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florida spiny lobster

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dubbwool

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I joined this forum to let fellow divers know what the commercial lobster interest and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission are trying to do about Recreational Crawfish Diving in Florida. I don't know if this is considered political or not? A spiny lobster advisory board has been formed that is composed of 5 commercial trappers, 2 wholesale dealers, 3 commercial divers and 3 recreational divers as you can see this is heavily weighted in favor of commercial interest, 10 to 3 is not odds in our favor. In the past few years every new restriction has applied to recreational divers. We are the majority but they seem to speak with a louder voice. We need help to stop this practice. You can all help by writing to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission 620 South Meridian Street mailbox 4B2 Tallahassee,Florida 32399-1600 and let them know we want this to stop. If you want more information please respond to this letter. Even if you have never dove in Florida you may come here some day to enjoy this exciting and tasty experience.
 
dubbwool:
In the past few years every new restriction has applied to recreational divers. We are the majority but they seem to speak with a louder voice. We need help to stop this practice.

What are the specifics?
 
I would definately like to get more involved..mor than writting letters...I'm retired from NASA and just teaching full time now
 
Coming from new england, I think Southern lobsters are rubbery, grainy tastless creatures. Ick.
 
Walter:
What are the specifics?
They eliminated the 24 per boat , made it illegal to dive structures that were placed illegally by commercial divers thus protecting them from honest lawabiding divers, while the FWC admits they are unable to stop them from placing new or diving for lobster on the existing structures. Now they are asking for special permits allowing Commercial Divers to dive on structures that they placed illegally in the first place. The commercial interest want the Sport Mini Season eliminated. They want to limit the number of people allowed to recreationally dive for crawfish. The commercial people already take over 75% of the annual catch. I personally belive if we the recreational majority ask the FWC to put a stop to commercial lobster diving and only allow the commercial taking of lobster by trapping we would eliminate any reason for the placing of more structures and nature would take care of the existing ones . These structures are presently being placed at an alarming rate. According to the Marine Patrol there has been over 26 miles built. They have been placed in the grass beds where the lobster feed and are killing large patches of grass. I have been diving the lower Keys since 1978 and last season was the worst I have ever seen it. The lobster are not comming past the structures into the channels or coral wher they normally would go.
 
dbg40:
Coming from new england, I think Southern lobsters are rubbery, grainy tastless creatures. Ick.

Don't eat them - problem solved.
 
dubbwool:
They eliminated the 24 per boat , made it illegal to dive structures that were placed illegally by commercial divers thus protecting them from honest lawabiding divers, while the FWC admits they are unable to stop them from placing new or diving for lobster on the existing structures. Now they are asking for special permits allowing Commercial Divers to dive on structures that they placed illegally in the first place. The commercial interest want the Sport Mini Season eliminated. They want to limit the number of people allowed to recreationally dive for crawfish. The commercial people already take over 75% of the annual catch. I personally belive if we the recreational majority ask the FWC to put a stop to commercial lobster diving and only allow the commercial taking of lobster by trapping we would eliminate any reason for the placing of more structures and nature would take care of the existing ones . These structures are presently being placed at an alarming rate. According to the Marine Patrol there has been over 26 miles built. They have been placed in the grass beds where the lobster feed and are killing large patches of grass. I have been diving the lower Keys since 1978 and last season was the worst I have ever seen it. The lobster are not comming past the structures into the channels or coral wher they normally would go.

Thanks, now we know what we are talking about when we write.
 
its too popular, there are tons of accidnets out there during the mini season and what not. I would not step foot in FL around that time. crowds and crashes, thats what it should be called :wink:

I am not agaist it at all, I just think it has gotten out of hand a little.
 
At this time we need to write letters to FWC, newspapers, magazines, state politicians and getting the word out to recreational divers. We need to let the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission Know that we are the majority and stop treating us like step children. A group of us are trying to build up a Recreational Dive origanization. One of the Recreational Divers on the advisory board is trying to build a data base of Email address's. He would also like copies of all letters sent to the commission. If you want to converse directly my Email is dubbwool@earthlink.net
 
There was a time I would agree with you. The automobile traffic is still bad, but even the Marine patrol admits that in the last couple of years. Their citations have gone down. Most of the boaters are getting more respectiful. We still get a few Idiots on the water and there are a lot of unsafe practices by inexperanced divers. We just need to keep trying to better inform people aboute the dangers like over crowing of boats and diving without dive floats.
 
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