480lb Marlin

[argus66]

one less beautiful fish for the rest of us to enjoy. i understand fishing and eating the fish im fine with that but this size marlin is almost extinct now there is even 1 less all because of some stupid record. i like that they say hes a conservationst. man i dont see that. that fish is more than 30 yrs old it desevers better than just being shot in the neck by some fool. at least get the thing mounted so others can see how great this fish was.

a better video would be it spearing him. i guess swimming away was not an option? or just giving him a good poke with spear.

 

[StretchArmStron]

some peoples thought process amazes me.

"this size marlin is almost extinct now" What a crock of sh.t. Where is your factual base for this rediculous statement?

And mount the fish? Sure, all you need is a picture and something giving a size reference and you can have a mount made...and STILL enjoy eating the fish.

sorry for getting a bit fired up but 1. the fish seems to be legally taken 2. the meat was distributed to locals to FEED THEM (sharing your catch is a great thing), 3. The man was in some danger. 4. That is generally a once in a lifetime occurence to take the king of pelagic fish.

There is question about the legality of the fish, if legal then congratulations for an awesome story caught on tape and broadcasted for us to enjoy.

There are plenty of other things to seriously get up in arms about, like commercial longliners, trawlers, no spearing zones, etc.

 

[Amphibious]

argus, this is a spearfishing forum. if you don't agree with what is posted here you don't have to read it. comments like that are not welcome here. I'll leave it up purely to show future readers how far "out of touch" some posters are, but any more comments like that will find you no longer welcome here. thanks.

 

[Fondueset]

It's a real shame that people who fancy themselves conservationists - and imagine they have some sensitivity to the natural world are so willing to pollute that same world with poorly formed and violent judgements.

It makes everyone who is environmentally conscious look bad.

I'm afraid those who talk the loudest often have only the faintest beginings of awareness with regard to what they presume to be qualified to talk about. PETA is the biggest example. Here we have a group of people who seem to have suddenly come to the realization that plants and animals are not inanimate objects. Good for them.

But instead of paying attention and learning something - they immediately project a veritable cesspit of hysterical psychological bullshit and unresolved emotional needs onto a world that, by definition, pulses with much greater intelligence than they could ever hope to embrace - particularly given their commitment to the various mechanisms in themselves that severely limit the potential for any real sensitivity. What remains is only violence, judgement and hysteria.

argus66 - if you bother to actually read this thread - and watch the youtube video - you'll see the guy was stuck 1/2 mile from his boat with a 500lb marlin edging closer to him on every pass. He realized the fish was not feeding - it was asserting territorial dominance over the bait fish - beating them with it's bill and working up to doing the same to the diver - who was, initially, excited about filming a Marlin feeding but suddenly realized he was in immediate danger. You can also see he had real mixed feelings about it.

The mainstream media clip, of course, made it look like a trophy hunt.

 

[Cisco_Kid]

It must have been a pretty overwhelming situation to be in..It was when he compared the fish as someone swinging a baseball bat. Thats when you think, ummm.. yeah.. I can see why you had to do it..

 

[argus66]

well i did watch the video and i listed carefully if the boat was so far away who is he taliking to as soon as he surfaces? someone is also talking back. why not still just swim away carefully?i think your not watching the video to let you know this is not in a back yard pool. this is the marlins log in the marlins ocean! poor thing is there trying to feed 25 miles offshore where it belongs far from humans. if a 500lb marlin walks in your door and tries to kill you as you eat dinner by all means kill it. same goes here some guy jumps into the marlins dinner plate and then cries its trying to eat me i must kill it. im sorry i just do not see it being justifed.

 

[Cisco_Kid]

well i did watch the video and i listed carefully if the boat was so far away who is he taliking to as soon as he surfaces? someone is also talking back. why not still just swim away carefully?i think your not watching the video to let you know this is not in a back yard pool. this is the marlins log in the marlins ocean! poor thing is there trying to feed 25 miles offshore where it belongs far from humans. if a 500lb marlin walks in your door and tries to kill you as you eat dinner by all means kill it. same goes here some guy jumps into the marlins dinner plate and then cries its trying to eat me i must kill it. im sorry i just do not see it being justifed.

Every living thing on this planet kills in self defence if it has to. Even us humans..The diver felt like he was in danger, as you can see from the video...Please, Get over it, Go light a candle and say a prayer for it if need be..

 

[Mullins]

one less beautiful fish for the rest of us to enjoy. i understand fishing and eating the fish im fine with that but this size marlin is almost extinct now there is even 1 less all because of some stupid record. i like that they say hes a conservationst. man i dont see that. that fish is more than 30 yrs old it desevers better than just being shot in the neck by some fool.

Eh?? Marlin are one of the fastest growing fish in the sea. My 156kg (345lb) model was estimated at 5-6yrs old, so I wouldn't imagine this one would be much older. 8-10yrs, perhaps?

What exactly is the problem with this marlin being shot - the fact that it is big? The fact that it looks pretty? Those seem to be the only attributes separating it from the millions of other fish that are netted/hooked/speared without provoking bouts of weepy hand-wringing.

 

[Mullins]

According to fishbase max reported age for blue marlin is 28yrs - and that's @ approx 900kg!! 10yrs absolute max for this fella, given that growth rates start off very fast before slowing down.

 

[Fondueset]

Interesting - Freshwater Lake Trout live to be as old as 45 - by which time they might only be 25-30 inches long.

