From: dan@resonex.com (Dan Kell)
Subject: Re: What is a Cabezon
Organization: Resonex Inc., Sunnyvale CA
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 10:52:40 GMT

In article <9207241754.AA11634@shogun.smos.com> joseph@shogun.smos.com (Joseph Crunk) writes:
>
>#	What is a carbazon?


 [stuff deleted]

>Talk about 'ladies night out'...the males are left to watch
>and protect the egg mass. The female's gone! The male will 
>not want to leave the eggs. I have on occasion slowly slipped
>my fingers under the belly of large males resting near their
>egg masses, then lifted them up, holding them in my hands.
>Slipping my hands out, they glide back down to their eggs.
>

[stuff deleted]

>They are not particularly fast. They will bolt if spooked,
>but they won't go far. Usually just to the nearest rock.
>

Spearfishing for cabs is a crime. Its on the same order as "hunting" for
cattle. You see them, they see you. You make as much noise and commotion
as you want getting in range and then murder them.
I do spearfish on scuba but only for a meal since it so easy. And I wouldn't 
spear fish except I won this nifty speargun. I'm being hypocritical here
but the 6 fish I slaughtered were some of the best eating we've ever had.


>They are not dangerous and I seriously question the suggestion
>that someone was attacked by one. They do have some ridged,
>sturdy spines in the pectoral fins that they use to glide on
>(much like a Ling Cod or Shark does) that can create some
>unwanted holes in your hands while cleaning the fish.
>
>Ling cod, on the other hand, have been know to attack divers.
>In each case, the dive was coming up to a ledge that the fish
>was resting on. The first thing the fish sees is a head, and
>goes for it. The large fish will swim a diver down a couple of
>feet before he realizes that he literally bit off more than
>he can chew, and takes off.

See the first paragraph. I tug on their tails as a little revenge for what
the one in Washington did to me. I did say that I had one come after me.
This past March while diving at the Marine park in Edmonds, WA I had a
medium size cab come after me. If my wife had been a little less persistent
in getting my attention he probably would have taken the mask right off 
my face (possibly with some of my face too!). As it was, between backing up
(actually it was more like leaping backwards) and waving my light in his
face the cab stopped and disappearred. He was about a foot from my face 
when I looked up and saw him. The other cabs that we saw that day were also
very aggressive. All were sitting on nests. When we went to fills tanks for
the second dive on of the people waiting with us told us about one whanging
him in the side of the head. He said that if it had been a Ling it would
have "torn my head off". Now this may be because the fish in the park are
very accustomed to divers. I can only speculate. But one did come after me
with the intention of "getting my attention" and he wasn't the only one who
acted aggressive that day. Additionally the people at Underwater Sports warned
us about the cabs being aggressive when we went in to get info about the park.

The one I have encountered in the Monterey area don't seem to be like this.
Maybe my encounter was with a different species.



-- 
Dan Kell                  
email to dan@resonex.com
"Imagination is more important than knowledge."   A. Einstein
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