Posted by mike on March 12, 2001 at 22:58:48:
In Reply to: Re: Be Careful - You could loose all diving access posted by Steve Clark on March 12, 2001 at 19:10:09:
but, having done work for certain government agencies, which will remain heretofore unamed, i find that many of the policy-shapers can be a tad misinformed and/or arrogant (hell, some of them were my colleagues in grad school) and looking at what is happening in the Dry Tortugas, i would venture to say that divers had damn well better keep their eyes and ears open for policy that restricts their access to certain waters. Some decision makers will not necessarily differentiate between the diver who carries a speargun and the diver who carries a camera.
That being said, we divers (spearos, photogs and otherwise) need to be verrrry careful about being the sacrificial lambs for the recreational angler industry and worse yet, the commercial fishing industry (look at the bullshit up in Monterey Bay).
Remember, were dealing with politics here, and we will need to kick and scream a bit to make sure we don't end up trading a horse for a rabbit so to speak. Not to imply anything about anyone, but consider this; people who are afraid of the water may end up making the decisions for those who aren't afraid of the water!