What's the point of outlawing spearing freshwater gamefish?

[DA Aquamaster]

I am one of those heretics that regard Trout as a trash fish. They have mushy, oily meat, they do not put up much of a fight and they are quite frankly not that hard to catch even on a fly rod. I have never understood why people wax so poetic about them or why they thought it was a good idea to introduce them everywhere.

 

[Teh Wicked]

Any type of spearfishing is illegal in FL freshwater, but I think is more for the safety of the fisherman due to the large population of gators.

Now in WV, there is absolutly no laws against spearfishing. So this summer im going up there to lay the smack down on a large mouth or 2. I remember diving up there in my younger days and seeing many 5lb+ bass swimming within mere feet of you without a single worry.

 

[BNow0707]

Here is the response I recieved from the Chief of Fisheries:

Sport fish are only allowed to be taken by hook and line with natural or artificial bait. Therefore, a rod and reel license or in some cases a wildlife heritage license is required. Fish captured in this manner can be returned to the waters unharmed if the angler chooses to do so or if the management regulation requires it (i.e. a minimum length limit) or species identification in order to comply with a regulation limit. Spear fishing is not the same type of gear as hook and line and terminates all fish it hits.



Spear fishing is allowed for nongame and commercial species with a license. Creel limits on non game fish such as alligator gar and large catfish would apply.



Stan Cook

Chief of Fisheries

Alabama's Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries

Fisheries Section

64 North Union St

Suite 551

Montgomery, Alabama 36130

334.242.3471

I was considering talking to officals to see if any would be in support of changing the regs but apparently there's no sense in it.

 

[alex_tx]

Non-Game definition is some times unclear. For example carp is consider non game in one area but if you where to go over to the next county, carp might be a water vegetation controller of that area or lake . At times you will have to diligently dig for the information, cross reference other counties, sites, etc. to find this out. Spearo in low visibility water is very difficult, sometimes I have to dive 3 to 6 times before I was lucky enough to catch one fish. On the days I do not catch fish, I look at it as a fun way of keeping in shape, enjoying the aquatic life days.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I beg to differ with Mr. Cook.

The idea of catch and release is a "feel good" thing but it often results in the death of the fish that is released - more often than not in fact. For example some fish (bass, trout, etc, will virtually inhale the hook and it will lodge deep in the fish and cause a great deal of internal damage as the fish is reeled in. Even if the angler does not lift the fish out of the water (and most do for the photo op, etc) the fish is often still mortally wounded. In general, even if the fish is just hooked in the mouth, if an angler lifts the fish out of the water, it is not going to be a successful catch and release.

In other species, for example the mythical trout in the clear mountain stream, the fish may expend so much energy being caught that even if not injured by the hook it starts a slow downhill decline ending in death as that clear moutain stream is the aquatic version of a desert and the fish is living on the edge already. The stress and energy expended in getting caught draws on reserves the fish cannot afford to spare.

Once a fish ends up in a live well or a creel, it is as good as dead, but again many fishermen will cull their catch to stay at the limit while turning smaller fish loose as they catch larger ones, resulting in the death of each and every one of them. When I worked as a GF&P officer, I would frequently find the bottom littered with dead fish that were victims of "catch and release" fishing. I am not a believer in catch and release as a mangement tool unless it is done with unbarbed hooks by fishermen properly trained in how to do it correctly. And as part of the management strategy you still need to assume a fair level of mortality when you are deciding how much fishing pressure can be sustained and/or how much restocking needs to occur.

In that regard spearfishing is just a lot more honest, you know when you take aim that you are going to kill it, so there are none of the warm and fuzzy catch and release fantasies that result hook and line fishermen killing far more than the legal limit.

That said, back in the day when large carp were common, I used to see large (20-40 lbs) carp with multiple scars up high on the back (above the vital organs) from old spearfishing wounds by divers who would spear them then release them. Some fish can be a lot tougher than they look when it is a flesh would rather than an internal injury.

 

[suprasteve]

my $0.02, in Florida we now have a whole lot of new laws regarding how you can fish for 'reef fish', basically snapper and grouper. You must use circle hooks, and you must have a dehooker and venter in the boat with you. Personally I gut hook just as many fish with circles as i ever did with regular hooks, maybe because I actually have the rod in my hand as opposed to sitting in a rod holder for a half hour, but who knows. All these regulations are to apparently help the fish survive, but IMO they don't do much, just limit the way you can fish. Furthermore, the whole 'hook and line allows game fish to be released unharmed if it doesn't meet the size limit' thing, stupid. Yeah, and if i spear a fish I need to make sure it was of legal size too, moot point. At least there you can spear 'trash fish' in freshwater, I think possession of a speargun in freshwater in Florida results in legal action. Alrighty, I'm done ranting

 

[Rick Inman]

I am not a believer in catch and release as a mangement tool unless it is done with unbarbed hooks by fishermen properly trained in how to do it correctly.

I'm with you on that, and I love a good fresh WILD trout. But there are some major success stories close to my house in the mountains of Idaho. Like Kelly Creek, which was almost totally fished out, and was one of the nations first catch and release streams (single barb-less hooks) and now supports a large healthy population of wild cutthroat trout. The streams I fish hold healthy fish, not ones on the brink of starvation, but ones whose bellies are full of giant stone flies, hoppers and other populace insects.

Yes, overplaying and stressing a trout will kill it as dead as a stone to the head. But todays fly fisherman are mostly educated, and the days of the long playing of a fish are all but past. Most fisherman will work the trout quickly to hand, and (often without even touching it) give a quick twist to the barb-less hook watch the healthy fish dart away.

But the streams I like the best and fish the most have limited number and size restrictions (and few other fisherman). So most of the fish go back, but I can still enjoy a couple for shore lunch.

 

[wide_open]

Thanks for looking into this, BNow...I have wondered the same thing for a while. I'm glad montgomery got back to you. A reason that always comes to mind is the same argument that OPPONENTS of trophy deer hunting (and spearfishing) raise: that hunters will only shoot the "biggest and best" out of a population and will only leave the weakest for the gene pool, hurting the population. This is the opinion of Alabama's professor of the year in 2007 if I recall correctly. He teaches Biology. Thoughts?