One killer removed from the water, another escapes

[MaxBottomtime]

It's an offshore reef, not visited by dive boats. There is so much life on these reefs, usually 6-10 miles offshore because they're usually pristine. Unfortunately, the amount of fish on these reefs attract the netters, who try to drag up every fish they can. When they snag a net, they simply cut it free and it continues to kill for years. I gave Phil the coordinates so the Ocean Defenders Alliance can get out there soon and remove it. It was a horrific sight, seeing a dozen dead sea lions in a small area.

 

[orange_diver]

add me to the list of volunteers. i can also probably bring two or three other divers as well. thank you for posting this.

 

[Jim Ernst]

Great job Phil.

It is such a shame that we have people that allow this stuff to happen and are lucky to have people like you that care!

If something where to get organized I to would be there to help out!

 

[Teamcasa]

Thank you Phil and Merry for doing this work, I would love to be able to help as well.

 

[red_infinity]

Wow. Very sad. Thank you guys for your efforts! I think it's really nice of you guys to take the time to do this.

 

[drbill]

Kudos to you and your group, Phil. And I thought gill nets had been totally banned in State waters. Do you think this one predates the ban or was it in federal waters?

 

[The Chairman]

As a side note, should these groups want to have space here on ScubaBoard, I would be more than happy to provide such! It might be a good recruiting point for them to use.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Kudos to you and your group, Phil. And I thought gill nets had been totally banned in State waters. Do you think this one predates the ban or was it in federal waters?

I remember when the proposition passed. Gill nets were no longer allowed within three miles of shore or anywhere along the front side of Catalina. Patrick Smith said it may now be six miles, but I see lots of them set just past the three mile mark from L.A. and Long Beach Harbors. If you see black flags on the surface, don't drop down unless you wish to end up like the sea lions. I had to go back down and recover a snagged camera after everyone else was up. It was fortunate it wasn't a snagged diver.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Another diver took this disturbing shot. This sums up the feeling of seeing dead animals stretching beyond our visibility.

 

[SteveAD]

Bravo Zulu