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Hall Of Shame

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.

Robbo66

Don't Mention Competitions
Jul 24, 2005
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I'm sorry to say but this year DB has seen an influx of the most immature bunch of spearo's I have ever come across.

No amount of gentle persuasion, or harsh criticism seems to affect their inability to understand that posting images of small fish, or huge hauls of fish does nothing but harm the sport.

We've got people swimming in Portland Harbour shipping channels, people catching 1-2lb fish and claiming they are bigger & people posting pics of hull loads of small fish that will do nothing but antagonize the authorities, fishermen & general public.

It would appear that only a few of us have the will to actually raise this issue. The moderators simply state that images of catches are encouraged and whilst they may not agree that this is a free forum. :head

We have some experienced spearos on here, you know who you are, who surely could influence the younger members to think a little more before they post.

This is rapidly becoming a far more popular sport. I fish regularly in Brittany where there is quite simply nothing left. All fished out, with a spearo every 10
metres. Why, because all sizes are taken and have been for a number of years. Numbers of Spearos will increase and unless some experienced members support and educate the younger members rather than simply sit on the fence, then the majority will suffer in the long run through adverse publicity leading to a possible ban.

Let's face it, my grandmother could shoot a mullet and a 2lb bass that schools around you. It's not hard, so why continue to post haul loads of fish when the majority on here know that this type of spearfishing is a piece of ****.
 
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I've read a couple of other posts and i think I'm retracting my post now lol
 
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i have to agree and disagree with you as some of the fish that are shot are full grown and 1-2 pounds and are very tasy none wasted if u know how to properly cut a fish i see nothing wrong with that the species of fish u hunt being far larger does not make u abetter spearo many of the larger species are in fact endagered or carry high levels of mercury hunting great tuna for example or marlin.how ever killing far more than you can eat is dispicable theres no need no point i usually shoot 3 nice fish a week 2-3 pounds i eat them then shoot more next week those who have a boat load need to give there head a shake.also the fish i hunt reproduce quickly and grown to only 4 pounds and unfortunetly fisherman are going to complain if the fish is 2-100 pounds we have all experienced it really who cares i dont if im within the law and my legal right why should i but i like your point of view
 
There is an easy way to resolve this; certain places where I have fished (rod and line) in ireland not only are there size limits but also anglers are limited to 2 bass per session take as many mackerel etc as you like but this quota could vary according to species. If this were the case in spearfishing I think it would encourage everyone to be more selective in their spearing and target a broader range of species.

I`m not going to have a go at anyone who has been posting large hauls - sometimes we catch nothing 5 trips in a row then blam - the mother load and I think we should look at all these things in perspective.

I reckon I`m gona get a bit of stick for my opinion here but hey its only my opinion that we should be a sustainable as possible, you dont have to agree with me.

The real problem as we all know is comercial fishing, but I dont think the fact that the main issue lies with someone else means we should exploit the sea as much as possible too. Two wrongs dont make a right as my mother would say.

Peace.....
 
Hi Matt,

it's the attitude of some ( a minority) of the junior members that is the issue.

There was a post prior to yours that, on reflection, the original poster has either decided to remove himself , or been instructed to remove that typifies the problem.

Unless the issues are raised, anyone new to the sport will think it perfectly acceptable to act in this manner. At least and at last the moderators have posted their opinion, so should get the message across.
 
Glad to see that you appreciate that staff did act Robbo. However staff have to be seen not to be biased. Whatever our personal opinions staff need to have a measured, reasoned and non biased approach. Sometimes this takes a little time but IMHO this site is fantastically run, certainly compared to many others.

Matt " , but I dont think the fact that the main issue lies with someone else means we should exploit the sea as much as possible too. Two wrongs dont make a right as my mother would say." Couldn't have put it better. It's always someone elses fault according to some. If I had a pound for every fisherman who said "It's legal so if I don't take these fish someone else will" then I'd be a millionaire.

Thing is someone clubbed the last dodo and shot the last passenger pigeon. We have to draw the line somewhere.

I try not to be too judgemental if for no other reason then "Judge not less you too be judged" but we all make mistakes. I hope to learn from my mistakes and move on. I'm older if not completely wiser :confused:.

Dave.
 
Glad to see that you appreciate that staff did act Robbo. However staff have to be seen not to be biased. Whatever our personal opinions staff need to have a measured, reasoned and non biased approach. Sometimes this takes a little time but IMHO this site is fantastically run, certainly compared to many others.

Matt " , but I dont think the fact that the main issue lies with someone else means we should exploit the sea as much as possible too. Two wrongs dont make a right as my mother would say." Couldn't have put it better. It's always someone elses fault according to some. If I had a pound for every fisherman who said "It's legal so if I don't take these fish someone else will" then I'd be a millionaire.

Thing is someone clubbed the last dodo and shot the last passenger pigeon. We have to draw the line somewhere.

I try not to be too judgemental if for no other reason then "Judge not less you too be judged" but we all make mistakes. I hope to learn from my mistakes and move on. I'm older if not completely wiser :confused:.

Dave.


Cheers Dave.
 
i only hunt mullets and turbot [as it can be seen in here...]
no other fish to be worth in the black sea...
with the turbot the things are very clear...is hard to catch turbot...many dives in a very cold water at various depth between 4 and 12m....not so easy thing....
the mullet that i-ve hunted was big ennough to be properly shooted ...[0,5kg at least, up to 2,5kg]
i did'n think i've shooted more than 15 mullet in my entire life:p
i prefer the turbot hunting and at this i'm good [can't say how much i've shooted...to many...]
you are right, but i don't consider myself an immature spearo just because i hunt mullets....
there is something in your post who seem a little offending: the fact that anyone can hunt mullets....is not quite so!!
that is corect...the mullets are very courious fish and they sometimes came close...however i don't consider the mullet hunting to be so easy at it looks.
in shorter words....your topic ideea was good...with this sentence is something wrong:
Let's face it, my grandmother could shoot a mullet and a 2lb bass that schools around you. It's not hard, so why continue to post haul loads of fish when the majority on here know that this type of spearfishing is a piece of ****.
sorry if i offended in any way
 
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There was a post prior to yours that, on reflection, the original poster has either decided to remove himself , or been instructed to remove that typifies the problem.

