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Posted by Victor on June 12, 2009 at 15:02:54:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Not to target any one group of people... posted by Eric S on June 05, 2009 at 20:25:39:
I remember few years ago, Game and Fish busted the biggest abalone poacher, I think his name is Frank? BTW, a white guy, that guy was a commercial fishman and actually sitting in Abalone protection committee. But he poach them by tons, by boat loads ... and for years ... any body remember?
I am a Chinese, engineer in the valley and I had been diving for over 10 year, all my Chinese friends know I am diving, and they got fish and abalone from me, but no one wants go diving with me or learn diving, because they think too dangerous. They are most engineers. I only had one Chinese diving buddy and he hold his breath over 5 mintues and I had tons of American diving buddy.
Some of my friend told me they buy black market abalone from gardener, handmen ... I think most poach is in pretty bad financial situation.
Let me tell you one personal experience: few years ago, I and my buddy also into hunting, we went out a trip around Elk for deers, after stay in the mountain for 3 days and did not see anything, tired, hungry , we decide to call it a quit, we drove out of mountain and came to ate in a hotel in Elk around 3 pm in the Sunday afternoon. then we decide to go diving and stay one night in the hotel before heading back to San Jose. We went down the cliff and got 3 big abalones, and went to bed from 7 and told hotel we want to leave in early morning and ask him to put some ice in our cooler. I set the clock at 4 am, so I can go back to work on Monday morning. When we woke up and open the hotel door, we were greeted by high been from F&G's SUV with gun pointing to us ... the office checked everything and everything is clean, and he started relaxed and talked with us. I asked him how did he know, he said someone in hotel called them, but by the time they arrived around 1 am, we already turned off light and fall asleep. So they just waited outside and saw we woke up so early, and they are sure they busted a big one. I asked them, why don't you knock on the door, they said they want to see whatelse we will do ...As an Asian, I got checked by F&G quite often, and I am glad to get checked! I think the F&G is doing a wonderful job, abalone in north coast is in good shape. I see urchin as more threaten to abalone then poachers, there are urchine bleached reef every where, with the demand for sea urchin decreased, they are taking more territory from abalone and kelp.
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