The organized spearfishing
At the moment the organization regulating the sport of spearfishing on a global level is the
CMAS (World Confederation for Underwater Activities). It is part of the UNESCO, so no other organization can actually claim to have the same functions.
CMAS and its Spearfishing commission are responsible to regulate (and also organize) all international spearfishing events like the World Spearfishing Championship, etc. The
CMAS has been constantly under the crossfire coming from environmental groups, governments, activists and even internal lobbies. The Confederation managed to hold the positions of spearfishing with uncertain success for many years.
However, the organization is presently losing its significance for the spearos very fast with the other diving sports becoming a huge industry, with new generations of scuba and freedivers entering the executive bodies of the organization, and the pure ambition for certain sports (like the swimming with fins) to be acknowledged by the World Olympic Committee as Olympic disciplines.
The significance of the spearfishing within the
CMAS has now been diminished to microscopic proportions. Even though, the spearfishing commission is still trying to do some good for the sport. With the latest version of the CMAS Spearfishing Rules for international competitions (unfortunately I have only a hard copy of the French version of the document so I can’t post a link to it) introduces completely new formulas, making the sport even more difficult: reduction of the use of the boats during competitions, higher minimum size of valid catch, etc.
It has been a part for the
old international competitions rules , applied also by the federations, members of
CMAS , that the total catch from a competition should be:
1. Examined by an ichthyologist, in order for more knowledge to be gathered about the marine life in the competition area. He may take all species he finds of interest to the science.
2. After the scientific examination, all the catch must be donated (not sold to support the organizer as I think I saw in some post) for charity to an orphanage, hospital, nursing home, etc.
I think these are perfect solutions, justifying the competitive spearfishing, but to my huge surprise and disappointment, the Bulgarian Spearfishing Federation found it impossible to meet the first requirement because the National Academy of Science and the Marine Biology Institute didn’t show any interest in examining the catch.
Unfortunately the
CMAS has always been torn apart by the arguments between the scuba divers’ lobby and the one of the spearos/apneists. With the rapid development of the apnea diving during the last decade the freedivers’ lobby has been split in two, since the competitive freedivers are building to some extent their popularity and public support by bashing the spearfishing community. This is unfortunately a fact.
Which leads to the logical answer why the spearfishing does not have the international support and defence it used to enjoy. It’s business as usual.
For similar reasons the local federations are also struggling. In Bulgaria we are lucky that we have always hade separate scuba/freediving federations. But in other parts of Europe it hasn’t been like that and now the separation is inevitable and very painful process. The latest example is the French
FFESSM, which has been abandoned by the whole spearfishing commission because of the triangular conflict between spearos, scuba divers and apneists. A new National Federation for Spearfishing in Apnea (
FNPSA ) has been found and it became a part of the French fishing association. IMHO, there is no point for running from one enemy to another, since we all know what the anglers think about the spearfishing, but I guess they have decided that the smaller evil is better.
The situation in Italy is pretty much the same, where the spearos tired of the fights in
FIPSAS formed a new association –
AIPS . The Spanish
FEDAS is still holding the positions, but I think that is mainly because of they still don’t have any major victories in freediving, unlike the spearfishing.
The local federations also have obligatory rules, but there are hardly any working mechanisms available for controlling their application. Per example in Italy and France the grouper is not accepted as valid catch for the competitions. In France the ban covers also the recreational spearfishing. This fish was the symbol of the spearfishing in the Mediterranean. There are general catch limits, per species limits, per family limits, minimum and maximum weight limits and all other limits you can think of!
The competitions were made harder – now the athletes do not have a boat to move and even go to the desired spot. This formula was supposed to be tested during the WC in Brazil, but I guess the organizers found it cheaper to provide a boat for everyone than to equip all the spearos with a dive board!
Almost all federations now have adopted spearfishing ethical codes or have issued a White book of spearfishing, which is practically the same.
And with all those measures taken, there is still no real working solution.
