Sorry, for the spear fisherman drowned off Sydney, but ..
Those who would protest at the indiscriminate shooting of native birds, seem not to object to the ugly activity of spear-fishing in Australian coastal waters.
I recall as a child, a giant blue-green parrotfish, lying on the sand with a hole in its head at Long Reef, one of Sydney`s northern beaches.
A trusting fish which does not flee a diver, the parrotfish is not tasty eating, so clearly this was slaughter. Now forty years on, you can dive anywhere around Sydney, but you won`t see a giant parrotfish any more..
It`s a mockery to have state road patrols which care for injured wildlife - even snakes -while spear-fishermen continue to kill innocent marine life.
The boneheads even hold competitions to see who can spear the biggest fish!
I have absolutely nothing against spear-fishing in poor African countries where entire families depend on the catch for food.
But it is totally unacceptable in Australia which considers itself a developed, eco-friendly nation.
c.Christine Osborne
Image: Pity the porcupine fish, inedible, but speared for fun....
HEAR! HEAR!
ReplyDeleteAs a fellow Australian I totally agree with all you say.
The coastal waters of The Great Southern Land may be rich and diverse and could be a joy for all, but what with poaching and the mindless plundering of recreational sports like spear-fishing they are indeed under threat. In this country there is a shameful history of slaughter without regret of native animals as estimated thousands of them die each year on our roads and in our seas. Those that kill seem to fall outside of the radar of awareness and concern and function on a different lower level of existence - perhaps the derogatory term 'bottom feeders' might suit them very well as they hurtle us too towards oblivion.
My sister has reminded me when we were young, there used to be a friendly porpoise that followed the fishing boats up and down Lake Macquarie (90 m. north of Sydney).
ReplyDeleteOne day, we found it on the shore with a spear in its side.
I had forgotten: I think I was so upset, I must have put it out of my mind.
your a noob, not everyone that spearfish kills anything they see, i don't i only kill what i eat
ReplyDeleteHave you ever eaten fish? If you answered yes to that question then shut your wrinkly rag-hole.
ReplyDeleteSpearfishermen in Sydney generally only kill what they eat. Their environmental impact is negligible compared to trawlers that take tonnes of by-catch, then dump it overboard. Or compare it to line fishermen, who have virtually no control over what they catch (and usually kill or severely injure).
If I ever see you at the beach I will spear your fat haggy ass.
I don`t think your comment will help the image of spearfishermen in Australia. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteNo one has denied that gill and line nets do not decimate marine life, but this was not the point
ReplyDeletemade in the post. We know this, and we deplore it. But your crude reply has done Sydney spearfishermen a real disservice.
Re.anon. 25th Oct: what a wanker, as you stroll down to the sea, with yr foreskin dragging in the sand...
ReplyDeleteAs creator of this blog, I have the option of screening comments. Unlike many bloggers, I do not exercise this right because I don`t wish to act as censor. But I would request a degree of decorum in expressing your opinions.
ReplyDeleteMy dear lady, you are on completely wrong track. Spearfishing is the most environmentaly friendly way to catch the fish. Fish stocks are being decimated by commercial fisheries. Of course, overpopulation is the real problem.
ReplyDeleteEverytime you go into supermarket and buy the fish, just remember that up to 80% of the catch have been wasted to provide you with that, plate sized, fish, and you know what? You are contributing to overfishing by buying it. Catch it yourself.
I am obliged to buy fish as while I like fishing, catch/keeping only to eat, I have no opportunity to do so where I live.
ReplyDeleteAnd no, I do not buy fish in a supermarket as they are major contributors in selling threatened species - cod, tuna, swordfish etc. I have, in fact, just bought some farmed mussels from a small Algerian-owned wet fish shop nearby.
This apart, I have seen with my own eyes, spear-fishermen killing for the sake of the chase. Or have things changed in Sydney? Are they now just shooting for their dinner plate? I would be delighted to have this confirmed.
Only recently I photographed a South African spear-fisherman who boasted that a magnificent dog-tooth tuna, speared open-water diving, would probably be a world record (but there were no scales to check).
The fish was hung in a tree for everyone to see before the flies got to it...and that is a bonehead.
that's the way all their meat is eaten. It is hung and often maggots get in and kill the bacteria. I've been to Africa this is not waste but common pratice
DeleteSome of the language in this blog is a disgrace
ReplyDeleteTheir environmental impact is negligible compared to trawlers that take tonnes of by-catch, then dump it overboard. getit search app ,
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Spearfishing and spearfishermen are mostly good hearted people who are enviro friendly and kill selectively for the table. Please don't generalise. I know many spearfisherment including my kids.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of the relationship humans might have had with fish when I wrote this blog. A huge number of fish are unafraid of divers, they will approach you and in some cases, you can even touch them. Then whack - out goes a spear and ends their friendly curiosity. Philippe Diole, a French underwater archaeologist once said: 'the blood which flows down there is just as red...' If you want to spear a fish, go ahead I suppose, all things considered, it is no worse than catching it on a line but face to face, I find it truly sad to kill a fish, especially trusting, slow-moving species such as wrasse and grouper which have been decimated by spearfishermen. Of course I deplore gill nets! And I posted many tweets regarding the so-called "super trawler".
ReplyDelete.
Spearing wrasse and grouper is illegal. I've never had another type of fish come up to me they are very wary creatures.
DeleteI think you should be more research aware before you publish general criticisms of this nature. Australia has one of the most regulated forms of spearfishing in the world by the Australian Underwater Federation. You should also read this scientific research paper which was also produced by Australian researchers... http://www.chbf.com/documents/sustainable_spearfishing.pdf
ReplyDeletePlease do a bit of Googling before condemning other people's activitities without thought or the correct information?
Totally agree, this publication is such a narrow minded un-researched view on an ancient tradition. The bone-head stereotype may apply to a small minority most likely someone uneducated and new to the activity but the majority of spearfisherman I have come across have so much respect for the ocean.
DeleteMaybe Christine should do some research on commercial fishing vs spearfishing and see which is the most sustainable humane method.
You really should not generalise, if you wish to be considered as a serious writer. Your headline is very poor. Like any sport, there are boneheads; but we are not all the same. I spearfish on a small Greek island. It's for food for me - or the cats! Is that not the circle of life? While I am eating freshly-caught fish tonight, I am not eating meat farmed in an unsustainable manner. Just a bit more thought, please, before decrying an entire group of people.
ReplyDeleteeveryone's picking on the writer I see..........good job then. Consider this.........my great grandfather and those before him were all fishermen, this was their livelihood. Through the generations traditional line and hook methods were used. Through this means a living creature on the opposite end of the line had a chance to fight for its life, an opportunity to be free if the odds were in its favor. The writer here is simply outlining the barbaric nature of spearfishing not in comparison to other forms of fishing but in relation to how truly unnatural it is for a human being to enter the domain of another and snuff out its life in one of the most cowardly and skill-less ways one can ever imagine. Sure spearfishing is eclipsed when compared to other forms of sustenance and commercial based means of fishing.........but tell me, is it so wrong to speak up against something you believe in? Christine, speak up as you wish!!!!!
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