August 2023
In the Caribbean Fishery Management Council (CFMC)'s bulletin you will find announcements, facts about marine species, and valuable information on fishing and regulations that rule this activity in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
By Berliz M Morales Muñoz, Marine Extension Agent at Puerto Rico Sea Grant and Cristina D. Olán Martínez, CFMC Social Media Manager
Decompression sickness occurs among fishers in Puerto Rico. Given this situation, Puerto Rico Sea Grant, the Caribbean Fishery Management Council and the Municipality of Vieques joined forces to address this problem through education.
From May 29 to June 12, 2023, 17 fishers participated of a series of courses focused on topics such as: PADI Open Water, Emergency Oxygen Provider and the Emergency First Response Primary (cardiopulmonary resuscitation + automatic external
defibrillator, CPR+AED) and Secondary Care (First Aid). These courses were offered at the Municipal Technology Library in Vieques, Puerto Rico
All courses were offered by PADI Instructor (120772) Conrado M. Calzada, PhD., and CM Scuba staff. Some of the chapters we offered through the eLearning platform. In the first week, four dives were performed. Then, six additional dives were carried out in the second and third week of the PADI Open Water course. Some of the concepts that were given special emphasis during this course were buoyancy, water pressure and air volume effects, breathing underwater, equipment and diving skills, decompression sickness, fishing regulations and the use of the EPIRB.
Part of the course was offered at the Vieques Technological Library. To study some of the chapters and take the exams, the fishermen used the e-Learning platform.
Both Emergency Oxygen Provider and Emergency First Response Primary and Secondary Care courses were offered on June 8-9, 2023. Through these courses, participants learned about internationally recognized emergency care guidelines and how to identify and respond to life-threatening emergencies. Being a course developed by PADI, its content was focused on emergencies associated with diving.
The closing activity took place on Monday, June 12, 2023 at the Vieques Multipurpose Center As part of it, a workshop was offered on fishing regulations and how to acTIvate and use Nautilus Lifeline Marine Rescue GPS in case of emergency. In order to encourage the use of diving equipment in good condition and, therefore avoid accidents during fishing activities, Puerto Rico Sea Grant gave Open Water Divers new regulators, consoles, and a Nautilus Lifeline Marine Rescue GPS
“Diving has represented everything that has been my life practically in its entirety since I have been diving and fishing since I was 13 years old. With commercial diving, I have been able to sustain my family and I am still doing it at 63 years old.
Safe diving for me is being able to do my job with as few accidents as possible (commonly known as bends) I have to find a way to minimize accidents as much as possible, considering the danger of my work. I use Nitrox (a breathable mixture of
Andrés Maldonado has collaborated with multiple scientific investigations. Here with Leysa López, a student from the Dept. of Marine Sciences, UPRM.
Safe diving in commercial fishing? It is difficult since we are exposed to the great accumulation of nitrogen in our body on a daily basis. But over time, I have achieved a balance between repetitive diving and avoiding accidents. The essential for safe diving is to have the necessary education in diving and not to exceed the limits of no decompression. We may have the best instruction in diving, but if you dive commercial there is always risk. There are many factors that predispose to accidents.”
The Caribbean Fishery Management Council has a series of videos about safe diving in its YouTube channel. Videos are available in English and Spanish. Watch and review them!
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Puerto Rico Sea Grant published an issue of Marejada focused on the topic of safe diving. LOOK FOR IT AT SHARE IT WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS!
NOAA Fisheries requests your input on specific actions and related performance metrics to incorporate into our Southeast United States Equity and Environmental Justice Implementation Plan. Submit your comments before September 30, 2023.
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