MLPA Research Vessel/Patrol Boat

[zenspearo]

Originally Posted by Jim Day

even the spearos were better off because they at least had the dive boat concessions pushing for their access.

This ain't the case with the enviro-nazis running around boycotting dive boats that take spearos out. It's been that way for a few years.

Throughout this fight, we spearos have approached numerous shops and dive boats asking for support. The dive boats are all reluctant to publicly back spearos because they are afraid that the support will cause a backlash among their sight-seeing or tourist diving traffic (think newly certified tourist divers from Iowa armed with Packard's Monterey Bay Aquarium brochure).

Some of the worst WG3 pushers are non-consumptive divers, and they want to close all of La Jolla. That's the battle we spearos had to fight as well. Here in San Diego, the San Diego Council of Divers didn't lift a finger to help spearos--they have been hijacked by the kelp huggers.

We spearos fought like hell because our backs were against the wall. They were going to exterminate our sport by taking all accessible spearing spots. We had nowhere else to go.