SAN DIEGO, CA (22 Mar 2004) -- California scuba divers are upset with commercial squid fishermen, accusing them of jeopardizing night divers by detonating small explosives to protect their catch from hungry seals and sea lions. The squid fishermen's heavy use of seal bombs endanger the divers and ruin the unique experience of ocean diving after dark, divers say. "It sounded like elephants doing cannon balls over our heads," said San Diego diver Peter Ajtai. The 28-year-old University of San Diego graduate student said he was startled by the firecracker-like noisemakers while diving with two buddies earlier this month off La Jolla. "There were two explosion where we could actually feel the percussion inside our bodies," he said. "It was kind of scary." Federal law allows commercial fishers and sportfishing charter boat operators to use seal bombs to ward off sea lions and harbor seals. Fishermen say the nonlethal explosives spare the animals from death or injuries that can occur if the marine mammals get entangled in their nets. The issue has caught the attention of Sonke Mastrup, deputy director of the department's Wildlife and Inland Fisheries Division and an avid scuba diver. "It's not a fun experience," Mastrup said. He was night diving last year in Monterey when he was rocked by percussive sound waves from seal bombs tossed into the water by squid fishermen. "I'm not in a position to judge any danger associated with such an event," he said, "but it is quite a shock." Experiences range from those who have been startled by the explosions to terrifying percussions from seal bombs detonated within a few feet of a diver, said dive master John H. Moore of San Diego. While the seal bombs aren't powerful enough to blow off a diver's finger, the percussive sound waves could damage eardrums or sinuses, Moore said. Kristine Barksy, a U.S. Fish and Game Department biologist who dives frequently, said sound waves are amplified under water and the percussion from seal bombs can be disorienting to an unsuspecting diver. "You're down at night. It's all dark and then all of a sudden – BOOM!" she said. "It's very loud even if you're not close." The problem hasn't occurred in Southern California before because the squid fleet normally fishes offshore along the northern Channel Islands – Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz and San Miguel – where there are few night scuba divers. During a typical fall-through-winter fishing season, vessels called purse seiners pursue spawning squid that congregate by the millions offshore near the islands. But in the last six months, the squid turned up in relatively low quantities over a wide range of locations along the Southern California mainland, said Dale Sweetnam, a Fish and Game marine biologist. Adjusting to the wider dispersal pattern, the fishermen skipped around to more locations than they normally fish, Sweetnam said. "Fishermen have been looking in different locations this year because the squid have been harder to find," he said. | | By targeting squid spawning in waters from 50 to 150 feet deep along the mainland, Sweetnam said, the commercial fishers ended up along the edges of the same underwater canyons favored by Southern California scuba divers. "Usually, the potential for interaction between squid fishermen and scuba divers is rare," he said. "We really haven't had this problem before." Although state officials have been aware of the complaints for more than a month, they haven't passed the information along to commercial fishermen. "This is the first I've heard of it, and I'm on the squid advisory panel," said Donald Brockman, a light boat operator who assists purse seiners. "If they would have told us, we could have spread the word." Operating at night, one boat attracts squid to the surface by using strong lights. Then the purse seiner drops a round haul net around the shoal. Squid fishing is California's largest commercial fishery in terms of landings and the value of the catch. The 173 licensed purse seiners and 39 light boats brought in nearly 39,000 metric tons during 2003, a whopping decline from 2000, when 119,000 metric tons was brought to market. Last year's catch had a wholesale value of $22.8 million. Brockman said he spends close to $4,000 a year on seal bombs. The noisemakers, which cost about 50 cents apiece, are made with a waterproof fuse and are filled with sand. Once, he accidentally detonated one in his hand. The only damage was a broken finger, he said. "It doesn't hurt the seals, it just spooks them," he said. "It makes them jump out of the net so they don't get tangled. "They're not as effective as they used to be," he added. "Seals are a very smart animal." Studies show that pinnipeds become conditioned to the noise from seal bombs, "which end up being like a dinner bell," said Carrie Wilson, a Fish and Game Department spokeswoman. "It may help for a few minutes, but it's not a long term deterrent by any means." Brockman believes commercial fishermen probably are using more seal bombs than ever because there seem to be more sea lions and seals trying to steal the fishermen's catch. The California sea lion population on the West Coast approached 300,000 last year, up from 80,000 animals in the late 1970s. Scuba divers would be wise to keep their distance when the squid fleet is working because the fishermen can't tell whether divers are in the water at night, Brockman said. Orlando Amoroso, president of the Southern California Commercial Fishing Vessel Association, said he, too, was unaware of the conflict between night divers and the squid fleet. "I frankly didn't know that people dived at night," he said. "But I'm very interested in solving the problem, if there is one. There must be some way to control the situation to minimize the risk." SOURCE - Union-Tribune |
