Cruel angler 'rides' a Mola Mola - needs to be named and shamed

[Dr. Lecter]

the Mola Mola, which is a protected species.

That changes the issue for sure, though from the sound of comments both related and unrelated to the video, mola mola will seek out all kinds of things for removal of parasites and this one may well have been 'happy' for the cleaning portion of the interaction if not the riding itself. Is a human more likely to remove protective mucus from a mola mola than anything else, like an object against which it rubs itself and/or a bird?

 

[highdesert]

That changes the issue for sure ...

Now I really don't understand ... why does the fact that it's protected change the issue? Do you feel that only animals that are protected by law are sensitive to harrassment? Why must animals not cosidered protected species be subject to encroachment by humans? Is it the old biblical "dominion over the Earth" thing?

 

[drbill]

Hard to comment on this post. Almost as callous as the act of the angler IMHO.

Given how often these poor fish are left to die after having their fins eaten off by sea lions, and how often they rub against anything they can find to remove parasites, it's hard to see how the fish was any worse for wear from what is clearly redneck behavior. If they were protected and/or the riding could somehow have injured the fish, I'd see the outrage.

As it looks to me, the fish didn't seem to mind and the redneck wasn't trying to hurt it. Not my cup of tea, but not particularly horrible either. I have no idea how "frightened" it must have been, and I'm not sure anyone has a good handle on what kind of emotions/fear responses these fish are capable of having. It certainly didn't look panicked, but I'd be happy to hear evidence that it probably was experiencing some kind of severe response to being straddled and somewhat restrained.

Still, if they're legal to catch, I don't see much of a problem with a brief ride not intended to inflict pain/injury even if it would have provoked a fear response akin to being hooked. Sounds similar to catch and release to me...just less hook and more redneck. It's the redneck behavior where there's intentional infliction of pain that tends to rub me the wrong way.

 

[Tom Winters]

If a grizzly bear charged up to you, stood up and gently stroked your head, put his arm/leg around you and walked for a while, would you consider it harassment? Of course not. After you cleaned out your shorts, you'd probably think it was the coolest thing that ever happened to you.

Uh Hank, I think you fell for the guy in the grizzly suit trick again.

 

[Hank49]

Uh Hank, I think you fell for the guy in the grizzly suit trick again.

Really? Damn....just as I was starting to feel all spiritual and ****.

But seriously, in the big scope of things, one guy on one fish in the vastness of the oceans.....it's not that big of a deal. You want to make a stand for the fish? Go after the long liners, trawlers etc. (not directed at you Tom)

 

[divewench1]

You want to make a stand for the fish? Go after the long liners, trawlers etc. (not directed at you Tom)

In Indonesia we are. Shark finning-banned, Manta finning-banned, dynamite fishing-banned, cyanide fishing-banned.

Bali may be a developing country compared with some of the world, but at least the Government understands the importance of diving tourism to the region.

I, personally, would not purposely touch a Mola Mola, and that's the message I was trying to get over by highlighting the video to my Indo based colleagues in the dive business. Having spent 5 years guiding dives and trying to find Mola Mola for some of the hundreds of thousands of divers who visit Bali purely to see this fish each year, it needs all the protection it can get, and the respect that any animal deserves whether under water or above.

 

[highdesert]

But seriously, in the big scope of things, one guy on one fish in the vastness of the oceans.....it's not that big of a deal.

I love this argument ...

It's the one always used by "sport" fishermen when they haul a mature, 700 pound, pregnant shark out and hang it from the dock. "Hey, look at me! Look what I killed!" Then you call them on it and they say, "What's the big deal? It's only one fish!"

You're either a part of the problem or part of the solution ... pick one.

 

[Just_Me]

I'm still a little confused here. We can all agree that messing with the wild life is bad. But calling someone a name clearly meant in a derogatory manner wether racist or not is also not ok. Poor behavior does not justify poor behavior.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

Hard to comment on this post. Almost as callous as the act of the angler IMHO.

 

[toddthecat]

^ I hate having iced tea go through my nose when drinking it. Thanks a lot.