I have been quiet on this way too long, but now that the recretional fishermen are fighting amongst themselves on whose ethical and whose not, I will come out of the closet.
Also, make no mistake about it, this is why I got removed from the Recreational Red Snapper Ad Hoc Committee. You guys have opened up the doors for the enviros. So you don't have me to help out in the fight for our fishing rights anymore, I hope some of you with all the "holyer than thou" opinions can do a better job or at least do something other than bitch.
I am a competition diver. I always shoot the largest fish in each category. In doing so, I have more than enough to eat with my incidental bycatch.
For instance, I'm faced with a 30lb. grouper, that will easily get bumped off the competition board or a 50lb. black drum which will hold on the competition board for all year, but it sucks to eat. The drum gets it.
I routinely let fish go that are great eating only to shoot undesirables because they are better for competition.
Now how about your morals. Focus all your effort on say, grouper. Won't they take a harder hit than if you expand your horizons to all fish, spread the categories is what I say.
Oh and since we all know what fish has stirred nation wide controversy, what do you think that fish, that is just about inedible, EATS? He eats Porgies.
HE EATS THE SAME THING AS YOUR PRECIOUS EDIBLES, etc. Grouper, Snapper, Amberjacks and Cobia which also eat porgies.
So in all essence that undesireable is in direct competition with the same fish that the NMFS is regulating so hard because they declair it overfished and the same fish many of you love to eat.
Witout spreading the categories, one day the oceans will be filled with only undesireables.
I'm sure you all know better than me, I've watched the Gulf's changes over the last 27 years, so I have very little experience, but some of the fish that people are pointing their fingers at me about I'm am seeing in record numbers.
And for those that don't think spearfishing is a sport, try shooting something bigger than a goldfish. We shoot large fish under dangerous oil platforms with plenty of current over a bottomless Gulf. We shoot the fish then hold onto a rope that is wrapped around our hand and fight the fish in this envoronment. There are plenty of times when the fish wins. I nearly lost my life during last years Hell Divers Rodeo. Would I shoot that 200lb. Warsaw grouper at 235fsw again? YES! That's the sport.
BTW, I also shoot deer, I only target the big ones with big antlers, it's called trophy hunting. That is what I do. If you don't like it KMA!!!