Spearfishing around the world - what's allowed and what's acceptable?

[gkrane]

Fascinating finding out how Spear fishing is viewed around the world. In Oz it is also considered to be an unfair advantage to "take" using scuba except as already listed.

I had a buddy once surface on a night dive with a leather jacket in his hand . He had come on it sleeping and just picked it up. I respected him for asking if I was "OK" with him taking it home for dinner and releasing it when I said No. I sure didn't want to be a witness to someone taking a fish in a marine preserve on scuba.. double illegal!

What group of people consider it an unfair advantage? I find it varies dramatically depending on who you ask. The ill informed general public usually has this POV as they don't understand the sport. A lot of divers have a dislike for spearing in general, although most of them will tell you how great the seafood was on their last dive trip. Freedivers quite often have an "elitist" attitude and scoff at scuba spearos. One thing is for certain, when spearing on scuba you definitely aren't sneaking up on anything. I don't think aspetto type hunting would be nearly as effective for a scuba spearo than it is for a freediving one. What is a "leather jacket", I am assuming a slang term for a type of fish or creature.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

Very good eating fish. I think you call them filefish Dinner plate size. I think you are right about people having misconceptions. I remember finding a fish on a dive, wedged in some rocks on the bottom. I was curious what killed it so went to pick it up only to have it "wake up" and go swimming off! It was a night dive and I had no idea those fish wedged like that to sleep. I went looking and sure enough I found a heap more once I knew what to look for. I sure had an unfair advantage that night

It also goes to sustainability. A good example is I have only seen two or three lobsters diving locally. In the dives I did in California and Florida they seemed to be everywhere!

I find it interesting that in Britain it isn't illegal but still doesn't seem common. Well at least to our divers posting here.

Such an interesting topic to me. Not to support or condemn spearing on scuba but to get an idea of where it is allowed and done around the world.

 

[KenGordon]

Could it be that prohibitive legislation has prohibited spearfishing ?
~~~~~~~~~~ Or ~~~~~~~~~~~
You have personally never been in an area of England and UK were spearfishing is practiced ?

SDM

There are no laws against it (in the sea) it is just not popular. I have never seen anyone do it anywhere in the uk, I have seen evidence on face book and shops that it happens though.

I think that spear fishing on scuba would be regarded here as not at all sporting.

There are other cultural aspects too.

 

[gkrane]

I think that spear fishing on scuba would be regarded here as not at all sporting.

There are other cultural aspects too.

Why would you think this?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

One thing people don't understand, a limit is a limit. There are limits so people don't get greedy and become game hogs.
Some elitist freedivers look down their nose at scuba spearfishing because they claim it's the fat lazy scuba divers who are not able to freedive well enough to take part in their "sport" of breath hold spearing. The part they aren't considering is we aren't competing with anyone especially them, we are just harvesting food to eat without making a "sport" out of it. I know a freediver who doesn't eat any fish or abalone at all yet he goes out all the time spearing and prying abs because of the "sport" aspect, then gives everything away. Last time I heard he was on unemployment and he was out every diveable day somewhere on the coast raping anything he could find just because he could....he was up to something like 36 lings and systematically fills his ab card every year, but like I said eats none of it and "gifts" it all away.
Him and his buddies will routinely dive 6-7 hours out there and have been doing it a lot so they are pretty good at it with bottom times and depths.
Is that better than me who eats everything I take? which is very seldom anything even close to a limit...and I don't take more than my family or I can eat.
Then there are the hook and line guys. I've seen limit upon limit roll in to the fish cleaning stations at the boat launches. those guys can stay out as long as it takes and go anywhere to find the fish to get a full limit. With scuba we only have an hour or so (less) to find what we want per tank. So most times that's about 1.5 hours total of concentrated hunting time for two tanks with descent/ascent and safety stop thrown in.
So the point is, I don't care what they think. It's legal, we stay within our bag limits, we don't shoot up stuff just for fun, we eat everything we take (at least I do), and it's probably the least effective method of take out of the three.

 

[Sam Miller III]

Eric
I certainly agree with you 110%

I recall three events in my life about consuming what I caught.

I had been married for 3 weeks
My wife says to me "Sea food again ? we have had sea food in one form or anther every day since we were married"

My eldest daughter who was in first or second grade
"Lobster again ! ... why can't we eat hot dogs and hamburgers like my friends ?"

And the time I served Uni (sea urchin roe) mixed with sour cream and spices as a dip at party. It was a hit !

SDM

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Speaking of uni, many times I take a few nice plump urchins during the dive and stash them in my goody bag. After the dive my buddies and I will stand in waist high water around our kayaks in protected coves and break open urchins and eat them. I scoop out the roe packet as carefully as I can with my dive knife and rinse the packet gently in sea water to get all the unwanted inerds/guts/debris off, then I pop it like you would a fresh raw oyster, except it helps to smash it down a bit in your mouth to pop the eggs and get the full flavor experience. The roe has to be bright yellow and plump, then you know it's going to be sweet and flavorful. If the urchins haven't been eating good the roe will be brownish, shriveled, and bitter tasting.
After eating a few urchins, especially on an empty stomach and tired after diving it's like a super food. I notice a marked difference in energy and feeling of well being. I'm curious to know if there have been any studies done about the health and nutritional benefits of fresh uni because to me it's indeed a power/super food and I can only imagine the health benefits and possible cancer fighting compounds found in it. It has to be packed with everything that would be considered a "miracle" food by today's standards. It's wonderful.
Anything that eats kelp has to be good for you.
Speaking of kelp, how many of you have tried chewing on a kelp frond? It's very mild and has a nice refreshing flavor and crunch to it.

 

[KenGordon]

Why would you think this?

It is perceived as not an 'even' or 'fair' match. Whether that is true or not does not matter.

On top of that there is not the whole hunting, right to arm bears thing going on here. There are 'shoots' which involve shooting various 'game' birds which are bred for the purpose (ie very stupid, quick to flight but slow flying). Those are expensive, minority activities. Stalking is very specialist and beyond the means of any normal person.

Land owners do pest control, but not much hunting.

There are people that go out at night with 4x4s and big lamps and shoot rabbits for a laugh.

All sorts of angling is mainstream.

Guns and people interested in guns are regarded with suspicion.

This is all a very much a UK perspective. We eliminated all the big, scary animals a long time ago. In other parts of Europe things are different.

 

[OBXDIVEGUY]

It is perceived as not an 'even' or 'fair' match. Whether that is true or not does not matter.

On top of that there is not the whole hunting, right to arm bears thing going on here. There are 'shoots' which involve shooting various 'game' birds which are bred for the purpose (ie very stupid, quick to flight but slow flying). Those are expensive, minority activities. Stalking is very specialist and beyond the means of any normal person.

Land owners do pest control, but not much hunting.

There are people that go out at night with 4x4s and big lamps and shoot rabbits for a laugh.

All sorts of angling is mainstream.

Guns and people interested in guns are regarded with suspicion.

This is all a very much a UK perspective. We eliminated all the big, scary animals a long time ago. In other parts of Europe things are different.

Uh... right to bear arms has nothing to do with hunting.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Uh... right to bear arms has nothing to do with spearfishing.

If you guys want to talk about terrestrial hunting, game birds, rabbits, moose, elk or anything else on land and the suspicions people have about people with firearms, I'm sure there are other forums for that.
But let's please keep this dive related.
Thank you.