Divers React to Monterey
Sanctuary Studies
The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary funded two studies. One concluded that removing up to 9,000,000 million pounds of kelp per year in the sanctuary needs no regulations, and the other that certified divers detaching less than 7/10 of a blade per dive should require regulations. These studies show how a special interest group (kelp harvesters) influence sanctuary policy. Divers are being asked not to participate in the sanctuary's "Diver Partnership Program" or its associated photographic contest until this issue is resolved. More information may be found at: www.cencal.org/kelpchart.html.
California Fish and Game laws require that abalone be left in the shell until being prepared for immediate consumption. Abalones out of their shell cannot be legally transported, nor can the abalone meat.
So how can you keep abalone alive and fresh until you get home and light the stove? The most effective method is to lower the abalone's metabolism to almost nothing. This is done by keeping the abs very cool and moist. At the same time, you don't want to immerse the abs in water, fresh or otherwise. Place the abalone along the inside walls of a cooler with the holes pointing to the top of the cooler. With the drain open, fill the center of the cooler with ice. Crack the top of the cooler for air. Melting ice will drain away and the abs can stay alive up to two days.
E.R. Cross passed away May 8. He was considered a major pioneer in both recreational and commercial diving. His multitude of diving contributions included the operation of a commercial dive school, authoring of various diving manuals, and his regular column in Skin Diver Magazine, "Technifacts." He was inducted into the DEMA Diving Hall of Fame in 1990 and received the prestigious NOGI award.
On May 1 President Clinton signed a Presidential Decision Directive to stop the intentional degradation of the Global Positioning System (GPS) signals available to the public. Civilian users of GPS will be able to pinpoint locations up to ten times more accurately than they do now. GPS is a dual-use, satellite-based system that provides accurate location and timing data to users worldwide.
The National Academy of Public Administration recently released a report criticizing our National Marine Sanctuaries. Among the many important findings the report states, "Sanctuaries "must reverse an unnecessary and unproductive posture of fearing a strong sanctuary advisory council." It went on to say sanctuaries should "welcome advisory councils of local citizens as active partners rather than holding them at arm's length." Sanctuaries should "train sanctuary managers to work with strong-minded boards of advisors." The complete report may be found at: www.napawash.org.
The American Fisheries Society (AFS) recommends that regulatory agencies closely scrutinize both marine fish and invertebrate stocks that may be at risk of extinction and take remedial action before populations are threatened or endangered. AFS analyses show that certain groups of fishes are particularly vulnerable because they have slow growth and late maturity. Severe population declines have been documented for several rockfishes (Sebastinae) in the Pacific. The greatest threat to many long-lived marine species may be by-catch in fisheries, targeting other, often more-productive species. "By-catch" are those undesired species killed and discarded in a fishing process targeted at another species. The AFS states that the most effective management strategy for some species taken as by-catch and for targeted species such as Pacific rockfishes, may be establishment of large, protected marine reserves to supplement traditional management practices outside of the protected areas. More information may be found at: www.fisheries.org/marinestocks_index.htm.
The old spit rubbed on the lens in the mask is still one of the best ways to keep your mask from fogging up but did you know that kelp will do the same trick? The slime on the kelp is an excellent de-fog! And don't get grossed out - kelp goo is used in all kind of stuff very close to you, even in you. Kelp is used in making ice cream smooth, to put a head on a glass of beer, in toothpaste, or even in cosmetics and shampoo.
