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Scuba Forum / Scuba Locations / August 2003Mini Season in Islamorda
Well, Capt. Jim was right about there not being as many lobster on the reefs this year. We had to really work for the 19 that we took home. We arrived to beautiful viz on Monday and Tuesday and just scouted out some old areas we usually hit and knew it was going to be slim. Did some nice diving at Alligator Light and hit some grouper on the outside of the light with the spear gun. People were doing good with the new rules for the most part and the only major thing that popped up was some idiot got caught with 400 shorts at Snake Creek............what an idiot! The marine patrol was out and they came out to check us and were very nice and pro about everything they were doing and all in all my hat is off to those guys and the swell job they did this year. We saw a larger amount of idiot boat pilots this year even though it was calmer than most years in the past. One pilot drove a multi million dollar yacht hard aground just north of Holiday Isle. He was trying to hit the markers for Snake Creek and instead headed into Tropicl Reefs channel.........very bad day for him! Anyways we made it through another Mini Madness with no injuries, citations, mishaps......other than a speared cooler while loading the truck........long story. Steve Thanks for the report. We're headed down Mon. night for opening day on Wed. We're not expecting much either. Bringing along spearguns also. Going down to Marathon. It's been slim pickings for the last several years so my instinct is it's just going to get worse. Something pretty drastic has got to be done. Like limiting traps or no mini season or something. Whatever few lobsters are there get slaughtered during mini season. We were in the Tortugas in late June spearfishing and we came in with a lot less grouper and hogs than we have in the past. I hope to see the tag system put in place soon. That is going to be the only way that we get it back to the old days. To me that makes a lot more sense than worrying about the divers getting under your dock. There were a lot of grouper and hogs off where we stayed in the Middle Keys. We did Tortugas last year and did very well. I hope they keep busting these idiots that ruin for the rest of us. The start of regular season seems to be worse than the mini anymore. There was an interesting letter to the editor of the Keynoter today about how upset this rich p#$@% was that folks came up HIS cannel in "rusting boats" to dive for lobster. I plan to write to the same editor to complain how all the buildings I see on Duck Key have ruined the Keys that I remember > Thanks for the report. We're headed down Mon. night for opening day on Wed. > We're not expecting much either. Bringing along spearguns also. Going down to [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > spearfishing and we came in with a lot less grouper and hogs than we have in > the past. > Thanks for the report. We're headed down Mon. night for opening day on Wed. > We're not expecting much either. Bringing along spearguns also. Going down to [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > spearfishing and we came in with a lot less grouper and hogs than we have in > the past. Interesting. Hogfish, to the best of my knowledge, are not caught on hook, line or net. They are almost exclusively taken by spear. Assuming that's correct, guess who gets credit when the stocks are diminished. Like you, I'm a spearfisherman and, in previous years, made annual trips to the Tortugas. As a rule, we limit the fish we take and, more particularly, the hogfish we take. We hunt the big ones, leaving the naive youngsters to grow to "worth the effort" size. Lee > Well, Capt. Jim was right about there not being as many lobster on the reefs > this year. We had to really work for the 19 that we took home. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > major thing that popped up was some idiot got caught with 400 shorts a > Snake Creek............what an idiot! And how many more out there do you think there are that didn't get caught? This does not only happen during mini-season. Why do you think the reefs are depleted? There are the usual bunch on the shallow end of the gene pool that have no clue what conservation is. Then you have the people that are conservationally (sorry, new word?) intelligent, such as Lee Bell in this thread, and yourself. Unfortunately, you and Lee are in the minority. Capt. Banny in Marathon had told me they should probably cancel the "season" to give things a chance to regenerate, but canceling everyone's bread and butter was a problem. Banny, correct me if I'm wrong. Capt. Wyatt, feel free to ring in on this one. Banny told me more damage is done to the reef system in the lobster season than at any other time during the year. How many years do you think it will take until it's devastated? George The marine patrol was out and they > came out to check us and were very nice and pro about everything they were > doing and all in all my hat is off to those guys and the swell job they did [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Steve > Banny told me more damage is done > to the reef system in the lobster season than at any other time during > the year. How many years do you think it will take until it's > devastated? I'd say Banny is right. Some of these people will knock coral heads over to take a short female lobster.  SignatureJim Wyatt PADI Master Instructor #4612/IANTD Instructor Florida Keys Reef-Divers, Inc. www.reef-divers.com Glad you said "some" Jim. We dive off the reefs towing over the area looking for grouper holes. We use GPS to find some structure but we ALWAYS stay off the reef while looking for lobster. There are folks that come down there and give the rest of us a bad name and I will continue to turn them in as I see them. I dive one time out of the year for lobster and I do it by the rules. I continue to suggest that we need a tag system to better control the whole season. I am so frustrated to see people limit out two and three times a day. steve > > Banny told me more damage is done > > to the reef system in the lobster season than at any other time during [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > Florida Keys Reef-Divers, Inc. > www.reef-divers.com |
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