Posted by Wayne on December 05, 2000 at 20:24:02:
In Reply to: Must you hunt?? (+) posted by mattschechter on December 04, 2000 at 20:37:37:
I used to fish with a pole and hook. I never liked killing fish that I did not want to eat. This took away some of the "fun". I realize that fish from the store comes at a high price (to the other fish of the sea), but I do not see it (by catch and incidental kill) and therefore can put it out of my mind. OK, so I am a bit of a hypocrite.
With a spear, I selectively harvested with no waste. I prefered it this way. About a decade ago I sold my old piece of junk spear gun and never got around to replacing it. Mostly I do not miss it, but I encourage other divers to hunt. Our impact is generally so small compared to the commercial and sport harvests. And we who eat from the ocean respect its life and worry about its health.
I lament the good old days. Some days I stand alone in the garage holding my Ab Iron and remembering how it felt to pry dinner off rocks in the splash zone. But, I do not blame sport divers for changes in the fisheries.
I respect your point of view, but I feel that hunting is by far the most responsible way of harvesting the bounty of the our seas.
Wayne