Mini Season Toll

[mike_s]

If this is such a "deadly two day event", then why does FWC continue it every year?

 

[DixieDolphin]

If this is such a "deadly two day event", then why does FWC continue it every year?

That's what I want to know. Why not just do away with it and just have one regular lobster season?

 

[DennisS]

If this is such a "deadly two day event", then why does FWC continue it every year?

It's an economic boost to the keys during the slow season. It has more to do with politics than resource management.

 

[TennisCoach]

Please do not take it the wrong way but it is not a "Deadly two day event" Out of the 4 people that died 2 of them died for not known reasons (I know the family members suffer the same and my prayers go out to the family left behind). But lets say that the total is 4. They give so many Tickets for the wrong size lobster, not having a license, Etc, etc that I think they see it more as a "quick 2 days to make money". That is not counting the amount of people that come down here just for this event and the $$$ that they leave here. I think that they should not cancel it but they should patrol it better. I only saw one FWC boat during the whole day Wed and all that they did was to stop a guy on a 35' boat that was riding on one engine only because the other was having problems to tell them to put their life jackets on incase they had to jump to the water ( the water was 4' deep). That is not patroling the waters.

 

[HowardE]

What is the big attraction for these gomers? It's a big cockroach that you can buy at any grocery store. Is it because it's free? Or so they think. Let's see- gas for the boat, oil, gas getting the boat to the marina or launch, equipment, etc. Fighting with other morons and bubba's to risk drowning. Yep sounds like fun to me! And I was on my way on the deco stop death pool thread before they closed it. I called 8 with 2 never seen again.

Big attraction is that this is for recreational (sport) license holders only. Commercial lobstermen haven't set their traps yet. Divers have the opportunity to get out and hunt for lobsters before the commercial guys go and set traps to get theirs.

Double limit for many is also a big deal. Being able to take 12 keepers per person isn't bad. When lobster tails sell for $20 + per pound at the store, you can essentially take more than $200 worth of lobster meat.

 

[mike_s]

It's an economic boost to the keys during the slow season. It has more to do with politics than resource management.

I think you nailed it on the head.


because all the LDS's, hotels, boat centers, etc are crazy with activity because of this.


sad that politicians see it this way.

 

[TennisCoach]

second that!!!

 

[HowardE]

It's not slow season for dive operators.

 

[metaldector]

I lobster dive! I admit it. It was great fun. We didn't go out at midnight, we went at 8 AM. We didn't go to the Keys or West Palm Beach, we went to Port of Canaveral and out to Pelican Flats then over to Melbourne Reef. We had two great sun filled days on the water. We caught some bugs. We saw stingray, eels, tons of fish, nurse sharks, barricuda, Parrot fish, razor fish, starfish, scallops, and lots of female lobsters with eggs (caught and released). We all had great appetites, ate large meals, slept hard in motel beds. Our kids played at the beach and in the swimming pools at the motel. Our wives shopped for beach clothing, used the motel pool and had a great time. We saw no idiots diving, we saw no crazy boat drivers, we met no drunken once a year scuba divers, but then that might be just us.

We pumped into the Florida economy approximately $2000 dollars for our group. I'm sure the local merchants appreciated our coming.

(Sadly one of our friends died at Pelican Flats - a seasoned diver, and long time employee at one of the dive shops I use. My one dive buddy talked to Shane on Saturday as they filled their tanks. Shane was sober, skilled, and loved diving).

A lot of you here on this board and other boards as well, feel very superior to those of us that enjoy lobstering. If you don't like it what we do, when we do it, please by all means don't go out during Mini Season. Stay home, read a book, or post mineless chatter on the internet. We won't miss you.

I'm sunburned, happy, and will do this again with the right kind of sober, skilled divers that I dove with over the past two days.

 

[siikik]

Jeez. This is why I would never go out there with all those crazies at mini-season. I dunno, maybe the state ought to consider doing away with it for the good of everybody.

Ironically, my father (whom I have not spoken to for quite a long while) called me up last night because he heard about all the fatalities and wanted to know if I was out there diving in all that mess. Heh, go figure.

Good for you! You should be elsewhere with all the crazies!

I look at it this way... The mini-season provides two days of Darwin Award nominations.




Ken