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Abalone Checkpoints Discover Violation
An abalone checkpoint was held on June 14 at Russian Gulch on the Sonoma County coast. A total of 365 cars were stopped and a total of 42 citations were written. As with previous checkpoints most citations were given for report card violations and transporting abalone out of the shell. Altering report cards continues to be a growing problem.
Beach Dive Photo Competition Winners Posted
The winners of the recent California Beach Dive Photo Competition have been posted at www.ncups.org. Mark Krag won Best of Show with a photograph of a cabezon.
Sanctuary Advisory Council Approves New Shark Rules
On July 21st the Gulf of the Farallons National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council unanimously endorsed a new set of regulations governing the interaction of divers with white sharks. Captain Lawrence Groth of Golden Gate Expeditions worked closely with the Advisory Council and Farallon researchers to define the new regulations. Captain Groth was pleased with the final regulations and says, “The proposed rules will allow us to operate basically as we always have done.” In fact, the only impact on shark watchers is a prohibition of towing decoys. This activity was deemed by all parties to have no educational nor scientific value, and not enough entertainment value to justify possible injury to the sharks. The draft regulations will now be forwarded to the NOAA for final rule making.
Monterey Bay Aquarium to Display White Shark
The Monterey Bay Aquarium intends to be the first aquarium in the world to display a great white shark. The aquarium is in the second year of what could be a five-year, $1.2 million effort to study white sharks, and to determine how to keep one alive in captivity. Public aquariums have tried for decades to put great white sharks on exhibit, but white sharks have proved surprisingly fragile in captivity, surviving no more than a few weeks. This summer, the aquarium’s scientists will capture young sharks and attach electronic tags to learn about their eating and migration habits. Using that information, the scientists hope they will be able to nurture a five-to seven-foot shark in a huge underwater viewing pen in Monterey.
Survey of CA Diver Attitudes Towards MPAs
John Moore, recreational diving representative on the Southern California Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Regional Working Group, is preparing to do a survey of California diver attitudes towards marine protected areas. He’s asking divers to register in advance to receive the survey by visiting http://divebums.com/contacts.html and providing their e-mail address and county of residence.
Urchin and Starfish Die-Off
The summer saw a large die-off of urchins and sea stars along the Southern California coastline for reasons unknown. The phenomenon seems to be natural and may be tied to rapid increase in water temperatures to the low 70s. Often an increase in water temperature will spawn an increase in a naturally occurring bacteria that eats away at various echinoderms including sea stars and urchins.