spear fishing in pembrokeshire

[devondave]

Rep to you both for bringing up the issue of image. Its something rarely discussed on these and other boards. Personally, I'm not in favour of certain attributes of spearfishing culture like shooting beautiful sea creatures like Marlin and other trophy hunting macho stunts, excessive kills etc.

As spearos we need to discuss the issue of image rather than sink into collective denial about how others may percieve what we do by repeating mantras to ourselves about "trawlers", "most ecological method...", "fill yer freezers" etc etc.

Rightly or wrongly, spearfishing got a bad name in this country once and it could happen again.

As marine conservation rises up the political agenda , partly due to films like End of the Line , pressure from marine conservation bodies , greater awareness among the public about sustainable fishing methods and the unmitigated disaster that is the EU fisheries policy .
Then the ' issue of image ' for spearfishing may well become critical .
I used to be of the opinion that spearfishing should just ' fly under the radar ' , but I've changed my mind , and no longer believe this to be an option .
We saw spearing come close to being banned from the proposed ban on projectiles , and that was by mistake , imagine if we came under real scrutiny .
Could we justify ourselves ? Do we have any real facts and figures to present ? Have we a comprehensive conservation policy to show ?
If a politician with his neck on the line , having been told to ' come up with something to make us look good ' , turns a red pencil on us , how would we fair ?
I have no idea , but perhaps we should give it some thought .

 

[dario_deli]

Am not sure about you but I cant seem to get much meat off a 2lb fish (well over 37.5cm) so do I take lots of 'easy' shooting schoolies or wait it out for a tidy fish????

Tidy fish? All fish over 3-4 pounds in Wales are full of parassites!rofl

 

[crazywind009]

Ah, I see what you're getting at - glad you liked the graph

I thought we were on about stocks, not image. Very fair and good points then. I did mention something in one of the other threads where someone posted about taking 18 big bass in one session.

Fair enough they may wish to fill up their freezer but it looks and sounds pretty bad!

I see you point off that spearos taking 18 bass in one session but those guys are doing competition all the time and that what they do all the time some of the fisherman in exmouth who fish for bass last week caught 187 bass in one session and that is what that guy would go 4 to 5 times a week and in September he would target the big boys the 8 to 14lb ++ bass and he would catch 40 to 100 a week make you calculation after one year that is a lost of bass i understand that you where not to happy with that spearo with the 18 bass .But i don't think we the spearo are the real probleme they try to tell us how many fish we should take in one session i don't think that is fair ,what about the spanish trawller who bought a english vessel with the quotas ,then they fish our water ignore the regulation then steam back home with the fish that really piss me off but the worst is those who fish in ban place at night with net catching protected fish like sea trout , salmon and bass in the nursery:rcard those guys are not looking to fill up their freezer only theyr pockets i think that looks and sounds pretty bad tell me other wise if i am wrong

 

[Broseidon]

I've got no real beef with people taking 18 bass - I was responding to TecDave's post about projecting a positive image surrounding spearfishing.

What would an outsider coming across this forum think if the first thing he read was about someone taking 18 bass in one session? Would it be positive? Would it leave him with the idea that spearfishing was a ecological and sustainable sport? I'm not sure.

I was simply talking about positive image - nothing more. Do commerical fishermen, trawlers and guys who take hundred of bass per week have a positive image. I think we can agree that thay don't!

I for one don't want to see spearing get a bad name. I think we can agree on that too!

 

[crazywind009]

Yes i do to

 

[Robbo66]

To be quite honest, spear fishing HAS got a bad name, mostly through misinformation and general ignorance of the sport.

The general public perceive it to be 'cheating', as do fishermen...on the whole.
The majority still believe we dive with tanks, and think it easy. When you explain you need to hold your breath and dive between 5m to 20 mt they are bewildered, in my experience.

I believe we do not help ourselves in certain instances. Taking under size or even small legal fish is one, and throwing in the ' what about the Spanish trawler men' argument is simply irrelevant when defending the image of a spearo arriving on a crowded beach with a belt full of fish. The same applies to the ' we make no real impact on fish stocks' argument., or the 'we can choose which fish we take etc'....all they see is the happy spearo proudly arriving with his undersize or ridiculously large amount of fish....believe me, that does not endear the sport to anyone

Competitions do not help our image in my opinion, and remain an indefensible PR nightmare.

I believe we are indeed under 'real scrutiny', and as a result myself and two other good friends do not now post catch reports or images as the site is monitored by the SWSFC and potential ban is a very real possibility.

 

[Broseidon]

Competitions do not help our image in my opinion, and remain an indefensible PR nightmare.

100% agreed.

One thing I would add though is the reception from the public I get when I exit the water bearing fish or crabs - nothing but facination and genuine friendly interest.

I'm not joking, last time I came out of the water with a big spider + bass, I was literally surrounded by 15 children wanting to see and touch what I'd caught - the children were closely follow by about 10 fathers who all wanted to see too! I ended up heading back out to grab a couple more spiders which I cooked up on the beach with a group of about 12 people I'd never met before. I provided crab, they provided beer and burgers - win-win!

I've yet to meet a single person (apart from a couple of bubblers, who don't count ) who hasn't been really interested in what I'm up to.

