Should we feed the fish?

[mania]

Rick
But that's what they do. They eat each other instead of boiled eggs and hotdogs we want to feed them with

Mania

 

[Rick Murchison]

Rick
But that's what they do. They eat each other instead of boiled eggs and hotdogs we want to feed them with

Mania

Vortex couldn't support 0.1% of the fish that are there with it's "natural" habitat. The population is robust and healthy eating unnatural fare; it really is ok, under the circumstances.
Rick

 

[LVX]

Vortex couldn't support 0.1% of the fish that are there with it's "natural" habitat. The population is robust and healthy eating unnatural fare; it really is ok, under the circumstances.
Rick

I don't agree at all. Are the fish supposed to be there. Feeding the fish turns the environment into a fish bowl instead of a naturally wild space. It is kind of like feeding the deer in Austin. If you don't feed them, they will die because there are too many. Should they be feed? I know you said there are only .1% but still, nature can take care of itself.

 

[shaggie]

As long as I'm the one being fed the fish it should be OK, right? I prefer Amber Jack and Mahi Mahi by the way.

 

[Joe-Diver]

When your buddy is taking a swim next to the boat between dives....it sure is fun to toss a bunch of perch food into the water on them.....

 

[TxHockeyGuy]

Not saying the friendly fish in our local lakes would ever rip a BC open to get at a can of vienne sausages, but....

You've obviously never been to CSSP (Clear Spring Scuba Park in Terrell, TX for the uninitiated).

Don't feed or mess with the fish. Unless you're at CSSP and dealing with the brim, torture those !@#%!@!$# all you want, just don't feed em.

 

[drbill]

Feeding fish is a bad thing IMHO. Too many divers offer them food items that would NEVER be on a normal dinner plate in the ocean. I'm thinking of the divers who actually use containers of cheese whiz (heck, I wouldn't eat that stuff), or hot dogs or other processed foods. Bad.

And feeding fish other living things in the sea is equally a bad. I see too many divers here killing sea urchins to feed sheephead, garibaldi and kelp bass. I suppose some of them feel they are "doing good" by killing the sea urchins. However, we don't have a problem with sea urchin barrens here because the sheephead keep them in check naturally.

I refuse to feed anything other than myself and my dive friends (they like my Thai green curry). However, I love it when I get to film a critter munching on a natural food item.

 

[MSilvia]

The only time I've fed the fish I've been diving with was when the choppy waves and diesel fumes didn't agree with the convenience store sausage biscuit I ate before boarding. There sure were a lot of fish on that dive.

 

[driftin' by]

Like MSilvia said... only if you barf which hasn't happened to me yet but I know a lot of people that do.

On a personal note... I hate it when DM's/leaders do it to increase their tips.

 

[DiverBeth]

I am not going to waste perfectly good food that I could eat myself by feeding fish. They never offer me anything so let them get their own food. Of course all the food I eat is one reason I'm a little overweight.

Seriously, I think it's a bad idea to feed the fish. We don't want them associating us with food and our food with all the processing in it isn't good for them.