Giant Pacific Octopus Killing and a Call to Action

Fellow dive photo geeks,

Last Wednesday (Oct 31), my Seattle-based dive buddy and I witnessed a pair of young gentleman violently taking a 70lb giant pacific octopus (GPO) from a very well-known dive site (Alki Beach) and throwing it in the back of their pickup truck (for more information visit http://www.raptureof...eep.net/alkigpo). Quite surprisingly this species has been given very little protection, and GPO harvesting is completely legal year-round in the state of Washington. While their behavior is not technically illegal, the event has ignited a huge nationwide controversy and the story has been picked up by several national news agencies including the Associated Press. Rather than dwelling on the negative aspects of this event, however, we have begun a campaign to change these archaic laws and limit the harvesting of GPOs from this and potentially other popular dive sites. Many of you have visited the Pacific Northwest in search of these majestic creatures, and I would like to respectfully ask for your help in petitioning our state fisheries department to change the rules on GPO harvesting. The link can be found at the following site: http://www.divenewsn...84-save-the-gpo

Thanks for your help in saving one of the most amazing underwater creatures I know of!

Scott Lundy

Rapture of the Deep Digital Media

www.raptureofthedeep.net

I've been following this situation. Pathetic young man....petition signed.

Man's inhumanity. Pretty horrible - but have you seen what's going on elsewhere? Man's inhumanity to man. For example, Syria. I'm doing my best to stop fishing in the Egyptian Matine Parks but I wonder if that will be relevant if the bad people in Egypt get their way with the foreigners.

https://apps.facebook.com/theguardian/world/2012/nov/02/foreign-office-raises-egypt-terror-threat

Petition signed.

Which part of "Leave your bubble, take only photo" does diver not understand?

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/40201/divers+capture+of+a+beloved+giant+pacific+octopus+sparks+outrage/

Is it young and wreckless? Or just bad scuba training?

Signed.

I like David Suzuki's saying; "think globally, act locally"

1st March next year is the end of marine collecting at my favorite local reef, it's taken some time to open the government's eyes to this hidden exploitation of the environment.

Signed, From Florida!

Scott,

Can't belief the arrogance of those 'not real divers'

Signed in San Diego

Steve

Thanks everyone! We're taking this to the Dept of Fish and Wildlife tomorrow in hopes of getting an emergency ban on GPO harvest at this dive site. Hopefully this will go well and we can open a dialogue about larger changes in the future.

signed, from bermuda

"They value the life of an octopus and they are threatening a family"

Tha octopus is more intelligent, rarer and more important than he is. IMO