spearfishing using scuba

[yoavbz]

Hi,

I know some countries and states allow spear fishing with scuba (Ohio, Florida, South Africa...) with some regulation.

Do you know any other countries q states? Is there a list someware?

Thanks,
Yoav

 

[miles]

Hiya

Scuba spearing is banned in South Africa.

Regards
miles

 

[yoavbz]

I heard they have some regulations, is it banned with no exeptions?

 

[Poida]

Do you mind if I ask why you need to know?? Are you thinking of travelling?

 

[Rolando]

Nice Avatar Miles!

 

[yoavbz]

Poida: not at all, we had a debate here in Israel about scuba spear fishing (not legal here) and wondered what countries allow it.

Still looking for more answers – thanks.

 

[Huan]

Yoavbz
Have you done a search in the hunting forum?
This topic has been discussed before. A few times.

 

[yoavbz]

I thought this was the right forum...
And I did some searching but could only find bits of data.

 

[Huan]

http://forums.deeperblue.net/search.php?searchid=35521

 

[Naim]

Its a no no in the UK too but Im not totally sure if its against the law or just banned within the BSAC. That said, the chances of you actually seeing a decent fish in the UK wearing scuba is pretty slim anyway so you'd be best off without it

 

[Huan]

Be straight, In the UK and in Ireland , it does not matter one flying fig if you spear in the latest rebreather, with nitrox, or freediving.
THERE IS NO LAW SAYING OTHERWISE
BSAC is just an organisation and as such has no legal powers despite what it's members(I use the word in its broadest possible sense)think.
If a BSAC person walks up to you getting out of the water with your speargun and bottle of air and says "hey what you are doing is illegal" you can tell them to "go away and stop bothering me"
They have no legal or moral justification for this kind of guilt tripping.

AAHHHHH see what happens when scuba and spearing is brought up!!!

 

[Naim]

rofl rofl rofl

 

[DeepThought]

Hi Yoav, nice to see another Israeli on this forum.

I think that the main purpose of disallowing scuba is that some places can't handle the fishing pressure of scuba divers due to certain nonmigratory species of fish such as groupers (LOKUS).
Not to smudge all scuba spearfishers, but it's not unheard of in Israel of a group of technical divers going at night with huge torches to 45 meters and cleaning a reef. It seems that our poor sea can't stand this kind of fishing pressure.
It seems like most mediterranean countries disallow scuba spearfishing.

Ofcoruse there's also a layer of politics, public pressure and personal views involved.

If I remember correct scuba spearfishing is also legal in Australia (as for your original question).

 

[yoavbz]

Huan: the link leads to "Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms" - at least when I tried.
Are there any regulation in the UK or all is fair and squre?
Michael: 1) ìà ðìàä ëàï àú äçáøä áãéåï òì öìéìä òí îéëìéí - àðé òåùä àú æä áúôåæ a 2) as far as I know it's ilegal in Australia but legal in its semi neigbor Tasmania.

 

[Murat]

not legal in europe as far as i know...

 

[AB Diver]

Legal in California,

and widely practiced too. . . unfortunately. Just makes it harder for us freedivers to bring home dinner. :hmm

 

[Erik]

In the Provinces in Canada where spearfishing is allowed, there is no distinction between freedivers and scuba/rebreather/hookah. Usually the laws state that the spearo must be swimming, in the water, etc. As in, you may not spear fish while standing on a boat or knee-deep in the river. That said, bowfishing is allowed.
Cheers,
Erik Y.

 

[Murat]

As in, you may not spear fish while standing on a boat
Erik Y.

rofl rofl rofl

who needs to dive after all to spearfish

 

[Old Man Dave]

Channel Islands are same as UK, ie no law against fishing with tanks. Also no law against selling fish caught by spearing using SCUBA (subject to general laws re commercial fishing - licenses etc). I spent over 30 years commercial spearfishing using SCUBA for flatfish. In my opinion this is the most enviromentally friendly, sustainable method of catching fish. You don't destroy the seabed, you don't take undersize fish and you definitely can't overfish the stock. Well actually you can't make a full time living either but you can't have everything. Re other types of fish read my bit on scallops in that thread and you'll see another down side to diving (mortality rate -divers not scallops) but anything is better than dredgers and beam trawling. Most bans that exsist have little to do with overfishing and everything to do with vested interest of other types of commercial fishing. That said divers can wipe out territorial fish, especially in warm clear waters with little tide flow, but hell have you ever seen what mono gill nets do. We divers, both free and scuba should take the moral high ground when it comes to catching fish. Work for conservation but against unfair bans. 'Fraid you got me going on this one. :vangry
Dave

 

[Erik]

Most bans that exsist have little to do with overfishing and everything to do with vested interest of other types of commercial fishing.
Dave

Hear hear! Well said.
Erik Y.