FLORIDA (8 Mar 2001) -- Hillsboro Beach has joined Deerfield Beach in banning shark-feeding. The unanimous decision by the Hillsboro Beach city commission was a stunning defeat for PADI, DEMA, Rodales and others in the diving industry that are fighting to protect dive operators involved in the highly profitable business of sharkfeeding. The Hillsboro ban represents the second victory for a grass-roots coalition of recreational divers, environmentalists, marine scientists and the Humane Society over the business-as-usual agenda of the powerful diving industry. "Several commercial dive operations in Florida hand-feed and chum the water around diving sites to bring top marine predators in close," says Bob Dimond, co-founder of the Marine Safety Group that is leading the battle against PADI, DEMA and Rodales. "The aim, of course, is to make the diving experience for their customers that much more exciting. Novice divers and tourists get to hand-feed these "tame" animals and have their picture taken doing it." Dimond, a resident of Deerfield Beach and a recreational scuba diver with more than 4,000 dives to his credit, wants the practice stopped, and has spent the past two years and considerable personal funds to make it happen. Dimond has pursued a successful grass-roots strategy, speaking with city councils up and down Florida's Atlantic coast, asking them to support a feeding ban. He has argued that cities may now face the very real possibility of multi-million dollar legal settlements should someone get hurt in their waters as a result of commercial dive operators chumming and hand-feeding sharks and other marine predators in city-controlled waters. Despite PADI's claim that sharkfeeding is absolutely safe, Dimond has also trotted out victims of the practice, individuals who have been nipped and gnawed on while on these dives, as proof that sharkfeeding is dangerous. While most of the injuries have been relatively minor, one truly serious incident occurred last summer. | | Andrea Nani, a participant on a feeding dive off Big Pine Key, received a serious shark bite on her leg. According to recent reports, secondary infections have set in and doctors remain concerned about the health and use of the leg. PADI, DEMA and Rodales have also attempte to put an environmentally correct spin on sharkfeeding but the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the nation's largest animal protection organization, has thrown its support behind the ban, fearing the practice not only puts humans at risk, but threatens already endangered shark populations. Dimond pledges to continue his fight until Florida bans marine feeding. The next community on his list is Light House Point. He plans to meet with the LHP city commission later this month. He notes that the marine feeding ban is finally starting to get the serious attention it deserves. "When we first started this campaign, I don't think anyone took us seriously. Now they are," said Dimond. "I take strength from a quote from Gandhi - 'First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORK |
