M 2 The Presidents Corner

Transcription

1 FAIRFIELD COUNTY DIVING ASSOCIATION November 2011 Volume 18 Issue 11 Inside this Issue Presidents Corner page 1 New Members page 2 FCDA Donors I page 2 Events of Interest page 3 FCDA Donors II page 3 Raffle Winners page 4 FCDA Donors III page 4 Holiday Party page 5 FCDA Member Ads page 5 Grouper Comeback page 6 M 2 The Presidents Corner It s now day 6 without power and CL&P is expecting my power to be on in 2 more days. They keep saying they are making significant efforts to restore power as soon as possible. I can t wait until my payment is late I am making significant efforts to restore my bank account as quickly as possible after it has taken a beating filling up gas cans every freakin day to power my generator. I expect to have it to you soon, but this is an estimate it may be earlier or it may be later. Thank you for your cooperation. Sound familiar CL&P because this is the same damn message I have been hearing every damn day I call to see when our power will be turned on!!!!! Ugh, I am about to loose my mind. I am not sure how many more cold showers I have in me. I hope that this is not an indication of the winter to come. If it is we are in for it. Don t forget to get your money in for the Holiday Party. It is planned for Saturday, December 3, 2011 at 7pm; Ristorante Cinzano s, 1920 Black Rock Tpke in Fairfield. Advanced reservations are required and your money is due by November 26 so don t delay. We need a body count of 30 so step up and get the check in the mail, or better yet save the $0.42 and bring it to the next meeting. Our November meeting is a week early, due to Thanksgiving, so it will be November 18. This is our last meeting of the year, time sure flies, doesn t it? Elections are coming up so if you have it in you and want your 15 minutes of fame step to the plate and nominate yourself. Or someone may do it for you..so don t miss the January meeting. Happy Fall everyone, and if you re still diving at home or away, dive safe and always dive with a buddy See you in a few weeks at the meeting and don t forget the Holiday Party, send your RSVP in by November 26. Next FCDA Meeting page 8

2 Page 2 New FCDA Member Welcome aboard to the following individual who has recently become a new member of the Fairfield County Diving Association: John Hill 39 Long Ledge Dr Rye Brook, NY H: (616) W: jhill2007@gmail.com FCDA Donors The business listed on this page has donated dive gear and dive services to help support the Fairfield County Diving Association. New England's Tech Diving Center! New England Dive Center 476 North Colony Street Wallingford, CT Fax P.O. Box 3005, Fairfield, CT Dealer for OMS, UWATEC, Oceanic, Mares, Dacor, Cressi-Sub, P o s e i d o n, Scubapro, Bare, O'Neill and Henderson. Internet mail: fcda@aol.com Presidents Vice- President Secretary Treasurer 2011 Board Matt Rownin & Mike Cassetta Mark Shannon George Sharrard Paul J. Gacek The region's foremost source for scuba and technical diving gear, training and everything for the recreational or serious tech diver. Draeger Atlantis I Rebreather training, certification and rental. New England Dive Center offers complete training for all levels of diving, from Open Water through the most advanced technical courses. Our instruction provides certification through SSI, PDIC, TDI and IANTD. Visit us on the Web:

3 Page 3 Events of Interest to FCDA Members Saturday, December 3, :00 PM Annual FCDA Holiday Party Ristorante Cinzano's, 1920 Black Rock Turnpike, Fairfield, CT FCDA Donors The business listed on this page has donated dive gear and dive services to help support the Fairfield County Diving Association. Buffet Menu: Penne Vodka, Chicken Francese, Roast Tip Sirloin, Broiled Salmon Vegetable, Roasted Potatoes & Melange of Field Greens, Coffee, Tea and Dessert; Cash Bar All this for only $32.00 per person! Advance reservations required by November 26, 2011 Dive Raffle, $5 Grab Bag DAN Diving Fatalities Workshop Proceedings Now Available a=news&id=

