480lb Marlin

[Fondueset]

Video of freediver spearing a huge marlin

[Cisco_Kid]

Why people feel the need to kill something like that is beyond me...

[Amphibious]

because marlins are most delicious. good vid, I like to see unbiased reporting. they would never show that vid on the lefty bunny hugging canadain TV stations.

[Cisco_Kid]

Originally Posted by Amphibious

because marlins are most delicious. good vid, I like to see unbiased reporting. they would never show that vid on the lefty bunny hugging canadain TV stations.

Fair enough..Never tasted one, but i'll take your word for it..

[Fondueset]

It's true. Personally I'd probably have let that one pass - maybe tried to get some closeups; too much lunch. Amazing that he caught it on video while freediving!

[trux]

BTW, by eating that big fish, you risk poisoning by mercury and other heavy metals ocean fish of this size accumulate in their body. Of course, you'll not fall dead to the ground, but it may have negative long term influence on your health - heavy metals do not get out of the body easily. I should look up the FDA table listing the content in idividual species, but am right too busy now. It does not only list the heavy metal content, but also advises pregnant women and kids to avoid such fish.

[Fondueset]

Same here - I never go for the big ones.

[josedesucre]

I doubt anybody is going to be thinking about lunch when facing the chance of shooting one of this. I'll do it for the chance of one world record, the trophy, the picture to show your friends, whatever. It is not an endangered species, anyway.
But, what I was thinking while looking at that video is why do you need those elaborate thingamajics to attach your cameras to your gun? That guy was holding the camera with one hand and the gun with the other, and he still had the gall (?) to shoot at that beast. Wow!

[jimdoe2you]

Hahahaha!!! That dude lives 5 minutes from me! I think I am going to go bum some steaks off him!

[trux]

Originally Posted by josedesucre

I doubt anybody is going to be thinking about lunch when facing the chance of shooting one of this. I'll do it for the chance of one world record, the trophy, the picture to show your friends, whatever. It is not an endangered species, anyway.

Sorry to tell it, but this is exactly what I'd call recklessness (originally I wrote idiocy, but I recall it - such expression is not adequate for this forum). Killing just for the pleasure of showing a photo or getting a record! You can't be serious! I have nothing against spearos hunting to bring a fish to their family for the dinner. I can understand if some people try to make their living with. But it is beyond my comprehension how someone can kill another living being just for a nice photo.

[Mullins]

I shot a fairly large marlin a couple of years back and had it smoked. It tasted great and the entire fish was eaten. I'll let the next one pass but put me back in that situation and I'd take the shot again.

As long as the fish is put to use (as I assume this one was) and sustainable numbers are taken I have no problem with it at all. We all have a share in the world's oceans so the only time we can preach at people is if they are taking more than their share or using destructive methods to do so. If a spearo wants to take one marlin it's hardly right to criticise him, especially if you've ever bought trawler-caught fish....

Deep freediving is somewhat reckless too, and many of us (including you, presumably, Trux), still do it for the challenge or the glory or the fascination, despite the fact that if we die or are injured while doing it our friends and family will suffer. I really do get tired of the pretentious political correctness that inevitably gets spouted in the wake of catches like this. People don't care about small, ugly fish, but when something big and beautiful gets killed suddenly alarm bells go off all over the show. An easy target for a bit of holier-than-thou, methinks. This last bit is not directed at you, Trux, but at the hysterical greenies that inevitably come out of the woodwork on such occasions. I agree that slaughtering fish purely for the sake of a photo isn't the way to go, mainly because it fosters a reckless attitude towards the resource.

[Cisco_Kid]

Originally Posted by josedesucre

I doubt anybody is going to be thinking about lunch when facing the chance of shooting one of this. I'll do it for the chance of one world record, the trophy, the picture to show your friends, whatever. It is not an endangered species, anyway.
But, what I was thinking while looking at that video is why do you need those elaborate thingamajics to attach your cameras to your gun? That guy was holding the camera with one hand and the gun with the other, and he still had the gall (?) to shoot at that beast. Wow!

Thats what they said about the now endangered species...

[Fondueset]

As I mentioned - I would have been quite happy to get some great pictures. However, while there are situations where one can accurately say a behavior was wrong, I do not think this is one of them. We all have our own relationship with the world and none of us has enough information to judge somebody else. Balance is what it is and imposing your idea of what that is on others is the worst kind of artificiality.

Many people who are aligned with ostensibly noble causes do not understand that negativity should be understood quantitatively. That is - it does not matter what it's about - it, in and of itself IS the problem.

Personally, I think this fish was a gift.

[josedesucre]

Originally Posted by trux

Sorry to tell it, but this is exactly what I'd call recklessness (originally I wrote idiocy, but I recall it - such expression is not adequate for this forum). Killing just for the pleasure of showing a photo or getting a record! You can't be serious! I have nothing against spearos hunting to bring a fish to their family for the dinner. I can understand if some people try to make their living with. But it is beyond my comprehension how someone can kill another living being just for a nice photo.

- Obviously my wording gave the impression that I would kill just for the photo. Actually, I have never done that, and never will. But of course when I take a fish that is worth showing to others, I have a picture taken.
The thing is, we dont hunt fish just to bring it to our family for dinner. We do it for the challenge of the chase and the thrill of the capture. And when we take one that is big enough or notable for any other reason, we feel proud about it and want to show it to others. I dont see anything wrong with that.

[josedesucre]

Originally Posted by Cisco_Kid

Thats what they said about the now endangered species...

Well, Cisco Kid, I wonder why were you asking for advice, a few days back, to get your speargun in good shape? Now I understand your motto.