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Spearfishing - are we under threat?

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.
An annual permit of around £100 will solve the problem and help police the snorkellers
 

Did you just start that with 'I don't know what I'm talking about but ....'

Mods . Is there anyway of checking if Simos has hacked his password ?
 
Reactions: Simos
Did you just start that with 'I don't know what I'm talking about but ....'

Mods . Is there anyway of checking if Simos has hacked his password ?

I dont know what i am talking about but it wasn't me. All him.

PS I don't know what I am talking about
 
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I think artiz is very passionate about his beliefs & is only trying to gain some support from fellow spearos.

I am not quite sure why everybody is so negative about supporting him but perhaps you guys could at least offer some constructive opinions?

From my perspective, I also believe we are under threat of legislation, in fact it seems inevitable!

I can understand why most of us want to bury our heads in the sand & just lets things happen - perhaps it is the fear of stirring the wasp nest that prevents us voicing our opinions out loud or perhaps we just think we could never prevent the inevitable?

If we consider the dangers involved with spearfishing at night.... we can just do this without any training or even a licence or insurance!
It might only take one nasty incident to bring night spearing into the public's view & then we might see the media taking a negative interest!

In the channel islands we already have some movement from our government - Alderney has introduced a licensing system for spearguns & you can be arrested if found in procession of a speargun without a licence.
I have been personally approached by the Guernsey police & asked about my opinion regarding the licensing of spearguns... so there is movement toward legislation already...

I dont know what can be done but I do think we should discuss the options?
 
Comment deleted and infraction given.
Play nice now as foxfish has requested.

But also, apply common sense to an internet discussion.
 
Under the present government, we are probably safe. But when the government changes, all bets are off. The EU is a constant & significant threat to all freedoms.

Spear fishing has been under threat in the UK recently from 3 sources that I can think of:

1. The EU inadvertently banned spearfishing in Atlantic waters, through clumsy & incompetent (IMHO) legislative re-drafting (go look for the thread on that one - we suggested 2 ways to fix it, predictably they picked the more restrictive, more idiotic one but at least recreational spearfishing got a specific exemption).

2. Anglers in South Wales tried to get their fisheries to ban it. Presumably out of spite. Personally I believe the Welsh deserve the right to spear at least as much as everybody else. Cry rhyddid!

3. In an estuary in south Cornwall (Falmouth I think) they banned the taking of scallops from the estuary to stop extremely destructive dredging for scallops. Fair enough. But they also banned non-destructive, highly selective commercial fishing on SCUBA. Worse yet, they also banned the highly selective & highly sustainable recreational taking of scallops on a breathhold - an unnecessary step too far (probably makes it easier to police). Bag limits would have probably been a better, more acceptable solution in the last 2 cases.

If you really care, then vote & vote carefully and vote whenever you get the opportunity. And let the candidates know it. I would strongly suggest that you do not vote Green in England or Wales, they ran on a vegan agenda, that was anti-fishing (the Scottish Greens are more sensible and can reasonably be voted for, if they float your boat). Alternatively, join the Green party and help educate them on the selectivity and sustainability of spearfishing, and help influence & guide policy - so that in the future we could vote for them.

Question your MP, MEPs and Police Commissioner candidates. Ask them where they stand on hunting, shooting & fishing, and tell them where you stand, once you've clarified your thinking.

Of the MEPs we contacted during the "EU campaign", the Conservatives & Liberals were professional, supportive and helpful. UKIP were "hat stand" and basically said "that's because we are in the EU" tough luck. And the one Labour response I recall (there is only one Labour MEP in the South West, in Gloucester I believe) - and I would classify his response as evasive/unhelpful. My brother told me his former Labour MP was very unhelpful, unprofessional and hostile when he asked her to look into a gun dog related issue for him (happily she lost her seat).

Join the Countryside Alliance. Last I recall it was headed by a female Labour MP who likes to hunt They are currently asking members to find out where the Police Commissioner candidates stand on hunting and to let them know that we value our right to hunt/shoot/fish. Read Field magazine - they and their readers were supportive in the EU campaign, great, lively mag too.
 
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Thanks for the comprehensive info Mr X.
I posted the 2 quotes above so that I could ask where you think our/spearfishing alliances are best served - or should we stand alone? We don't seem to have too many friends out there?
 