Hmm now your making me want to put it back. I don't think my post typified anything. I was just making some pretty valid points but then I saw a post in another thread which I thought, "hmmm I can see where your coming from there".
 
It was a quote from Spearheads
Hmm now your making me want to put it back. I don't think my post typified anything. I was just making some pretty valid points but then I saw a post in another thread which I thought, "hmmm I can see where your coming from there".
Posted via Mobile Device
 
Robbo, could you elaborate on how this thread is supposed to evolve? My curiosity at the term "Hall of..." more than anything else.
 
Lazuli i think the same mate it should be called, lets all go diving and stop squabbling like a little kid ( aka robbo ) :)
 
It is good to see conservation being discussed. I'm generally against lots of unnecessary rules and red tape but that means we all need to take responsibility for our own behaviour. It means that we don't take every fish we can, just because we can.

I personally did not agree with removing images of "large hauls" but I do understand the objections and support the staff decision (not wanting to encourage large hauls, bad PR, wanting to raise standards, etc.). My thinking was that it was quite unusual, the spearo in question tends to spear close to home (and so has a vested interest in maintaining fish stocks) and that covering up the truth is not the way to solve problems (current govt. case in point). The open discussion that followed did really make clear [some] people's feelings on the matter (but please be nice to each other guys). While I don't agree with some of what Robbo66 said, nor how it was said, I know that he has deeply held beliefs on this and is acting in what he believes are the interests of all of us - which I respect. If we fishermen & women take too many fish, the young spearos will have many years ahead in which to reflect on the lack of fish compared to what was once there. I have heard countless older anglers, OMD & Blenny included, talk about how there used to be far more fish and much bigger fish around.

However, I still believe that commercial fishing is the real problem. To debate spearing hauls is like re-arranging seats on the Titanic -- it is missing the real issue, the proverbial "elephant in the room". It is symbolism over substance. The volumes involved there (much of it discarded too:() are just HUGE. While spearing volumes are miniscule. Our best defence though is that spearing is the most selective and sustainable form of fishing - which is I think the problem, people saw the unusually large haul as neither sufficiently selective* nor sustainable.

*I blame our current government for this. They were going to increase the minimum landing size of bass from 36cm to 40cm but bottled it at the last minute. It sends the wrong message. It would be interesting to know why they did that. Probably pressure from commercial fishermen, perhaps concerns that all that would happen would be that they throw more small bass back into the sea dead (as "bycatch") - which is worth pondering. There seems to be a consensus on DeeperBlue.com that minimum bass size should be significantly higher, at least 40cm and probably even higher (42cm, maybe more). Although I don't think this warrants the rather harsh treatment handed out to several novices of late who landed small but legal sized fish. Fish do look bigger underwater and no doubt your first fish looks bigger to you than to others:). In practice though, I rarely see any bass that would not be legal as the limit is so low. By all means point out the current thinking on bass sizes but please do it respectfully. And take it up with the government (better yet, the EU and/or WTO) - so that it applies to all fishermen - rather than flamming novices operating within the law.
 
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Hi Tony,

The points been raised and made. Many people think the same believe me, and whilst you're always going to get the 'Cisco Kid's' as one put it, they are generally in the minority.

We all know commercial fishing is the bigger issue, but that has nothing to do with this discussion. That's another topic entirely, and I am sure everyone agrees 100% that commercial fishing is a dire situation.

Let's not 'dilute' this issue being discussed here on this thread, with that topic.

As I say, points been raised, opinions expressed so we should move on and enjoy what is plainly a fantastic sport.
 
Robbo, could you elaborate on how this thread is supposed to evolve? My curiosity at the term "Hall of..." more than anything else.

Lazuli,
Issue needed to be raised. It was discussed between a few of us, and up popped 'hall of shame'.

Time to put it to bed.

Cayman HF excellent by the way, have 75 now also. Cheers.
 
No probs. Robbo. Interesting to see you going for a 75 now - any particular location in mind (Dorset)? I have 2x90s and a 75 now but last year and this I have used the 75 almost exclusively. Used it 100% of the time in Devon last year too. Really enjoying it - but you will occasionally see out-of-range fish - saw a huge one last year but even a 90 might not have reached it. Frustrating but on balance I reckon it has accounted for more fish that a longer gun would have in the murky conditions I most often deal with (although Dorset has been pretty clear lately).
 
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Hi All,

As someone new to spearfishing, this is a really interesting thread.

I have a simple question to ponder on, where are all the sea bass commercially caught going to, not my local supermarket or fish mongers.

Last time I asked for wild sea bass the fish monger looked at me like I was mad.

I intend to spear responsibly and only to feed myself, lets hope everyone else does the same.

Will
 
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Hi All,

As someone new to spearfishing, this is a really interesting thread.

I have a simple question to ponder on, where are all the sea bass commercially caught going to, not my local supermarket or fish mongers.

Last time I asked for wild sea bass the fish monger looked at me like I was mad.

I intend to spear responsibly and only to feed myself, lets hope everyone else does the same.

Will
Bravo Will a great set of rules for all, BUT you will start another war of words using the term 'Sea Bass'!!!! http://forums.deeperblue.com/beach-bar/81553-i-hate-sea-bass.html
 
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