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Mini-Season - A Perspective On AMixed Blessing Albeit Not For LobstersBy Chris BellandIf you are a lobster, you may wantto think about getting out of Dodge.In just a couple of days, the onslaughtof Mini-Season will be uponyou.If there was ever anything in theFlorida Keys upon which sides arequickly taken, it is probably Mini-Season. I get it. Mini-Season bringsin an army of visitors who otherwisemight not come here to get a firstcrack at our delicious, spiny creatures.Hotels, restaurants, airlines,car rental and attractions love it.On the other hand, commercialfishermen, environmentalists andresidents would pay for a shoot-onsightlicense for these same visitorsif they could get one from the state.They can’t and won’t. But comethey will.Visitors will soon come tothe Florida Keys and spend vastamounts of money for somethingthey could buy in a store for a fractionof the cost. I guess it’s the hunt.Actually, I am not sure exactly whatit is, other than it feels like you aregetting s x something for free whichyou are not. My father used to callthem “Chicago Hunters” denotingonce-in-a-while novice outdoorsmenwho do more damage than thebenefits they p s xrovide.I suppose most folks in the contracamp would not mind it so much ifit was done with a little more respectfor it all and I am not just talkingabout visitors but locals as well. Thevisitors come down not knowing thewaters with their brand new divinggear, some of which is purchasedthe day of at CVS. Many times theyrun across shallow turtle grass, hooktheir anchorson to coral andoften do notpay a whole lotof attentionas to how bigtheir catch is insize or quantity.I have alsoheard a fewstories aboutlocals whocircumventtheir bag limitby going outseveral times aday. Hmmm?!Again, good forthem, bad forthe lobsters.If I had toput it all inperspective, Iwould say itgoes back avery long timein this countrywhen Americansfelt a right to harvest whateverthey wanted from nature. There wasa lot of it. Buffalo were hunted bythe millions, many times just for thesport of it. Passenger pigeons, whichwere so plentiful that their flightwould blot out the sun, were huntedto extinction until today when somany other species sit on this precariouspoint of no return.When I was growing up in SouthFlorida, lobster was literally “poorman’s food”. They even served it inprisons. It was so plentiful that ourparents would send us out in flatbottomedskiffs with a gig which wasa three-pronged pole spear. Fromthe boat, you could gig the plentifullobsters in the shallows and literallyfill your boat in half an hour.“Fill your boat” was an all-too-oftenpractice, both for lobster and fish,hence the scarcity today.What has happened, at least inmy view, is boats. When I was growingup nobody had one. When Isay nobody, I mean literally nobodyowned a boat. The outboard enginewas just being developed. It wasquite an event when our neighboracross the street built a plywood“cabin cruiser” in his garage andequipped it with two 25 horse powerJohnsons. When my father got aboat of a similar nature, I thoughtwe were rich beyond all compare.Today, you have but to drive downany residential street to see that almosteveryone has a boat today andthat the consequences of this vastlyincreases the pressure on our naturalresources.Anyway, brace yourself. It’s Mini-Season!Invest Today. Live, Play, Retreat Here Tomorrow.Welcome to Key West Steamplant. Luxury condominiumresidences for sale. Prices starting at $1,295,000.• New construction from the ground up• Expansive balconies and outdoor living terraces• Each residence has private elevator, rooftop pool & deck• Private, covered & secure parking garage• State-of-the-art appliances and building generator• Worry-free living: Care of pool, deck, elevator and more2 Bedroom Penthouse and 3 Bedroom Townhome Style Units.Stunning views of the HistoricSeaport and Key West sunsetFor more information call305-294-6959Nearby dockage forvessels up to 120 feetwww.keyweststeamplant.compresented byLocation 3 Real Estate of Key West, Inc.conch color the florida keys 27 photographic chronicle