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).
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).