Posted by seahunt on October 07, 1999 at 10:17:49:
In Reply to: Re: Bug Opener posted by Marta on October 07, 1999 at 02:13:37:
There never has been a purple urchin industry or sport take,
but in otter areas, there are no purple urchins.
They are gone. Anything vaugely edible is gone from the
otter areas. It wasn't the work of humans on the Central
Coast.
Otters are generalists like humans and like humans, they
are quite capable of destroying the ecology that
supports their survival. It's starting to happen in the
Central Coast and the otters are declining.
More to the point, diving in otter areas is basically a
waste of time. There is very little to see except algae.
I prefer the lush diving, seeing all the invertebrates,
over a few ravenous mega-rodents.
I, like most divers don't bother to bragg about my hunting.
I enjoy it and enjoy what I eat.
I don't think you are aware of the reality of the
situation. Those things are an ecological disaster.
Look at www.sonicnet/rocky for an in depth discussion
of the facts. Enjoy, seahunt