Commercial fishermen feed fish to people who cant get it themselves and do damage to the enviorment in the process. Farmers feed beef and veg. to people who cant get it themselves and do damage to the enviorment in the process. We cant ban commercial anything cause thats how people survive. If ya want to ban something, ban people from having babies! The world is over-populated and its getting worse everyday! Priority's are screwed up for everyone as seen everyday in the news. The people who are responsible for all our food(farmers and fishermen), are always on the hook and barely makeing a living while entertainers and such live like gods! How screwed up is that if you think about it? I hunt, fish, trap, spearfish, and farm. I do it all for food and for a living and i love it. Why i love it? Who cares, but i eat what i take and i dont waste. Sorry if i got a little off topic or offend anyone as that was not my intentions...just speaking my mind. P.S...just want to congradulate everyone on this topic, and hell, on this board, as i believe this is the first time i seen this topic discussed without it turning to a war.
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Spearfishing: Good or Bad?
- Thread starterickledevil
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
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Hi,
I am just starting out spear fishing too. I see it as the ultimate environmentally friendly way to get fresh, healthy, organic animal protein & essential oils (although Devonshire 'Good Oil' based on Hemp is an excellent vegan alternative source of essential oils).
As a boy, I coarse fished. Always returning the fish alive. I caught a pike, a rainbow trout and a makeral for food on separate occasions. I do not enjoy killing but it seems right that everyone should be willing and able to kill, clean and prepare any meat that they eat. That said, I could never bring myself to kill (or eat) rabbit or to kill any mammal. I would consider deer hunting but only once. Factory farms, especially battery hens are the most cruel things. A free range hen, or wild pheasant, dispatched by a caring owner is so more humane & wholesome. My brother is a keen shooter and environmentalist, so I have had many opportunites to shoot but am not really interested in shooting; although I happily beat for the local shoot when I can. The shoot preserves woodland & hedge rows as cover -- it is quite beautiful and with a group of good people, it is a fine day out.
Spear fishing seems like a challenging way to gather very small amounts of fresh sea food for my small family, a few times a year. Spear fishing tends to target larger, predatory fish -- so I reckon fish numbers would likely increase rather than decrease as a result of my actions.
I too am from the UK...and can't help thinking that we, as a nation, have become disgustingly prissy and pathetic. Like a nation that has forgotten what matters. Although, I suspect, we pander to a small but very vocal minority in many matters.
I am just starting out spear fishing too. I see it as the ultimate environmentally friendly way to get fresh, healthy, organic animal protein & essential oils (although Devonshire 'Good Oil' based on Hemp is an excellent vegan alternative source of essential oils).
As a boy, I coarse fished. Always returning the fish alive. I caught a pike, a rainbow trout and a makeral for food on separate occasions. I do not enjoy killing but it seems right that everyone should be willing and able to kill, clean and prepare any meat that they eat. That said, I could never bring myself to kill (or eat) rabbit or to kill any mammal. I would consider deer hunting but only once. Factory farms, especially battery hens are the most cruel things. A free range hen, or wild pheasant, dispatched by a caring owner is so more humane & wholesome. My brother is a keen shooter and environmentalist, so I have had many opportunites to shoot but am not really interested in shooting; although I happily beat for the local shoot when I can. The shoot preserves woodland & hedge rows as cover -- it is quite beautiful and with a group of good people, it is a fine day out.
Spear fishing seems like a challenging way to gather very small amounts of fresh sea food for my small family, a few times a year. Spear fishing tends to target larger, predatory fish -- so I reckon fish numbers would likely increase rather than decrease as a result of my actions.
I too am from the UK...and can't help thinking that we, as a nation, have become disgustingly prissy and pathetic. Like a nation that has forgotten what matters. Although, I suspect, we pander to a small but very vocal minority in many matters.
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I cannot beleive that spearfishing with a TANK is permitted. In France and the UK and as far as I believe the rest of Europe it is banned, and so it should be.
Regardless of the lobby who use a tank and ' only take fish to eat' etc, it's way,way to easy to shoot fish in this manner and totally and utterly against the principal of the sport.
