Bob DBF
Contributor
Back to molluska... As far as conservation is concerned, I don't see freediving as much help. Sure; commercial ban, established seasons, bag limits, MPAs, those I see helping... but freediving only, I'm not so sure.
A couple negatives I see with freediving:
- Abalone are pried off rocks and later found to be too small or the diver wanted a bigger one (or whatever).
If the abalone has been cut when it is returned to the water, it will die.
- Areas within easy reach of freedivers are over-fished, other areas are left alone.
Too small is a problem with new Ab divers, but that is the reason for the gauge, when in doubt use it before you take the Ab. The folks I've shown ab diving use this method.
Upgrading Abs is illegal and beween Fish&Game, Park Rangers, the civilian Abalone Watch, and divers like myself (who will turn in violators) there are more eyes on the water looking for that activity which would never be seen if divers are on SCUBA.
Abalone repopulate in areas of heavy pressure and the areas that are left alone provide the seed. Another point is that from my experience over 40+ years, is there are a lot of legal Abalone in the areas that have high pressure because of their ability to "hide" and inability of a great number of divers to dive. As it is people an still walk out on the rocks on a low tide and find legal Abalone, this is allowed as well as freediving.
I think scuba would help eliminate the waste and more evenly distribute the fishing. BTW, I'm not advocating for Scuba only.
On SCUBA the same behaviors can happen as in freediving, and there would be no way to tell if the were upgrading without being their buddy. In addition every diver would return with a limit every time, this does not happen freediving. The weather, vis, and physical ability would become less of a barrier so there would be more divers in the water more often. Although you are not advocating for SCUBA only, it would be like SoCal, where SCUBA diving for Abs was allowed, and you would be lucky to see a legal Ab on a tank of gas.
This would more evenly distribute the fishing, but in no time the Ab population would be decimated and the limit would be 1 per year, if that. Imagine the pressure to upgrade to make sure you had the largest Ab possible if you could only take one.
Bob
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"This is scuba board, where problems are imagined or overstated......and chests get thumped about what some would do about those "problems" "- PullMyFinger