When things reopen...

[Snoweman]

I want to head to FL and take a lionfish hunting class.

 

[Johnoly]

..a bunch of people lining up to kill the things I'm trying to see

Pretty bold statement....but I'll bet you didn't know that harvester's like me and the products we collect actually help save people's lives. The fish oils are used in squalene-based adjuvants that make vaccines more immunogenic. Most of the Corona Virus vaccines under development right now, are being designed with this.

So if you don't want to see your friends and family "killed" as you say, from Covid-19, you might want to understand that what we do is help in a small but important way.

 

[UTscuba]

Pretty bold statement....but I'll bet you didn't know that harvester's like me and the products we collect actually help save people's lives. The fish oils are used in squalene-based adjuvants that make vaccines more immunogenic. Most of the Corona Virus vaccines under development right now, are being designed with this.

So if you don't want to see your friends and family "killed" as you say, from Covid-19, you might want to understand that what we do is help in a small but important way.

that's not what I said, I said I don't want to get on a dive boat where that's a simultaneous activity.

OP was proposing to open the lobster and grouper season as a way of increasing sales to the diving industry, I was merely pointing out that I personally avoid dive boats that do both activities. So OPs plan to help the diving industry would discourage me personally from visiting Florida to dive.

If you want to harvest/fish, please be explicit about your motives, don't try to pretend that it's somehow altruistic for the dive community.

edit: and I unreservedly exempt lionfish from the above.

 

[NAUI Wowie]

No offense to anyone, but as an ecologist and lifelong FL resident the "retiree exemption" from fishing/hunting licensing is Florida's biggest mistakes.

Those who are putting the most pressure on resources should be paying more, not less.

you must be kidding. Becoming a senior citizen you move from a job to a tiny fixed income. Life becomes difficult for most retirees for sooooo many reasons. you want to charge a retired senior MORE MONEY than a 30 something ? that by the way probably dives ten times more a year than an old person.

soooo much wrong with a philosophy that hurts the old. we will all be there one day soon

 

[scubadada]

Hi @UTscuba

A couple of things. First, I went on the record against a change in the hunting seasons When things reopen...

Secondly, I've been diving in Boynton Beach, Jupiter, and West Palm for going on 11 years now, about 1050 dives. This is some of the best diving in Florida, some of the best diving including the Caribbean. I mainly use just 5 or 6 boats. On all of them, I share space with lobster hunters and/or spear fisherman. I do much of my diving solo and rarely see other divers, let alone the hunters, who often dive in a different area. The hunters are often among the most skilled divers on the boat. There's no bycatch, they use all they catch. Over the years, many have become my friends. Though I have chosen not to hunt, we all share a great love of the ocean and diving. Though I have not seen my friend @Johnoly for a while, I'm looking forward to seeing him after the Covid-19 pandemic cools down. Seafood kabobs, yum

I'm not sure why your experience on boats with hunters has been so negative. I'd bet you'd have a great time on any of the boats I use. If you find yourself returning to SE Florida, I'd be glad to share my operators with you.

Very best and good diving,

Craig

 

[UTscuba]

Hi @UTscuba
I'm not sure why your experience on boats with hunters has been so negative. I'd bet you'd have a great time on any of the boats I use. If you find yourself returning to SE Florida, I'd be glad to share my operators with you.

I dive mostly SoCal and one of my favorite things to do is sit on the bottom and stir up silt for Sheepheads to search through for things to eat, They're curious and fairly bold and I've frequently had four or five snuffling around me. They're not difficult to kill if you want to do that, they're big and slow and easy to stab with a spear, much like groupers. It's deeply unpleasant then to get out of the water and have to spend the day with a bucket of dead Sheepheads next to my dive station from the hunter next to me, and knowing that my playing with them likely made them lose their fear and probably got them killed. If you don't understand why that's problematic then I don't think either of us is going to convince the other.

As to lobsters, I've seen way too many abandoned lobster pots filled with dead or trapped lobsters to have anything positive to think about lobster fishing.

 

[happy-diver]

Most of the Corona Virus vaccines under development right now, are being designed with this.

A treatment yes, a vaccine will take some time, if a vaccine is ever developed.

So if you don't want to see your friends and family "killed" as you say, from Covid-19, you might want to understand that what we do is help in a small but important way.

Government may do well installing you as an advocate for the opposition if they wish to stay in power

Unless that opposition is the Delusional party

 

[greeniguana]

you must be kidding. Becoming a senior citizen you move from a job to a tiny fixed income. Life becomes difficult for most retirees for sooooo many reasons. you want to charge a retired senior MORE MONEY than a 30 something ? that by the way probably dives ten times more a year than an old person.

soooo much wrong with a philosophy that hurts the old. we will all be there one day soon

Yes! Florida! The land of all those poor old people with tiny winey incomes. I'm blowing milk out my nose.

Have you been to Siesta Key? Boca? Ft Lauderdale? The Villages? Celebration?

Retirees establish residency in FL to avoid high taxes they would have to pay at their other house up north. They can pay full price for a fishing license. Specially since they do most of the fishing.

Sure, there are some modest retirement havens, Crystal River, port Charlotte, new port ritchey, palm harbor. But they aren't as filled up as the high dollar zones.

 

[scubadada]

I dive mostly SoCal and one of my favorite things to do is sit on the bottom and stir up silt for Sheepheads to search through for things to eat, They're curious and fairly bold and I've frequently had four or five snuffling around me. They're not difficult to kill if you want to do that, they're big and slow and easy to stab with a spear, much like groupers. It's deeply unpleasant then to get out of the water and have to spend the day with a bucket of dead Sheepheads next to my dive station from the hunter next to me, and knowing that my playing with them likely made them lose their fear and probably got them killed. If you don't understand why that's problematic then I don't think either of us is going to convince the other.

As to lobsters, I've seen way too many abandoned lobster pots filled with dead or trapped lobsters to have anything positive to think about lobster fishing.

So, sounds like some of the boats in California are not good for you either. Do you have boats without hunters? I don't dive in California much these days but the operators I have most recently used in San Diego included hunting. The lobster pots are commercial, not sport, a different problem.

It seems like Caribbean or similar diving with operators without hunting would be best for you. Perhaps that's what you are already doing. I like that diving too, but variety is the spice. Florida is my second home, the diving is fantastic.

To each their own. Enjoy your diving.

 

[UTscuba]

So, sounds like some of the boats in California are not good for you either. Do you have boats without hunters?

I do fine, I now just make a point of asking beforehand if there will be hunting on the boat. Some do and some don't. I just pick the ones that don't.

edit: I don't do it antagonistically, and I'm not trying to pick a fight with anyone, I'm just ensuring that I enjoy my trip.

edit 2: I usually ask "will I be able to hunt?"

I don't think I'm alone in my aversion.