Petition to Ban the Aquarium Industry in Hawaii

[sdcfish]

Everyone,

Here is a petition to sign to support the Aquarium Trade and stop the Ban movement against the Industry. Please read below and sign the petition to support a Managed Fishery in Hawaii.
Aloha,
As you all know we are still in a battle with snorkel Bob. A total ban passed on the county level this past week urging the state to ban the aquarium trade in Hawaii. The local state scientists(DAR) and the Dept of Land and Natural Resources says that they are comfortable with the current level of fishing, and the management plan is working. The Hawaiian aquarium fishery is the most managed fishery in the State and the world looks to Hawaii as a leader in management ideas. We currently have 33% of the coast line off limits to aquarium fisherman, we have a white list that ensures species that do not fare well in captivity and do not have high natural numbers here in Hawaii are left on the reef in the works awaiting State approval as well as a size limit that will protect the breeding sizes of yellow tangs to further ensure the sustainability of Hawaii's fish and reefs. With all of this management, the scientist stating the fishery is sustainable, and a down economy, why would you ban a fishery? Please help me to fight this battle and sign the below petition, we need numbers as the fight is going to the State level in January, all to shut down less than a 100 fisherman- based on nothing but emotional opinions. Snorkel Bob and Rene do not have facts on their side, and feel that keeping fish as pets is wrong and are against sustainable and renewable resource extraction, especially when it doesn't benefit their industry...so if you are an aquarium fisherman, or you know one, take a few seconds and sign the below link. Spouses, friends, family,co workers, employees and everyone in between are welcome and greatly appreciated.

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/hawaiian-fishing-ban.html

[Tin_Whistler]

The title of this thread reads as if you are trying to ban aquarium fish collection in Hawaii…

You may want to change it to something like

‘petition to stop the ban against the aquarium industry in Hawaii”

[sdcfish]

The title of this thread reads as if you are trying to ban aquarium fish collection in Hawaii…

You may want to change it to something like

‘petition to stop the ban against the aquarium industry in Hawaii”

I realize that, but thought it would get more attention read like this. The first sentence in the post gets the point of the petition back on track.

Also...not sure how to edit the title of the thread:)

Eric

[AFU]

done....

[organism]

I realize that, but thought it would get more attention read like this. The first sentence in the post gets the point of the petition back on track.

The title of your thread might get it more attention, but it's pretty deceptively annoying... Why annoy people immediately before asking them to do something for you.

[sdcfish]

The title of your thread might get it more attention, but it's pretty deceptively annoying... Why annoy people immediately before asking them to do something for you.

If you agree it will get more attention, then maybe it's best to stay as is. Getting people "annoyed" when they read that is just the point! We need to take action and support the movement against the people who don't believe in Fisheries management plans. It's annoying as hell to hear some of the things our foes exaggerate about our Industry....so yes, I am very annoyed:)

Again...I would change the title if I knew how. Can you or someone assist me in changing the name of the post?

Thanks again for all your support.......I support a managed fishery...do you?

[somedude]

wow. only 104 signatures???

maybe you should provide a list of the many animals that will be affected by this ban. i think that most people don't realize how many of our tank inhabitants actually come from this area.

[sdcfish]

wow. only 104 signatures???

maybe you should provide a list of the many animals that will be affected by this ban. i think that most people don't realize how many of our tank inhabitants actually come from this area.

104? Well, hopefully we can do better than that. This is only the first day of getting the word out....so let's get crackin!

Everyone please click the facebook link and share! We need to show support!

[Squidward5]

I think this thread should be moved to the main forum as this ban would affect all of us.

[GreshamH]

The title of your thread might get it more attention, but it's pretty deceptively annoying... Why annoy people immediately before asking them to do something for you.

Aren't you in the business? It's for you ad well :D

[RGBMatt]

Also, there's a poll on the Kona newspaper's website about the proposed fish ban. Please answer it if you have the time:

http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/poll

None of the options are very good, but the best one is "it's a waste. resolutions are not law and it's not their business anyways". The responses to the poll were fairly balanced until Snorkel Bob started publicizing it to his followers on Facebook yesterday.

