Posted by Eric Frasco on March 12, 2001 at 13:18:15:
In Reply to: ----->30-50% of Channel Islands to be designate as No-Take-Zones!<------ posted by Dimitrios on March 12, 2001 at 10:55:54:
Be Careful!
On Saturday, I had the opportunity to talk to Locky Brown, member of the CINMS Advisory Committee (AC) and the only member representing the interests of Scuba and Free Divers on the AC.
Locky showed a "50%" map with nearly all shoreline areas designated for closure, which means that a disproportionate amount of the closed areas are the shallower portions of the Sanctuary. So the majority of areas that are accessable to divers WILL BE CLOSED.
Will they be NO-DIVE zones? Probably not. But there are a lot of users of the resources that go there for game. And that means that game taking will be concentrated on the areas that are left open. And if it becomes no-take now, what if they decide at a later date that blowing bubbles and shooting strobes "disturbs" the marine life?
I am all for establishing a reasonable amont of No-Take zones in the CINMS, but not so that it takes away a disproportionate amount of the areas that are accessible to divers.
Please, if you can, attend the CINMS AC Marine Reserves Working Group meeting on Wednesday, March 21, 7 pm at Fess Parker Doubletree Resort, 633 East Cabrillo in Santa Barbara, and support divers interests by letting the AC know that the areas proposed for closure by Locky Brown are representative of what the diving community desires.
-Eric Frasco-