Posted by kelphead on April 11, 2001 at 17:27:49:
In Reply to: It's Time To Be Responsible posted by Jim Hoffmann on April 11, 2001 at 08:53:41:
kudos, jim, although you had already mentioned
to me a few weeks back that you were considering
your decision to stop selling hunting gear, i just
wanted to chime in w/more praise.
i think, though, that some divers may have missed
the point slightly: the public display of jim's
decision to not sell hunting gear and to try
and encourage others to follow suit is more about
helping to change the ATTITUDE w/in the diving
community moreso than jump to the end result
which is ultimately to have a positive impact
re:the preservation and conservation of our
marine life.
i think it's pretty well documented that the
commercial guys take way more than the diving
crowd, but the point--i think--is to get people
WITHIN the diving community to think about this
issue SERIOUSLY and to act responsibly on their
own.
THEN, and only then, can our actions and eventually
our words carry more wt, and by educating others
in the diving community, AS WELL AS those outside
of the dive community about the realities of
marine hunting/harvesting, will we as a community
be more successful, God willing, in our end goal:
to manage our resources more responsibly so that
there is enough take to go around--for both rec
and commercial hunters.
growing up eating shrimp often, i had to explain
to my mom last weekend why i didn't want her to
buy shrimp for the DELICIOUS seafood dinner she was preparing
for our weekend visit. she was completely unaware
of the devastating shrimp bycatch and now she
is more informed. if she cares enough, she can
modify her own behaviour, but at least now she
knows.
at the restaurant a couple of weeks ago, i thought
i was asking the waitress a stupid q re:where the
salmon was from (ie, if it was atlantic salmon,
i was not going to order it). i was surprised
when she informed me that actually many people
do ask where the fish comes from, etc. the waitress
found out for me and i was able to make a more
informed decision about which entree to choose
that evening. i then explained to her my motives
for asking and she seemed interested in the topic.
i could be wrong, but i think that jim is just
trying to get the dive community to be more motivated
about this issue, especially since we divers
should be more concerned about the health and
well-being of our beloved ocean which we SAY we
cherish and enjoy so much.
by rethinking our own actions and then sharing
our knowledge and views w/others, and taking
a more active role, perhaps the collective dive
community can get more organized and actually be
able to something re:the commercial fisheries...just a thought.
EVERY endeavour starts small--yes, even our own
universe once upon a time had a miniscule
beginning. i think it would be naive to think
that the dive community can do anything except
bitch and moan and complain until we are more
solidified and agree more w/each other in action
as well as words. there has to be a beginning (or
stimulant) and perhaps jim's action is that much
needed catalyst.
thanx!!! again, jim.
= : )
kelphead.