Not after I get done squishing them.
Washington bans on the taking of octopus at popular dive sites
- Thread starter Fish-R-Man
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That may well be true. However, I won, the spider lost. The End
Touche.
There was actually a very interesting article in Quest magazine a while back (unfortunately, I cannot link to it, because you can't read it if you aren't a subscriber) about the ethical implications of selecting species for different treatment, based on their emotional appeal to humans. We LOVE dolphins -- they're cute, they make great noises, if you go to the right place you can pet them . . . but does a dolphin really have greater ethical value than a garden slug? We act to protect what appeals to us, and largely ignore what isn't cute or interactive or pretty. The actual ethical basis for that is pretty dubious.
adurso
Contributor
AfterDark
Contributor
How does that fit with the popular drive to save sharks, GWs particularly? I never saw a cute GW, not even a newborn! Orcas aren't what I'd call cute but we protect them and most recently the octopus! Cute? My wife doesn't think so but was very happy to hear as was I that there will be places where they can be safe and thrive. So there is something more than just cute going on.
iluvtheocean
Contributor
i'm glad that everything worked out for Bob, the octopi, and the younger diver - but i did't think that the kid was "beating the octopus to death" like the new article said in the OP?
phishphood
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Glad things worked out without violence. However, I am VERY glad that a state-wide/sound-wide ban was not implemented. While we are all divers and all enjoy seeing critters out there (cute or not), we also have the right to harvest/hunt for food etc. I applaud Bob for doing what he felt was best and working towards a legal goal that helps others in this community. But I would also applaud the rest of us in this thread if we kept in mind that some of us garner much of our meat from the ocean and that sometimes it does indeed happen to come from dive sites. I don't fish in my local dive site where all of the classes are normally held for beginning students, despite knowing exactly where numerous large lingcod live and seen them eat. However, I have and will continue to fish and hunt at some other dive sites along the coast simply because that is where it is easier to get in/out of the water and that is where the fish are.
I realize not every diver holds these feelings and not every diving hunter holds the same respect for dive sites as I do (although I know many who do), but it would do well for the community to realize that we all share the ocean and the access/dive sites. While I am in no way against regulations put in place to protect a species that needs it, I would like to caution the community to keep all of the users in mind when calling for more protected areas or closures.
I realize not every diver holds these feelings and not every diving hunter holds the same respect for dive sites as I do (although I know many who do), but it would do well for the community to realize that we all share the ocean and the access/dive sites. While I am in no way against regulations put in place to protect a species that needs it, I would like to caution the community to keep all of the users in mind when calling for more protected areas or closures.
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