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Good grief this hard going? So we have arguably established that we are under threat in the UK... are we actually going to do anything about it or just leave it to fate and future uninformed legislation?
Personally I think with this kind of response you're right Foxfish ... why bother?
 
I am curious, how much spearfishing pressure is there around Britain? Like on any given day of the week, will you guys roll up to the your favorite cove/jetty/whatever and see other spearos already there?

I can't imagine licensing spearguns, but most places I have lived have more liberal gun laws than Britain... In the US, some states (Florida comes to mind, and Mexico has some similar laws), prohibit spearing within 100 yards from any area (beach, bridge, jetty, etc) where people are swimming or shore angling. This is presumably a public safety law. As you are no doubt aware, many places also make distinction between hawaiin slings, rubber powered guns, and gas guns...

The more developed sourthern California beaches have laws that prohibit swimming/snorkelling more than 200M from shore. This is to keep swimmers out of the boat lane (boats must remain more than 300M from shore), and I think also for the safety of the lifeguards. This is a non-issue for local spearos since nobody spears off a populous beach patrolled by lifeguards--most of our shore spots are fronted by more isolated bluffs, or are just more isolated beaches. In Florida I have been out training (comfortable surface swimming) off a popular beach area and been swarmed by rescue personnel, called by someone on shore who just saw me swimming past the surfline and assumed that something had to be wrong. Very surprising as I was not distressed or waving, just swimming... I have never entered the water at that beach since then. Not like the islands

It seems if spearing is in danger of EU legislation, it would be smart for spearos to organize and attempt to create exemption for sport spearfishing, which is what happened with very partial success here in southern California.
 
Big changes at the BSA (new index page) have just been announced with a whole set of new goals:

[FONT=&quot]BSA Goals[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Develop a recruiting strategy [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]2. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Produce a common statement defending spearfishing[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]3. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Develop a strategy to recruit and maintain a group of defenders in spearfishing rights[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]4. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Develop a safety course in spearfishing[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]5. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Develop a 1st class course in spearfishing[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]6. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Develop a non competitive social strategy[/FONT]

Is it time for us all to join forces?
 

I think Manalive's reasoned comments here probably represents many spearo's (on this forum) feelings regarding this issue. However you only have to click Who's Online to see that usually there are at least 4 times as many Guests as there are members viewing our threads & posts? I think it's safe to say we are being monitored (by friends and foe alike) and have been since the forum began?
We are clearly in a precarious situation where much of Europe (& most recently Ireland) & parts of the USA are experiencing continuing regulation & sanction so 'the writing is on the wall'... by doing nothing the risks far outweigh preparation, appropriate organisation and self-regulation. If we continue to exist as we are I think we could be on a massive loser if/when legislation arrives. Outraged emails, reactionary petitions and responses from lone individuals is mostly ineffectual whereas representative bodies must be taken seriously!
If this BSA structural change is genuine then we have a ready made representational body! I therefore think its time some of you experienced spearo's and long standing forum members/leaders/mentors should 'step up' and advise us what to do - should we join, continue to do nothing or something else?
 
I get the impression that the threat is about to intensify. The youngest son of Jaques Cousteau has been appointed as the new(est) European Fisheries Commission advisor...

His views on spearfishing below are pretty obvious;

"Fishing quotas, in Europe and elsewhere, are disrespectful of scientific guidance. Science says to take no more than X fish a year? The quota is surely to be at least 5X. In addition to these quotas being inappropriate, violated, etc ... pleasure fishing (spear fishing, boat fishing, etc ...) are completely unregulated activities and can account, for some fish stocks, for most of the catch! The ONLY solution is to create marine protected areas, NOW, and as many as possible. Our children will have many reasons to be angry at us, but we can also give them reason to thank us for creating oasis of life in our dying oceans." Pierre-Yves Cousteau on Parosweb.com

Even if you agree with his sentiments the threat of ill-advised regulation seems imminent? Hopefully his main focus will be the Med but the UK will not be far behind?

Any thoughts out there?
 
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I think you will find it is "a" not "the" European fisheries commission adviser.
It is not a position with any power, purely PR related, but don't let facts get in the way of a good bit of paranoia rofl
 
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