Spear Fisherman and Long Shore Fisherman

[okamiotoko2004]

Went diving today at beautiful Waimea Bay (part of Pupukea Protected area according to the signs). Go there at about 7:30 am and what do I see the entire length of the beach with long shore fisherman. Disgusted I called DLNR, and left a message since no one was in. So we suit up and make our way to jumping rock and to start our dive and tell all the fisherman on the way that the Bay is a protected area and are subsequently told off. Irritated now we get in the water on the other side of jumping rock and proceed out and there is a small turtle with a hook in its mouth. As soon as the pics are downloaded I will post them. This isn't the first time I have seen a turtle hooked.
So then we head out to the caves and on the see the usual large schools of fish and lots of parrot fish which are skittish and then I see two spear fisherman chasing them down. So I purge my octo and exhaled hard to get the parrot fish swimming away. Well that must have pissed off the idiots with the spear guns and so they shot one at me. Thankfully the @#$@#$% missed. I was seriously mad. I wedged the spear in some rocks cut the line and started pulling and then my buddy started pulling too. The (&*#$&% let go his gun and took off. We called the dive at that point and made for shore.
Talked to the life guards who called the police. Made a report for what it is worth.

HAWAII NEEDS TO BAN SPEAR FISHING AND LONG SHORE FISHING!!!!!!!!! Numerous other tropical islands have already done this because of detriments. HAWAII NEEDS TO DO THIS!!! I don't how many times I have seen people fishing and spear fishing in Pupukea and joyfully watched when DLNR or the police take all their gear and fine them. But it obviously is not enough. Pupukea is one of the few spots on the island (Oahu) where you will see large fish consistently, the rest are about fished out if not fished out.

I know there are responsible fisherman out there but I see too many that are not. Do we continue to allow this until there are no more fish and the reefs are dead?

Yeah I am spun up but enough is enough.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Last I heard, pole fishing with up to two poles per fisherman is legal in Waimea Bay. The spearfishing is illegal unless beyond the imaginary line from 100 yds off the North point of Sharks Cove to the Outmost wash rocks South of Waimea Bay (or some such). Those kine poachers may know your vehicle now and look for revenge. Hope you have many North Shore friends!

 

[CaptFlyingDutchman]

Good job.

I have been diving Shark's Cove alot. There has been a couple of times where I have seen persons trying to fish. Usually they are told that this is a protected area and get lost.

 

[sea nmf]

Sunday there was a man and his small son who had a line in the shallow lagoon at Firehouse. I told him no fishing and he said OK and stopped (at least while I was there).

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Hopefully you are right! Last time I looked at the sign at the Shark's Cove restrooms, the shallow's below the basketball court were not inside the protected boundary.

 

[rgbmatt]

Pole fishing isn't prohibited at Waimea, so there's nothing wrong with what you saw there. The fishermen are well within their rights to tell you off - they've been doing it since long before you were born and there's nothing more irritating than some haoles coming over with an attitude. This doesn't reflect well on scuba divers so it's good to be polite to the locals.

Thanks to the salt water, the hook in the turtle's mouth should rust out before too long, so although it looks ugly the turtle should be OK in the long run.

Spear fishing there is illegal, though, and especially if the guy was rotten enough to shoot at a diver they deserve to be charged. Not cool at all. Hopefully they learned their lesson.

There's nothing wrong with fishing if it's done right, and there's certainly no need to ban it. The island is big enough that there should be enough ocean for everyone to share. Unfortunately, though, scuba divers and fishermen don't mix well and they both tend to congregate around areas with easy shore access, which causes problems.

 

[okamiotoko2004]

I was not rude or impolite to anyone and did not have an attitude when I did say something. Also I am not sure why you played the heritage card considering half the ones there were also haoles. Some were also younger than me. Also just because something has been done for years does not necessarily make it right.

Any other area I do not bother any fisherman and let them do their thing. I say hi to them and go about my dive.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

So we suit up and make our way to jumping rock and to start our dive and tell all the fisherman on the way that the Bay is a protected area and are subsequently told off.

I was not rude or impolite to anyone and did not have an attitude when I did say something.

Any other area I do not bother any fisherman and let them do their thing. I say hi to them and go about my dive.

Did you tell them "the bay is protected" or did you tell them they were "breaking the law"? By your last statement you admit to bothering them, and they probably considered you not only rude and impolite but ignorant as well.

Ocean recreation is different for different users. Unless you have full knowledge of the regs it is best to call DLNR or talk to the lifeguards. Even when you have full knowledge, it is often better to let the enforcement officers do the job.

 

[sea nmf]

Hopefully you are right! Last time I looked at the sign at the Shark's Cove restrooms, the shallow's below the basketball court were not inside the protected boundary.

This was the area behind the firehouse, not the shallows behind the basketball court. The sign in the parking lot indicated it was protected.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

sea nmf, your use of the term lagoon led me to believe it was behind the natural break wall, where much wading goes on. That was not shown as protected last time I looked at the sign. Are the wading areas still not shown as protected?