For more background on this whole issue, see the following article in Coral Magazine:

http://www.coralmagazine-us.com/content/extremists-call-ban-all-aquarium-livestock-collection-hawaii

[jason10012]

Stop the Hawaiian Fishing Ban
You are signer #161

My contribution :)

[rottloverr]

Done

[Mel-E-Mel]

Congratulations. You have successfully signed the petition:
Stop the Hawaiian Fishing Ban
You are signer #192 [?]

Done.

[chilwil84]

#224

[sdcfish]

GREAT! Now please take a moment and click on the poll on the West Hawaii News online site.....here's the link: http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/

Find the poll in the bottom right of the page:) Click the "WASTE" option:) Thanks again!

[chilwil84]

it just shows me the results and doesnt let me vote, i can click the link to older polls

[sdcfish]

it just shows me the results and doesnt let me vote, i can click the link to older polls

Try closing your browser and opening again....I think eventually it will work. Not sure why, but thanks and please keep trying!

[organism]

If you agree it will get more attention, then maybe it's best to stay as is. Getting people "annoyed" when they read that is just the point! We need to take action and support the movement against the people who don't believe in Fisheries management plans. It's annoying as hell to hear some of the things our foes exaggerate about our Industry....so yes, I am very annoyed:)

Again...I would change the title if I knew how. Can you or someone assist me in changing the name of the post?

Thanks again for all your support.......I support a managed fishery...do you?

You're absolutely right Eric, and my apologies for the attitude it was just one of those loooooong days yesterday that unfortunately overflowed through no fault of anyone's but my own. I hope things are well!

[sdcfish]

You're absolutely right Eric, and my apologies for the attitude it was just one of those loooooong days yesterday that unfortunately overflowed through no fault of anyone's but my own. I hope things are well!

Organism, I appreciate that and thank you for your post. I hope together as a united voice we can get through some of these user conflict issues that have been haunting us in Hawaii for decades! I was thinking on the way home how we could put our heads together and build a National Aquarium Society that would be the united voice. How awesome would it be to have a million or more members? Maybe all these forum groups could promote such a unified association? Or is there already one we could support?

[eric@tampa]

#232 I've done my part

[Crosis]

Congratulations. You have successfully signed the petition:
Stop the Hawaiian Fishing Ban
You are signer #234 [?]

[zhewitt04]

There you go!

[firebirdude]

Congratulations. You have successfully signed the petition:

Stop the Hawaiian Fishing Ban

You are signer #243 [?]

[sucker_fish]

You are signer #244 [? (javascript:void(0);)]

signed with care all the way from afghanistan

[Joe0813]

#250

[jholt1320]

They really should be trying to stop the people using harmful chemicals to collect fish for the trade!

[sokin]

Congratulations. You have successfully signed the petition:
Stop the Hawaiian Fishing Ban
You are signer #274 [?]

[ezhoops]

Signer #275

[organism]

They really should be trying to stop the people using harmful chemicals to collect fish for the trade!

I think that's been over with for a while now, importers like to have their fish live and so do their customers; those chemical collected fish just don't last. Not saying there aren't any still collected this way, just that it's really rare.

[benzreef]

Congratulations. You have successfully signed the petition:
Stop the Hawaiian Fishing Ban
You are signer #279

Keep it up!

[bigfoot610]

Congratulations. You have successfully signed the petition:
Stop the Hawaiian Fishing Ban
You are signer #282

[doctorgori]

Congratulations. You have successfully signed the petition:

Stop the Hawaiian Fishing Ban


You are signer #283 [?]

[iwannalearn]

just signed. #298

[WaffleWalffle22]

im not goin t o sign it becuase if we do then we wont hav fish any more and then we wont be able to keep fish tank sorry please dont sign

[lurch]

im not goin t o sign it becuase if we do then we wont hav fish any more and then we wont be able to keep fish tank sorry please dont sign

HUH? It is a petition to stop the impending ban.

