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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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01-09-2016, 02:31 PM | #1 | |
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Our Florida Reefs - Possible No-Take MPA Zones
WARNING - In the interest of keeping this thread focused on the subject of proposed No-Take Zones for spearfishing and hook & line fishing, any posts on this thread that are related to spearfishing take methods on scuba or freediving will be transferred to other threads that specifically deal with those issues.
The Our Florida Reefs group is having public meetings in 2016 to reveal the recommendations they have been working on for a while now. Their website says the following: Our Florida Reefs is a community planning process for southeast Florida's coral reefs. Quote:
The past working group meetings were mainly in the day time and those with daytime jobs that are not directly related to this subject would find it difficult to attend. Notice that the public meetings will be both days and evenings at the end of January 2016. I have attached below an example of the minutes of one of their meetings so you can see the scope of their discussions. The Public Meetings are as follows: Martin County: Indian River State College Chastain Campus 2400 SE Salerno Road, Stuart, FL 34997 Tuesday, January 26, 2016 12pm 2pm & 6pm 8pm North Palm Beach County: Amara Shriner Temple Auditorium 3650 RCA Blvd, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410 Wednesday, January 27, 2016 12pm 2pm & 6pm 8pm South Palm Beach County: Delray Beach City Library 100 West Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, FL 33444 Friday, January 29, 2016 12pm 2pm & 6pm 8pm Broward County: Holiday Park Social Center (same complex as War Memorial Auditorium) 1150 G. Harold Martin Dr., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33304 Tuesday, February 16, 2016 12pm 2pm & 6pm 8pm Miami-Dade County South: Neuman Alumni Center (University of Miami Coral Gables Campus) 6200 San Amaro Dr., Coral Gables, FL 33146 Wednesday, February 17, 2016 12pm 2pm & 6pm 8pm Miami-Dade County North: Cal Kovens Conference Center (Florida International University Biscayne Bay Campus) 3000 NW 151st St., North Miami, FL 33181 Thursday, February 18, 2016 12pm 2pm & 6pm 8pm Source: http://ourfloridareefs.org/events/ Here below are some of the possible no-take MPA areas under consideration by the Our Florida Reefs group. Below that is a letter from FWC opposing MPAs in this South Florida region. The areas on these maps are for the following proposed purposes: Areas of Interest for Recommended Management Action N146 N-146: Establish and implement an MPA zoning framework for the SEFCRI Region that includes but is not limited to no-take reserves, no anchor areas, restoration areas, and seasonal protection for spawning aggregations to enable sustainable use, reduce user conflict, and improve coral reef ecosystem condition. This above revised RMA is a combination of the following original RMAs: N-146: Establish and implement a zoning framework for the SEFCRI Region that includes no-take reserves, no anchor areas, restoration areas, and seasonal protection for spawning aggregations to enable both sustainable use and protection of our Florida reefs. (original title) S-16: Create MPAs within SEFCRI area that amount to ~20% of area and are well defined to protect reefs and minimize user conflict. S-20: Define and prioritize reefs and habitat areas for extra protection to reduce fishing stress, accelerate reef recovery, protect reef fish, benefit public education, and benefit recreational diving and snorkeling. N-100: Create MPAs within FRT based on current science and data to develop site specific goals for a management plan to protect sensitive species and habitat. N-144: Implement MPA planning process to set aside areas to enhance population of most prolific reproduction of reef fish and coral. S-22: Develop marine protected zones in local high density coral areas to reduce anthropogenic impacts and improve coral protection for local healthy sites. S-38: Establish replicated marine reserves to determine impacts of water quality versus fishing on resources to increase knowledge of threats, public education, protection of fish populations, and public awareness. S-82: Create zones to exclude fishing traps and commercial gear in special high density coral areas to reduce storm and current movement trap/gear damage to the reef ecosystem. S-84: Create no-take zones for sharks and barracuda in aggregate areas to protect overfished predators in areas where most vulnerable. S-123: Create, establish, and monitor no take areas to comprise at least 20-30% of SEFCRI Region and incorporate evaluation. N-147: Develop and establish no-take zones or areas of restricted activity (include reefs and everglades) to protect and reduce pressure on reefs, stop use of tackle and traps that damage reefs, and avoid user conflicts to reduce pressure on juvenile and forage fish The attached document called "Areas of Interest for S2 and N146" is the source of these maps. See if you can figure those maps out. I merely added the inlets and ports to my images above so we can try to assess what they may have in mind for no fishing areas. Please note the "action" stated above appears to be 20-30% of the entire reef tract area is to be set aside as no-take zones. . Last edited by SpearMax; 01-13-2016 at 01:04 PM. |
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01-09-2016, 09:58 PM | #2 |
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Re: Our Florida Reefs - Possible No-Take MPA Zones
Put these meetings on your calendar.
