No more spearing in Southeast Florida???

[Freewillow]

Reserves and no fishing area are the way to go.

 

[Johnoly]

SEFCRI is coordinated by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (FDEP) Coral Reef Conservation Program. .

I agree.

Is Coral an Animal or a plant ?

 

[Freewillow]

animal

 

[scubadada]

The proposal for limited Marine Protected Areas (RMA N-146) seems like a really excellent idea to start protecting the reefs and wildlife of SE Florida.

The proposal to ban spearfishing on scuba is entirely separate (RMA N-59)

You may view all of the proposals and leave your comments on the website, I did: OUR FLORIDA REEFS | OUR FLORIDA REEFS is a community planning process of the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative (SEFCRI) to develop recommendations for coral reef management options in South Florida.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

The proposal for limited Marine Protected Areas (RMA N-146) seems like a really excellent idea to start protecting the reefs and wildlife of SE Florida.

The proposal to ban spearfishing on scuba is entirely separate (RMA N-59)

You may view all of the proposals and leave your comments on the website, I did: OUR FLORIDA REEFS | OUR FLORIDA REEFS is a community planning process of the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative (SEFCRI) to develop recommendations for coral reef management options in South Florida.

They want to BAN ALL DIVING in the most productive areas.. That is what I read in that proposal. Do we support that? You can't even LOOK at the reef?

"Protect habitat by ELIMINATING damage from boating, fishing AND DIVING IMPACTS."

Another (different) proposal involves elimination of all shipwrecks as artificial reefs - going forward... We need to read the documents carefully before we give them a thumbs up on any of their proposals... even something that sounds as nice as "establish Coral Gardens".

 

[scubadada]

They want to BAN ALL DIVING in the most productive areas.. That is what I read in that proposal. Do we support that? You can't even LOOK at the reef?

"Protect habitat by ELIMINATING damage from boating, fishing AND DIVING IMPACTS."

Another (different) proposal involves elimination of all shipwrecks as artificial reefs - going forward... We need to read the documents carefully before we give them a thumbs up on any of their proposals... even something that sounds as nice as "establish Coral Gardens".

You are correct, I did not interpret this as no diving in the MPAs

 

[tekkydiver]

Last year I saw more and larger hogfish then in the past 5 years. Yesterday you could just about walk across the sharks off Palm Beach. This is a grab to shut off areas to sportsman. They did it in Everglades National Park and they are trying here again. (The no take zone was tried 2001 in Palm Beach and Broward and was put down). It is not the recreational fisherman/speros depleting the stocks.

I am in favor of all divers required to possess a valid Florida fishing license to help fund conservation efforts much like catch and release fisherman are required.

 

[CuzzA]

They'll ban diving and then dredge a shipping lane through the reef... Just wait until they start pulling oil around Florida.

The proposed bans are nonsense. Quit freaking polluting the ocean, don't allow shipping ports, agriculture and waste management plants next to reefs. Problem solved.

 

[Tassi Devil Diver]

Posted in the other thread, personally in my view a good move by Florida authorities to ban spearing on SCUBA.

Whilst spear fishing is touted as the most environmentally friendly form of fishing but it does have the potential to serially deplete reef species, particularly those species that have limited ranges or attracted to particular structures or have other elements of their life history that makes them particularly vulnerable. Divers return to those spots taking those fish time and time again significantly depleting that particular population which may never recover. Not so relevant to wide ranging pelagic species.

Where as other forms of recreational fishing are more reliant on an element of luck.

 

[CuzzA]

Linking back to another thread on this topic. I think these two threads should be merged.

No more spearfishing in south Florida?