Resource-sharing....between Friends.....Dive-sites

[Gazza]

Just thinking...it IS unacceptable to fish/dive in the same spot/same time.....that's a "given"

just thinking...what do you think of a scenario whereby previously EXCLUSIVE dive-sites e.g. sunken ships,
....are TIME-shared with Fishos up to 1~3 days/week....MAX.

Any designated fishing days are fine , to generally compliment "slack" dive days....or profitability issues.

1day
2days
3days

0days

I vote 2 outta 7...jmo ,yours welcome.

[Just one of the Boys]

There are enough cowboys from both sides of this debate doing the wrong thing.

Place in question is the HMAS Brisbane off the Sunshine Coast. Everyone knows it is a " dive only " site, but still the bad apples seem to have this " holier than thou " approach to their exploits and don't really give a rats. I have also seen the other side of the ledger first hand, with rec fishers near a wreck and the ( red ) Cat dive boat, drop anchor within 20 meters of the rec fisher and proceed to tell them move, " I have a dive flag up ! ".

I think the Divers should have their own sites. To be honest, ship wrecks are not the be all and end all of articifal reefs for holding fish. If the powers that be, " dive ready " a ship to be sunk, then that should be so and used for the intended purpose, much like dedicating that wreck as a Green Zone and maybe the fish stocks that accumulate there will fall for the " spill-over " effect and move out for the rec fishers to have a crack at.

Let's also face it, divers only usually go down to 40 mtrs max, after that they require specialised equipment and experience / tickets to do so. Most " tourist dives " are in less than 30 mtrs.

There are an abundance of artifical and natural dive sites around Australia, as are the fishing areas. We all ( fishers, divers, spearos etc ) are stewards of the sea and should respect the seas and the stakeholders, along with the inhabitants.

I think the more artifical reefs / wrecks sunk, dedicated to the divers, the better. It will keep them away from the current sites where divers and fishers clash.

As for wrecks being fishers targets, purpose built arti's are way better, as wrecks tend to hold more Pelagic species and the Arti's more Demersal.



.

[Gazza]

If the powers that be, " dive ready " a ship to be sunk

"dive ready" ....is that taking off doors ,and cutting holes,etc , to expel air....so the ship sinks evenly and horizontally "as possible" ??

i.e. I'm unsure what would be different if they sunk a boat for RecFisho-only use....
thanks for your vote m8...no wrong answers , just differing perspectives

[Almako]

Cutting holes in the sides, removing doors etc is for divers safety of being able to get out.
It's good and bad, good because it's safe for divers bad because some of us diver like to dive in the dark and find things with torches.

Diving and fishing at the same time definitely don't mix in my mind as I think the fish would be spooked by the divers, and there is the possibility of divers being caught by fish hooks and lines, that why divers carry knives. Saying that every weekend divers and fisherman use curtain artificial reef.

Can't see any issue with splitting times but really more artificial reefs sounds like a good idea.