[asid61]

Signed. #305

[rayn]

Done #306

[arbee]

Congratulations. You have successfully signed the petition:
Stop the Hawaiian Fishing Ban
You are signer #311
Done~~and good luck!

[peasofme]

#387

[andrewk529]

#406.... What motivated me to sign this petition, was a comment that Dr. MAC made at my local reef club's meeting regarding the impending ban.

[b0bab0ey]

Congratulations. You have successfully signed the petition:

Stop the Hawaiian Fishing Ban

You are signer #420 [?]

[no1b4me]

Congratulations. You have successfully signed the petition:
Stop the Hawaiian Fishing Ban
You are signer #473

[rsg4]

ttt #483

[Todd_Sails]

#486!

Snorkel Bob is jealous, he couldn't keep a reef aquarium

[Miss Nano]

Has anyone here ever been to Hawaii?

[mnchartier]

552

[Miss Nano]

I'm going to take a stab that many of you haven't been to Hawaii, or better yet... aren't from Hawaii. I don't know much about Snorkel Bob and his claims but I for one definitely support the ban on exporting wildlife. Hawaii has seen a major decrease in the population of their marine fauna (obviously there are lots of factors to blame, but some are easier to restrict than others) and although marine reefer's may "miss out" on owning a rare/"purdy" fish, I think it's better to miss out on that fish in the aquarium then altogether. But obviously this is an aquarium forum, so my perspective is the minority. :)

[atreis]

IMO, Hawaiians should decide how to manage their natural resources. I'm not one, so don't plan to sign a petition either way.

[Terence Trent]

Overall demand for marine fishes remains the same, supply drops causing prices to go up, which motivates increased collection from areas and countries with less progressive and protective collection regulations putting pressure on other species.

I'm for stricter collection practices Just my opinion but often times marine fish are viewed as disposble, "Its cheap, if it dies, I'll just buy another to replace it." - heard a hundred times from other people in the hobby. However, an outright ban is not the answer.

[Tat2demon]

I agree with the petition but Im not signing as I am not from nor have ever been to Hawaii. That's for Hawaiians to decide.

I do want to say though that many people will read the title of this thread and just skip past it. I almost did.

[Reefnut2010]

This was brought up in another site I visit and the bottom line is... Personal ajendas, opinions, and lots of misinformation are being used to promote their ideas. The facts are... Hawaiian fisheries are well maintained and sustainable !! Some species are even on the rise !! We should not allow a few folks with personal ajendas to ruin the hard work of those involved in the maintanence of the Hawaiian fisheries. Which by the way will inevitably hurt our Hobby. Please be proactive and sign the petition. SPREAD THE WORD TO THOSE WHO CARE.

[Gill_bucket]

I just posted a link to this article in another thread and thought it was pertinent. http://www.coralreefnetwork.com/kona/WHAP%202001%20Final%20report.pdf

Personally I was horrified when I read this article, if 30% of the coast line was this helpful (i imagine a lot of the people pushing back against a total ban pushed back against the 30%) then imagine how much of a recovery the fish would make with a 100% ban.

[SGT_DAO]

#593

[Rootex]

#596

[Six line]

#598...Outright ban just encourages the absolute stripping of those reefs not barredd from collection. Perhaps imposing hiatuses on collection to allow for populations to rebound is the best alternative.

[kloudie]

599
and left this comment.

The Aquarium hobby is beneficial to the reefs and their inhabitants of not only Hawaii but throughout the world. This hobby has raised my personal awareness of the fragility of these ecosystems. We can all contribute to nature by researching how we can further take pressure off these environments by propagating our own corals and breeding out own fish to reach a more sustainable future.

[A_Z]

Has anyone here ever been to Hawaii?