 

[Mullins]

I think that many pelagics are short-lived and fast-growing compared to reef species. Mahimahi being the prime example I guess. We have a few demersal species over here that can live more than 40yrs, and orange roughy live to be over 150. Ironically they're also one of the most heavily fished species Easy to net in huge numbers because they aggregate over seamounts each season.

 

[Fondueset]

When I was in BC I was told the rockfish there can live to over 100 as well.

 

[argus66]

sorry cisco i wont get over it, you started this topic. i like spearfishing and respect it. i understand how hard it can be but sometimes mayby its best to let the big one get away. to me this is the same as the guy who hunts dear in his back yard by leaving food out for them and then when they show up to eat knocks off the biggest oldest 8 point buck from his porch not much skill or hunting in that. another thing i see being overlooked is that he claims to be 25 miles offshore, 1/2 mile from nearest boat, alone, and in the water with large predatory fish, and seems to be perfectly aware of this, even asks to be dropped by the log knowing there would be big preadators there. if this is perfect example of how to die freediving i dont know what is. for so much experince i dont see it at all. just acting foolish.

 

[Fondueset]

I wonder if smaller long-lived fish accumilate heavy metals and other toxins to the same degree the large pelagics do.

 

[Cisco_Kid]

sorry cisco i wont get over it, you started this topic. i like spearfishing and respect it. i understand how hard it can be but sometimes mayby its best to let the big one get away. to me this is the same as the guy who hunts dear in his back yard by leaving food out for them and then when they show up to eat knocks off the biggest oldest 8 point buck from his porch not much skill or hunting in that. another thing i see being overlooked is that he claims to be 25 miles offshore, 1/2 mile from nearest boat, alone, and in the water with large predatory fish, and seems to be perfectly aware of this, even asks to be dropped by the log knowing there would be big preadators there. if this is perfect example of how to die freediving i dont know what is. for so much experince i dont see it at all. just acting foolish.

Yes..i agree in some way. I in particular wouldnt of killed "the big one". But on the other hand, if I were in his shoes/fins(considering the evidence), I too would of taken its life to protect mine...I wouldnt of just floated there saying, " Well...... im a fool.. ive just decided to float next to this log, miles away from shore, next to this magnificent predatory fish......Now then, instead of defending myself, i think i will let it bash me in, BECAUSE, im in its territory.."
I certainly dont think so...

I do care a great deal for the world i live in.. But if I had to choose between my life and a Fish, I think i'd choose mine..Like any other animal would..
This is a cruel teritoreal world. And we have every right to be in the ocean along with everything else..And unlike most animals on this planet, we havent got many ways of defending ourselves..

 

[Amphibious]

I purposely go to bear territory, invade their turf, sometimes to the point that they are bluff charging me. then I shoot and consume them.

don't see much different with this marlin. you go where the fish are.

the baited deer analogy is far from applicable here. he didn't put the log there.

 

[jimdoe2you]

i understand how hard it can be but sometimes mayby its best to let the big one get away.

......Nah, it's the whole reason I am out there! If it is legal to harvest (which means it is not endangered and/or protected for any understandable and legitimate reason) and edible, I usually go after the biggest one I can. You come across like hunters shouldn't harvest the larger, older fish, but those are the ones that should be harvested. The only other option would be to kill the younger, smaller ones. This would be conservationally wrong and minimum size requirement laws are evidence of this.

to me this is the same as the guy who hunts dear in his back yard by leaving food out for them and then when they show up to eat knocks off the biggest oldest 8 point buck from his porch not much skill or hunting in that.

......this analogy is wrong on more than one level. First, your argument is hypocritical since your above analogy contridicts your earlier statment in post #26 that reads:

this is the marlins log in the marlins ocean!

Is it the marlin's backyard or the hunter's back yard? It is self evident that 25 miles off shore in the middle of the ocean is in absolutely no way comparable to the familiar territory or convenience of a hunter's own porch and backyard. Quite the opposite! Second, the actual comparison of a hunter luring deer into his backyard as a trap has nothing to do with this hunter and the situation he found himself in. It is an absurd comparison to say the least. Third, many of us hunters do put food out to attract large fish. It is called, chumming. It is a perfectly legitimate technique for attracting palegics.

......even asks to be dropped by the log knowing there would be big preadators there.

This is an outrageous assumption to make. I have jumped in along the weed lines in the gulfstream because predators can and may congregate under them, but never have I dropped in knowing there would be big predators there. That happens only when I am lucky!

With your internal battle on where to draw the line on harvesting fish, perhaps you should rethink spearfishing as a hobby. I have friends who will only use polespears and hawaiin slings, but not guns. Food for thought.

 

[Fondueset]

Aye Jim. This thread is fraught with rampantly self-ventilated arguments. Good on you for attempting to find enough viable structure to even counterpoint.

 

[IB Boyd]

another thing i see being overlooked is that he claims to be 25 miles offshore, 1/2 mile from nearest boat, alone, and in the water with large predatory fish, and seems to be perfectly aware of this, even asks to be dropped by the log knowing there would be big preadators there. if this is perfect example of how to die freediving i dont know what is. for so much experince i dont see it at all. just acting foolish.

:duh Yeah......this is called blue water hunting. Its pretty fun. You should try it sometime.

 

[argus66]

:duh Yeah......this is called blue water hunting. Its pretty fun. You should try it sometime.:t what are you even taliking about?