Spearfishing

[jan]

I let the ones that I dont select go by , and only catch the one I want to eat. I spearfish with a pole spear on scuba and with a speargun while freediving. this is the most perfect method of harvesting there is. Some people seem ofended by it yey they will eat fish in a restaurant or from a supermarket that is a product of commersial fishing (or overharvesting as I call it).
Jan

 

[_Kurt_]

I dive with my neighbor, who is a DiveMaster. We stay in visual proximity, but semi-solo. I like this arrangement. I have not spearfished yet, but it will be darn soon. Yes, you don't have to worry about catch-and-release when you can see your quarry. That is the ultimate in selective harvesting. How about a Spearfishing section? Kurt:shark:

 

[FredT]

Genesis once bubbled...

2. It tends to be a solo activity. Yes, you may have a buddy officially, but you really don't. Better be self-reliant and comfortable in the water. That part of it REALLY rubs some people the wrong way; witness the various religious arguments on this board about this issue. (Again, you typcially DO have a buddy, but if you're both hunting while you may be there for him/her its not nearly the same as a nearly-touch-contact-at-all-times sightseeing dive - nor is the "buddy" nearly as effective.)

Team hunting can be VERY effective. Two divers who have learned to team hunt will take more than twice what either could get alone, plus the "buddy" is still an effective safety component.

Each diver still needs to competant and equipped to solo in case one or the other is pulled out of visual range, but the "backup" diver is still there and effective 99% of the time.

The primary difficulty here is that it may take 500 or more hours in the water together to build an effective team.

FT

 

[Genesis]

There is a real incentive to hunt together with your buddy, in that the first shot often draws very curious fish to the scene, and since the other diver in the buddy team still has a loaded speargun....

But with that said, there is still a difference between a "sightseeing" dive in terms of buddy facility and a hunting dive. The kind of "right there, right now" buddy awareness that you can have on a sightseeing dive is much more difficult if not impossible to achieve when hunting (at least all the time!)

Of course Murphy pays no heed to when you'd LIKE to have an emergency

 

[Stone]

One effective use of a buddy team while spearfishing necessitates buddy separation (my wife and I use this technique routinely). A stalked fish will often move through a structure and out another exit. A buddy stationed at the exit can ambush the fish. It is not uncommon for buddies to be out of visual contact, either due to low vis, or due to the structure. This could be considered solo diving, but if done properly, the buddies should still know each other's location.

 

[annie]

>>Oh, brother... a fish has a brain the size of a pea, doesn't even have enough conscious awareness to know it even exists, and only responds to stimulous in a manner that we humans love to interpret as a human feeling and emotion. <<

When something is gasping and thrashing around I don't interpret it as human feeling/emotion, I just think it's probably in pain. I've nothing against people catching fish . . .I just wish they would be humane and kill them asap.

 

[Genesis]

I far prefer to do exactly that.

Its not only more humane, but it makes it easier to string them and transport them with you and, ultimately, into the fishbox.

 

[Rick Inman]

>>"When something is gasping and thrashing around I don't interpret it as human feeling/emotion, I just think it's probably in pain. I've nothing against people catching fish . . .I just wish they would be humane and kill them asap."<<

Well.. a fish doesn't really know it's in pain, like some plants that respond to touch by closing up don't know they've been touched. However, I agree that to kill a fish at once is more humane - with an emphasis on the word "HUMAN". How we treat animals is a reflection on who we are. Someone who enjoys watching an animal suffer has a problem, but a gasping, wiggling fish has no awareness it is in pain. How I treat the fish isn't about the fish, it's about me.
Which is why the screem of a live lobster being dropped into boiling water makes my mouth water!

 

[njdiver1]

Beware of environmentalists bearing MPAs!

Support your local Freedom to Fish Act!

 

[annie]

>>but a gasping, wiggling fish has no awareness it is in pain. How I treat the fish isn't about the fish, it's about me. <<

Call me silly and lump me in with the PETA people but for me it's more about the fish. I can't stand seeing things in pain whether they're aware of it or not and even if it is just a fish.

We all have different opinions I guess.