Yes

I'm going to take a stab that many of you haven't been to Hawaii, or better yet... aren't from Hawaii. I don't know much about Snorkel Bob and his claims but I for one definitely support the ban on exporting wildlife. Hawaii has seen a major decrease in the population of their marine fauna (obviously there are lots of factors to blame, but some are easier to restrict than others) and although marine reefer's may "miss out" on owning a rare/"purdy" fish, I think it's better to miss out on that fish in the aquarium then altogether. But obviously this is an aquarium forum, so my perspective is the minority. :)

I have to disagree this isn't what I have seen unless you only go to the heavily snorkeled tourists areas then those reefs are ravaged indeed :thumbdown

This is no different a fishery than Florida or even foreign countries, Hawaii has some of the strictest guidelines already and always have the healthiest fish compared to other countries why? because they always follow collection guidlines and use safe fish collection methods.

this is not a legal issue on protecting the environment, they just want aquariums in general banned if they could.



This was brought up in another site I visit and the bottom line is... Personal ajendas, opinions, and lots of misinformation are being used to promote their ideas. The facts are... Hawaiian fisheries are well maintained and sustainable !! Some species are even on the rise !! We should not allow a few folks with personal ajendas to ruin the hard work of those involved in the maintanence of the Hawaiian fisheries. Which by the way will inevitably hurt our Hobby. Please be proactive and sign the petition. SPREAD THE WORD TO THOSE WHO CARE.

this ^

[jmg416]

The title of your thread might get it more attention, but it's pretty deceptively annoying... Why annoy people immediately before asking them to do something for you.

Gotta agree with this.

[kaipo13]

Snorkel Bob contributes more to the destruction of reefs in Hawaii than the aquarium trade. His renting of equipment to ill-informed tourists who stand on, touch and further harm the reef is far more damaging than the collection of fish by those who depend on this as the source of their income.

Down with Snorkel Bob, from someone who is actually from Hawaii.

[Borchers]

#601 and counting.

[arentspowell]

#602

[water junky]

If you ban collection, ban fishing too.

[chas41]

Late to the game on this, I'm a pretty new member.

I am signer #611

Ironically I will be in Maui in a couple weeks, I have been there once and I rented gear from Snorkel Bob's in Kihei. I was planning on doing the same thing this time, now that I've rad this article it's a more "interesting" choice as to where I'd rent snorkel gear from. I think maybe I will visit Snorkel Bob's and see what kind of discussion arises when I show them pics of my reef aquarium and comment on how nice it is that they are helping promote responsible reef husbandry, etc. and how this new hobby has become much more meaningful to me and my family because of the many, very highly educated and passionate people on RC and other forums that advocate as much as Snorkel Bob does for protecting these vital habitats.

Maybe I'll get free rentals, it's possible.... but yes, I will have a backup plan just in case Bob (or a Bob-like employee) is not ready to evolve their thinking quite yet.

Mahalo,

Chas41

[chas41]

Oops double-posted - sorry.

[BlueCorn]

Snorkel Bob contributes more to the destruction of reefs in Hawaii than the aquarium trade. His renting of equipment to ill-informed tourists who stand on, touch and further harm the reef is far more damaging than the collection of fish by those who depend on this as the source of their income.

Down with Snorkel Bob, from someone who is actually from Hawaii.

In all fairness, I've rented gear from Snorkel Bob. They go out of their way to point folks in the right direction regarding how and where to snorkel. They even highly discourage some of the spots, that most guidebooks recommend, because they feel the areas are over-stressed already.

Everywhere you look, in Hawaii, you can find someone to rent you gear. At least Bob's seem to give a rats arse.

It's quite easy to take a lofty stance on this but the reality is that if you've bought a single wild-caught fish, you're personally responsible for the killing of dozens. The survival rate from ocean to LFS is terrible. I don't have any problem with Hawaii trying to protect their waters. There are plenty of other places to get fish/coral.

[chas41]

In all fairness, I've rented gear from Snorkel Bob. They go out of their way to point folks in the right direction regarding how and where to snorkel. They even highly discourage some of the spots, that most guidebooks recommend, because they feel the areas are over-stressed already.

Everywhere you look, in Hawaii, you can find someone to rent you gear. At least Bob's seem to give a rats arse.

It's quite easy to take a lofty stance on this but the reality is that if you've bought a single wild-caught fish, you're personally responsible for the killing of dozens. The survival rate from ocean to LFS is terrible. I don't have any problem with Hawaii trying to protect their waters. There are plenty of other places to get fish/coral.


