Help Protect Casino Point Dive Park from Take

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drbill

The Lorax for the Kelp Forest
Scuba Legend
Rest in Peace
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Location
Santa Catalina Island, CA
# of dives
2500 - 4999
The Casino Point Dive Park here on Catalina Island is not only my home base, but a place where thousands of divers from throughout the State of California (as well as the nation and the world) come to enjoy recreational dives and instructional classes.

The Dive Park was established in the 60s by the City of Avalon. For more than 40 years divers have generally treated it like a marine protected area. The result is that within the dive park one can find not only large population sizes and individuals of many fish and invertebrate species that aren't seen at most other dive sites, but also a more healthy, functioning ecosystem.

Most divers consider it a marine protected area and treat it that way. At present WE are the ones who actually make that a reality by enjoying the park and not taking from it.

However, there are those few who feel otherwise. Last season it was reported that at least two individuals limited out on opening night of lobster season. I was at the park last night preparing for a night dive to film "the night shift" when I saw an inflatable slowly cruising up and down the park's boundary line. I thought it rather suspicious so I observed the two individuals in the boat until it was dark enough not to see them easily and then descended.

One individual had a wetsuit on, the other did not. It was my assumption (as opposed to fact) that the two were planning a night dive in the dive park to take lobster from it. Unfortunately this is perfectly legal since CDF&G does not recognize the dive park as a State-sanctioned marine preserve. However, it is unfortunate that some feel their need to grab a few bugs the easy way supercedes the enjoyment that the rest of us divers ge by observing them in healthy numbers while we dive there.

Many of you who dive here have undoubtedly seen charter and personal fishing boats "fishing the line" of the park's boundary. Unfortunately this is not illegal either... as long as they are not anchored within 300 feet of the park's boundary. The only way we can stop this now is to assert that diver safety is jeopardized when they throw baited hooks INTO the dive park. That becomes a separate issue.

I have written the State's Marine Life Protection Act in support of marine protected areas option 3 with a request that the dive park be included as well. Although it is not of sufficient size and it is not strategically placed to be an truly effective element in a network of reserves, it has value for educational purposes, especially exposing new divers to marine life.

If you, too, feel the Casino Point Dive Park should be included as a protected area (preferably with reserve status), please take some time to send your opinion and reasons to the public comment e-mail address for the MLPA (MLPAComments@resources.ca.gov).


I offer this in addition:

Of course this would mean divers, especially instructors, would no longer be able to break apart urchins to feed the fish. This is a practice that should never have been indulged in the dive park. If you look carefully, you will not see urchin barrens anywhere near the park. The sheephead and lobster populations are sufficient to keep urchin species in check and they do not need "control" by humans. They are an important part of the ecosystem.

Fishing from boat or shore would be prohibited, and our wonderful lunker kelp or calico bass and the large sheephead like Oscars I, II, III and IV (yes, there are four... I've seen all of them at one time swimming single file passed me) would be protected.

Most divers who have dived other sites along our coast probably recognize intuitively that the dive park contains much healthier populations of many fish and invertebrate species. Of course diver presence has probably greatly reduced the numbers of others like shovelnose guitarfish and some of the smaller sharks.

It is highly doubtful the fishing community would oppose this. The dive park has been largely off limits for decades anyway. Their proposals in the earlier stages of the MLPA process for southern California have included the dive park as a proposed reserve as does at least one of the current proposals.

The dive park has been a gem for many thousands of divers over the years. I, for one, would like to see it remain that way over time. If you feel the same way, please send your thoughts to the MLPA process (MLPAComments@resources.ca.gov).
 
Bill, I've seen some of the locals fishing from the rocks in there and knew for a lng time it was not a truly protected area. I'm all for a conversion to a Preserve. This shouldn't be too big an endeavor? Haa! What's the next best step? TIA
 
I just sent this:

To the Commissioners:

Please consider making the Casino Dive Park on Catalina Island, a no-take protected area.

For over 40 years, the Dive Park has historically been considered a no-take area by the divers that frequent the park. This should be a simple process and not likely to have any serious opposition since the sport and commercial fishing operations already respect the de-facto no-take attitude of the parks visitors.

