federal officials asking for public imput on Manatee protection

[DennisS]

Just a note: Licensing boaters is easy. They all have to register their boats, thus for renewal of registration or registering they will have to present this license. Since FWC or Marine Patrol or both are at every boat ramp in this county, checking licensing is not tough. I watch enforcement of both DUI, lack of fishing licenses, illegal catchess, etc., are all enforced.

This also generates the revenue to get more enforcement on the water and with the increase of active marine enforcement training will have to go up to ensure that those who are enforcing the laws are adequately trained.

Pipe dream.. yeah.. possibly. I'm still working on the FWSC to

That's my complaint, every time you turn around there is some officious twit asking for your papers and wanting to inspect your boat, when you haven't broken any law. They must not be too understaffed.

A license would provide another piece of paper to fund more officious twits that spend their time at the boat ramps checking more papers. You're asking that I pay to get bothered by these folks. I feel that checking for licenses would become a top priority, to the detriment of other enforcement, thats where their salary would come from. Assuming that the money would provide more training for the average officer is overly optimistic. This is Florida, the dept heads would go to Hawaii for fisheries conferences.

Let them put out dive flags and patrol them like speed traps, get away from the beaches and boat ramps and stop bothering legal boaters and divers.

 

[archman]

I was out one night fishing and my running light went out I immediately went to shore on a island and was repairing it when a sheriffs deputy stopped in the channel and asked me to come out to him because his boat couldnt come as shallow as mine. I obliged and when I did he wrote me a ticket for no running light after I told him I was repairing it. Then as he was writing the ticket a boat went by going 50+ mph thru a manatee zone and I told him I would wait if he wanted to go get him he said "na Im not worried about him theres no manatees around here right now!"
Well kiss my *** because by the time he said that one surfaced 25 feet away from us.
anyhow I got a ticket the manatee was safe and the sheriff lost his paper work so when I went to court the judge threw it out. By the way the sheriff left me in distress in the middle of the channel with no running light. Thats a felony! It is illegal to leave a boat in distress. about 25 minutes later the same boat came flying back thru again only this time I had something to throw...

This is a wonderful story, one where I would pay money to have personally witnessed. I have similar stories, but not nearly so messed up as this one. I would have refused to take my boat off the shore, and cited the Coast Guard regulations regarding night signals. Sounds like the cop you encountered was little more educated about Rules of the Road than your average joe. Get on channel 16 and report him for leaving you without any running lights.

Training must be fairly superficial for these folks. I hardly ever hear complaints about the USCG, USFW, or NMFS anymore. It's always the marine patrol or local sheriff's department.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Actually the state did a research on this one, they were considering adding a boaters endorsment to your liscense and you would have to take a exam just like motorcycle and CDL. I think its a good idea however, knowing how legislature is in this state once they made it mandatory for you to have a liscense to operate a vessel of any size or caliber they would pass a bill making it mandatory to have insurance and to provide that proof. We all know that insurance rates in florida are rediculous but can you imagine what that nightmare would be like. Say good bye to boating fishing diving etc...

For what its worth, I live in AL and a boaters liscense is required to operate a boat w/motor or even a non-motor'd boat over a certain length - this includes PWCs. I've had my liscense since I was 16, its endorced on my DL. I had to take boater's safety courses and take a written exam(similar to a drivers liscense exam). The program was actually part of my driver's edu while I was in high school around 8 years ago. I think that same program is in effect. Its now required to renew your boaters liscense here, I'm not sure if that includes additional refresher classes or not(I've had my liscense before that rule was taken into effect and was grandfather'd into the old rule of having my boater's liscense permanantly). We are not required to have insurance or proof of insurance.

Personally, I think its a good idea to require a boater's liscense. While liscensed boater's may still break the laws, alot of lazier people will simply be discouraged boating all together. I think alot of the problem is plain ignorance anyway, educate people and they just might obey boating laws a bit more carefully - especially since they are paying for a liscense that may impart some sense of responsibility on the person... or not?

 

[CBulla]

Training must be fairly superficial for these folks. I hardly ever hear complaints about the USCG, USFW, or NMFS anymore. It's always the marine patrol or local sheriff's department.

They don't have training.. The training is in law enforcement and laws applicable on land, not shore and boating laws. Thats why so many hang around the boat ramps. In almost 20 years of boating in SWFL, I have only had 1 (one, uno, eine) law enforcement boat approach me on the water and all he did was ask how the fishing was to which I replied "If I catch anything I'll tell you, but so far I'm just killing shrimp!" He laughed and left. I've actually had more run-in's with MP & FWC in LTBS after diving than I have had collectively my whole life!

BTW, Dennis, if you want beaurocratic paperwork, try getting a business started!

 

[Scubakevdm]

Hey cbulla Im the kind of person that will get extremely upset at the thought of someone causing harm to a manatee. I know they taste good with mashed potatoes and gravy i've heard them all.

They are prized in Central and South America. One animal can feed an entire village, but they are much better pulled and slow-cooked in BBQ than they are with mashed potatoes and gravy.
This is the reason why we started our manatee farm, where we raise manatees we pluck away from their wailing mothers at a very young age. We keep them in very small pens made from blocks of coral reef we cut for that purpose. The combination of the very small pen size and the coral block material cause the meat to become quite tender and stringy. As soon as a calf is collected from the wild, a feeding tube is put in place and an IV is started for the purpose of introducing a variety of steroids on a variety of schedules. This way we are able to grow a 75 lb calf to 750 lbs in under two years and at a fraction of the cost of organic methods. This of course, means more money for us.
When it is time to harvest the animal, a dinner-plate sized Ridley's sea turtle is inserted into it's throat to help block off the wind-pipe, and it is bludgeoned heavily with live (in the begining) fur seal pups. Eventually it succumbs to the head-trauma, asphyxiation, heat stroke, or a combination of the above, but this can take some time. Anyway, after they stop trying to crawl away, whalloping them with the seal pups is much less fun and often we all just go home.

 

[augie]

Anyway, after they stop trying to crawl away, whalloping them with the seal pups is much less fun and often we all just go home.

You should try using spotted owl chicks instead of the seal pups - the vealatees crawl much longer that way...

 

[archman]

Kevin, if you are not already doing so, I would heartily recommend getting your own newspaper/magazine satire column. Unfortunately I cannot suggest any myself, as scientists have no sense of humour we are aware of.

This is however, some of the finest work I think you've put on on the Board. I hope you're compiling this stuff... it would make for a highly entertaining book of short essays.

 

[CBulla]

We have a pair of entertaining folks here.. Kevin, Ken, Pete.. all writers of the most outragous interesting stuff.. of course, there are others of us who zing out some silly things now and again to, but nothing like these fellers!

 

[tiggrr]

Mmmmm..... BBQ'd Manatee!!!!

Almost as yummy as broiled peanut butter, jelly, and bacon sandwich -washed down with that milk that comes in a box for the lactose intolerant. Delish!

 

[CBulla]

Tastes like pork, Tiggrr... goes well with black beans and rice