Scubaskeeter

There's an app for that now:
http://www.montereyb...sfw_iPhone.aspx

Also, the new 2012 fish are on it. I have printed, bought and distributed hundreds of these, people seem to be receptive if I take time to explain the plight of swords or marlin.

I got a nice email reply from the ministry. Looks like they will not kill the sharks unless extreme circumstances warrant:

( I tried to paste the letterhead logo here but it wouldn't paste)

Our ref: 26-11303

sglinge@yahoo.com

Dear Mr Linge

Thank you for your email to the Minister for Fisheries regarding the recent shark incidents at Western Australian beaches. The Minister has requested that I respond to you directly.

Western Australia’s Shark Incident Emergency Response Plan was developed to reduce the risk of shark attacks at State beaches. It is managed by the Department of Fisheries and involves several Government agencies, local councils and community groups, including Surf Life Saving WA (SLSWA). The plan not only involves education and awareness activities to offer safety tips for beach users, but also provides a mechanism to pass on early warnings to clear people from the water and close beaches in the event of sightings or other confirmation of shark activity.

Some of the strategies to mitigate the risk of shark attacks in WA include the use of life savers watching from beaches, on the water and in the air, Police and Fisheries and Marine Officers ready to respond to emergencies and Fisheries researchers working to better understand sharks’ movements.

Following the recent fatalities in WA, the shark hazard strategies were reviewed and several further strategies have now been announced, including funding to support four related research projects. One project will explore correlations between shark sightings and attacks with weather conditions, locations, water temperature and the presence of marine mammals. The existing shark tagging and monitoring program will be extended for another two years and another project will look at the impact of fisheries management on shark numbers. A study of the effectiveness of beach netting will also be undertaken.

SLSWA helicopter patrols and beach services will be extended along Perth beaches, to Rottnest Island and to the South West of the State during the summer months. A community engagement strategy and media campaign is being developed and implemented to provide information about avoiding shark hazards.

New licensing requirements are being introduced to manage shark cage diving tours. There are currently no such tours operating in WA and any future proposals would need to be carefully considered and regulated. There will also be broader prohibition and higher penalties for fishers who dispose of offal and blood at popular beaches.

A Shark Response Unit is also being established, with capabilities to tag sharks and assess technologies like shark repellent devices and community alert systems.

Other strategies including the culling of white sharks and the relocation or culling of seal populations were not considered appropriate and will not be adopted.



The white shark is a protected species, therefore protocols are in place which allow for a shark to be destroyed only when human life is in imminent danger. These protocols are backed by the measures outlined above, that are designed to minimise the risk posed by sharks.

In the event of persons being in imminent danger of shark attack, or if a shark remained in an area for a lengthy period, the Department of Fisheries has the option to “take” the shark, but would only do so under extreme circumstances. The main aim is to remove people from harm’s way, get them out of the water and to wait for the shark to move on. No white sharks have been ‘taken’ to date.

Where a white shark is considered to be a threat to the public, attempts are made to mitigate the threat without causing harm to the shark and a decision to destroy a shark is only considered if the threat remains imminent.

Thank you for your interest in this matter, I trust this information has been useful. Further information is available online at www.fish.wa.gov.au/shark.

Yours sincerely


Barbara Sheridan

on behalf of

Stuart Smith
Director General

16 November 2011

Thanks for the replies, Phil and everyone. I will ask my ophthalmologist if I can use the soft lenses. That sound a lot easier than getting a new hard lens in a mask!

I have had the same surgery and use a contact in one eye for distance and the other eye for closeup and looking into the viewfinder using the cameras +/- diopter to get proper focus. Works well for me.

Phil Rudin

Hi Phil,

Have you had any problems with salt water getting under the contact lens and causing irritation? I have reached a stage where I can hardly read my camera or gauges just thru my mask so I'm researching solutions. The magnification of the mask seems to compensate for my mild astigmitism and myopia when viewing distant objects underwater.

I have dry eyes so am not a candidate for Lasik. Anyone else can chime in here too.

Regards,
Scott

Received this petition. http://www.thepetiti...ka-stop-mining/
Is it true? Have googled about Bangka Mining & indeed there is an island also call Bangka in Sumatra that is being mined...

Dear Friends,

We would like to inform you about a disastrous development that we are currently facing.

A Chinese company wants to start an iron mine on Bangka, with the intention of mining both on the land, and just off the coast of (the Western side of) Bangka Island.

If this mining starts, then half of Bangka will turn into an open pit mining site, and the underwater mining activities will stir up so much sediment, sand, and dirt that the reefs surrounding Bangka and neighbouring Islands will all die. Even the reefs within the Bunaken National Park are not safe…

According to the Indonesian law it is illegal to mine anything on small Islands, so this should not be happening. However corruption is still a part of life here and the mining corporation ‘bought’ some of the government people to get some of “the licenses� they need.

They do not have all the licenses yet to start their operation, which means we still have time to fight for our rights, our life, and most importantly for the conservation of the environment!

The resorts in the area are working together with the villagers and a local environmental organisation to try and stop this illegal activity. We have already sent a letter to the local House of Representatives to get a hearing, but so far nothing seems to happen.

As the mining company is moving fast (they want to start operating before the end of this year) we need to act quickly to have a chance to stop them. Therefore it is now time to set up this petition, so we can show the Indonesian government that they are creating a future catastrophe by allowing the mining on a small Island.

This should hopefully create more awareness within the government and should be enough to stop the mining company from getting the licence to mine.

We hope you are willing to help us preserve this beautiful piece of the world.

Signed the petition - I trust Care2 and hope you can stop this, or at least get it mitigated to save the reefs. I'm going to contact other enviro groups. Thanks for posting.