 

[crazywind009]

It is only the ignorant who think we are cheating we all no how hard it is to spear like you said when you explain you need to hold your breath and dive between 5m to 20 mt they are bewildered you are right on that one,we only can educate the ignorant maybe take them for a dive to show how hard it is physical and dangerous as well
They will always be some fat ignorant on the beach or office how would see us as cheater :vangry

 

[devondave]

How interesting the direction the discussion takes when we talk about the image of spearing , rather than the ethics . The question of how we see ourselves and how we think others see us is , to me , a fascinating one .

On a lighter and only just about related note , I stole this from a book by Andy Blackford :-
". . . in good ol' days , us spearos and local fishermen got on famously , it were give an' take . We'd pinch their crabs an' lobbies , drill 'oles in bottom of the boats , slash the nets and cop off with their wives after closing time , and in turn they'd try to shoot us in the water with ' igh powered ' unting rifles . It were a bit of a game , that's all . No 'ard feelings or 'owt ."

An insight into the traditional suspicion of spearos held by the fishing community perhaps ?

 

[dario_deli]

I think you guys are paranoid! I usually have very good responses from people when I get back to shore (anglers and others) and I go fishing quite a lot. They ask me how I do it and honestly they're very interested and yes nobody has a clue about spearfishing. This is why we should talk about it and not hide our haul and our guns. Some anglers also shared spots with me, yeah honestly they were rubbish ones and I never found a fish there...rofl...but still it was nice of them. Sometimes while I'm fishing anglers drift close to me and never had a problem, they wave their hands and that's it. I actually remember these guys a couple of times asking me if I had seen seabass as they were looking for them. Another time a pot fisherman asked me to find a pot he lost and also these guys were very interested and they were asking me how deep I go, how long I can hold the breath etc etc. All friendly people, instead the only spearo I've met in the sea in these two years in UK was a very unfriendly person. I was with pastor and we were actually going to tell him not waste time where he was as we had just fished there and so there was no way to find anything but obviously this guy wasted his day there at the end thanks to his anti-social behaviour!

 

[Robbo66]

I have both reactions, but we are facing a potential ban here...

Dario, were they the same friendly fisherman who beat up that Spearo in Anglesey, or the ones who cut that chaps line a few weeks ago ?....
a minefield of contradictions here....:head

We'll just need to beg to differ.

 

[ben]

Ok..... this is going off topic.
Maybe this is a more general image issue and should be moved to another subforum where there can be more national and national contributions.
Especially since wales has about one week of decent vis each season!!!!!

There are or were spearfishing issues in south wales and i think a number of us south wales spearos have experienced some hostility- i certainly have. This has maily come from ignorant rod a line guys who believe we are taking their fish off the end of their line.... !

In terms of spearfishing regulations in south wales- there are no restrictions!
Having said that please respect size limits and some of the conservation areas eg Bass nursary areas, Skomer marine reserve (although not a no take zone) plus closed season and fisheries for shellfish. All details on South Wales Fisheries Website.

 

[Broseidon]

Ok..... this is going off topic.
Maybe this is a more general image issue and should be moved to another subforum where there can be more national and national contributions.
Especially since wales has about one week of decent vis each season!!!!!

Not sure the whole thread should be moved but, yes, it's gone a bit off "Spearfishing in Pembroke"

Maybe someone should start a new thread in the open forum where everyone people can discuss this openly... although quite what we're discussing, I'm not sure - is it public perception? Ethics? Bag limits? Take size....?

 

[dario_deli]

I have both reactions, but we are facing a potential ban here...

Dario, were they the same friendly fisherman who beat up that Spearo in Anglesey, or the ones who cut that chaps line a few weeks ago ?....
a minefield of contradictions here....:head

We'll just need to beg to differ.

No definitely they were not the same criminals cos that was they are. The fact that they're also angler is not relevant!

 

[devondave]

You get the picture, when you move the thread has anyone ever had a problem off a non-angler?

Only scuba divers ( I am one ) , and students on Brighton beach , the students don't count , obviously . But one of the divers was a big fat knacker who didn't look fit enough to be in a paddling-pool , let alone the sea , and best of all he had a crab hook and goody bag on him .

 

[pembroke]

well i have seen many a rod fisherman take as much as they have caught big or small and had no worries about anybodys views. i am not perfect and as a newbie am getting over the excitement of having a go at all and sundry.
like all sports/ hobbies etc everyone has there own points of view on how we should conduct ourselves

besides that i just got a omer reel for my seacsub arrow 75mm gun, anyone out there can send a pic or two to show the set up please

 

[alexlloydthomas]

Hi Guys,

Anyone been around Gower the last few days and can let me know if the vis is any good (not expecting it to be)?

I know this is a Pembroke thread, but there's no Gower for this year.

Am going down there weds-fri so will take my gear just in case.

Cheers,
Al

 

[DafyddRees]

Hi Al

I have not fished the Gower and after the last weeks weather, I can't imagine there being any decent visibilty with constant Southerlies...

I *should* be heading over to north Pembrokeshire coast on Thursday/Friday as there are a few coves there with abit of shelter. You would be more than welcome to come along!

Dave

 

[pembroke]

daffed where do u shop for your spear fishing kit

 

[DafyddRees]

Lo

scubastore.com is great but the cost of P+P from spain is rather high.

spearo.co.uk has a very good range of guns and wetsuits

Venturesports in Paignton (sorry, I cannot remember the web address also do very good prices on alot of items)

Bristol Channel Diving in Cardiff have started supplying spearfishing gear but they do not have a web shop, walk in customers only.

Hope this helps!