2009 Ocean Cove Big Ab Comp and Cook off.

My wrost day diving is still better than my best day at work
When you enter the water you enter the food chain
for the nor cal under wtaer hunter join
http://www.norcalunderwaterhunters.com/

Hey all just wanted to give you some back round on scan and what they have done for us divers. If you have not joined SCAN or RFA please do they are some of the biggest activists for divers rights with this MLPA process, by doing this tournament is a good way to give back, all proceeds go to S.C.A.N. They also have Ben donating equipment and money to DFG to help train and buy equipment to stop the poaching so please support them by coming to the Big ab comp. Also any one who would like to donate old gear new gear or anything for that matter for the raffle would be great just send me a pm, it is a great way to give back.

Over view of S.C.A.N

" The Sonoma County Abalone Network (SCAN) was formed in 1994 by George Lawry in response to persistent reports of abalone poaching from Sonoma County waters. These reports ranged from petty violations of fish and game regulations to full-scale commercial operations that have pilfered the public marine assets. SCAN's initial focus, out of necessity, has been on petty violators. New recreational harvesters often learn how to harvest abalone from someone more experienced. In addition to lore, they also learn about abalone harvesting regulations from these same sources. Unfortunately, this often results in inadequate understanding of the regulations and potentially of fish and game citations. Fines start at $1500 (for the first abalone) and escalate (by $250 per abalone) from there.

SCAN's initial and ongoing focus has been to educate the diving public on how to interpret abalone regulations. This is done by maintaining a presence at popular dive sites and taking every opportunity to unobtrusively establish a dialog with the divers. This activity is an integral part of SCAN's Coast Patrol program.

SCAN is also involved in a Court Watch program. In late 1995, details of a local court settlement involving a major abalone poaching ring became public. Under the deal approved by the presiding judge, the leaders of a poaching ring responsible for plundering the Sonoma County coast of more than 20 tons of abalone over a 1 year period would face maximum penalties of 6 months county jail and $40,000 fines. Considering the magnitude of the loss to the citizens of California and the county as well as the financial motivations of the perpetrators, it was clear that the local court system was unaware of the importance of this resource to a large segment of the community or the dire consequences of this type of activity on the marine environment. SCAN was instrumental in organizing the presence of more than 45 concerned citizens at the sentencing hearing of the defendants and by providing the judicial system with more than 130 letters from all over the world protesting the light sentencing. SCAN maintained a regular courtroom presence throughout the eight months of trials and hearings that followed the original sentencing hearing. In the end, three of the leaders received 2 to 3 year prison terms and $50,000 fines; even the most minor participant received a 2 month jail sentence and $10,000 fine. SCAN continues to maintain a courtroom presence on those occasions when an abalone case is scheduled to be heard.

During the course of the 1995/96 courtroom testimony, SCAN learned that the most basic fishery-dependent data collection by the California Department of Fish and Game had been terminated for budget reasons. Because the data collection involved interviewing divers at the more popular dive sites, SCAN has been able to fill the gap by combining the data collection as part of its Coast Patrol activities. SCAN's participation in this activity for 1996 and 1997 involved in excess of 400 volunteer hours and approximately $1250 in materials and equipment.

Finally, SCAN has occasionally cooperated with law enforcement officials on observations made at the coast.

SCAN receives financial support through membership dues ($20 per year/$500 lifetime) from its base of 300+ members, donations by affiliated organizations and dive clubs, and contributions by individuals. Additional information or membership applications may be obtained by contacting SCAN at P.O. Box 3801, Santa Rosa, CA 95402. "

My wrost day diving is still better than my best day at work
When you enter the water you enter the food chain
for the nor cal under wtaer hunter join
http://www.norcalunderwaterhunters.com/
Hey all Just want to let evey one know that all the proceeds from this will befit S.C.A.N and we have allot of good sponsor who have donated to the raffel, from bodega bay pro dive,bamboo reef, neptonic systems, sac free dive shop, busksport sporting goods and many more. Soplease sign up and join the fun.