Blue Heron Bridge Poachers

[mksmith713]

Phil Foster Park has been made a no take area from the shore only. If a person goes from shore to collect the park rangers have jurisdiction, and can issue citations, and make them release the catch.

If the person comes by boat then the park rangers have no jurisdiction. I have spoken with Marine Patrol & Fish & Wildlife officers. As long as the person has a valid salt water license there is nothing that can be done at this time. The next step will be to make the area a no take zone with the state. Then Marine Patrol & Fish & Wildlife can help stop this. Until then if by boat it is legal.

That sucks...... No wonder I haven't seen any bugs.
Damn, I sure hope no one out on the boats reads this thread.
That's all we need is to have all those beautiful cushion stars showing up in that souvenir shop up in Stuart.

 

[DennisW]

When I dived the bridge on August 22, there were a lot of Lobster heads all over the bottom. Someone had obviously taken a lot of lobster at the bridge. Not cool and sad, too.

 

[fisheyeview]

There were lobster pieces there yesterday afternoon.

 

[danvolker]

That sucks...... No wonder I haven't seen any bugs.
Damn, I sure hope no one out on the boats reads this thread.
That's all we need is to have all those beautiful cushion stars showing up in that souvenir shop up in Stuart.

It appears that the large group of commercial netters of tropicals are anchoring big sailboats over the area they want to collect in, and as such, can pretty much rape the area at their leisure, until their are no rare tropicals left to take.

When you combine an area which has a much higher concentration than normal of a desirable species, with very large numbers of human hunters/fisherman/collectors, you have a recipee for destruction of this resource/species.

Back in the 70's, 80's and 90's the Grey Grouper used to migrate along the 130 foot ledge, from jupiter on toward the south..this would follow the first big cold snap, which would send these fish in a massive migration from as far north as the carrolinas ( where they were far from shore, and not easily fished for). Once the locals knew of the cold snaps, fishing boats would start looking, and when the radios began alerting everyone that the migration was underway, it was almost like a scene from jaws..all the fisherman, all the spearfisherman, anybody who wanted greys would go forget work, and be out getting all the greys they could. As a diver in the late 70's and 80's, I would see this on the deep Jupiter reefs, and would be amazed at how many greys you could shoot( spearfish). After several decades of this occurred, there was almost an extinction level force applied to the greys, as so many fisherman preyed on them in this narrow zone along Jupiter. After around 2003, you really could harldly ever even find a grey grouper anymore, and there was no migration to speak of.

Of similar issues was the large concentration of Hogsnappers which had been going on for thousands of years over the 115 to 125 foot depth area off the lake Worth Inlet known to locals as the Playground....Back in the 90's, a good spearfisherman could shoot a dozen huge hogs in a 15 minute dive, easily. After over a decade of this, there are next to no hogfish left in this area. There was a huge concentration of divers, going after a huge concentration of hogfish.

Now we have the Blue Heron Bridge area, where there is a huge concentration of RARE species , and juveniles...and the tropical fish collectors are showing up in larger and larger numbers, as the fame of the area grows. I don't think it takes too much reflection on this, to figure out that the concentration of collectors will destroy this unique area's marine species population dynamics.

I would suggest that the collectors try places where no other divers or collectors are diving--and if it is just the impact of their own collecting ( not 1000 other collectors as well) then it should not be such a big problem to the ecosystem. There are hundres of miles of mangrove habitat, where next to no-one dives, and where many unique species could be found....why not consider that, rather than doing something that will so clearly be destructive to the Sanctuary at the Bridge.

Meanwhile, how do we get the state involved, in protecting the Bridge area with laws that have teeth in them for boaters as well?

Dan V

 

[Orlando Eric]

Hmm -- In lieu of the normal greenpeace tactics a deidcated diver could go up current from the collectors and perform a "Manuever" so hedious the mere mention of it's name is forever banned from Scubaboard.... bet that would move them along...

 

[djtimmy77]

Also, encourage everyone you know with saltwater (or freshwater for that matter) fish tanks to purchase only farm raised fish.

 

[imwright1985]

Taking lobster from BHB is Illegal, lobster laws you have to be a certain distance from bridges, docks and shore. Collecting might fall under same rule as spearfishing because you are taking a fish while you are underwater, which would give you a 100yd region around shore that no collecting is allowed.

here is collecting in states eyes, http://www.myfwc.com/RULESANDREGS/Saltwater_Regulations_recharvestmls.htm the county says nothing otherwise on their site about Phil foster, but the county is capible of possibly controling this

 

[Cave Diver]

I would suggest that the collectors try places where no other divers or collectors are diving--and if it is just the impact of their own collecting ( not 1000 other collectors as well) then it should not be such a big problem to the ecosystem. There are hundres of miles of mangrove habitat, where next to no-one dives, and where many unique species could be found....why not consider that, rather than doing something that will so clearly be destructive to the Sanctuary at the Bridge.

I have to wonder what sort of effect all the pictures that have been posted in the BHB thread have in drawing collectors?

Meanwhile, how do we get the state involved, in protecting the Bridge area with laws that have teeth in them for boaters as well?

Dan V

Doesn't this link show that protection has already been put in effect, or am I misreading the information?

http://wetpixel.com/media/news/0809_BHBPetition/BHBPetitionLetters.pdf

 

[danvolker]

I have to wonder what sort of effect all the pictures that have been posted in the BHB thread have in drawing collectors?



Doesn't this link show that protection has already been put in effect, or am I misreading the information?

That is the issue! No one really knows if the Marine Patrol or Sheriffs can do anything to collectors using boats....there are conflicting indications as to what the county of Palm Beach can actually do...And now that we(scuba-boarders) have helped turn this area in to a world famous dive for macro critters, we really need serious protections in place. The link shows the intent of the county, but it is far from clear if they have any real enforcement potential on the boat going collectors.
Dan V

 

[Airleron]

I believe, and I hope I'm wrong, that the poaching/damage is already done. We, as divers, snorkelers, swimmers and humans that frequent the BHB have already made this spot so popular that stopping whatever's going on there will be difficult, if not impossible. This makes me extremely sad.