@UTscuba I absolutely understand how you feel and respect your preferences. I felt much the same as you until I had more exposure to hunters and the south florida dive boats. But I grew up freshwater fishing with my parents and grandparents so fishing for my meal was not entirely foreign to me. And I admit I like seafood, including fish and lobster. I don’t hesitate to order it at a restaurant so catching my own meal seemed reasonable. And there are regulations in place to try and ensure its sustainability.
So looking at your lobster example, as a recreational hunter I pay my fees to support regulation. I catch and eat only the allowed limit and size and there is no capture of unintended creatures. One can not say this about commercial fishing as you yourself have described. Yes, it was tough for me to kill but I actually feel better about doing it myself rather than having some one do it for me.
Are there bad hunters out there? Of course. But lumping all of us together might be unfair. I have enjoyed our conversations and I truly hope that my hunting does not preclude our getting to dive together if we find ourselves in Florida and diving at the same time.
So looking at your lobster example, as a recreational hunter I pay my fees to support regulation. I catch and eat only the allowed limit and size and there is no capture of unintended creatures. One can not say this about commercial fishing as you yourself have described. Yes, it was tough for me to kill but I actually feel better about doing it myself rather than having some one do it for me.
Are there bad hunters out there? Of course. But lumping all of us together might be unfair. I have enjoyed our conversations and I truly hope that my hunting does not preclude our getting to dive together if we find ourselves in Florida and diving at the same time.