Spearfishing
Spearfishing
Scuba ban is good
Thank you for running the article on the proposed ban on scuba spearfishing on May 31.
The article, in fact, mentions several aspects of complicated changes to state rules relating to West Hawaii reef life, and I hope West Hawaii Today will continue to explore the whole rules package before it comes up for public hearing this summer.
As I have written before, my main concern is for a Fish Replenishment Area for Kaohe Bay. But I am writing today to highlight a couple of points that don’t get mentioned about the issue that headlined the article, namely a ban on scuba spearfishing.
The article talks in the usual way about whether spearfishing with scuba is sporting — whether fish have a “fighting chance.”
At this point, to my mind, that is a less important issue than the historical context. The article quotes Dr. Bill Walsh (of the Kona Aquatic Resources Division) as saying, “The Hawaiian Islands are one of the few places in the Pacific Ocean that still allow the practice (of spearfishing while using scuba).”
In fact, the ban on scuba spearfishing is so widespread throughout the world’s tropics that Hawaii has become a virtual magnet to jaded world travelers looking for a unique “trophy.” Though this may mean some money for the local dive industry servicing these predators, this is not the kind of visitor we should be seeking.
We should not distinguish ourselves as the one remaining area in the tropics where a diver can use techniques outlawed nearly everywhere else.
Don’t get me wrong. Not all scuba spearfishermen are predators. I have a neighbor who goes diving with a spear quite often. Most times, he returns with nothing, and it is not for lack of fish. He is selective, as are a lot of scuba spearfishermen. However, we cannot bank on that personal responsibility when the scuba fishing grounds worldwide have been narrowed down so much.
The article also quotes Mr. Rob White of Blue Water Hunter as being apprehensive that “it could be expanded to include other means of spearfishing.”
As I have mentioned, I have been seeking a Fish Replenishment Area for Kaohe Bay for years. At the West Hawaii Fisheries Council, the proposal for the ban on scuba spearfishing was already polished and in place when we submitted a petition for the Fish Replenishment Area in 2004. Since then, the two proposals have slogged along in parallel through a lot of red tape for years. Several of the people backing the ban are, in fact, adamant recreational spearfishermen.
I don’t mean to be impolite to Mr. White, but I find the worry of any such expansion of this ban to be very, very unreasonable. The only expansion that I foresee is that the ban might be adopted statewide in the future. Bag limits are a possibility in the distant future for standard spearfishing, just as they are for most recreational fishing, if we are to maintain healthy fish populations. But standard spearfishing is an established feature of this culture and its economy. It is a totally different activity from spearfishing with scuba.
What has impressed me in this process is how slowly any proposal progresses — and how long people who are interested in the issues wait to speak up.
John Kellam
Friends of Pebble Beach