4 Page 4 October Meeting Raffle Winners After our Stuart Cove s Shark Dives video presented by Jim Paul of the Norwalk Maritime Aquarium the club held its regular raffle to support our DAN Platinum sponsorship. FCDA Donors The business listed on this page has donated dive gear and dive services to help support the Fairfield County Diving Association. The winners were: Reef Fish ID Course DVD donated by Rex Dive Center - Daniel Shannon; Storm Safety Whistle donated by Orbit Marine Dive Center - Toni Morgan; Princeton Tech Eco Flare donated by Orbit Marine Dive Center - Connor Rownin, Nano Spotter Dive Light donated by Orbit Marine Dive Center - Andy Cummings, 2 Nitrox Fills donated by Rex Dive Center- Daniel Shannon, 2 Air Fills donated by Rex Dive Center- Charlie Blanchette, Oceanic Fin Bag donated by Orbit Marine Dive Center - Toni Morgan, and a Dive Mask donated by New England Dive Center - Jeff Susa. Thanks to New England Dive Center, Orbit Marine Dive Center and Rex Dive Center for donating tonight s raffle prizes for our DAN raffle. Remember, you can't win if you don't buy tickets and you can't buy tickets if you don't get up and come out to FCDA events and meetings! Rex Dive Center Offers Technical Diving Classes Interested in taking your training to the next level? TDI Instructor George Sharrard (# 10270) is offering: Intro to Tech Advanced Nitrox Decompression Procedures Stop by Rex Dive Center to talk about schedules, class requirements and gear. Or, georges00z@aol.com for more information.

5 Page 5 Annual FCDA Holiday Party Saturday, December 3, :00PM Ristorante Cinzano's 1920 Black Rock Turnpike Fairfield, CT Buffet Menu: Penne Vodka, Chicken Francese, Roast Tip Sirloin, Broiled Salmon Vegetable, Roasted Potatoes & Melange of Field Greens, Coffee, Tea and Dessert; Cash Bar Dive Raffle $5 Grab Bag All this for only $32.00 per person! Advance reservations required!! Good Company Music I want to have a great time at the 2011 Annual FCDA Holiday Party! Name(s) Number of $32.00 per person= Make your check payable to FCDA and mail to: FCDA, PO Box 3005, Fairfield, CT postmarked by November 26, 2011.

6 Page 6 Florida Biologists Fish For Reasons Behind Endangered Grouper's Comeback by Underwatertimes.com News Service - October 10, 2011 GAINSVILLE, Florida -- In the waters along Florida's east and west coasts, Florida State University marine biologists are collecting new data on the once severely overfished Atlantic goliath grouper, a native species that is making a comeback in the southeastern United States after a 21-year moratorium on its capture while remaining critically endangered everywhere else in the world. The three-year study will determine what specific conditions and fishy behaviors are supporting the goliath grouper's population recovery in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico around the Sunshine State. Findings from the research could help to answer several high-stakes questions: Is there a sustainable fishing level for this species? Or are there better economic uses of this marine resource? The answers will be crucial to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. They set policy on the management and conservation of the slow-moving, inquisitive giants, some of which grow to lengths of 9 feet and weights of 400 to 800 pounds. Meanwhile, the new study will be unique in two key ways. "First, while in the past scientists had to sacrifice the fish to gather age, reproductive and predatory information, at FSU we've developed a non-destructive means of obtaining the data that spares its life," said Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory scientist Christopher C. Koenig, who will lead the project with colleagues at the University of South Florida and the University of Florida. "Second, those new, non-lethal data-gathering methods allow us to actively engage commercial and recreational fishermen in the scientific process," Koenig said. "We will train the fisherman to obtain scientific samples, and to tag and release the fish." Among other revealing things, those samples will help Koenig and his colleagues assess the ages of individual Atlantic goliath grouper, which can live for up to 50 years. Learning the average age of the fish in the region should make clearer just how reproductively successful the species has been in the aftermath of the extreme overfishing that occurred in Florida coastal areas during the 1980s which triggered the fishing moratorium on goliath grouper that has been in effect since The scientists also will investigate predatory behaviors and migration patterns that could be contributing to population recovery. What they learn may guide future conservation and fishery management decisions on a wide range of specific issues. "For example," said Koenig, "a recreational catch-and-release enterprise, the scope and impact of which are currently unknown, has developed despite the moratorium on goliath grouper harvest. There also is considerable recreational interest in harvesting for science and in allowing restricted recrea- Couninued on page 7

