BY The Times

I READ of the proposed diving ban with dismay, “Scuba diving banned in Cape coast abalone areas” (December 5).

The impulse of bureaucrats, as we have noticed with the gun laws, is to make more laws when faced with a serious situation. I submit that this is pointless and counter- productive. The danger to perlemoen stocks is not commercial perlemoen fisheries, recreational perlemoen fishers, spearfishermen, snorkellers or scuba divers. The problem is poachers.

Poachers, by definition, break the law. How then does making a new law address this problem? There are already laws that make poaching illegal but they are not enforced. Poachers break them with impunity daily.

Until the poaching problem is solved, perlemoen stocks will continue to be depleted.

Is the political will to enforce laws lacking? Does the minister think that by making a new law he will be seen to be doing something about poaching? This is not even fiddling while Rome burns, which has the possibility of at least being entertaining.

In addition, why the limit of two nautical miles ? Perlemoen don’t grow in deep water. — Georgina Jones

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