Thank You

Include your name, city and phone number
 
Don, the next step as I understand it is evaluation of the three proposals submitted by the Stakeholders to the Science Advisory Team (SAT) and Blue Ribbon Task Force (BRTF). It is my understanding that they will evaluate the three proposed sets of reserves and consolidate them or make recommendations to the Fish & Game Commission regarding what they feel is appropriate.

The fishing community has been extremely vocal on this issue and we non-take divers need to be as well. I have sent input into the MLPA public comments process since deliberation first began. We need to have more people in favor of such reserves give their input as well.

I have given input in areas where I agree with the majority in the fishing community, too. For example, I think that setting the reserve boundaries out at the 3-mile limit around Catalina makes no sense. That takes up a lot of the pelagic zone over deep water (given our steep offshore slopes) limiting those fishing for pelagics which are not really the focus oof the MLPA.

The more public input the MLPA staff gets, the more likely it will be that we can include sites like Casino Point in the reserve network.
 
Thanks, Dave!
 
Wow. When I was doing my AOW dives at Casino Point a few years ago, our instructors told us that the Dive Park WAS a protected Marine Reserve, and officially a no-take zone. I've assumed that it was ever since, so I've never taken any of the many lobsters I've seen in there. I just figured there were so many BECAUSE it's a no-take zone. I'm stunned to learn that it's not.

I'll be writing a letter.
 
I got this back from them:

Thank you for your message to MLPAComments@resources.ca.gov <mailto:MLPAComments@resources.ca.gov> . Your comments are important and will be considered during the MLPA Initiative planning process. All public comments are compiled on a weekly basis and distributed electronically to staff and the appropriate MLPA Initiative groups (i.e., task force, regional stakeholders, and/or science team) for review.

The MLPA Initiative is not a state regulatory or administrative process and is not required to post, summarize or respond to comments. However, in an effort to increase transparency, all efforts are made to post public comments to the MLPA website (California Department of Fish & Game, Marine Life Protection Act Initiative <http://www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa> ) in a timely manner. Comments will not be posted to the website if they contain profanity, personal attacks or are not relevant to the MLPA Initiative.

Public comments are also accepted by the California Fish and Game Commission during the state regulatory and environmental review processes when MPA proposals are under consideration for adoption.
Please note that comments must be submitted directly to the commission during those processes. For details on commission meeting times and public comment opportunities visit California Fish and Game Commission <http://www.fgc.ca.gov/> .

If you have any questions, please call the MLPA Initiative office at 916.654.1885.

Thank you for your time and participation.

I called, left message.
 
Wow. When I was doing my AOW dives at Casino Point a few years ago, our instructors told us that the Dive Park WAS a protected Marine Reserve, and officially a no-take zone. I've assumed that it was ever since, so I've never taken any of the many lobsters I've seen in there. I just figured there were so many BECAUSE it's a no-take zone. I'm stunned to learn that it's not.

I'll be writing a letter.

A lot of divers have the same idea & that's probably why it's been kept so nice. Maybe it was a bad idea that Dr. Bill let everyone know that it's not a reserve.

John
 
John, I've thought about that too but in general most divers are treating it well. It will soon be known that it isn't when the BRTF, SAT and Fish & Game Commission make up their minds on what reserves to maintain. I think the more input we can generate, the better the chance it will be added if only for its educational value. If people start taking in numbers, one of the main reasons for diving the park will disappear.
 
I've not had a chance to dive Casino Point yet, but the more I've read here on SB about it, the more I've wanted to add it to my "Places to Dive" list.

I'm hoping letters from out-of-state divers, commenting that places like Casino Point are tourism draws, helps the effort.

As far as the general agreement among divers to help preserve areas, I know the bay we dive down in Mexico is treated this way by the divers from our area. The weekend briefings for each trip typically include the statement to not take anything from the bay, so that there remains plenty for other divers to see on future trips.

Unfortunately, that only applies to us, and isn't recognized by the fishing boats that come into the area with their hookah divers to harvest everything they can.
 

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