Breaking News

Posted 9:38 PM by Amy Maurer

Mark your calendar!

On July 20, 2002, The Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) will celebrate the 10th anniversaries of the designation of the Sanctuary and the launch of the Great Annual Fish Count (GAFC) event.

The celebration will be centered in Stage Fort Park in Gloucester, Massachusetts. GAFC dives are planned at four (4) shore locations around Cape Ann, along with dives in the Sanctuary by volunteer NOAA Divers. There will be a picnic, free equipment raffles and a door prize. Dive equipment manufacturers have contributed over $5000.00 in equipment for the raffle. The door prize is a dive in The New England Aquarium’s Giant Ocean Tank. Every survey form submitted after each dive will count as an entry into the raffles for each diver. We are expecting more than 100 divers to participate in the day’s celebration. This is the largest REEF/GAFC event ever held in the Northeast. The event runs from 10:00-4:00.

Recognized as one of the nation's most significant marine locations, the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Home to endangered whales, flocks of seabirds, schools of fish and a wide variety of invertebrates, the Sanctuary is a living classroom and laboratory for nature's wonders. Last year the Sanctuary joined forces with the Reef Environmental Education Foundation to bring the acclaimed REEF Fish Survey Project and the Great Annual Fish Count to New England's SCUBA-diving community. The GAFC mobilizes and trains volunteer divers and snorkelers to identify and document fish diversity and population trends in marine sanctuaries and coastal areas.

For more information, please contact: Bob Michelson, event coordinator for the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary at (781) 848-8870, or by e-mail, pbm.inc@verizon.net.

Posted 10:45 AM by Freddie

The scuba news on our front page is always interesting. In case you missed it, here is a link to a first person account of a gay man's take on open water training in cold water, stocked with observations on why lesbians like scuba, neoprene fetishes, and, uh...shrinkage.Click here!

Posted 1:32 PM by Amy Maurer

The North Shore Frogmen will be hosting a fish ID class this Thursday
at 8:00 (no business meeting). The course is free of charge. You will
receive a laminated underwater identification card and identification
handouts. There will be a short video and a slide presentation. The
class is sponsored by Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF)
and Stellwagon Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Bob Michelson will be
giving the presentaion.

For more information, visit http://www.reef.org.

We hope to have several guests (potential members) attending, so
please come and show your support for the club and learn about the
inhabitants of our local waters.

Posted 9:07 AM by Freddie

It has been brought to our attention that the Hong Kong Tourism Board under
its shopping mecca promotion has put Dried Seafood and the sale of SHARK FIN
in its 'Hong Kong Must Buy Items'. The link to the site is attached below.
Just click on the vote button and run the cursor over the Dried Seafood box
to see that shark fins are included in this choice.

http://webserv1.discoverhongkong.com/eng/shop/mustbuy/vote.jhtml

The local green groups have voiced their concern in yesterday's South China
Morning Post, and now we are asking the international community such as
yourselves to spend 5 minutes in writing an email to the following people,
and condemn the HK Tourism Board and Government for running such a campaign:

Rebecca Lai, Commissioner for Tourism: tcenq@tc.esb.gov.hk
Chief Executive Tung Chee Wah: ceo@ceo.gov.hk
Miss Jacqueline Ann Willis, JP,
Hong Kong Commissioner to the US
: hketo@hketowashington.gov.hk

Please pass on this email to all appropriate parties.

Thanks,

Asia Shark Watch

Posted 10:08 AM by Amy Maurer

From Dave Metrano:

A Free Trip To The Caribbean or Not Your Typical Day at the Beach

On May 11th and 18th, come join us for a fun day for divers and their families. This is an opportunity to help create a historic environmental solution for the invasive weeds of Dudley Pond in Wayland, which may apply to many ponds across the country. At the same time, we offer a fun family cookout, and lastly, get a chance to win a fabulous four-day diving trip to Key West, Florida for two people, including airfare and hotel.

Background: Since the early 90’s, invasive weeds like Eurasian Milfoil (Myriophyllum Spicatum) have been growing out of control in Massachusetts as well as 46 other states. This weed comes from Europe and has no natural controls here. It negatively affects fishing, boating and swimming. Visible fragments clinging to boats and their trailers spread invasive weeds. Therefore, boaters must always clean off weeds and dispose of away from the water.

One of the traditional methods of dealing with invasive weeds is using herbicides. Unfortunately, Herbicides do not cure the problem. The weeds grow back and the retreatment may need to be done every 3 years. Herbicide killed weeds go to the bottom to add to the sediment, feeding future weeds. All the while there are associated health risks (especially for children, the elderly, animals and pregnant woman. This is according to the Mass Dept of public health and 60 Independent University studies.

Rather than using herbicides to temporarily treat weeds, we have a solution over time to actually cure the weeds, useful for Low Weed Infestation Ponds. This solution prevents potential health risks involved with herbicides and saves money from the every 3-year herbicide retreatment. The program involves careful hand pulling the weeds with divers. We take it two steps further with public education creating nutrient reduction from lawn run off and septic systems and a program of sediment reduction.

We need 50 divers to carefully hand-pull the weeds near the shore in Dudley Pond water no more than 10 feet deep on Sat., May 11th and Sat., May 18th, from 8AM to 3PM. Post Dive, thank you party/fantasy dive trip raffle, @3PM, on Saturday, May 18th 2002.

We offer a fun and memorable experience that includes:
* Brief instruction the day of the event on correct hand pulling and bagging techniques.
* A fun, family cookout for significant others to the divers and their children noon to 5 PM.
* Media exposure for the divers and their diving clubs.
* Raffle ticket for the divers for every 40-minute weed-pulling dive. The more you dive the more chances to win. Weatherman Bruce Schwoegler will draw a raffle ticket for 1 trip for 2 lucky people to take a dream diving trip to Loo Key off Key West Florida. Stay in a tropical rain forest and even swim with Dolphins. An unforgettable experience.

For more information and directions, contact Dave Metrano or Amy Maurer.

Posted 9:29 AM by Amy Maurer

Join us tonight at 7:00 at the FAC to congratulate Faith and Jeff on their marriage. Munchies will be provided, but please feel free to bring your favorite.

Posted 11:18 AM by Freddie

This, from Linda Marshall, ouch:How do you circumcise a whale?



Four Skin Divers.