Spearfishing with a rebreather

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Have a friend who works as a game warden, seeing how confusing the rules for hunting/fishing is but utilizing a rebreather he says is not illegal for fishing all they care about is size/quantity of catch compared to where your hunting at and time of year

I think it depends on the state/country. In Greece, any sort of rebresther/scuba gear is strictly forbidden.

Washington state doesn't care at all when spearfishing is in season.

 

[Belzelbub]

Washington state doesn't care at all when spearfishing is in season.

I think that makes a lot of sense. The role of the fish and wildlife agencies should be to ensure sustainability of the resources. Bag limits, size limits, seasons are all ways that they can accomplish this.

Provided the method does not cause a lot of unnecessary bycatch, I’m of the opinion it should be allowed. Gill nets, dynamite, etc. should be banned due to their indiscriminate nature. Spearfishing, however, is highly selective, so I’m of the opinion that it should be permitted in all forms.

Spearfishing on CCR does bring into play more risks, so maybe it’s not advisable, but that should be separate from the legality of it.

 

[nsolis]

I been spearfishing with open scuba for 7 years and continue to do so when I started CCR 3 years ago in the southern part of the Philippines. The original post question is the safety issue when spearfishing using rebreather. I have to say that first, you need to be certified or properly trained to be self-reliant diver, ie diving solo. This means, redundancy on all your life support gears. You need a lot of drill and practice time diving solo. But more important is the mindset of “safety first - fish is cheaper in the grocery - don’t trade it with your life”. The obvious advantage of CCR spearfishing is that you can spend longer underwater with no bubbles. This means, you can take your time and choose the best type and size of fish you want to have for lunch or dinner. The argument of scuba fishing is unfair and damages marine life depends on personal greed of the diver. But all greedy scuba spearo in the world could not match the destructiveness of one fleet of commercial fishing vessels that operates daily around the world. Just the same, spear only what you can consume - don’t waste the gift of the sea. Bottom line, I don’t recommend intermediate divers to start spearfishing - get your fish in the market instead.