I expect to get slammed for this from our cousins state side, but having dived over there, the larger fish simply sit there motionless on the whole, and again spearing a large grouper from 15 ft with absolutely no chance of missing this huge static target is both mindless and unimpressive.
We're always going to have the 'all the gear no idea' brigade, who shoot into schools of fish with pneumatic artillery and take undersize fish......but the tank issue is indefensible and should be banned as it is here.
Regardless of the lobby who use a tank and ' only take fish to eat' etc, it's way,way to easy to shoot fish in this manner and totally and utterly against the principal of the sport.
I expect to get slammed for this from our cousins state side, but having dived over there, the larger fish simply sit there motionless on the whole, and again spearing a large grouper from 15 ft with absolutely no chance of missing this huge static target is both mindless and unimpressive.
We're always going to have the 'all the gear no idea' brigade, who shoot into schools of fish with pneumatic artillery and take undersize fish......but the tank issue is indefensible and should be banned as it is here.
Be Carefull what you wish for.
I to dont like spearing on Scuba but if you start banning Spearing on Scuba then the ball will start rolling and before you know it Spearing will be banned altogether.
We have a Government Dept that are currently looking at banning spearing on Scuba at one of our Northern reefs but we all know if they get that through all spearing will be banned there soon.
Better to dance with the devil you know then sleep with the devil you dont.
Crusty
I to dont like spearing on Scuba but if you start banning Spearing on Scuba then the ball will start rolling and before you know it Spearing will be banned altogether.
We have a Government Dept that are currently looking at banning spearing on Scuba at one of our Northern reefs but we all know if they get that through all spearing will be banned there soon.
Better to dance with the devil you know then sleep with the devil you dont.
Crusty
I must confess! I have been spear fishing regularly since I was 12 (lets see, that’s about 24 years ago) and I admit to practicing it with both free and scuba diving, and do not regret any moment of it. I have always wondered why to most people spear fishing is a cruel, environmentally hostile and aggressive activity. Therefore must be banned in all its forms (free or scuba), the spearos must be fined and their evil weapons confiscated. I have seen this attitude in the Med, the Red Sea (off Egypt and Saudi) and the Arabian Gulf, and I am sure in many parts. To give you an example, we used to take a boat south of Jeddah (Saudi) to about 30 miles to where there are numerous good spots. On our return we had to hide our spears and claim the caught fish as being caught on line (we had to filet most of them). If caught, we faced a bane on our boat, a $3,000 fine and confiscation of our spears. We always watched puzzled the commercial fishermen in their small boats harvesting fish with their steel cages bringing in their catch in broad daylight. Those guys were so desperate that they never threw anything back. Groupers were highly prized, but they often caught Rays, Parrots, Trigger fish, and even French Angels. On many occasions we found (on the bottom) abandoned cages with dead fish which they simply forgot or misplaced. No one questioned these cruel fishing methods, but when it came to spearfishing, it was easy to make laws and enforce them. I found many people echoing the same accusations about spear fishing and the environment and it seams that none of them would even believe his own common sense. In my opinion we (as spearos) take part of the blame for not organizing our efforts and our community to educate others as well as spearos about this magnificent sport. In most countries, hunting animals with a rifle is a licensed activity. That means it is regulated but legal. Hunters have their clubs, associations and legal representatives to speak their interest and negotiate conditions with local authorities. I know that in some areas there is some degree of organization, but in many other there is none.
Robbo66 said:
Spearfishing, around the globe, takes such a small share of the fish that it is nearly immeasurable. As a threat to the resource, it ranks LAST. As a harvest method, it is the absolute least wasteful method with the fewest environmental consequences.
These are facts.
What amazes me, is that the biggest threat to spearfishing is other spearfishermen and divers.........like this Robbo guy.
Somehow, he has been bred to think that only awesome stud athletes who want to risk their lives freediving should be able to spearfish......but every other method is OK?
