Posted by Curt Billings on August 15, 2000 at 13:14:44:
In Reply to: Re: Oil Rig Diving/scallops posted by Ken Kurtis on August 15, 2000 at 12:01:19:
Interesting post, however I have a different opinion on a couple of points for what it is worth.
>>"wouldn't take too many boatloads of scallop hunters to remove enough scallops to the point of where there won't be enough left able to reproduce to sustain future scallops on the rig."
Scallops did not originate from the rigs. When the steel pilings were formed there were no scallops on them. The early stages of a scallops life are spent drifting at sea. They just attached to the rigs because it is a great host environment. If scallops were to disappear from the rigs today from an over harvest… they will be back, there is no question on that.
The rigs may actually have a infinitesimal benefit to scallop populations on the local shorelines. But you would agree it is a small ecosystem and therefore the contribution is insignificant to the area of intertidal reefs it contributes to.
>>"Just something to think about. It's a small ecosystem and our impact is much greater than the larger areas we normally visit."
Our responsibility as stewards is to be proactive, not reactive or to over react. It is hard to get everybody to agree on what level is prudent, and your point is well taken. However, I would be more concerned with most local Laguna beaches way before I got focused on scallops on the rigs. I would not want to lose the barn for the haystack.