Divers dying every lobster opening. This has to stop!

[Freewillow]

In Europe you cannot take lobster or kill fish while scubadiving. We concider it unfair. That would be a solution but I know, it will never happen

 

[Akimbo]

In Europe you cannot take lobster or kill fish while scubadiving. We concider it unfair. That would be a solution but I know, it will never happen

It doesn't work. Freediving is required to take Abalone in California and we probably loose as many divers as the Lobster divers in Southern California.

 

[dytis-sm]

In Europe you cannot take lobster or kill fish while scubadiving. We concider it unfair. That would be a solution but I know, it will never happen

FYI

In Europe there is nothing left alive from centuries of uncontrolled fishing and dying reefs. Scuba or not, there is nothing alive to catch so therefore you want to give a living chance for the ones that get away.

California on the other hand has some of the healthiest reefs in the world and lobster catching via Scuba is as sustainable (if not more) as with hoop-nets which are outside the water and far more easy and safe...

 

[Rhone Man]

I know we are getting side tracked, but I never buy into the "if you are going to take game, it has to be fair to the game" argument.

If you are going to take game, it is because you are going to kill it and eat it, and as a society we think is acceptable. I can never understand why in Bermuda it is "unfair" to take lobster on scuba, but it is "fair" to put down a baited trap all night. Either way the lobster ends up dead and makes for a delicious meal for someone.

 

[yardpro]

Allow?

It's been a long time in America since I often heard people say 'It's a free country.' And the trend keeps getting worse...

If you, or anyone, wishes liberty as an adult, to live your life as you see fit in as much as you don't infringe the rights of others, then you must accept that liberty as a right of other adults, who will live their lives as they see fit and make some decisions you consider foolish and dangerous. Some of those decisions will end badly.

That is sad, but 'our' (what a laugh that is) government is continually morphing into the sort of thing our founding fathers declared our independence from and rose up to fight, till liberty or quite possibly death.

Promoting public education to encourage better decision making is something I suspect we can all get behind. Anymore than that, and I think you're likely going to far.

Of course some of the deaths seem senseless. I don't dive for lobster or abalone, and whenever I hear of someone dieing while doing so, I think of the animal in question and mentally ask 'And you died over that? Seriously?' But the more 'challenging' rock climbing and skiing expeditions, or climbing Everest for that matter, look nuts to me, too. But I'm not out to block anybody from doing them. And I am wary of the mindset that we are 'allowing' people to do these activities.

Richard.

OMG.... we must have been separated at birth...i agree 100%.

why do we feel it is our obligation to force people not to do stupid dangerous things... evolution works this way... do stupid stuff and get killed you have less kids and your stupid genes are not passed on to your progeny.....
be smart and you have a greater chance of propagating and continuing your genetic line...

wanna be stupid... i will tell you you are beig stupid, but i will not stop you from being stupid....

 

[drbill]

California on the other hand has some of the healthiest reefs in the world and lobster catching via Scuba is as sustainable (if not more) as with hoop-nets which are outside the water and far more easy and safe...

Interesting statement. As a marine biologist who has dived SoCal for 45 years, I'd have to disagree with it. The appearance of the Asian seaweed Sargassum horneri in 2003 has seriously affected many reefs in SoCal from the northern Channel Islands to as far south as Guadalupe Island. Take of some species including sheephead has left their populations far lower than they should be under healthy conditions. Kelp bass had to be protected as early as the 1950s due to overharvesting of the larger ones (bulls). Take of lobster has radically altered the age structure of the populations. Yes, we may have a "lot" of lobster... but look at the average size of the population.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

So the bugs are smaller on average. Do you have evidence that this has a negative impact on the ecology?

 

[Six Feet Under]

Allow?

It's been a long time in America since I often heard people say 'It's a free country.' And the trend keeps getting worse...

If you, or anyone, wishes liberty as an adult, to live your life as you see fit in as much as you don't infringe the rights of others, then you must accept that liberty as a right of other adults, who will live their lives as they see fit and make some decisions you consider foolish and dangerous. Some of those decisions will end badly.

That is sad, but 'our' (what a laugh that is) government is continually morphing into the sort of thing our founding fathers declared our independence from and rose up to fight, till liberty or quite possibly death.

Promoting public education to encourage better decision making is something I suspect we can all get behind. Anymore than that, and I think you're likely going to far.

Of course some of the deaths seem senseless. I don't dive for lobster or abalone, and whenever I hear of someone dieing while doing so, I think of the animal in question and mentally ask 'And you died over that? Seriously?' But the more 'challenging' rock climbing and skiing expeditions, or climbing Everest for that matter, look nuts to me, too. But I'm not out to block anybody from doing them. And I am wary of the mindset that we are 'allowing' people to do these activities.

Richard.

I couldn't agree more. That's probably what scares most people about liberty - they're responsible for their own safety. Not my problem if you're too stupid to realize the consequences of your actions, I'm just here to clean up the mess... and I expect people to stand around saying the same thing about me if I kill myself in a car crash driving like an ass, or while diving because I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing.

 

[oszillodrom]

I understand the concept of liberty is viewed differently in Europe and the US, for historical reasons.

I understand the notion of defending individual freedom, but what does this mean if you carry on the thought?

Total individual freedom (do anything as long as you don't hurt others) means:
- completely legalize heroin and other hard drugs (driving under the influence of drugs would still not be allowed)
- no compulsory seatbelts in cars
- do not try to stop people comitting suicide, it's their choice
- no compulsory school education
- etc.

I realize I propably have a different view on this due to being European, but it seems you can prevent a lot of unnecessary deaths for the expense of some 'liberty'.

P.S. I am actually for the decriminalization of a lot of drugs, as well as legal medically assisted suicide (in certain cases).

 

[KevinG58]

With sympathy to the dead and their survivors, a little perspective may be in order.

DAN 2009 annual report, the most recent I found: In 2008 there were 110 fatalities suffered by US & Canadian residents (the majority but not all incidents occurred in US & Canadian waters). The bulk of these deaths occurred during sight seeing dives, 12% during "harvesting" spearfishing, hunting, collecting game. Entire report accessible here if you are a DAN member.