license purchases fund conservation enforcement and the FFWC. Scuba divers do not. Want to make a difference? Buy a fishing license, even if you don't intend on fishing. More money means more officers who can patrol areas like the BHB.

Barking up the wrong tree. I am a diver and a fisherwoman. I was on a fishing boat in a bassinet. I fish, I lobster hunt and I had deer stew for dinner last night (though I was not the hunter). I can and do see both sides.

And despite the article it is the bridge and not the park. The park has dedicated fishing areas.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I understand, but it is part of the topic of the thread, which is that one person's comment.

He said it. A mistake by Abernathy, IMO.

Have you read his views in past articles, posts, interviews? It's Jim being Jim. Abernethy's views do not represent those of the majority.

 

[Pipehorse]

Yes, I get that. Unfortunately, fisherman are deliberately assaulting divers with hooks. Law enforcement are completely unable to do anything about it unless they post a cop there 24x7. The current situation has to change. This is in a state where it is legal to defend yourself, so it could get ugly and complicated if the wrong guy gets purposely hooked (that is NOT me, btw). No real chance of a dcs injury, but an inexperienced diver could realistically get a lung expansion injury this way.

Something has to change, and banning the offending group is a hell of a lot cheaper than funding a dedicated officer. Despite the latter being a better solution, the former is more likely to actually happen.

I guess a couple cameras with a jetson and faceID could work to solve the problem as well. But, you KNOW there's a lot of folks that will stand up against the local government maintaining a face recognition database. I can't say I'd support that option.

What do YOU propose to do about the fishermen who are deliberately assaulting divers?

Let's be honest here. Most bridges in Florida do not allow fishing. Normally, you have to fish from shore, a boat, or a fishing pier. So this isn't exactly an oddball request.

Edit: I looked it up, it's actually "battery" rather than "assault" in FL. Not that that changes anything when the perp gets away every time. From the sound of it, if fishing were banned then it could become aggravated assault (and battery) which sounds good but still meaningless if you can't catch the guy.

So because a few individuals are allegedly assaulting divers with hooks, no fishing should be allowed? Sought of throwing out the baby with the bathwater no? If a fisherman is assaulting divers with hooks, then as you point out the law is being broken. It isn't necessary to post a cop 24x7, just at around high tide because that would be when the alleged assaulting of divers is taking place. I have seen as many as six Palm Beach County Sheriff's cars at the Park at any given time, so posting a sheriff to prevent criminal activity shouldn't be an issue. In fact quite frequently I have seen FWC and Palm Beach County Sheriff vehicles parked at the boat ramp, a perfect place for a perfect view to watch for this type of illegal activity. As an aside, I started diving the bridge in 1994. I have personally never experienced the malicious fishing targeting scuba divers at BHB. I have had my dive flag line get snagged by a fishing hook. In those instances I was able to remove the hook without incident. I have to admit to being a little surprised at reports on this thread of divers being reeled in by fisherman? Most of the rigs I see fisherman using would have a hard time standing up to a 20lb fish, never mind a diver in full scuba gear. Is there any substantiated report of a diver seeking medical attention after being snagged by one of these alleged malicious fisherman?

 

[kelemvor]

So because a few individuals are allegedly assaulting divers with hooks, no fishing should be allowed? Sought of throwing out the baby with the bathwater no? If a fisherman is assaulting divers with hooks, then as you point out the law is being broken. It isn't necessary to post a cop 24x7, just at around high tide because that would be when the alleged assaulting of divers is taking place. I have seen as many as six Palm Beach County Sheriff's cars at the Park at any given time, so posting a sheriff to prevent criminal activity shouldn't be an issue. In fact quite frequently I have seen FWC and Palm Beach County Sheriff vehicles parked at the boat ramp, a perfect place for a perfect view to watch for this type of illegal activity. As an aside, I started diving the bridge in 1994. I have personally never experienced the malicious fishing targeting scuba divers at BHB. I have had my dive flag line get snagged by a fishing hook. In those instances I was able to remove the hook without incident. I have to admit to being a little surprised at reports on this thread of divers being reeled in by fisherman? Most of the rigs I see fisherman using would have a hard time standing up to a 20lb fish, never mind a diver in full scuba gear. Is there any substantiated report of a diver seeking medical attention after being snagged by one of these alleged malicious fisherman?