7 Continued from page 6 tional harvest on a regular basis. "Another relatively unstudied group with an economic stake in this species is the diving community," he said. "Interest in underwater viewing of unexploited marine populations, especially including large animals such as goliath grouper, is on the rise." With competing interests to either reopen the goliath grouper fishery at some level or declare the species endangered, Koenig said "the management arena has become politically charged and begs for better scientific knowledge." Koenig and marine ecologist Felicia Coleman, director of the FSU Coastal and Marine Laboratory, have studied goliath grouper life history and behavior for nearly 18 years and published a number of papers on the species' biology, ecology and population dynamics. Their findings have demonstrated the importance of protecting mangrove habitat because of its critical value as nursery habitat for juvenile goliath grouper, whose nearshore survival rate affects the abundance of adults in the offshore environment. Koenig and Coleman have worked closely with commercial and recreational fishermen in many aspects of their research. "While we'd like to be optimistic about their recovery, the reality is that goliath grouper are exceptionally vulnerable to fishing pressure," Coleman said. "They also are vulnerable to habitat loss, which in the South Florida ecosystem has been altered to such a high degree over the last 100 years that suitable mangrove nursery habitat in all probability presents a serious bottleneck to production of this species. Koenig points to a misperception that the goliath grouper is an invasive, nuisance species - though the fish is a native that evolved for millions of years on Florida and Caribbean reefs. FCDA Member Ads Page 7 "Fisherman may perceive that all other species they target, such as snapper, now are at an all-time low, and since the protected goliath grouper is on its way to recovery, they may assume the goliath grouper is to blame for the decline in the other species," Koenig said. "But many of those other target species are themselves heavily overfished and still undergoing overfishing, and current data show that goliath groupers eat mostly crabs and slow-moving spiny fish and have a positive effect on the ecosystem because of the type of habitat they create by digging." "Clearly we must do a better job as scientists and fishery managers to educate the public about marine systems," Coleman said. Funding for the current Atlantic goliath grouper study comes from a $481,664 grant awarded to Koenig and Coleman by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Fisheries Initiative. The research team also includes USF Assistant Professor Christopher Stallings and UF Asso- Hey - have you got a non retail-diving business that you d like to share with fellow members of FCDA? Get your business card size ad in the FCDA monthly newsletter Surface Interval for only $50.00 for one year. Give your business a boost and help support the production of our monthly newsletters. For more information, write to FCDA, P.O. Box 3005, Fairfield, CT or to fcda@aol.com.

8 Page 8 Next FCDA Meeting Friday, November 18, :00 PM Coast Guard Cottage, South Benson Marina, Fairfield, CT "Dive Turks & Caicos" a video presentation by Paul Gacek Visit Turks & Caicos aboard the Turks & Caicos Aggressor II for a week of thrilling wall diving along the coasts of Providenciales, West Caicos and French Cay. The sheer walls of Providenciales begin at 40 feet, plunging into the deep blue abyss and include crevasses and ledges that are decorated with huge orange elephant ear sponges, gorgonians and crimson rope sponges. French Cay is a sure bet for curious reef sharks. Fairfield County Diving Association P.O. Box 3005 Fairfield, CT Address Service Requested Annual FCDA Holiday Party - December 3, 2011