Posted by JRM on October 13, 2000 at 16:08:45:
In Reply to: RAAC 9/30/00 Meeting Summary posted by Rocky Daniels on October 13, 2000 at 14:33:00:
I punched those numbers into my calculator and (hopefully avoiding hoof in mouth disease) and came up with 32,000 cards issued ($385,000/$12 per). Are there really 32,000 folks out there fishing abs? That seems quite high. According to the U.S. Census website, the 1990 population of CA was 29,760,021, and their current estimate is 33,145,121. That's roughly one ab diver for every 1,000 non divers. That seems *really* high. Anyone know how many certified divers there are running around here?
I was asking "where are all the little ones?" when I went this past weekend. Hmm, thats kind of scary. Setting the limits down may become less of an issue in the next couple of years as the abs get harder to aquire.
Is the recreational community really having that much of an effect? Like most fish, isn't it the commercial fishers who are raping the resource? Not to bag them, I mean our purchases drive their practices, but they generally have the highest impact. And how about poachers? I had read several accounts where poachers were really doing some damage as well.
If there really are 32,000 cards floating around out there, that means the maximum legal take for the year would be 3,200,000 abs (100 per). I saw at least 1 ab every 100 ft2 (actually a whole lot more, but I'm being conservative here). at that rate, we'd wipe out the ab population over 320,000,000 ft2 (about 11.5mi2). Figuring the abs are between the shore and 1/4 mile out, thats complete decimation along 46 miles of coast. Even dropping the width of the ab zone to 1/8 mile, thats about 92 miles of coastline.
Those are worst case, using rather conservative numbers. I figure the average person bags less than 25 per year, and that there are a whole lot more legals than ever 100ft2. So the question is, where are they going? Are the otters really doing that much damage? How about the sickness?
I just got introduced to ab diving, and now I'm a junkie. I really hope they don't restrict it too much, I've just gotten started!!!
Some food for thought. If anyone has better numbers, please let me know.
JRM