High-grading Abalone Is Illegal and May Kill Those Returned

Like I said before. I don't endorse it. It's against the law. As it is written.

Sometimes we have to make sacrifices on the account of others who can't follow the rules to keep doing what we love.

Brilliant quote.

What that means is that a conscientious diver with good technique can get an abalone off the rocks without any damage at all. Lets just say you are diving and its an awesome day 40+. You keep diving and you find a ten. Never found one before. You have abalone in your retention in a hanging mesh bag. In perfect shape. Do you really think that one of those abalone are going to certainly die if you put it back? Nope. Now if you want to talk written law, you have an argument. If you want to talk morals and what's responsible and nothing is injured or harmed., that is another argument.

I went diving with some guys.  I found 3 tens, all about 10 1/4".  I took all three without putting a scratch on them.  I found a fourth ab, 10 3/4" which was way bigger than my 3 ab.  I called my friend over and told him there was a huge ab down there.  I dove down with him and watched him pull a monster ab.  I could have taken that ab myself and replaced it with a smaller ten and put my friend on that one and I would have been the only one that would have ever known.  I didn't do that because it's illegal and it's unethical to hold another to a standard that I refuse to adhere to.  Either you abide by the law or you're a poacher, even if you think the law is B.S.

Well,  I guess I just dont understand what you mean that a law is "bullshit". If I think a law is bullshit then I feel I have a moral obligation to try to change the law.  It can be subtle, like calling the law bullshit in an internet forum where people are discussing the law.  The complaint ignites the debate, like exactly what has happened here.

Unless you mean that its bullshit that we need such a law in the first place, in which case the law isn't bullshit, people just suck and the law is necessary.

Also, people are using the words "morals" and "ethics" interchangeably.  They are not the same thing.  Something can be one without the other, and sometimes a catch 22 arises where an act would be unethical, but failure to act would be immoral.

/grammar nittery.

What that means is that a conscientious diver with good technique can get an abalone off the rocks without any damage at all. Lets just say you are diving and its an awesome day 40+. You keep diving and you find a ten. Never found one before. You have abalone in your retention in a hanging mesh bag. In perfect shape. Do you really think that one of those abalone are going to certainly die if you put it back? Nope. Now if you want to talk written law, you have an argument. If you want to talk morals and what's responsible and nothing is injured or harmed., that is another argument.

I went diving with some guys.  I found 3 tens, all about 10 1/4".  I took all three without putting a scratch on them.  I found a fourth ab, 10 3/4" which was way bigger than my 3 ab.  I called my friend over and told him there was a huge ab down there.  I dove down with him and watched him pull a monster ab.  I could have taken that ab myself and replaced it with a smaller ten and put my friend on that one and I would have been the only one that would have ever known.  I didn't do that because it's illegal and it's unethical to hold another to a standard that I refuse to adhere to.  Either you abide by the law or you're a poacher, even if you think the law is B.S.

I abide. I still have the right to think some of it is bullshit. The law does not protect at all undersize gouged abalone that are returned without consequence. Just like people who catch a 24inch salmon. Net it and bring it on board only to decide they want to put it back to try for a larger one. No law actually broken except the sportsmans law. Or the small rockfish brought up from 100ft with barotrauma. Descended to live or die? Still not against the law. Hoist a federally protected specie for a photo op. We have seen salmon done that way right here. Not against the law. Happens every fall.  Where is the difference between this stuff and abalone. Words written by some committee. No we cannot differentiate between actions so the law is the law. FT. Ross is closed. Another brilliant idea by the government that leans towards non-harvest. The most populated rock picking site in Sonoma County on low tide days. That will tell you something about the decimation caused by rock pickers.  Is it too late to beg for an emergency re-opening of the Stewarts Point Reserve for us?