Charters and Spearfishing

[ams511]

Am I the only one that doesn't understand the spearfishing debate? If we took all the certified divers in the world and armed them with spearguns I honestly don't think we could do any more "damage" to fish populations than a fishing fleet of a few long liners. Also there is no bycatch, turtles, birds, and marine mammals are not going to get tangled in disgarded spears, and nobody is going to try to spear a whale. Also we could never spear most fish because they are beyond our depth limits. So I don't see how allowing you to spear a fish is going to deplete the fish stocks.

 

[chappy]

Funny, I only read one post that compared the "T" word with politics. On to the subject: Out here in my neck of the words, we always have atleast one or two folks engaging in spearfishing. These people are usually the first in the water and the last to exit. I personally have no issues with spearfishing, and like the other poster, sort of thought it was just commanplace among charters.

~Chappy

 

[MechDiver]

sort of thought it was just commanplace among charters.

~Chappy

Maybe its tied to the use of Jersey reels

 

[The Kraken]

Mech,
Thanx . . .
D

 

[ReefGuy]

Don't hook and line fisherman already like to frequent the same areas that we do? At least spearfisherman are selective about whats taken.

 

[FredT]

I don't like diving boats off the Virginia Beach/NC shores when there is spear fishing involved because -sure enough- the dead fish attract biting green flys on the way back in. I don't pay good cash to go on a smelly disgusting fishing trip and get bitten by flys during the two hour ride back to shore.

I also don't like the preferential treatment that spearfishers get, extra room on the boat to store their crap, the first ones in the water so the rest of the divers don't scare the fish away... etc...

Boats in the GOM that regularly spearfish have adequate ice chest space, thus no flies. If the boat doesn't have the chest space for the fish taken those diving should bring their own. I carry a couple suitable chests to any boat I don't already know has one. This problem was created by the "land all fish whole" nonsense the federal fisheries folks have pushed. An AJ fillet longer than the minimum legal length for AJs SHOULD be legal to land. Of course that would require the fisheries enforcement people to actually think and be able to identify a fish by color and scale pattern. This is a process well beyond a few of them I've met. A rolled up fillet takes a lot less chest space, and a lot less ice to cool, than a whole fish but it would create a significant staffing problem for the "regulators".

Spear fishermen in the northern GOM tend to take up less space (other than the chests necessary to eliminate your fly problem) than students or near students. We get in first because we are usually ready first, and tend to be off the wreck before the "tourist" divers are ready to get wet.

FT

 

[Nineveh]

Well, I honestly don't think its an issue of necesarily the ecological pros or cons of spearfishing, I mean, we don't know WHY that particular captain decided to ban spearfishing from her boat. For all we know she doesn't like the semll, perhaps has witnessed accidents related to spearfishing, is going to a place where it may not be appropriate to spearfish etc etc.

I think the issue in question is whether or not spearfishing is enough of a standard thing that it would warrant an obligation from the captain to make a disclosure of the restriction.

I mean, think about nitrox, would you blow a gasket if you dicovered that your liveaboard didn't provide it if you didn't ask before booking the trip?

I would think that if that was a specific requirement of your trip, that it would be YOUR responsibility as a consumer to do the research, not the captain's to spoon feed you every detail.

If you told me you got on the boat and discovered they didn't supply weights, then yeah, thats a bit of a problem. But I hardly think you being disappointed by something that could have been rectified with a simple query is a reason to write off this captain as ignorant or a spearfisher hater for inconveniencing you.

Just an opinion, not dissing.

 

[cdiver2]

You can do what you want with your $ as I can do what I want with mine. Likewise I do not go on boats that allow s/f and I tell others that think like me about the boats that do.
It is up to the individual to do as they see fit but I still do not think it is wise to mix the two, just my opinion
The captain has the right to limit activity on her boat. The individual divers also have the right to organize and encourage other people not to spend money on her charter.

PS jew fish = Goliath grouper

FT[/QUOTE]
You've never hunted until you've hunted the hunter.

 

[FredT]

You've never hunted until you've hunted the hunter.

Very true. Shark smokes up fine!
FT

 

[cdiver2]

Very true. Shark smokes up fine!
FT

Unless you have the iq of a shark one could hardly call it fair