Ethics of hunting

[Bill McIntyre]

I am going to stick to my guns on this one though and prefer to spear without scuba equip, as for me the fun is in challenging myself.

I prefer to freedive too, but I'm just not condemning those who use scuba.

 

[strangelove]

Bill

Is there a quota system in California ?

 

[Fondueset]

I have hunted on scuba. I say nothing about others but I will never do it again.

 

[GreekDiver]

O no not again!

rofl rofl rofl rofl

 

[Amphibious]

I have hunted on scuba. I say nothing about others but I will never do it again.

my feelings exactly


I've learned to hold my tounge and stay civil in this types of threads. I'd ask those participating in this discussion do the same please. some of these posts riding a fine line of debatable deletion.

 

[covert]

im biting my lips and the blood is salty

 

[Jimbo]

I think a quota system , if respected also in place for every one, may have prevent what happen in those places. We have that in Alaska, you can only take 5 black rock fish no matter how you fish, scuba, line, free dive. Two halibut, etc

There are the same regs for all methods of fishing here in Florida, unfortunately those spearing on either scuba or without are not allowed to shoot many great species (i.e. pompano, permit, tuna, snook, billfish etc.) Maybe scuba spearos and freedive spearos should be working together to try and change that and keep more fish off that growing list. The hook and line guys want to keep all the fish to themselves they are of way more concern then the scuba guys.

Guys diving 200 ft plus down to wrecks are earning the right to shoot those big fish by all the training, money, equipment and time they spend to get there and it's a job for them. They aren't out on charter boats, they have their own..... getting into Porches? They are lucky if they make a decent living paying the gas to go 100 miles out (Gulf) and bring home enough fish to cover their nut and live on. Those are the guys who post those pics of the big monsters. They are a community and like to post their catches and share them with other spearos commercial and not. Does that make them less of a sportsman? Well they'll admit it's not as big a thrill shooting fish day after day as when they started for fun, but a lot of them go on dive vacations (breathhold) for their holidays. Again Robbo you admitted you don't know anyone who spears on scuba so don't stereotype them everyone is different.
Respectfully, Jim

 

[GreekDiver]

You managed to omit the minor factor of the difficulty in 'holding your breath' in your hunter/bow/gun analogy.

Scuba does harm the population...the fish population ......as was indicated by Spaniard. Hence it's been banned in many countries in Europe.

It's nothing to do with being a purist, it's to do with being ethical and both in terms of the environment and the sport.

Trust me on this. Certain areas of the world, scuba diving with a speargun isnt a problem. And the places where its a problem, they ban it. Its pretty much that simple.

I rather freedive to 100ft than go down to 425 feet with tanks.

The warsaw weighed a very conservative 403 LBS and was speared in 425 feet

[ame=http://www.spearboard.com/showthread.php?t=18867]Spearboard Spearfishing Community - Do I shoot or do I run!!![/ame]

 

[Bill McIntyre]

Bill

Is there a quota system in California ?

I don't understand the question. Quota for what?

 

[Oldsarge]

I think he means "bag limits". In California I believe, and I ought to look in the regs before I answer but don't have them with me, that the limits are the same for angling and for spearfishing. Isn't that right, Bill?

 

[ocean_314]

I freedive when i hunt becasue that what i like to do. If the limits are not being enforced then dont blame scuba. blame the poachers who are violating the law

 

[Bill McIntyre]

I think he means "bag limits". In California I believe, and I ought to look in the regs before I answer but don't have them with me, that the limits are the same for angling and for spearfishing. Isn't that right, Bill?

OK, if that's what he meant- yes, we have bag limits. In general the same limits apply to both rod and reel anglers and spearfishermen, but with some exceptions. For instance, anglers can take two broadbill swordfish per day, but we can't spear them, even though commercial swordfishermen harpoon them. Salmon and striped bass can be taken by rod and reel, but we can't shoot them. There are a few other minor things, but in general, we observe the same limits that rod and reelers do.

 

[land shark]

"Hunting for sport is an Improvement over hunting for food, in that there has been added to the test of skill an ethical code, which the hunter formulates for himself, and must live up to without the moral support of bystanders. That the code of one hunter is more advanced than that of another is merely proof that the process of sublimination, in this as in other atavisms, is still advancing."

"Recreational Values. The wildlife conservation movement is an attemp to prevent our expanding populations from destroying its own opportunities for sport. Management is a way to maintain a supply of game, and other wildlife,
in the face of that expansion. But it is not merely a supply of game, in the strictly quantitative sense, that is in question. The conservation movement seeks rather to maintain values in which quality and distribution matter quite as much as quantity."

Aldo Leopold

 

[Fondueset]

A study of traditional hunting-gathering cultures - does not support that quote. A look at some other spearo websites and the sportsmen who write on them also does not support it.

 

[icarus pacific]

Yes, but I prefer to not be lumped in with a bunch of assholes. You know the addage about one ruins it for all...

 

[Fondueset]

I'd like to qualify my remarks some more - but I don't want to get into a pissing contest.

Personally I've never met a freedive underwater hunter who didn't have respect for the process he or she enters into.

 

[Robbo66]

my feelings exactly


I've learned to hold my tounge and stay civil in this types of threads. I'd ask those participating in this discussion do the same please. some of these posts riding a fine line of debatable deletion.

Amphibious, I recall you being more than a little vocal on this subject previously, IMO we're all being civil, abstaining from personal attacks etc

Jimbo,

I've always maintained that commercial fisherman have the right to scuba spearo....it's just the amateur, weekender that I believe gives the whole sport a very bad image and a such remains indefensible.

Rob

 

[Marwan]

im with the opinion of bag limits (especially for slow breeders) being really more important than the method of fishing, be it scuba , freediving, trolling angling etc...i really ant imagine why someone would look down on a scuba diver at least he's wet, took all the trouble to put on his gear and jump in, compare that to the guy on the boat with a six pack of Bud, some hot dogs a cap and waiting for the rod to bend, he cant be sporty now can he hahahahaha just my 2 cents
cheers
good luck with the timeless debate

 

[Jimbo]

Robbo,
Thanks for your reply and Good Hunting, I agree that everyone who picks up a spear (with or without scuba) needs to be responsible to the environment and the laws. Our Fish and Wildlife guys check our boats a lot here and it makes people think twice about breaking the law with illegal fish and lobsters....but some still do it and that reflects badly on our sport to the public.
Jim

 

[Amphibious]

Amphibious, I recall you being more than a little vocal on this subject previously, IMO we're all being civil, abstaining from personal attacks etc

I have become far less vocal on this topic as arguing about it is atune to teaching a pig to sing.

abstaining from personal attacks eh?

http://forums.deeperblue.net/636079-post77.html

what would you call that?

my post was a general warning as this topic in particular tends to get very heated very quickly.