I can see how this arcane concept could have begun, but I pity the misguided parts of the world where it has taken hold. Spearfishermen there have simply shrunk their numbers, and given the resource away to other, more wasteful methods. Each citizen should have an equal share of the sustainable resource, regardless of their harvest method, as long as it does not damage the resource or other citizens.
I know it's banned in France, with strict monitoring, and it should be.
Huan, it may all be yada, yada etc to you and be beneath you to discuss or defend it any longer, but the fact remains that the spearfishing with a tank is simply a piece of p***
Screen Name, holding your breath and kicking your legs doesn't make you a stud athelete, but then neither does tanking up and sinking to the bottom with 40 minutes of air. Why not take an armchair next time.
I realise that spearing takes a minute proportion of fish, excellent, thanks for brining it to my attention. I'm not arguing this point, simply stating (as the French do) it will eventually give all of us a bad name and it's mindnumbingly easy.
Thousands of people spear in France, with no problem whatsoever as it's seen a sport. I've never had a problem either here in the uk or in France. I would be lambasted, and rightly so, if spearing with a tank became more popular and we all became tarred with the same brush.
Huan, it may all be yada, yada etc to you and be beneath you to discuss or defend it any longer, but the fact remains that the spearfishing with a tank is simply a piece of p***
Screen Name, holding your breath and kicking your legs doesn't make you a stud athelete, but then neither does tanking up and sinking to the bottom with 40 minutes of air. Why not take an armchair next time.
I realise that spearing takes a minute proportion of fish, excellent, thanks for brining it to my attention. I'm not arguing this point, simply stating (as the French do) it will eventually give all of us a bad name and it's mindnumbingly easy.
Thousands of people spear in France, with no problem whatsoever as it's seen a sport. I've never had a problem either here in the uk or in France. I would be lambasted, and rightly so, if spearing with a tank became more popular and we all became tarred with the same brush.
Having practiced both spearfishing methods (free diving and scuba) for a relatively long time, I would say that you have misguided information about scuba spearfishing and how it is usually practiced. First we should agree that spearfishing is a hunting sport not a fitness contest. Therefore it should be clear that having to hold your breath is not the ultimate goal in this sport, but rather you need to learn and be able to practice hunting skills that would allow you to approach your prey and catch it with the most merciful methods and least damage to the environment. Scuba spearfishing achieves these goals with the same efficiency and requires similar skills to free diving. It also requires higher stealth skills because of the bubbles and much noisy equipment.Robbo66 said:
Many spearos believe it depends on your needs, your environment and your target fish to free dive or scuba. For example if you are hunting Groupers or other rock fish in a deep area, it would be difficult to free dive. On the other hand if you are looking for surface or mid water fish it would ridiculous to use scuba. Both methods could be abused of course, some amature spearos hunt parrot fish with scuba gear, and also the same or other shoot Angel fish free diving.
As far as scuba spearing being easy, and disregarding small and reef fish, I would say the contrary. When free diving you leave the fish to fight the float, you can call for assistance from your buddy or the boat, and you may have the luxury of making a kill shot with another spear. But try shooting a 50lbs + Jack or Tuna at 120’ then fighting it for 20 minutes with a knife while it drags you from your wrist in all directions including the rocky bottom. And just to make things a little more complicated, there is this sickening feeling in your stomach that grows with every exhausting second knowing that you have limited air supply and you need to make decompression stops on your way up. I tell you, this is the ultimate face to face fight, and there is nothing easy about it.
GinoBlue said:
And there in lies the HUNT! who said it was supposed to be easy? If spearfishing became easy I would quit. how many hunters remember the easy shots? the quick hunts. now how many remember the ones that took you to the limit?
GinoBlue said:
sounds like needless risk and a great way to get killed. doesn't make it chalenging, just stupid. there is NOTHING ultimate about it.
the big difference is that Freediving requires effort and physical skill. you want to shoot a fish @120ft? you EARN it by practicing untill you can dive that deep. scuba hunting alows you to strap on a tank and get this done with little or no effort. I scuba spearfished when I started. I will NEVER go back. to me it is disrespectful to the fish to use scuba. that being said if it;s legal, by all means go out and scuba hunt, it's your right. it is MY right and opinion to belive it to be unethical and unchallenging. it;s not about the kill, it;s about the hunt, I just can;t see the thrill of a "hunt" with scuba tanks.