I had a positive experience with renting there about 5 yrs ago - and yes they did point out the good spots, etc and try to do some level of educating me on what to and what not to do. All good in my book - most likely the only reason I would not walk out of their with some snorkel gear is if they refused to rent to me - which would be "interesting"... :rolleyes:

[Luiz Rocha]

I don't have any problem with Hawaii trying to protect their waters. There are plenty of other places to get fish/coral.

The only problem with this statement is that Hawaii is the location with the most responsible collecting practices, the best management and the best survival rates, by far. It would be like trying to eliminate pollution by closing the cleaner factories :headwalls:

[BlueCorn]

Luiz - I've been an aquarium hobbyist for 40 years so don't get me wrong, but it's not like we have some unalienable right to take animals out of the ocean.

[jmowbray]

I know this is about Hawaii but I have seen these same things happening to many reefs. Just last year I was at Cancun and the hotels that have rentals were sending people out without any knowledge. My family brought our own gear so we weren't part of the misinformed groups. When I looked into the water there were purpel sea fans approximately 4-5feet in diameter broke off and laying on the bottom getting covered with sand. Same goes for numerous other pieces of coral.

It makes me sick! It's not just the trade that's ruining the reefs it's mainly us (we'll some of us).

[Mock]

Blah

[Luiz Rocha]

Luiz - I've been an aquarium hobbyist for 40 years so don't get me wrong, but it's not like we have some unalienable right to take animals out of the ocean.

Yes, don't take me wrong either, all I am saying is that this is blown way out of proportion and Hawaii should actually be used as an example of how extraction of animals for the aquarium trade can be done well. If we follow this line of thought, it's not like we have an unalienable right to breed animals to our own amusement either.

Personally I think it is all about the impact, we as a species have an impact over our planet, we kill things (mostly not for food), and our impact should be minimized.

[spehhh]

Has anyone here ever been to Hawaii?

i lived in hawaii for years.this ban has its goods and its bads,i have seen many reefs that have been stripped of all life and destroyed from people taking to much away. a LIMIT on how many permits they give out would be a better way to go because most dont operate under a permit.

[GreshamH]

I have not run across much "black market" yellow tangs... not to say there isn't any, just not any that I have seen in my career in the trade.

[BlueCorn]

I have not run across much "black market" yellow tangs... not to say there isn't any, just not any that I have seen in my career in the trade.

Me neither, but that said, we didn't see any yellow tangs when we snorkeled @ the big island.

[jimmy frag]

The only problem with this statement is that Hawaii is the location with the most responsible collecting practices, the best management and the best survival rates, by far. It would be like trying to eliminate pollution by closing the cleaner factories :headwalls:

you obviously havnt ordered from the red sea. i order in bulk, 3 out of 4 dealers from Hawaii are garbage. they send sick and infested fish. you get what you pay for. sri lanka is my first choice. i can get anything from them that is from the south pacific. 100% healthy.

[A_Z]

you obviously havnt ordered from the red sea. i order in bulk, 3 out of 4 dealers from Hawaii are garbage. they send sick and infested fish. you get what you pay for. sri lanka is my first choice. i can get anything from them that is from the south pacific. 100% healthy.

can you PM me the bad and the good ones?

[jimmy frag]

This was brought up in another site I visit and the bottom line is... Personal ajendas, opinions, and lots of misinformation are being used to promote their ideas. The facts are... Hawaiian fisheries are well maintained and sustainable !! Some species are even on the rise !! We should not allow a few folks with personal ajendas to ruin the hard work of those involved in the maintanence of the Hawaiian fisheries. Which by the way will inevitably hurt our Hobby. Please be proactive and sign the petition. SPREAD THE WORD TO THOSE WHO CARE.

SOME SPECIES ARE EVEN ON THE RISE !!. well maybe there is a problem if some are not !! jimmy

[Luiz Rocha]

you obviously havnt ordered from the red sea. i order in bulk, 3 out of 4 dealers from Hawaii are garbage. they send sick and infested fish. you get what you pay for. sri lanka is my first choice. i can get anything from them that is from the south pacific. 100% healthy.

