Panama City Charter Boat Captain Fined $1,000 for Shooting at Dolphins

[drbill]

I can't believe he got off with justr a $1,000 fine. We had an incident out here where a local "fisherman" (I use the term lightly, he is NOT representative) shot at five sea lions, killing some, and shot at another boater. He got a light fine and a few months in jail. If there is only light punishment for such acts, how can we expect the laws to have much teeth?

 

[archman]

I dunno, $1000 is a ton of money to most Gulf coast folks. Charter boat captains and commercial fishermen aren't exactly rolling in greenbacks. I would say that the fee will have quite an effective deterrent effect to your average private citizen.

 

[photohikedive]

To quote a famous member of this board....blah, blah, blah! You focus on the fact that they are warm blooded and I will focus on the fact that they have fins and swim in the water. If it walks like a duck....etc, etc.

I have seen a few people that are rather obese, and they tend to waddle, they walk like ducks..... it's still duck season...... by your logic, I can shoot fat people.

you're so dead

 

[photohikedive]

I dunno, $1000 is a ton of money to most Gulf coast folks. Charter boat captains and commercial fishermen aren't exactly rolling in greenbacks. I would say that the fee will have quite an effective deterrent effect to your average private citizen.

you obviously haven't been to Destin, or SanDestin lately. there are entire communities of people there that use hundred dollar bills to pick thier dogs mess up with.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Holy crap, its like the FL Conch forum from a year ago... Home sweet home-ish.

 

[photohikedive]

huh? what?

 

[archman]

you obviously haven't been to Destin, or SanDestin lately. there are entire communities of people there that use hundred dollar bills to pick thier dogs mess up with.

This is the single funniest post I've read all week. It should get an award.

 

[paulwall]

To quote a famous member of this board....blah, blah, blah! You focus on the fact that they are warm blooded and I will focus on the fact that they have fins and swim in the water. If it walks like a duck....etc, etc.

I'm told that Dolphin (or Porpoise) taste like chicken, not duck! Ask PHD!

 

[mike_s]

I certainly will not defend harassing or shooting dolphins but it should be put in context...to most people dolphins are flipper with a cute grin on his face. To a commercial fisherman who makes his living having people catch fish off of his boat, a dolphin trailing behind his boat means bait fish will be scared away and in turn the predators that feed off of them will leave. The only place a captain makes money off of seeing dolphins is on a sight seeing cruise...any other time they are a fish that is scaring away business.

I repeat again, this doesn't justify shooting at them but it does explain why someone could feel compelled to shoot at something that in their mind is scaring business and money away. Just another perspective.

I guess that's one perspective... the fishing captains.


We could always look at it from the Dolphins perspective.... The fishermen is just out there to get the fish the dolphin eats and the dolpin is just following the boat trying to get a meal.

I guess the fisherman thinks it's the dolphins fault, but maybe the dolphin perspective thinks it's ths fishermans fault?

In situations like this, we just have to ask ourselves WWFD (What Would Flipper Do?)


We could make this more interesting. let supply the dolphin with guns and let them shoot back. then all the dolphin sight seeing boats would really be making a bundle. "Live Dolphin-Fishermen Shoo-outs". $50 per ticket to watch!.

But alas, don't underestimate your average redneck fisherman. He'll just get a silencer for his gun.

I'm told that Dolphin (or Porpoise) taste like chicken, not duck! Ask PHD!

I saw a bumper sticker in Florida once that had to be one of the funniest I've ever seen. I know this guy just put it on his car to screw with people.

On one side of his bummer was a bumper sticker that said:
"Manatee. Taste like Chicken"

And the other side had:
"Manatee. The other White Meat"

 

[merxlin]

I guess that's one perspective... the fishing captains.


We could always look at it from the Dolphins perspective.... The fishermen is just out there to get the fish the dolphin eats and the dolpin is just following the boat trying to get a meal.

I guess the fisherman thinks it's the dolphins fault, but maybe the dolphin perspective thinks it's ths fishermans fault?

In situations like this, we just have to ask ourselves WWFD (What Would Flipper Do?)


We could make this more interesting. let supply the dolphin with guns and let them shoot back. then all the dolphin sight seeing boats would really be making a bundle. "Live Dolphin-Fishermen Shoo-outs". $50 per ticket to watch!.

But alas, don't underestimate your average redneck fisherman. He'll just get a silencer for his gun. QUOTE]

"You know, I have one simple request. And that is to have dolphins with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads! Now evidently my cycloptic colleague informs me that that cannot be done. Ah, would you remind me what I pay you people for, honestly? Throw me a bone here!"