Show some respect... bug hunters at Casino Point

[kelpmermaid]

I fully support the establishment of a legally enforceable no-take marine reserve at Casino Point and have expressed that opinion to DFG during the MLPA process. This area is easily accessible and very heavily dived; were it not for the convention about not hunting here, it could very easily be a wasteland.
I think that some posters here are focusing too narrowly on what the law permits. There are often consequences for violating social conventions that are not a matter of law. I also don't think that informing someone of one's displeasure necessarily constitutes harassment; following him all the way into town and haranguing him would.

 

[Chaos the Crazy]

Here's the thing...most of the divers that go to the park from the mainland are not going to pull bugs out. I'd wager a really nice bottle of wine that the ones doing the most damage are those who happen to live on the island.

Ranting to the hunters here on the board doesn't accomplish much - we aren't the problem because most of us agree that hunting in the park ruins the experience for everyone else. It's the people who will never read this thread that need to hear the message, and if/when the park does become an actual preserve, DF&G will have a field day out there until people figure it out.

 

[D_B]

Dr Bill has stated that he does not think it is the local residents

and i agree with kelpmermaid that notifying others that the park is considered a no-take area, is not harassment and I think, a good idea

 

[on_two_wheels]

Y'all know why I don't hunt lobster, deer or anything else? Grocery stores. Those damn things are everywhere!!! :mooner:

Lobster hunting by divers is for sport. Personally, I think it should be illegal to do so on scuba anywhere or using traps. Freedive down, grab one and go. If you can't, lobster wins.

Even worse...trying to catch one and it gets damaged (loss of antennae, legs, etc) and doesn't even get caught. Add to that the damage to the reef by tanks, fins and hands banging, kicking and grabbing and the effects are even more offensive.

 

[butrflyleslie]

Y'all know why I don't hunt lobster, deer or anything else? Grocery stores. Those damn things are everywhere!!! :mooner:

Lobster hunting by divers is for sport. Personally, I think it should be illegal to do so on scuba anywhere or using traps. Freedive down, grab one and go. If you can't, lobster wins.

Even worse...trying to catch one and it gets damaged (loss of antennae, legs, etc) and doesn't even get caught. Add to that the damage to the reef by tanks, fins and hands banging, kicking and grabbing and the effects are even more offensive.

Ok, I just read all these posts and I think the whole thread is rediculous and is really about who can out argue the other. However, I had to laugh a bit when I saw this last post.

You are okay with going to a grocery store to get a dead animal that has been mass produced in a farm, in inhumane conditions, and then cruely slaughtered and put on your plate, but you don't think it's okay to strap a tank on your back and grab a lobster (which still isn't easy). hmm...okay..if you feel good about that statement.

 

[Fish-R-Man]

Try to imagine what this ecosystem must been like 50, 100, 500 years ago. Then ask yourself , which is the more accurate representation of the natural potential ? QUOTE]

I know what it was like 40 years ago. I used to crew on yachts when I was a kid and dove Casino point a lot. There was not much there. When you had to row an Avon from the anchorage to your dive spot, we didn’t get that far from the harbor. I haven’t been back there since the early 80’s, so it sounds like there is much more there now then when I was diving there last. So even with the limited number of divers hunting there, the perceived idea that it was protected must have done wonders for the local wildlife population.

 

[on_two_wheels]

Ok, I just read all these posts and I think the whole thread is rediculous and is really about who can out argue the other. However, I had to laugh a bit when I saw this last post.

You are okay with going to a grocery store to get a dead animal that has been mass produced in a farm, in inhumane conditions, and then cruely slaughtered and put on your plate, but you don't think it's okay to strap a tank on your back and grab a lobster (which still isn't easy). hmm...okay..if you feel good about that statement.

Dropping a living thing into a boiling pot of water is cruel. Breaking off antennae is cruel. Tearing off it's tail and leaving the rest on the sea bed is cruel. Yada yada yada. Ultimately, eating anything "can" be considered cruel. You missed the WHOLE point of my statement. It's when you don't catch the lobster and leave it with missing body parts I think it's wrong. It's when you damage the reef system to get it that I think it's wrong. I do consider the overall environment as more vital than farmed lobsters. Not saying it's right or wrong, just my opinion.

I'm not against catching lobster. If you catch it (or leave it unharmed) every time you try and do so without damaging the environment I am all for it. Just about everyone agrees that poor buoyancy control and bouncing off the reef, rocks and sea bed is a bad thing. Then lobster season rolls around and that mindset gets put on hold by WAY too many.

I do agree that this thread, and so many others, are less about simply voicing opinions and leaving it at that and MORE about who can argue the best.

 

[drbill]

Here's the thing...most of the divers that go to the park from the mainland are not going to pull bugs out. I'd wager a really nice bottle of wine that the ones doing the most damage are those who happen to live on the island.

I might accept that wager. The only local divers I can remember seeing at the park at night are local instructors taking students out for night dives. As I've stated, very few locals dive other than the professionals. I would trust them to leave the park alone.

The divers that have been observed doing night dives... and those observed taking lobster from the park in coolers... have been from the mainland.

This is not to say that there aren't some locals who might poach. I've just never seen any evidence of it myself in the dive park.

 

[merxlin]

Ok, I just read all these posts and I think the whole thread is rediculous and is really about who can out argue the other. However, I had to laugh a bit when I saw this last post.

You are okay with going to a grocery store to get a dead animal that has been mass produced in a farm, in inhumane conditions, and then cruely slaughtered and put on your plate, but you don't think it's okay to strap a tank on your back and grab a lobster (which still isn't easy). hmm...okay..if you feel good about that statement.

As with most differences of opinion, there is discussion (or arguing) as each side posts their point of view. And since you are in effect trying to change someones mind about an issue, yes, we are trying to "out argue" each other. Given some of the other topics "discussed" on this board or in real life, I am actually quite proud of how everyone has handled this. No name calling or personal attacks. So despite differences of opinion, it has been quite civil.

As far as being OK with commercially produced food versus what is in the wild, it is not a fair comparison. The commercial food is sustainable (for the most part) and except for some very rare spots is not a source of any recreational activity. There are some environmental issues, and I'm sure many of us have taken up some of those as well. If you eat anything at all, chances are it was produced in a way that many might consider less than ideal, unless you growing your own or are buying from local growers and producers that you know. Even vegetables that are the go to point for non-carnivores can be subject to inhumane handling, as many are grown in countries other than our own and under conditions that we would not find acceptable either for the workers, the land or both.

Argue the point of non-taking if you will, but to do so by only pointing out why someone should not be allowed to have that opinion is weak and irrelevant in my opinion.

 

[DwayneJ]

Just about everyone agrees that poor buoyancy control and bouncing off the reef, rocks and sea bed is a bad thing. Then lobster season rolls around and that mindset gets put on hold by WAY too many.

Since you posted twice, I think you need to dive with more experienced buddies who don't "bounce" too much.

Dwayne