Collecting the fish is one thing, keeping them healthy is another... There are many more problems associated with collecting in other places than in Hawaii. Of course there are bad dealers in Hawaii, but current regulations (including the presence of the second largest marine reserve in the planet) don't allow them to do much damage.

If SnorkelBob were pushing for more responsible collecting and export practices I would be behind him 100%. He is saying that we have to completely ban the aquarium trade while doing nothing with completely unregulated fishing in Hawaii, which does much more damage to the reef.

[RGBMatt]

Me neither, but that said, we didn't see any yellow tangs when we snorkeled @ the big island.

That's because you were snorkeling in the wrong place - it has nothing to do with the aquarium industry. Go to the right area, and you'll see piles of them.

Aquarium fishing on the Big Island is already prohibited at the popular & accessible snorkeling spots. The aquarium industry doesn't have an effect on the fish on those areas. If you didn't see any yellow tangs in the place you went, it's because the area wasn't a good place for those fish. Every fish (yellow tangs especially) needs a specific type of habitat to thrive. Not every snorkeling spot is the same, so it's natural that some places will have a lot of yellow tangs and some places will have none.

In all fairness, I've rented gear from Snorkel Bob. They go out of their way to point folks in the right direction regarding how and where to snorkel. They even highly discourage some of the spots, that most guidebooks recommend, because they feel the areas are over-stressed already.

It is true that Bob does care about the reef (in his own mind). I have known people who rented gear from him and were told to avoid some places because they were too crowded. Just like us, it's not in his best interest to destroy the reef. However, I've also seen plenty of bumbling tourists crushing marine life while carrying bags emblazoned with "Snorkel Bob Cares". Morevoer, the biggest threat to the reef (on Maui where Bob lives) is from the island's horrible sewage system that leaks effluent on to the reef and is incredibly damaging - this has actually been well documented. The reason this is a problem is because the island's growth hasn't kept up with its infrastructure. Meanwhile, the people staying in the condos and hotels and flushing the toilet are the same ones that the snorkeling industry depend on for practically all their business.

I don't personally have a problem with people snorkeling, staying in hotels, or doing whatever else tourists do that affects the environment. Saying that we should ban tourism is just as ridiculous as saying we should ban fishing - there's room for everything in moderation and as humans we need to figure out how to balance our activities with nature. What I do have a problem with is the level of hypocrisy that accompanies the whole thing. After Snorkel Bob started his campaign several years ago, several of us tried talking with him personally to see if there was any possibility of compromise. His response has always been that he doesn't care how many fish we take, he's doing it because he thinks the fish are his friends and it's mean to take them out of their homes; as long as we're still allowed to take one fish he'll still go after us. That has nothing to do with taking care of the environment - it's a personal issue that's driving the whole thing and it's the reason why they're trying to ban the fishery instead of pushing for reasonable fishing regulations.

It's quite easy to take a lofty stance on this but the reality is that if you've bought a single wild-caught fish, you're personally responsible for the killing of dozens. The survival rate from ocean to LFS is terrible. I don't have any problem with Hawaii trying to protect their waters. There are plenty of other places to get fish/coral.

Why do you say this? I catch aquarium fish myself and the survival rate of my fish (until it reaches the fish store) is close to 100%. I know this because if my fish have problems, I'll hear about it later on and won't get paid for them. Last time I asked one of my customers how many of my potter's angels he'd lost, he said it was about 1 in 500. We take good care of our fish and don't have any significant mortalities. Sure there are idiots now and then who don't know what they're doing and end up killing a bunch of fish; they are few and far between and rarely last long since it's a poor business model. People like "jimmy frag" who have had bad experiences should vote with their wallets and make sure nobody buys fish from bad wholesalers - it'll do all of us a favor. The last time the state did a study on fish mortality the absolute high estimate from reef to the mainland was something like 4% - IMO that's higher than what should be acceptable but it's still a far cry from what Bob & his friends are claiming.

It is true that there are places in the world where fish husbandry is pretty bad and a lot of the fish don't survive to reach the hobbyist. Hawaii is not one of those places.