There was a cop in the parking lot when it happened to me. It didn't help or prevent the problem. He would have to have been on top of the bridge to really tell what was going on. By the time I was able to report it, the perp was long gone. If it were a no fishing area, the cops wouldn't have to know. Someone fishing from the bridge? Go run 'em off or give 'em a ticket. Eventually folks would go to one of the other nearby fishing areas instead. As others have said, there's other places to fish within the park. I've only ever had a problem with folks fishing from the bridge.

 

[CuzzA]

Have you read his views in past articles, posts, interviews? It's Jim being Jim. Abernethy's views do not represent those of the majority.

I have not, and if his views are worse or similar it's bad for us to have him as voice for the community.

Putting on my defense hat, if I were the fisherman who uses that site Jim is trying to ban me from I would make the point to whoever has power to make laws and regulations that he's working in his own self interest because he's a vegetarian and it doesn't have anything to do with safety, rather pushing a social agenda that is not inline with the majority of the public.

Compromising is the solution here, but if the problem is merely some asssholes trying to hook divers, and it's common enough to warrant a request to change laws, I think a simple law enforcement sting will fix the problem as it's likely only a couple people who are regulars at the bridge doing this. Catch them in the act and arrest them. Set an example of them and that's usually all the deterrence that's needed to end it and move on. I wouldn't have a problem with banning fishing in the designated diving area either as long as there's access elsewhere. It ain't like the fish can't go swim and find their bait. Not sure why they'd want to fish near active divers anyway, their odds of catching something are slim to none with people blowing bubbles.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I have not, and if his views are worse or similar it's bad for us to have him as voice for the community.

He isn't except for where he's the self-proclaimed voice. Jeff Nelson (Force-E) and Shana Phelan (Pura Vida) are more of the voice of the community for BHB than Abernethy. Jim Abernethy is vocal, opinionated, and worth a good quote. But as to being the voice for the community there are MANY others that realize that compromise and common sense need to prevail otherwise the fishermen will win out.

We don't own the site. Fisherman, beach-goers, paddleboarders, kayakers ... they all have reason to dislike us when we take over the park for 4-5 hours every Sat and Sun. We need to tread cautiously with what we are asking.

I think, in a word, I'm in violent agreement with you on this topic.

 

[MaxE]

Imagine if there was a dive site like BHB in Largo, Florida and you used it frequently. Imagine the same conflict, fishing vs. diving. Imagine an individual from Palm Beach County lobbying your local council person to restrict your access to diving the site, because this individual drives across the state and spends money at local hotels, and doesn't want your diving interfering with his fishing.

What is the main industry in FL?

 

[Pipehorse]

What is the main industry in FL?

Interesting enough I was just trying to research that question. It would be an excellent subject for a research paper, and I can only answer anecdotally. Back when I was doing my MS in Marine Science I did a Fishery Management Paper on Goliath Grouper. One of the reference papers was titled Recreational Diver Willingness to Pay for Goliath Grouper Encounters during the Months of Their Spawning Aggregation off Eastern Florida, USA. The authors argued that the fiscal impact of scuba divers observing spawning aggregations was far greater than fiscal impact of opening up Goliath Grouper fishery. Anecdotally I would say recreational scuba diving might have a greater impact in South East Florida than fishing. But if we consider the state of Florida as a whole, I should think that the fiscal impact of fishing exceeds diving. BTW I did see a large Goliath under the fishing pier at BHB yesterday.

 

[CuzzA]

Interesting enough I was just trying to research that question. It would be an excellent subject for a research paper, and I can only answer anecdotally. Back when I was doing my MS in Marine Science I did a Fishery Management Paper on Goliath Grouper. One of the reference papers was titled Recreational Diver Willingness to Pay for Goliath Grouper Encounters during the Months of Their Spawning Aggregation off Eastern Florida, USA. The authors argued that the fiscal impact of scuba divers observing spawning aggregations was far greater than fiscal impact of opening up Goliath Grouper fishery. Anecdotally I would say recreational scuba diving might have a greater impact in South East Florida than fishing. But if we consider the state of Florida as a whole, I should think that the fiscal impact of fishing exceeds diving. BTW I did see a large Goliath under the fishing pier at BHB yesterday.

Diving is not even close. South Florida and especially the Florida Keys is the tourist fishing capital of the world.

In 2014 Florida generated $8 billion to the economy in "Recreational fishing" alone with an estimated 25 million fishing trips.

There's simply no way scuba diving comes close in terms of money generated or trips taken.

Florida still leads the nation in saltwater fishing revenue | Palm Beach Florida Weekly

 

[scubadada]

There are far more fishing charters going out of Boynton Harbor Marina than dive charters. Just the way it is.