Sad day for Blue Heron Bridge

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So, do these "professional collectors" have names? So that future prospective employers would know what sort of sh*tstorm they're setting themselves up for by employing these clowns?

Edit: sorry, braino: I meant employers. As in nobody would hire these guys again.
 
So, do these "professional collectors" have names? So that future prospective employees would know what sort of sh*tstorm they're setting themselves up for by employing these clowns?
They usually work for themselves, they have one of a very few permits issued by the state. They keep who they collect for very quiet...
 
So, do these "professional collectors" have names? So that future prospective employers would know what sort of sh*tstorm they're setting themselves up for by employing these clowns?

Edit: sorry, braino: I meant employers. As in nobody would hire these guys again.
Dynasty Marine in Marathon
Caribbean Tropicals in Key Largo
Florida Keys Marine Life in Big Pine Key

EDIT - I have no idea if these were the collectors at BHB or not. These are just the names of professional collectors who hold FWC permits to collect corals or tropical fish.

Here is some reading for ya...
Collecting Marine Life for Research
 
So I am curious - I have dove BHB several times in the day and the night. It is without a doubt the best place I have dove - hands down.

But I am not sure why the outrage - these folks are doing it completely legally - if you don't agree with the process - go to the state or the legislators...

How is this any different than posting in the newspaper those citizens that own handguns legally? Go after the politicians not those that follow the rules...

Am I missing something?
 
So I am curious - I have dove BHB several times in the day and the night. It is without a doubt the best place I have dove - hands down.

But I am not sure why the outrage - these folks are doing it completely legally - if you don't agree with the process - go to the state or the legislators...

How is this any different than posting in the newspaper those citizens that own handguns legally? Go after the politicians not those that follow the rules...

Am I missing something?
the outrage is that they didn't do what the permit allowed them to do.. collect at multiple locations with minimal impact to the environment. They were lazy and just pillaged one area because it was easier than going to multiple locations and just taking a little here and there. The fact that FWC immediately revoked the permit speaks volumes.


Call our state rep and senate offices
And our federal reps
This is how change can take place
Al Jacquet 561-650-6846
Bobby Powell 561-650-6880
Alcee Hastings 202-225-1312
Bill Nelson 202-224-5284
Marco Rubio 202-224-3041
 
So I am curious - I have dove BHB several times in the day and the night. It is without a doubt the best place I have dove - hands down.

But I am not sure why the outrage - these folks are doing it completely legally - if you don't agree with the process - go to the state or the legislators...

How is this any different than posting in the newspaper those citizens that own handguns legally? Go after the politicians not those that follow the rules...

Am I missing something?
That's not a good analogy. It would be closer if that handgun owner used the handgun to wipe out (nearly) the entire population of a neighborhood. The law meant to allow the guy to defend himself. He took advantage of the situation to decimate a local population.

Clearly the aquarium did not intend for the collection company to decimate BHB and they're sending the surviving fish back to BHB. They intended for the collector to collect species from all over the state. The permit issuer also thought the collector was going to collect from "all over". The collector then instead collected from only one location. Technically it's within the boundaries of the permit, but it is clearly not what the permit intended to allow. It's just a matter of the state and the aquarium not conceiving of the need to explicitly tell the ******* collector to collect from a variety of locations.

In short, the collector is a scumbag who took advantage of an unintended loophole. The State and the Aquarium figured it out, closed the loophole and are trying to make amends.

It's surprising to me that phil foster park wasn't already protected. I assumed it was. Hopefully this will result in it becoming an SPA or similar protected area.
 
From BHB Scuba FB page..
In response to some of the questions we’ve been seeing regarding the most recent issues with fish collection at the Blue Heron Bridge here is some information that has been shared with all of us by Dan Volker who has been a huge advocate of Blue Heron Bridge conservation.
For those wondering what the FWC has been doing to protect the BHB, Dan Volker has been working with some of the top people in the FWC for many months now, to make the BHB a no collection zone. So after this December, it is our hope the current law will be changed, and an incident such as the one with Moody Aquarium, would not be possible without major arrest warrants being issued. As to why this was allowed in the last week, the laws surrounding regulation of the marine life at the BHB have been preventing its protection, ever since any of us became proactive about this....for years, many believed there was nothing that could be done. The short version of a very long story, is that we succeeded in gaining the support of the commissioners of the FWC, as well as our own Palm Beach County Commissioners, and the foundation for changing the law was built. We also gained some very powerful FWC directors as advocates for the BHB.

When we heard about the collecting late last night, we knew this was something no one was expecting... Dan spoke with a top regional FWC director very early this morning, and he was shocked that this was going on..he immediately investigated, and found out the particulars. The permit was requested long ago, and it was a general permit…also it was never intended to be used like it was in this incident. Technically, the way the laws are written, this was a legal event that the FWC could not prevent. However, we quickly discovered the collectors were never supposed to be able to take all the fish they had a permit for, in one tiny place, and certainly not from the BHB.
The FWC is trying to cancel or radically amend the permit today, and the permit holder is furious with the collectors for the blatant misuse. They have been re-called to Texas. Immediately.
Now the FWC people that have partnered with us to change the law to make the BHB a no collection zone, will be using the imaging from this disgusting environmental looting of the BHB, to potentially get the laws fixed for us, even faster than the executive legal event that was for December. .
We may well get an executive order even before December, due to this tragic and disgusting collection event.

The FWC people are furious about this. They are 100% on our side, and whatever we do, we need to treat them as a key alliance. Thank you Dan and Sandra for all of your tireless efforts please keep us posted as to how we can support your efforts.
 
So I am curious - I have dove BHB several times in the day and the night. It is without a doubt the best place I have dove - hands down.

But I am not sure why the outrage - these folks are doing it completely legally - if you don't agree with the process - go to the state or the legislators...

How is this any different than posting in the newspaper those citizens that own handguns legally? Go after the politicians not those that follow the rules...

Am I missing something?
Legal doesn't mean ethical. It is outrageous that they take fish that a lot of folks come to Florida to see, for the benefit of a few in Galveston. If they were going to Tampa, I wouldn't be as miffed.
 
Legal doesn't mean ethical. It is outrageous that they take fish that a lot of folks come to Florida to see, for the benefit of a few in Galveston. If they were going to Tampa, I wouldn't be as miffed.

Yeah, but it's still too small of a site though. Off the coast of Tampa I see hundreds of jawfish, blennies, etc. during my dives. Our shelf is huge. Nearly 100 miles out all within recreational depths. There was no need to collect from that site unless you are cheap and lazy.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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