honestly, i think the people who make rules like that should be dumped in the middle of smitzwinkel baai with a couple of bloody fish strung up to them, and then we could see how long they last without a boat!
I really cant understand why the government targets spearfishermen.
We are the smallest fishing community in the Cape. We are also the most limited and restricted not only are we limited by the strictest official rules and regulations, bag limits, sizes, method of capture and fishing areas. But we also have to deal with other factors and restictions that other fishermen don´t. We are restricted by weather, more heavily than any other fishing, we are restricted by vizability, we are restricted by physical boundries of depth, current and distance. It is definately the most taxing and skillful form of fishing. Not only do we have to dive deep, swim far and hard. But we also have to compete with the life threatening great whites, which other fishermen don´t. And now they trying their hardest to stop Spearfishing of boats. Besides the fact that we have a very small community of divers who are very restricted by natural and government factors we are also the most sustainable form of fishing. It is the only type of fishing that has absolutely no by-catch, or accidental captures of un-targeted, or undersize fish or juvenile fish. In comparison to skiboat angling, treknetting, and commercial fishing, the enviromental impact of spearfishing is nearly nonexistent! I just don´t see where they find there the basis to make laws against spearfishing. Why are we the scapegoat? Itś absolute bull@#$!
