Man fired from diving job after seen holding protected species

[JamesBon92007]

Speaking of lionfish, I have observed DM's and other divers shooting lionfish. Is it legal in the park?

Cheers -

I was only half-joking about the lionfish. It is my understanding that we are not supposed to touch anything, including the sand. I take that to mean lionfish too, unless you are authorized to spear them. On several occasions I was surprised that the DM did not spear them, considering their lack of popularity except perhaps in a few restaurants.

 

[npole]

Many years ago, when diving in Cozumel, we were preparing for a dive. Two of the divers in our boat first put on their gloves.

I never dive without gloves, hood, knife (actually scissors) for safety reason and I did in Cozumel as well.
Without gloves my hands gets very delicate, especially in multiple dives, and I easily get cut while operating my camera or when i have to grab a rope or such, but in general I don't like to expose my bare skin when diving, that is the same reason of why I always wear a full suit (even in the warmest water) along with a hood.
For the knife/scissors, I learned myself do not ever dive without one, after my first dives... a long story, whenever in Cozumel due to the nature of diving (high visibility, shallow water, unlikely to find a net on the reef...) without one I wouldn't have feel so uncomfortable.
I know that I risked a fine, but my idea is that you should punish the behavior (like the case of this thread) and not the instruments that you carry for your own safety and not to hunt a fish or to steal a coral.

 

[amoses]

I was only half-joking about the lionfish. It is my understanding that we are not supposed to touch anything, including the sand. I take that to mean lionfish too, unless you are authorized to spear them. On several occasions I was surprised that the DM did not spear them, considering their lack of popularity except perhaps in a few restaurants.

It is my understanding that Cozumel realized the danger of lionfish to the reefs and excluded them from the policy. In fact, I believe, they even encouraged DM's to kill every one they see. Christie could verify/clarify that.

 

[Dan]

I do get an impression of anything goes for tourist bucks attitude from the local though, when I visited Isla Mujeres & Los Cabos. Here are a couple examples:
1. While following a local dive guide underwater, the guide caught a pufferfish & made it pumped water to blow itself up like a balloon. I was a bit disgusted.
2. Then I saw in the souvenir market those blown-up pufferfish hanging as ornaments.

 

[ggunn]

As we can see, obviously not.

And gone from this forum, apparently.

 

[blue steal]

Asociación de Operadores Actividades Aquaticas de Turismo
*(An) in Spanish refers to assoc hence the “N” in the acronym

In English it would be Association of Aquatic Sports tour operators

Thanks Christi

 

[JamesBon92007]

I do get an impression of anything goes for tourist bucks attitude from the local though, when I visited Isla Mujeres & Los Cabos. Here are a couple examples:
1. While following a local dive guide underwater, the guide caught a pufferfish & made it pumped water to blow itself up like a balloon. I was a bit disgusted.
2. Then I saw in the souvenir market those blown-up pufferfish hanging as ornaments.

We boycott any store or restaurant that displays dead porcupine fish or dried seahorses.

On Isla Mujeres I must have mentioned "sea horse" because some vendor pulled out a box-full of dead seahorses. No wonder they are difficult to find while diving.

 

[Christi]

It is my understanding that Cozumel realized the danger of lionfish to the reefs and excluded them from the policy. In fact, I believe, they even encouraged DM's to kill every one they see. Christie could verify/clarify that.

ONLY Marine park guides with approved spears are permitted to be spearing them - and they must follow protocol - which DOES NOT INCLUDE FEEDING THEM TO SHARKS OR EELS (or any other perceived predator). This practice by many DM's has conditioned many of our local reef residents and a few of them have become somewhat aggressive, especially with a Lionfish on the spear. After spearing, they should be disposed of on the reef or out on the wall for nature to take its course.

Guests - regardless of how frequent or skilled or special they may be - are NOT permitted to be spearing them. If you don't have a Marine Park credential or some kind of explicit special permission from the marine park, you are not permitted to spear them or even carry a spear. Can you imagine if we gave open season to guests spearing Lionfish?

 

[2airishuman]

I finally said, "I guess you guys don't know that you aren't allowed to collect anything in the marine park." "You aren't?" one of them responded. "And you aren't supposed to wear gloves, either," I said. They looked at the DM, who said very quietly, "He's right." "Sorry," they said, and they took it all off. No problem.
....
It just takes a willingness to speak up.

I respect what you did and am glad it worked out the way it did.

For myself, I don't fly to Cozumel and pay $90 or whatever to go out on a dive boat and be the scuba police. (What if you got it wrong? What if the DM didn't back you up? What if you were right but it really pissed them off and ended up spoiling the enjoyment for a day of diving for you?)

It pains me to see people tearing up the coral with their fins. I am uncomfortable with the occasional DM who bends the rules a little on interaction with marine life. I try not be part of the problem.

I'm just skeptical of the transformative power of calling people out over the long run, and a cost-benefit analysis puts me in the red.

 

[caruso]

Can you imagine if we gave open season to guests spearing Lionfish?

A lot more lionfish would be killed?