SEATTLE, Washington (1 Nov 2001) -- Cyber Diver Society (CDS), the world's largest international scuba diver environmental organization, has condemned DEMA and called on the dive industry marketing group to drop its lawsuit against the state of Florida over a ban on shark feeding. "DEMA has become an embarrassment to the global scuba diving community," said Evan T. Allard, CDS Executive Director. "As a marketing organization whose sole objective is to aggressively promote and grow the diving industry, DEMA is fundamentally incapable of responsibly addressing the legitimate environmental concerns of dive operators and the diving public. After two long years of bitter fighting with respected international environmental organizations, lashing out at government officials, and alleging that decisions based on wildlife management concerns are part of some kind of government conspiracy to discriminate against divers, DEMA has lost its credibility and inflicted tremendous damage on the reputation of a dive industry that is already perceived by the general public as part of the environmental problem, rather than the solution." DEMA and dive industry heavies, PADI, Skin Diver, Rodale's and Jean-Michel Cousteau, have been fighting against a broad coalition of divers, dive operators, environmental organizations, sport fishers and the general public over a proposed ban on shark feeding that was finally approved on November 1, 2001. Rather than accept the decision, DEMA has vowed to fight what it describes as a government conspiracy that "threatens the rights of dive operators and other dive-related businesses all over the world by opening the door for FURTHER REGULATION of our industry." Environmentalists and the vast majority of the diving public hailed the unanimous decision by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) as a major victory for public safety, wildlife protection and marine conservation. | | "The Florida decision to ban shark feeding is an unprecedented victory and accurately reflects the will of the vast majority of divers, not only in Florida, but throughout the world," explained Freeman Washington, CDNN managing editor. "Just as importantly, the long battle has exposed DEMA, Cousteau, PADI, and of course, the ad-driven scuba publications for what they actually are: Environmentally irresponsible corporations obsessed with marketing, growth and development." "According to CDNN surveys, which have been extraordinarily accurate in predicting dive consumer trends, many divers and dive operators have already decided to withdraw their support for Project Aware, Ocean Futures, DEMA and other dive industry fronts that squander our contributions on high-priced lawyers and lobbyists who wage dirty campaigns against the scientific, academic and environmental communities," Washington added. "The DEMA lawsuit will only serve to further alienate divers from a diving industry that has lost the trust of the vast majority of the diving public." CDS members voted on the shark feeding issue in early September, just prior to the September 6 ruling by the FWC to proceed with a ban on shark feeding. Of 34,979 members who voted, 31,140 voted in favor of a ban on shark feeding, 3,726 voted against the ban, and 113 had no opinion on the issue. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORK |
