Spear Fishing teaches fish to fear divers

[diversteve]

Sorry, didn't see diversteve's post above, you know the spearfishermen paid his money just like you did to spear those flounder.

As I posted, I don't begrudge him the right to do so. But I paid my money to see the fish alive. And it wasn't apparent he was spearing until we got to the site and he brought the gun out.

I actually found the process - including how they float the fish back to the boat - somewhat interesting. I was kind of hoping a shark or two would be attracted also as I'd have liked to see one - esp. a bull - but it didn't happen.

But then again, he wasn't very good if he had to "fire from 4' away."

That's kind of what I thought also. But it was pretty murky - vis was less than 20' probably. Less after he shot the first one and it stirred things up.

 

[Scott L]

I actually found the process - including how they float the fish back to the boat - somewhat interesting. I was kind of hoping a shark or two would be attracted also as I'd have liked to see one - esp. a bull - but it didn't happen.

We can gaurantee that in Jupiter.

 

[String]

I can see some long term evolution happening in that the fish that are more fearful are more likely to survive and reproduce thereby selecting for this behaviour.

However, whether this change is noticeable on a small time scale such as here with as few exposures given how rare spear fishing is in most places is a completely different matter.
If there were LOTS of spear fishing people in the same area and all the time i'd expect selection to work far more efficiently.

Luckily in europe spear fishing on SCUBA is illegal and in lots of areas spear fishing at all is banned.

 

[Wookie]

Let me begin by saying that I have nothing against legal spearfishing. I don't spear from my boat, but I do like to eat fish. With that said, I operate in no take reserves, in hook and line reserves, and in fishing by any method reserves and in non regulated areas. I have only anecdotal evidence to back up my assertions, but it is obvious to me as an operator that no entry reserves (like the Dry Tortugas Ecological Reserve- South) hold an abundance of big fish the likes of which I've never seen anywhere else. Fishing by any method, as well as sport diving is prohibited there. Big fish abound. I take research scientists there, so I get to go where others haven't been allowed in 12 years. No-fishing diving-allowed reserves (like the Dry Tortugas Ecological Reserve- North) hold big fish, but they are somewhat wary of divers. Hook and line fishing and diving allowed reserves that don't allow spearing (Flower Garden Banks) hold fewer big fish than the no take reserves, and the fish are somewhat wary of divers. Places that allow unrestricted spearfishing ( most of the rest of the Florida Keys NMS) have very wary fish, and size and relative abundance is dependent of ease of access. By ease of access, I mean that if you can rent a boat to get there, or find a charter to take you there, you are likely to SE more folks and fewer fish. If getting there requires an arduous journey or significant expense, you will likely have more meaningful fish encounters, regardless of the type of encounter you are interested in (fishing, fish viewing, fish research).

 

[2 Big 2 Fail]

If the spearfishermen are not having a decremental effect on the fish, they aren't very good hunters

Exactly. Kind of like people who would see my 1911 Colt being carried with the hammer back and would ask, "Isn't that dangerous." The answer is, "I dang sure hope so."

But I don't see that we could consider fishes dumber than birds. (A lot of similarities between the two, if you think about it.) And birds sure know to not only fear people but to fear people who are close enough to harm them and even to fear only armed people or people displaying hunting behavior. Ask any boy who grew up on a farm if the crows don't definitely know what it means when a boy stoops to pick up a stone. Of course, there are smarter and dumber fish as there are smarter and dumber birds. But it probably doesn't take too long to figure out a new predator has appeared. The only birds that seem to not catch on before being wiped out have been those that had no predators at all before man arrived, and they couldn't cope with the newly introduced men, cats, rats, etc.

I might even guess that living in the ocean where an entirely new predatory species could appear out of the blue at any time would make fish particularly good at recognizing proven new threats.

 

[sailingk8]

A prohibition on fishing from boats would result in a much healthier reef. It's not even close as to who removes more fish from UW habitat around here anyway.

I hear what you are saying however Fishing from boats is a WHOLE other subject let alone overfishing from fleet boats.... don't even get me started on that!

 

[pedo]

Luckily in europe spear fishing on SCUBA is illegal and in lots of areas spear fishing at all is banned.

Why is that lucky?

 

[EastTNDiver]

Everyone does realize that there are coastal tribes in parts of the world that have been spearing fish for their survival probably since the dawn of man...and, I'm pretty sure they are not starving because the fish learned to be afraid of spears.

 

[String]

Why is that lucky?

Because it means if you see a fish somewhere the one day it'll likely to be there to see the following day!

 

[Hank49]

Because it means if you see a fish somewhere the one day it'll likely to be there to see the following day!

Unless it gets eaten by another predator.
I think photographers can also cause the same wariness in fish behavior. Fish seem acutely aware of any aggression, even just staring at them.