FlowerGardens_NoSpearfishing_Rinn_Gary_FreeportTX_7March2024_Reel4195.mp3

Gary Rinn [00:00:01] I started running out there in '87 on a fairly regular basis ... and realized how, even though the Flower Gardens are 100 miles offshore, the corals are still delicate. They're subject to mechanical damage from boat anchors, chains.

Gary Rinn [00:00:22] And, I became very, very attached to the Flower Gardens and Stetson Bank both.

Gary Rinn [00:00:28] Now, there had been talk for some time about trying to create a National Marine Sanctuary designation for the Flower Gardens. We started having public hearings. I would think that would have been in '89, where ... they were in Houston, where any interested parties, anybody from the Sierra Club to sport divers to oil company reps could come and give their two cents' worth at these public hearings. And it was pretty interesting.

Gary Rinn [00:01:04] I had my agenda based on experience from my Florida Keys days. The Florida Keys, back then, it was Pennekamp Park. And then they made the Pennekamp Park, instead of going out past the reef line, they changed the boundaries to where Pennekamp State Park only went out three miles. And then beyond that, it was the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary.

Gary Rinn [00:01:31] But, the park was not that big. It went from Carysfort Light down to Molasses Reef Light. And from there, there was a gap all the way from (this would be off of Key Largo), all the way down to Big Pine Key, that was unprotected. The next sanctuary was Looce Key, which was very small. It was a one-reef sanctuary.

Gary Rinn [00:01:58] And I saw the effect, even though diving, of course, was allowed in the park. Fishing was allowed in the park. But no spearfishing was allowed in the park.

Gary Rinn [00:02:10] If you dove at Molasses Reef, you were surrounded with fish, thousands of fish, big schools of all variations of fish - big groupers, big snappers that would swim out and look at you, looking for a handout.

Gary Rinn [00:02:26] Whereas if you went literally a quarter of a mile away over to a reef, down towards Pickles Reef, which was out of the sanctuary, if you saw a grouper, you saw his tail because he was taking off in the opposite direction.

Gary Rinn [00:02:44] The fish life was sparse in comparison to just, just right over there. They seemed to know the park boundaries: where they were safe, and where they weren't.

Gary Rinn [00:02:54] So I went into these public hearings with the attitude that, number one, obviously the reef itself needs to be protected some, some way, shape or form to prevent anchoring and anchor damage. In addition to that, no spearfishing.

Gary Rinn [00:03:13] That was one of my, one of my lines in the sand.