Taking a cue from other threads here, and from more than a few concerned e-mails, I've decided to broach this, sure to be tender, topic. (You know me, always looking for a pissing contest :hmm )
One of our members here in DB Land, sturgeon, himself a competitive spearfisher recently announced to the World that which has been known for years in the sport, that the feeding of fish to promote them sticking around for the actual competition is regularly practiced. As a former competitor, I'll recognize that fact and tell you that that ain't even the half of the crap that goes on at this level of the, (cough, sputter), sport. Those are some of the reasons I left and decline to compete to this day, though I am an avowed practioner of the art of spearfishing.
It's my educated and experienced opinion that there's no need for spearfishing competitions as they are run today.
I maintain that the ability of a spearfisherperson to suit up, head off into the surf and come back with a catch, without months of scouting, feeding, spying and politics, is the truer measure of that person's skill. And it's a hell of lot better for the immediate ecology of the area.
The Nationals held in Central California's Carmel a few months back is both the most recent and glaring example of a sport run amok and feeding on itself to the detriment of us all. 50 divers from both ends of the US entered the water with a good year's worth of time being able to scout and map the area using both tried and true landmark recognition and GPS, and often using, gasp! , SCUBA. That flies in the face of what a couple members here, Scott included, condemn, but in practice, are OK with, to locate the fish prior to the comp?
What?, they just didn't give you a map?
Along with that, and this gets to the heart of the matter for me, (as I've been fortunate enough to be able to dive at that location a lot over 30 years and still do,) I want to know where the divers get off being able to have double the catch allowed the ordinary person with a license. And while I'm waiting for that answer, those divers that shot over the allowed number of total and per species, were they cited, as that normal person would be? And the real biggy for me- you're not going to tell me that fifty divers can go into an area, shoot double the daily allowed catch and not have it affect the area, and I don't care if it's three miles by three miles or five by five... That's the epitome of the hypocracy being touted by these contestants. "We can choose and pick our catch". Yeah, and we can map them, bait them, train them and shoot twice as many too. Yeah. Good for the sport.
In your photo on the Spearfishing Photos thread Scott, you proudly hold up your catch and a couple of good lings they are. But the other mitt is holding up fish that not only do the locals not target, they throw back if caught by hook! Hell, I call them bait!! You're going to tell me that it's OK to shoot these species just because the Fish and Game says it's OK and that you'll get points for it to boot?? There's not enough meat on 'em to warrant shooting them!! Not to mention, you ever taste rubberlip Perch?! :yack
You can correctly tell the masses here that the fillets went to local charities and all, and that's fine. But do you have any idea of how long the area is going to take to recover??
Then you go off and really jam it... These fish are stupid? What's that make the divers that shoot them?rofl Hey if the only difficulty is finding them, why aren't all the divers pictured holding bigger, HUGE ling cod, including you? I'll be very happy to put it all on the table and tell you that with a couple of exceptions, a visiting diver, rolling out of the car and never having seen or dove the place before, won't find a lingcod of legal size, even guarding it's nest of eggs. OH! Was there any mention of these fish possibly being on nests in the GPS logs? :head Hope those points are worth it. You can care less not being able to enjoy the area after you leave...
Paul Vervenitois, himself a competitor, (6th overall, 1st Team) wrote in this latest issue of Hawaiian Skin Diver that, " Only in this way will our sport be able to survive at a National level."
This circus and it's pompous, self entitiled, hypocritical participants
make me puke :yack and give me reassurance that I did the right thing to leave when I did in 1979. That it continues and has lowered even it's bottom dwelling standards to the level it is further sickens me.
Lob all the - Karma you want, but have some class and sign it. My decision to call this issue out at my and others behest will be reward enough.
sven
CenCal Competitior 1974-1979
DB Competition guru
Proud holder of DB Karma :king
One of our members here in DB Land, sturgeon, himself a competitive spearfisher recently announced to the World that which has been known for years in the sport, that the feeding of fish to promote them sticking around for the actual competition is regularly practiced. As a former competitor, I'll recognize that fact and tell you that that ain't even the half of the crap that goes on at this level of the, (cough, sputter), sport. Those are some of the reasons I left and decline to compete to this day, though I am an avowed practioner of the art of spearfishing.
It's my educated and experienced opinion that there's no need for spearfishing competitions as they are run today.
I maintain that the ability of a spearfisherperson to suit up, head off into the surf and come back with a catch, without months of scouting, feeding, spying and politics, is the truer measure of that person's skill. And it's a hell of lot better for the immediate ecology of the area.
The Nationals held in Central California's Carmel a few months back is both the most recent and glaring example of a sport run amok and feeding on itself to the detriment of us all. 50 divers from both ends of the US entered the water with a good year's worth of time being able to scout and map the area using both tried and true landmark recognition and GPS, and often using, gasp! , SCUBA. That flies in the face of what a couple members here, Scott included, condemn, but in practice, are OK with, to locate the fish prior to the comp?
What?, they just didn't give you a map?Along with that, and this gets to the heart of the matter for me, (as I've been fortunate enough to be able to dive at that location a lot over 30 years and still do,) I want to know where the divers get off being able to have double the catch allowed the ordinary person with a license. And while I'm waiting for that answer, those divers that shot over the allowed number of total and per species, were they cited, as that normal person would be? And the real biggy for me- you're not going to tell me that fifty divers can go into an area, shoot double the daily allowed catch and not have it affect the area, and I don't care if it's three miles by three miles or five by five... That's the epitome of the hypocracy being touted by these contestants. "We can choose and pick our catch". Yeah, and we can map them, bait them, train them and shoot twice as many too. Yeah. Good for the sport.
In your photo on the Spearfishing Photos thread Scott, you proudly hold up your catch and a couple of good lings they are. But the other mitt is holding up fish that not only do the locals not target, they throw back if caught by hook! Hell, I call them bait!! You're going to tell me that it's OK to shoot these species just because the Fish and Game says it's OK and that you'll get points for it to boot?? There's not enough meat on 'em to warrant shooting them!! Not to mention, you ever taste rubberlip Perch?! :yack
You can correctly tell the masses here that the fillets went to local charities and all, and that's fine. But do you have any idea of how long the area is going to take to recover??
Then you go off and really jam it... These fish are stupid? What's that make the divers that shoot them?rofl Hey if the only difficulty is finding them, why aren't all the divers pictured holding bigger, HUGE ling cod, including you? I'll be very happy to put it all on the table and tell you that with a couple of exceptions, a visiting diver, rolling out of the car and never having seen or dove the place before, won't find a lingcod of legal size, even guarding it's nest of eggs. OH! Was there any mention of these fish possibly being on nests in the GPS logs? :head Hope those points are worth it. You can care less not being able to enjoy the area after you leave...
Paul Vervenitois, himself a competitor, (6th overall, 1st Team) wrote in this latest issue of Hawaiian Skin Diver that, " Only in this way will our sport be able to survive at a National level."
This circus and it's pompous, self entitiled, hypocritical participants
make me puke :yack and give me reassurance that I did the right thing to leave when I did in 1979. That it continues and has lowered even it's bottom dwelling standards to the level it is further sickens me.
Lob all the - Karma you want, but have some class and sign it. My decision to call this issue out at my and others behest will be reward enough.
sven
CenCal Competitior 1974-1979
DB Competition guru
Proud holder of DB Karma :king
