Views on underwater hunting

[Rhone Man]

When I first started diving, PADI still offered the 'underwater hunter' specialty. Now, it seems like most of the diving world is committed to 'look don't touch'. I have always thought this is wrong headed in principle. Buying a fish from the grocery store means your fish was brought up in a commercial dragnet causes huge amounts of collateral damage. Whereas going down and selectively hunting what you know you will eat must be more ecologically sensitive.

I also think underwater hunting a skill that would safer if it was taught rather than self-taught. You just have to look at the spike in accidents during the Florida mini-season to see vividly the risks of additional task loading.

 

[Akimbo]

You forgot abalone, scallops, and crab.

 

[noreastDIVER84]

I am an occasional underwater hunter and only catch what I plan on eating. This season I have only taken 4 fluke, 6 striped bass, 3 blackfish, 2 monster lobsters, and about a bushel of shellfish(mussels, clams, scallops) I spearfish on SCUBA and while free diving, and I will not go in with the speargun if there are lots of people around, vis is bad, or I will abort a dive if there are too many idiots who shouldn't be diving, let alone spearing; in the water. I have heard to many idiots say "it is hard to mistake a person for a fish".

 

[ferretchen]

I used to have the "look but don't touch" mentality but eventually convinced myself that it didn't make sense to eat fish and feel that way at the same time. I must admit that it's something I still have a hard time with, because I don't like some of the bloodthirsty attitudes I've seen - but I think that if I'm going to eat it, I should at least accept other people doing it.

 

[Steve Egner]

Educated hunters on land often become the foremost proponents of conservation, making them a self-policing force. I think formal training in underwater hunting could have the same impact, provided the training went beyond hunting techniques, and focused on compliance with all hunting regulations.

For me, underwater hunting adds a most enjoyable dimension to diving. The family are all smiles when I bring home a limit of Dungeness crab, and anyone who has ever harvested crab underwater knows the joy of the chase.

One of my favorite dives was with a buddy who is a chef by profession. During the surface interval, he cooked up a few of our crab, along with some plump perch we had speared. Best SI ever.

 

[vinegarbiscuit]

It's a potentially contentious issue, no question. I made a conscious decision some time ago to adopt a vegetarian diet because I believe our overall food consumption habits are unsustainable, on both land and in the sea. That and the belief that it seems inconsistent to kill the critters that make diving such a joy. So no, I don't hunt. I also try to avoid diving with hunters, partly because I can't bear to see animals being killed...it's hard to dive while you're blubbering into your mask! (I bet the sound of my hiccoughing through my regulator annoys the hunters, too, since it frightens the fish). That said, I know spearfishing is probably the most sustainable form of fishing out there. It certainly beats longlining and trawling by a long shot, on the proviso that reasonable and enforceable regulations are in place to ensure that spearfishing is done sustainably.

 

[knowone]

I feel there is a differentiation between molluscs crustaceans and fishes
and the ability to obtain them on scuba and in a restaurant in a tank.

 

[Sas]

I feel too bad for creatures to take them from underwater any more and I don't eat any seafood. One time I went for a few dives and picked up 100 scallops for my brother. When I got home to shuck them a few started clapping at me and it made me feel bad about killing them so I didn't take any more. I picked up 5 abalone once for my brother (loves seafood) too but again I felt a bit bad when I found them huddled up together in my fridge. I anthropomorphise sea creatures waay too much to be a hunter.

I do not care at all if other people catch things though. Would be hypocritical of me to complain given I love to eat beef, bacon and chicken.

 

[Rhone Man]

You forgot abalone, scallops, and crab.

I did wonder about whether there is the line to be drawn between 'hunting' and 'gathering'. In terms of conservation they have the same issues. But clearly spearfishing (and to a lesser extent, catching lobster) presents safety issues for the diver which collected abalone does not. Not sure about crabs and scallops - how re they caught?

 

[Sas]

I did wonder about whether there is the line to be drawn between 'hunting' and 'gathering'. In terms of conservation they have the same issues. But clearly spearfishing (and to a lesser extent, catching lobster) presents safety issues for the diver which collected abalone does not. Not sure about crabs and scallops - how re they caught?

Scallops, you pick them up off the bottom and abalone you pick them off whatever surface they have decided to stick to. I had no idea what scallops even looked like when I went scallop gathering (only seen the globs that are the meat before), had to wait until someone else picked up one. Abalone I don't think you can use knives to scrape them off things here, so you grab them quick before they stick back on.

Not sure about crabs, presume you just grab them and stick them in a catch bag, they don't move very fast. There was a recent death here, of a solo diver at night who was out collecting crabs. Not sure what happened but they found him in a submarine wreck at the site. :\ Other than that I have not heard of deaths whilst people were collecting things.