[johnd4g]

#620

[A_Z]

That's because you were snorkeling in the wrong place - it has nothing to do with the aquarium industry. Go to the right area, and you'll see piles of them.

Aquarium fishing on the Big Island is already prohibited at the popular & accessible snorkeling spots. The aquarium industry doesn't have an effect on the fish on those areas. If you didn't see any yellow tangs in the place you went, it's because the area wasn't a good place for those fish. Every fish (yellow tangs especially) needs a specific type of habitat to thrive. Not every snorkeling spot is the same, so it's natural that some places will have a lot of yellow tangs and some places will have none.



It is true that Bob does care about the reef (in his own mind). I have known people who rented gear from him and were told to avoid some places because they were too crowded. Just like us, it's not in his best interest to destroy the reef. However, I've also seen plenty of bumbling tourists crushing marine life while carrying bags emblazoned with "Snorkel Bob Cares". Morevoer, the biggest threat to the reef (on Maui where Bob lives) is from the island's horrible sewage system that leaks effluent on to the reef and is incredibly damaging - this has actually been well documented. The reason this is a problem is because the island's growth hasn't kept up with its infrastructure. Meanwhile, the people staying in the condos and hotels and flushing the toilet are the same ones that the snorkeling industry depend on for practically all their business.

I don't personally have a problem with people snorkeling, staying in hotels, or doing whatever else tourists do that affects the environment. Saying that we should ban tourism is just as ridiculous as saying we should ban fishing - there's room for everything in moderation and as humans we need to figure out how to balance our activities with nature. What I do have a problem with is the level of hypocrisy that accompanies the whole thing. After Snorkel Bob started his campaign several years ago, several of us tried talking with him personally to see if there was any possibility of compromise. His response has always been that he doesn't care how many fish we take, he's doing it because he thinks the fish are his friends and it's mean to take them out of their homes; as long as we're still allowed to take one fish he'll still go after us. That has nothing to do with taking care of the environment - it's a personal issue that's driving the whole thing and it's the reason why they're trying to ban the fishery instead of pushing for reasonable fishing regulations.



Why do you say this? I catch aquarium fish myself and the survival rate of my fish (until it reaches the fish store) is close to 100%. I know this because if my fish have problems, I'll hear about it later on and won't get paid for them. Last time I asked one of my customers how many of my potter's angels he'd lost, he said it was about 1 in 500. We take good care of our fish and don't have any significant mortalities. Sure there are idiots now and then who don't know what they're doing and end up killing a bunch of fish; they are few and far between and rarely last long since it's a poor business model. People like "jimmy frag" who have had bad experiences should vote with their wallets and make sure nobody buys fish from bad wholesalers - it'll do all of us a favor. The last time the state did a study on fish mortality the absolute high estimate from reef to the mainland was something like 4% - IMO that's higher than what should be acceptable but it's still a far cry from what Bob & his friends are claiming.

It is true that there are places in the world where fish husbandry is pretty bad and a lot of the fish don't survive to reach the hobbyist. Hawaii is not one of those places.

Great post one of the best in this thread, +1

[jimmy frag]

i dont know anything about this Bob guy and his reasoning so i will not be voteing with my walet or in any other form. There are great exporters and poor exporter in this trade and we should hear about the great and we should hear more about the poor exporters. bottom line is the same amount of fish are being removed from the area and shipped dead or alive, the big question i have asked myself is...what is the damage being done and where are all the to date studies

[alton]

i dont know anything about this Bob guy and his reasoning so i will not be voteing with my walet or in any other form. There are great exporters and poor exporter in this trade and we should hear about the great and we should hear more about the poor exporters. bottom line is the same amount of fish are being removed from the area and shipped dead or alive, the big question i have asked myself is...what is the damage being done and where are all the to date studies

Pick up the new Coral Magazine page 30

[Rockys_Pride]

What's going to happen when the ban gets imposed and the reefs still disappear? We are being used as scapegoats because it's easier to impose a ban then actually finding the problem and fixing it.

#621