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Amphibious said:
Actually, the killing is what is disrespectful to the fish. That being said, I have (and still do on very limited occasions) hunt both free diving and scuba. My goal to hunting is not for the “thrill” but to put food on the table. My enjoyment/thrill comes from just being in the water, the taking aspect has always left me a bit empty.
People who do not dive would consider both hobbies to be “stupid”.
John
I just find it mind numbingly boring when a person comes here with 5 posts to his name and starts the same old chestnut of scuba vs freedive spearing.Robbo66 said:
Do a search on this forum with regard to the above topic and you will find hundreds nay thousands of words written about this very topic.
Thats why I find this topic so boring, and offensive.
[ame=http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthread.php?t=62000]This has been discussed recently[/ame] with the usual predictable results, flame wars etc.
I for one think that this topic should be carefully monitored and possible Trolls should be suspended/banned unless there is good reason for it
The facts of the matter are that there is never going to be a huge spearfishing population in either the UK or Ireland or for that matter Scandinavia and so it matters not a blind whit whether it is percieved as being sporting or not.
it is legal and believe me there are much bigger threats to fish stocks than a few hundred people spearing fish.
Thats the reason why there is little or no legislation of spearfishing in the three regions mentioned above.
It may be a piece of piss to you and be beneath you to practice it or defend it however to some people it may be the only method they can use to take a fish.
I do not use scuba to spearfish however I firmly believe that as long as it is legal than it sould not be a problem.
*note to self* took the damn bait again :duh
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For the Closed-minded among us...
I am exclusively a freedive spearo, but 2 good guys I know hunt with tanks from this board: Iyadiver and Rigdiver. These guys hunt fish in environments that NO freediver could accomplish what they are doing. Conditions that I would be concerned about just scubadiving, let alone shooting monsters and carrying all the appropriate gear, gear that freedivers would not or could not carry.
Maybe in your little piece of the world freediving is the accepted way to hunt, and probably you have the conditions to warrant that, to a point. But let's see you do a 70+ metre dive in 2 knot current and 2 metre vis, wrapped around a reef or an oil rig with no tanks....good luck.
Spend some time reading the forums and learn some f##king tolerance before you post your uneducated and closed-minded crap here. We are a friendly group, supportive and welcoming. If you are interested in that, welcome. If you are interested in arguing, slandering and sh##ting on good people who are open-minded and friendly, then piss off :yack and shut up :mute
Peace,
Erik Y.
I am exclusively a freedive spearo, but 2 good guys I know hunt with tanks from this board: Iyadiver and Rigdiver. These guys hunt fish in environments that NO freediver could accomplish what they are doing. Conditions that I would be concerned about just scubadiving, let alone shooting monsters and carrying all the appropriate gear, gear that freedivers would not or could not carry.
Maybe in your little piece of the world freediving is the accepted way to hunt, and probably you have the conditions to warrant that, to a point. But let's see you do a 70+ metre dive in 2 knot current and 2 metre vis, wrapped around a reef or an oil rig with no tanks....good luck.
Spend some time reading the forums and learn some f##king tolerance before you post your uneducated and closed-minded crap here. We are a friendly group, supportive and welcoming. If you are interested in that, welcome. If you are interested in arguing, slandering and sh##ting on good people who are open-minded and friendly, then piss off :yack and shut up :mute
Peace,
Erik Y.
Robbo66 said:
Robbo, I wish I could say that I respect your opinion. However, you and I truly belong on two different continents.
I have the utmost contempt for you superior disposition.
I dive both ways, under the appropriate conditions, for me. Fish in the US are far, far, more plentiful than in your locales, and each person has equal take limits, regardless of gear.
Thank god for the freedoms and equality that I sometimes take for granted.