Spearing the Invasive Rio in Hawaii

[justinthedeeps]

This isn't Florida or the Caribbean. The SCUBA spearing heyday led to catastrophic ecosystem losses in Hawaii that persist to this day. Traditional Hawaiian fishing practices are mostly allowed, but the relatively small and sensitive Hawaiian reef zones do not need SCUBA divers going around killing things. SCUBA spearing is not a sport in Hawaii. You might get away with it in some remote areas, you might not. I would suggest just enjoy diving without a weapon.

If you're fishing for conservation teams with special permits to specifically and legally combat invasives, good luck and I hope you find them.

It's bad enough that the visiting nomad breathhold spearfishing lifestylers in $1000's of flashy new kit go and kill the dwindling near-shore reef fish when they could have just bought some much better local grilled offshore ahi from local fishermen.

Maybe go try talk to some Hawaiians about it, or contact the DLNR office directly by phone. There's a good chance you'll meet them in person if you start taking a spear on your SCUBA dives.

 

[BoltSnap]

This isn't Florida or the Caribbean. The SCUBA spearing heyday led to catastrophic ecosystem losses in Hawaii that persist to this day. Traditional Hawaiian fishing practices are mostly allowed, but the relatively small and sensitive Hawaiian reef zones do not need SCUBA divers going around killing things. SCUBA spearing is not a sport in Hawaii. You might get away with it in some remote areas, you might not. I would suggest just enjoy diving without a weapon.

If you're fishing for conservation teams with special permits to specifically and legally combat invasives, good luck and I hope you find them.

It's bad enough that the visiting nomad breathhold spearfishing lifestylers in $1000's of flashy new kit go and kill the dwindling near-shore reef fish when they could have just bought some much better local grilled offshore ahi from local fishermen.

Maybe go try talk to some Hawaiians about it, or contact the DLNR office directly by phone. There's a good chance you'll meet them in person if you start taking a spear on your SCUBA dives.

Oh brother, the armchair experts of false gloom and doom and misinformation.

 

[Rick Brant]

I'm in partial agreement with bubblemonkey2, but I see many locals that fit the description of "breathhold spearfishing lifestylers in $1000's of flashy new kit". It really does not make sense to me. These are obviously people that enjoy the water and the underwater panorama, but they enter with the worst of intentions.

And for the OP, there was an annual Roi tournament but it has not been held for several years. Other than that I have not run into anyone specifically out hunting Roi, with or without tanks.

 

[BoltSnap]

He'll sell whatever's left of the reef for "sport" and then go home and get fatter on a Costco steak raised on 1000 gallons of drought water on the mainland. Hawaii doesn't need him.

I don't understand what is tickling you here, the beef or the drought or fish or what but none of it has anything to do with anything discussed here. You seem to be emotionally charged and blowing it all here where it isn't relevant. It will be better to start a new thread and explain what you mean and why.

 

[waterone]

This isn't Florida or the Caribbean. The SCUBA spearing heyday led to catastrophic ecosystem losses in Hawaii that persist to this day. Traditional Hawaiian fishing practices are mostly allowed, but the relatively small and sensitive Hawaiian reef zones do not need SCUBA divers going around killing things.

I dont think it is the spearo's that need to be worried about.

The problem of overfishing stems from commercial fisheries' lack of care to wait for stocks of fish to replenish. Fishing is not especially harmful to the ocean when it is moderated and controlled, but when large scale fishing companies and ships continuously fish for species without letting them repopulate, overfishing results; and it is detrimental to not only the health of the ocean, but the world

Overfishing in Hawaii is already prevalent, and important food fish species have declined by more than 75% across the populated Hawaiian Islands, according to a 2017 study by Dr Alan M Friedlander. The Honolulu harbor is considered one of the top ports in America, bringing in an estimated $100m worth of landings annually. Longline fishers haul in yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna, swordfish and lobster – the volume of which depletes the rich waters and reefs of Hawaii.

Nearly half of the state’s fish is exported, though the local demand for seafood is expected to increase by 40% in the next 20 years. When commercial fishers without ties to Hawaii deplete resources, it disrupts the local food system, creating food insecurity for low-income families and Native Hawaiians who depend on fish.

I'm in partial agreement with bubblemonkey2, but I see many locals that fit the description of "breathhold spearfishing lifestylers in $1000's of flashy new kit". It really does not make sense to me. These are obviously people that enjoy the water and the underwater panorama, but they enter with the worst of intentions.

What is the "worst" intentions?

 

[justinthedeeps]

Like I said in the first post, if what are doing is trying to find people specifically doing invasive species management under permits from DLNR etc, then maybe just contact them to see if it's a thing.

But it also sounds like maybe someone who just enjoys spearing stuff on SCUBA. I've heard it before (Floridians, mostly.) No, it's not Florida. No, it's not considered cool, normal, fun, respectful or ecological to go spear things on SCUBA in Hawaii. Sorry.

"SCUBA spearing" is a huge trigger word in the local diving community, for good reason due to massive over-killing in the past. There isn't enough accessible reef to support a widespread spearing frenzy. The days of abundance vanished quickly and it hasn't ever fully come back.

You'll get vibed just as hard about it at the dive sites, unless you're a local Hawaiian breathhold spearo kid grabbing octopus, in which case pleasure divers will watch on in heartbreaking silence. You know what, that skinny local kid deserves a traditionally hunted meal from time to time. [Mod edited]

 

[justinthedeeps]

I don't understand what is tickling you here, the beef or the drought or fish or what but none of it has anything to do with anything discussed here. You seem to be emotionally charged and blowing it all here where it isn't relevant. It will be better to start a new thread and explain what you mean and why.

Sorry yeah that was just some color commentary to underscore why SCUBA spearing and the taking of sensitive nearshore reef fish is completely unnecessary. There's no shortage of food and you can see that quite clearly.

 

[justinthedeeps]

What does this have to do with spearfishing by itself? This is a broader issue that has to do with commercial fishing and environment and isn't specific to spearfishing. If these fish are endangered, their harvesting should be regulated for all types of fishing/spearfishing.

You are focusing on the individual not the system or the culture of the community.

What I'm saying is I've actually seen it, and it isn't good for the reefs. There's a huge buildup of material and algae near all the human development due to runoff, nutrient-rich human & agricultural wastewater, etc, and we need to be increasing the reef fish biomass that processes it, rather than going out and spearing it for fun.

The better fish are further from shore, maybe get on a charter boat or go get an ahi, mahimahi or something that isn't a reef fish struggling to clean up the inundated reefs.

 

[Skunky]

The days of abundance vanished quickly and it hasn't ever fully come back.

It certainly got a whole lot better a few months after covid hit when the islands were closed. but alas, the tourists came back and it all went to hell in a hand basket real quick. disrespectful to the aina, moana, and ko’a

 

[Rick Brant]

It certainly got a whole lot better a few months after covid hit when the islands were closed. but alas, the tourists came back and it all went to hell in a hand basket real quick. disrespectful to the aina, moana, and ko’a

Other than Molokini, is that really true? I dove nearly every day during COVID on Kauai, at the most popular spot on the island, and I really did not see much change in the fish count over time. No increase during COVID and no decrease on the return of the tourists. Molokini and maybe Haunama Bay are the only two places I would expect a tourist absence to have much impact. In fact on Kauai it is possible that the huge increase in fishing hours over COVID more than offset any impact that tourists might have had.