Hetland
Contributor
I will keep my eye out for the underwater police. The last time I checked the US Constitution our founding fathers wanted to give us all liberties, to include the right to bear arms to include slings. I agree that catch limits are the way to regulate the fishing industry not the meathod of catch. Just like hunting it does not matter how you kill the deer, but rather how many deer are killed.
So it's okay to hunt deer using a spotlight at night? What about using explosive mines to hunt deer?
In RB3 Forum it is recommended that all rebreathers have an OC bailout. So it comes down to training and RB's are safer as you have OC, SC RB, and Manual bailouts if trained properly.
And for some reason, the death rate per dive is somehow higher on rebreathers than on open circuit... I wonder why that is?
The bottom line is Bill you are frobidding people to gather food
I guess if you're hungry, you shouldn't have purchased that $7,000 rebreather to go hunt fish in open water.
and where else in America do laws like this exist?
Which states allow you to hunt deer under spotlights? More than a few probably outlaw hunting over bait, dynamite fishing, gill nets, electricity, chemicals, etc. Those fish don't belong to the guy that can afford a rebreather, they belong to every citizen of the state, and/or country. It is a shared resource, and who denies that fishing with a rebreather adds an incredible advantage over OC scuba and free-diving?
rebreather diving while spearfishing/underwater hunting is legal, and common in NJ. There is no significant difference between the size and amount of fish these guys get on any given dive and what I get on OC (deco diving). we all follow the same bag limits. We all follow the same laws - and mostly, their bottom time is not that much more than mine.
How many total hunting dives are completed in NJ vs. The number completed in Florida. I'd bet the difference is statistically significant.
That being said, any of us - OC or CC - could limit out on ANY dive. The difference that is not being taken into consideration is the overwhelmingly common standard amongst spearfishermen "only kill what I eat, always eat what I kill".
It is absurd to suggest that a rebreather can have any significant impact on fish populations considering commercial gear wipes out entire schools, entire reefs, and entire boatloads at a time. The impact of recreational, law abiding, fisherman - whether it is rod/reel, spear - or any other means......is so miniscule in the grand scheme of things - that to waste time creating, lobbying for, and enforcing these laws is nothing other than misguided, mislead, and uninformed.
Ever stalk a big black grouper, or cubera? I know a few resident fish that have avoided capture for months on deeper sites. These same fish would be quickly slaughtered by someone diving a rebreather, because they could sit down there for an hour without making those scary bubbles. Bigger, older fish make more baby fish than smaller, younger fish.
I'll also repeat my point above that there are terrestrial hunting laws that mirror what's happening underwater with rebreathers.
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I honestly don't understand the fuss. The rules are reasonable. If you can't take fish on OC, or a breath hold, then grab a fishing rod, or take a spearfishing class.