Ethics of spearfishing competitions

[Erik]

You wanna run an apology for the idiot crack before I step in?

You have my vote. Step hard, with the steel toe Viking boot :blackeye
Cheers,
Erik Y.

 

[icarus pacific]

Done deal, then.

You're going find out here ed, that you'll go a loooong way by being civil. You wanna give your reply another shot, fine by me, but let's leave the name calling back at the playground.

 

[FreediveSniper]

I hereby cast my vote in support of divers right to compete among themselves. Bag and size limits are no different than any other day and usually less. Yes, it is not just a dive competion, it involves hunting and finding skills, local knowledge, and luck.
Makes a lot more sense than having a contest to see who can come up consious from the deepest (with nothing) IMO.

 

[rigdvr]

did someone insult me and I missed it? Feel free to pm me if something personal needs to be discussed.

 

[Alison]

No..........what are you going to step in?

Knowing IP like I do, I suspect you darling!!

 

[ajwaverider]

What's the deal with these people that have passed thru here in the last month or so?
Did the circus raise there standards?

 

[icarus pacific]

The clinic must have let out early. :hmm

 

[Alison]

I think they are members of the John Wayne fan club LOL yes the clinic! Same thing

 

[Mr. X]

...
One of the biggest annoyances in the UK is the lack of government control over recreational fishing. I've seen how well such measures affect the ethos within the community and it seems beneficial. In this country, the number of fish taken recreationally is minescule and thus the government ignore it; but sadly the education that comes with such regulation in lost on the way.
...

It seems that there is way too much government control already in this country. There is also a lot of paperwork and expensive overhead associated with it -- often with little or no visible benefit. I was surprised by the lack of public outcry expressed in the media at the government's proposal to license sea fishing even for beach casters. Not sure if they are delusional re. the impact of hobby fishermen or just looking for another stealth tax. Either way it seems like they are loosing track of what matters, commercial fishing activity is impacting the marine environment -- although I suspect sorting that out would require some real thought & political effort (at home and abroad). It seems like the government were taking advantage of sea anglers natural interest in preserving fish stocks -- while at the same time failing to address the real issue. (The "look over there" tactic?!)

Re. spearing competitions, I have no interest in taking part. They do seem like a bad idea, for various reasons already discussed (PR, environment, etc.). However, as long as they are run responsibily, with an eye to preserving fish stocks & the the marine environment -- I don't currently see a problem with others taking part. There is little difference with rod based fishing competitions, which are commonplace -- in fact fish can be targeted more carefully by spearos. The competitions I have read about so far all seem to meet those criteria. Obviously all fish taken should be eaten -- that already seems to be generally accepted norm.

 

[specimen hunter]

Spearfishing like surfing has two sides, the competition and the soul spearo both are valid expressions of a similar wish, to test oneself against an animal in its own element.
Most spearos start with comps to up their skill level and as frustration sets in they require a stonger test than just to shoot small pollack and scare away any respectable fish.
Once you have proved that you can win competitions move on, challenge yourself ! Set your goal high for the sea you can fish in,research who can take you and who can teach you to hunt in whichever sea you visit.
Dont carry on year after year competing for an egg cup, hit the far flung islands that produce your dream fishing and travel with like minded individuals.
Achieve your ambitions and set your targets bigger and deeper.
L.I.C. your ambitions all over the globe, and most of all enjoy the diving.
Specimen Hunter.

 

[PhilLJCA]

I think the most important thing with competitions is that the organizers and participants need to maintain a good dialogue with the community that is hosting them: they need to listen to the concerns of sport fisherman, scuba divers, local hand-line fisherman, and even scientists. They need to do their best to allay concerns that are reasonable and debunk the ones that are not. Every competition that I have heard of has done this very well in the last few years. I know that the Hatteras open only allows people to submit a fixed number of fish (and that humber is very low) and points are assigned not only by weight but by species. This approach seems very reasonable and ethical.