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Florida East Coast Spearfishing Let's talk here about spearing on Florida's Atlantic coast. Reports and other issues about this region belong here. |
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12-18-2014, 12:18 PM | #1 |
Big Time Bug Hunter
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Orlando
Posts: 3,097
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Bad NOAA Lionfish proposal
This was published in the Federal Register. NOAA wants $22 million to study what we already know. What they need to do is save the money and give Spearo's an added incentive to kill more lionfish. I made this same proposal earlier this year at the FWC workshop in Cocoa Beach, but it went no where. Link to Federal Register page: https://www.federalregister.gov/arti...anagement-plan
Here's the meat of the proposal, followed by my comments I submitted. You are welcome to copy and paste and email them also My Email Comments to: susan.pasko@noaa.gov The people that actually remove lionfish and help save the reefs are undisputely scuba divers who spearfish. If you truly want to see measured, tracked, verifiable results, then provide the non-monetary incentives. Yes, save the agency money by providing non-money incentives to remove more lionfish. To achieve this, allow one additional bag limit per day for a single regular season species, when atleast 10 lionfish are “landed” in whole condition with the days catch. So instead of 1 gag grouper in south east Florida per day, you also land 10 lionfish prior,which would entitle you to 2 gag grouper. The percentage of biomass reduction because spearfishing represents less than 2 percent of total take has almost no population effect on the grouper/species biomass because they are too small a subset. But the compounded effects of lionfish removal are ten fold, because once havested, that spearfishman may never find his 2nd bag limit before the day ends. Then he needs to start all over the next day with 10 more lionfish. In effect you are getting 10 fold increase in effort for almost no biomass effect. For law enforcement, this also is the simplest and easiest method to enforce. A harvester has one species over the recreational limit which would normally result in a fine/penalty upon inspection. But the officer could easily count 10 dead lionfish also in possesion and grant the waiver, without cumbersome paperwork, measurements, or other time consuming tasks to verify compliance. All normal season closures, minimum size, and other regulations apply. You just get one additional harvest limit on one single species per day only if you land 10 lionfish prior. I suggest a limited time frame test of one calendar year to evaluate the test program and if it is working. If it does, continue, if it does not cancel it. The best part is it's ZERO cost to the agency for scuba divers to 10 fold their lionfish removal. Most divers won't now because there is no reward for the risk of a painfully Lionfish spine sting from harvesting. Give them a zero agency cost reward and watch them kill thousands of lionfish. This will be a text book success program with many awards for the agency head that claims it as their program. There is no failure possible because more lionfish are going to be removed even in the test.
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12-18-2014, 04:30 PM | #2 |
Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Weston, FL
Posts: 1,594
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Re: Bad NOAA Lionfish proposal
If the government does a study to determine the result of 2+2, mostly it will be wrong....
another 22M to corruption aka campaign contributors.
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Jose G. ---Dive Safe--- |
12-18-2014, 05:04 PM | #3 |
Registered User
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Orange Beach, Alabama
Posts: 1,075
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Re: Bad NOAA Lionfish proposal
Your proposal makes way too much sense, and costs way too little for the "Gubmint" to even understand, let alone seriously consider implementing. Remember, these are the guys who don't sample for Red Snapper at wrecks in the northern gulf because their nets would get tangled if they did! Then they just don't understand why their assessments of Red Snapper stocks are off by 300%. It's going to, quite literally, take an act of congress to get their attention. The only hope is to get the Florida State officials to consider it- at least they can find the boat launch.
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12-18-2014, 11:32 PM | #4 |
Registered User
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Re: Bad NOAA Lionfish proposal
People will always look for a loophole. Some will just bring the same 10 lionfish out with them so they can double their gag limit, go home, refreeze lionfish, repeat.
I'm interested in hearing how they can possibly get in front of a new "vector" of lionfish entering an area so they can "address new occurrences before a population can establish." |
12-19-2014, 12:04 AM | #5 |
Pacific Spearo
Join Date: Jul 2007
Age: 62
Posts: 3,358
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Re: Bad NOAA Lionfish proposal
Problem with your argument is you are trying to mix management of fish species together. Take 10 lionfish and you get an extra grouper wont work. How did you derive at that number? Was it based on how many baby grouper a lionfish eats? Cant make assumptions gotta be solid science. Think about it for a moment, how long would it take a diver to get 10 lionfish? He would spend his whole dive trying for the 10 fish and get an "extra" fish? What if he shoots the grouper first and then cant get the 10 lionfish? Just wont work. And if people think they can eradicate such a prolific fish, they are kidding themselves. Just live with them and harvest at free will. Id rather eat them than geouper anyways.
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12-19-2014, 05:18 AM | #6 |
Underwater Assassin
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Indialantic, FL
Posts: 324
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Re: Bad NOAA Lionfish proposal
I personally like the lionfish invasion. In our area they just seem to be growing larger and more numerous. With all the closed seasons and reduced bag limits these days it's refreshing to have a species that we can just "tee off" on without concern of negative impact on fish stocks.
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12-19-2014, 07:20 AM | #7 | |
Relax, a beer will help
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: St Augustine, Fl
Posts: 5,055
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Re: Bad NOAA Lionfish proposal
Quote:
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12-19-2014, 08:09 AM | #8 |
Underwater Assassin
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Indialantic, FL
Posts: 324
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Re: Bad NOAA Lionfish proposal
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12-19-2014, 11:34 PM | #9 |
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 13
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Re: Bad NOAA Lionfish proposal
Put a five dollar bounty on them like nutria in Louisiana... It could help pay for my trips down there plus make it worth while to shoot them up
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12-23-2014, 03:24 PM | #10 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 835
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Re: Bad NOAA Lionfish proposal
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12-25-2014, 10:23 PM | #11 |
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Sanford, Fl.
Posts: 2,772
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Re: Bad NOAA Lionfish proposal
I can put 50 of the really big chocolate and purple ones in my boat a trip easily
Year round and they are excellent eating !! I'm happy
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JESUS SAID...."Give a man a fish & he will eat for a day.....Teach a man to spear & he will eat for a life time or until SAFMC shuts everything down " or something like that. |
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