safety steps

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Ruleo Comacho: Let me try and help to explain some closed-season science so people can understand why the law is written how it is. This may be a little long, but please read it and ask any questions you want and I’ll try to answer all

“Why am I not allowed to be in possession of the species during the closed season?” From a socio-economic perspective, the answer is that it would be virtually impossible to prove that the fish/crustacean was caught/bought prior to the season being closed.

This would then create a loophole allowing for the laws to be broken and making enforcement difficult. Essentially, there is no way for me to prove the lobster/parrotfish I have during the closed season was not caught during the closed season.

You could, in theory, report what quantities of fish/lobster you have at the start of the closed season. This would likely result in individuals stockpiling the organism (Lobster/Chub/etc.) to have enough to supply them for the duration of the closed season, but this then creates a problem biologically.

The restriction of the catch/possession/sale/consumption of these species during a closed season prevents them from being stockpiled prior to the season closure, and this is essential for the biology of the species.

The more fish/crustaceans that are present in the marine ecosystem entering a reproductive (closed) season, the greater the chances of successful reproduction among the species, leading to greater stocks (quantities) of the organism in the environment, which is the whole point of the closed season: recovery of the population.

Think of it like your savings account at the bank. If there were a 2 (two) month period where a bank was offering a super-high interest rate on savings accounts, you would want to have as much money as possible in your account going into this period to ensure you get the greatest returns from this super-high interest rate.

In the same way, during this period of high reproduction potential (high interest rate), the more fish (money) in the marine ecosystem (bank account), the better the chances of successful reproduction and support of the species’ population ($ returns).

Further, the success of reproduction for many marine species increases as the number of creatures available to reproduce increases.

Closed seasons are put in place to assist the recovery of the population of the species in question. The period of a closed season is based on the species’ biology and ecology.

These closures coincide with the reproductive period of these species which, unlike mammals, have very specific periods throughout the year during which successful reproduction can occur.

During this time, these species often group together to mate/reproduce. This is not the only time of the year when they can reproduce, but during this time, the chances of successful reproduction are greater as more organisms are actively engaging in the reproductive process.

It is for this reason also that closed seasons cannot be based on economic arguments, as biology is the primary determining factor for the timing and duration of a closed season.