EDIT 1-20-16 - I have added to this post the final detailed maps of proposed No-Take zones for any kind of fishing. Here is an example of what the attached PDF Maps look like. . Last edited by SpearMax; 01-20-2016 at 08:49 PM. |
01-10-2016, 09:45 AM | #3 |
SOGO spearfishing
Join Date: Apr 2015
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Re: Our Florida Reefs - Possible No-Take MPA Zones
Do spearos show a good presence at these meeting? I'm thinking in going to a few of them that are close to me.
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01-11-2016, 11:26 AM | #4 |
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Re: Our Florida Reefs - Possible No-Take MPA Zones
What about the longliners, party boats and bycatch?
Lets do something about this. We are not the problem. Last edited by SC00BAD1V3R; 01-11-2016 at 11:33 AM. Reason: Read "warning" |
01-11-2016, 12:29 PM | #5 |
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Re: Our Florida Reefs - Possible No-Take MPA Zones
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01-12-2016, 02:05 AM | #6 | |
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Re: Our Florida Reefs - Possible No-Take MPA Zones
Quote:
Here is a Wikipedia definition that fits like a glove for the "Our Florida Reefs" process with regard to the fishing aspects: "A boondoggle is a project that is considered a useless waste of both time and money, yet is often continued due to extraneous policy or political motivations." I honestly think we must raise a huge objection to what is going on here. My two cents, Tony . Last edited by SpearMax; 01-12-2016 at 01:15 PM. |
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01-12-2016, 06:56 AM | #7 |
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Re: Our Florida Reefs - Possible No-Take MPA Zones
Does anyone know what each blocked off area represents? I'm not going to assume they will all just be the same type of closed off areas, as some are adjacent to each other, but are blocked off with different colors and numbered separately.
Basically, does anyone have a list of how they are classifying, or protecting, each area? |
01-12-2016, 08:26 AM | #8 |
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Re: Our Florida Reefs - Possible No-Take MPA Zones
I dealt with MPAs in California. The worst PITA known to spearfishing.
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01-12-2016, 10:49 AM | #9 |
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Re: Our Florida Reefs - Possible No-Take MPA Zones
Is their plan to ask for an extremely aggressive mpa proposal and when that meets huge resistance, then they just go to the fall back position of throwing out scuba spearos only...... Maybe all the other consumptive stakeholders will be so rattled by the mpa scare that they will, in the interest of compromise, be more willing to throw the scuba spearos under the bus????
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01-12-2016, 01:22 PM | #10 | |
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Re: Our Florida Reefs - Possible No-Take MPA Zones
Quote:
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01-12-2016, 02:36 PM | #11 |
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Re: Our Florida Reefs - Possible No-Take MPA Zones
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01-13-2016, 01:01 PM | #12 | |
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Re: Our Florida Reefs - Possible No-Take MPA Zones
Quote:
FYI, Tony |
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01-13-2016, 04:59 PM | #13 |
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Re: Our Florida Reefs - Possible No-Take MPA Zones
MPAs and no-take zones aren't a solution. If you alienate the largest stakeholder groups then who is going to care about the area in the future other than a handful of environmentalists. I think the money would be better spent on a bottom up approach that focuses on jump starting healthy coral growth. Look at how healthy reefs are grown in other parts of the world and emulate that here, closing an area off and hoping for the best is a half-measure that does no one any good.
Watch the whole video, the transformation is impressive. Then ask would you rather spend the money on lobbyists and lawyers to oppose MPAs and no-take zones or build a healthier reef. Its shortsighted to think that the only solution is closing the reef indefinitely. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx8TV9Kd0ns |
01-20-2016, 08:49 PM | #14 |
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Re: Our Florida Reefs - Possible No-Take MPA Zones
Check out post #2 above where I added the final detailed maps of proposed No-Take zones for any kind of fishing.
Here is an example of what the attached PDF Maps look like. Download them for the areas you frequent and look at the details. . |
01-20-2016, 09:05 PM | #15 |
Drums 'n' Divin'
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Re: Our Florida Reefs - Possible No-Take MPA Zones
My two cents...these guys are idiots. Comparing directly spearfishermen who actually spear the reefs anywhere below 60ft to party boats who on a daily basis rape the shit out of the areas, I'd say this is ridiculous. I don't want to insult anyone's intelligence here, I assume we've all seen the load that those party boats bring in after every trip, most of them doing two to three trips a day. There are more recreational boaters fishing rod and reel by multitudes than there are spear's on the reefs on a daily basis. Is there any way to open some eyes on the facts here? I missed the meetings on account of I travel for a living. If there are any more, I'll go. Anything else I can do, please advise? thx
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