Possible southern reef closure

[JenLoves2Dive]

Spear guns? I've never seen anyone use a speargun with lionfish, a polespear can net you hundreds because they don't typically flee.

Used the word spearguns because a majority of people don't know what hawaiian slings are. (I edited it)

Dave: Because it starts the controversy all over again. And I've seen many visitors coming here with them that haven't a clue how to use them. Crashing into coral trying to get an elusive lionfish. Missing their shot and hit the coral instead. Now tell me you haven't seen that. If you haven't I have!

 

[Manatee Diver]

I honestly rarely see lionfish anymore, the fisherman have cleared out everyone that isn't part of the marine sanctuary, or really deep.

 

[Steelyeyes]

We saw a rectangular nursery garden for growing corals located in 25' water and about 50 yards out from Ernesto's. Is that the one you're talking about? Saw them several times in early September while doing shore dives. One dive there was a team working on them. They looked in good shape but I don't have a previous baseline by which to measure. Maybe you can tell. Here are some snapshots from a video clip.

I uploaded the clip to Youtube.

Really cool. I'm about to retire and move to Bonaire. I'm interested in spending some time helping with the coral restoration there. This is the first time I've seen types of coral other than stag horn propagated like that. It's a small ray of hope.

 

[ChuckP]

Who cares who kills the Lion Fish, I have NEVER seen or allowed a diver to kill anything but lion fish. They taste good…But who wants to give them free reign in Cozumel.

Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers

Sorry Dave, I've personally seen more than one diver crawling up in the coral chasing a fish. Yes, there are some great spearfishers but one odd ball guy can wreck havoc and it's happening.

Then there's the whole nother deal with the turtle in Columbia attacking divers with lion fish.......

You want to hunt lion fish, go north, go outside the park. If the lion fish came back up from the deep in the park, maybe the park could organize sanctioned hunts at times with people that are special trained or something but the wild west stuff can't go on.

 

[Prop Joe]

Look at the green water blooms from the literal Dolphin shyt that comes out of the cruise ship party land called.
Chankanaab
Better yet, take a whiff. The Shyt stinks!

Its not just the divers. The freaking cruise ship weenies have had Carte Blanc. Cruise ship piers have been allowed to destroy an entire reef system (Paradise).

 

[lionfish-eater]

They close reefs in Cozumel
September 22, 2019

In Cancun

0

By Gabriel Aguilar



COZUMEL, September 21.- It was determined to close certain Cozumel reefs. The National Commission of Natural Protected Areas decided to close from Palancar south to reduce pressure due to white syndrome.

In that sense, Cristopher González Baca, in charge of the Regional Directorate in the Yucatan Peninsula and the Mexican Caribbean of Conanp, accepted that you have the idea of resting some areas of the Marine Park, “they are not the most visited. The idea is to address the issue derived from white syndrome a bit, reduce the pressure that somehow prevents reefs from recovering well. ”

He defined that it will be closed from the south of the Palancar reef and in his consideration, "they are the most conserved sites of the Marine Park and the idea is that without less pressure, they somehow have more chance of recovering."

He mentioned that in the matter of pressure, the noise produced by boats, the chemicals that can be derived from tourist activity such as fuels, and skin blockers are included.

He informed that within a first step it is necessary to inform all service providers, all those who have a permit to enter the Marine Park, to give them the possibility of relocating or rethinking their diving schedules with their tourist groups that They hire their services.

Of the Paradise reef, he denied that it will be one of the polygons that close to any tourist visit; and it is that in this reef there is a lot of involvement of “brain” corals as mentioned above by Brenda Hernández Hernández, in charge of the management of Conanp Cozumel.

González Baca said that as the weeks go by, the behavior of the corals will be evaluated, and based on that, the strategy will continue, either to continue or to gradually return to normal.

Meanwhile, at Conanp Cozumel, just until Monday, September 23 before noon, they will be holding a press conference to report in detail.

However, already a dive shop of the most important, published on social networks that since Friday, September 20, Conanp decided to close the “most popular reefs” of the island, “from October 7 until the beginning of 2020 ”, Only that no one from Conanp has confirmed the date or abounded in more details.

 

[Steelyeyes]

Sorry Dave, I've personally seen more than one diver crawling up in the coral chasing a fish. Yes, there are some great spearfishers but one odd ball guy can wreck havoc and it's happening.

Then there's the whole nother deal with the turtle in Columbia attacking divers with lion fish.......

You want to hunt lion fish, go north, go outside the park. If the lion fish came back up from the deep in the park, maybe the park could organize sanctioned hunts at times with people that are special trained or something but the wild west stuff can't go on.

The park can't even find enough rangers to police the place. Just sayin. There are bigger fish to fry than the rare bungling lion fish hunter. BTW fried lion fish is awesome. Makes great ceviche. Tacos. Pizza. I'd surmise that the number of other fish they gulp down in a given time span is far more damaging to the environment than an errant spear poking into a puka (hole) in the reef.

 

[BRT]

I’m
Curious as to how YOU saw this? You are not a “member” of ANOAAT and as stated, the announcement has not been made and we MEMBERS of ANOAAT are taking measures to stop this. But now you have shared something publicly that a) was obviously not for you b) that is not yet official or Meant for public consumption and c) a topic that you have only partial information about

Sunshine is antiseptic.

 

[BRT]

Dandy Don - OF COURSE it would help because everything here is based on conjecture, rumor and misinformation.
OF COURSE it should wait until OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT and STATEMENTS are made. PERIOD.

Let government work behind the curtain unhindered until all the sausage is made and then announce the result?

 

[Christi]

Who are the following people/organizations/associations:

-Taxists
-FPMC
- Consignee Agencies
-API
-Hotel Association
-Tour Operators
-Capitanía de Puerto
-Semar
-State Goverment
-Municipal government
-UQROO

Where/who is the diving association? Is it ANOATT or something like that?

ANOAAT has been busy since we heard the news two days ago and we are preparing a proposal with alternative solutions to present to the marine park on Monday. Stay tuned.