11 replies to this topic

[ce4jesus]

Okay as a fisherman I understand going after the prize but if I killed every female fish I caught that was full of eggs, my fishery would dwindle to nothing within a short period of time. Every fisherman worth his salt knows that conservation is the only way to insure that every generation gets to enjoy the sport. I have camera and a tape ready to capture that special moment while returning the fish, unharmed back into its environment. Its fishermen like this guy who give the sport a black eye

http://www.wftv.com/...628/detail.html

[chewie70]

That's really sad, especially since she was pregnant and 40-50 years old. She was obviouslly at the top of her game to reach that size and age, only to be taken out by some yahoo looking to set a record. I think the most disturbing part is the fact that a fish that large doesn't have to be killed to set a record. It can be done with a witness, photographs and measurements. Just my 2 cents!

[wagsy]

Tha's sad...

I also don't think going out for fun and harrasing, draging around wild animals could be called a sport.

Fishing is just like a big lucky dip, you never know what one will catch and it does not matter if you have never fished before or you are a mad fishing person, you can still catch the same animals.

I wonder what would happen if I started harrasssing the Kangaroos, Emus and local dogs that wonder around my area. Lets see now, put a big chair on the back of me ute, put a nice piece of meat on a big hook and drive around town till I hook a wondering dog and then proceed to play/harrass it for a couple hours <_<

[Lndr]

He said it isn't fair to criticize him because other anglers catch pregnant fish.

"They do it every single day. I just got a lot of attention for it," he said. "I didn't know she was pregnant. All I saw was a big fish."

and that is supposed to justify it !?!

[scubag]

So obviously the diving and environmental groups out there are not doing enough to educate dumb-ass fisherman who feel like going out for the day to kill an un-edible species like the hammerhead. Why kill it if you have no intention of eating it. I spent 3 1/2 weeks in Galapagos this past March diving with Hammerheads, by the time I get there again they may be all but gone.

So sad.

Doug

[RogerC]

So obviously the diving and environmental groups out there are not doing enough to educate dumb-ass fisherman who feel like going out for the day to kill an un-edible species like the hammerhead.

you can make soup out of their fins, and the number of people who like shark fin soup and can afford it is growing. Different class of fisherman, obviously, but a different problem that needs a different solution.

[ce4jesus]

...and I would be careful not to lump every fisherman in with those who are reckless with the environment. Many sport fishermen are very conscious about the environment and proactive about protecting it. Unfortunately ignorance and maliciousness are also part of the equation. Ignorance can be fixed with education, malice can't.

[davichin]

I just don´t understand sport fishing...

[wagsy]

The botom line is that sports fishing is harrasing wild animals for no other reason but FUN.

And that's sick....

[ce4jesus]

Wagsy,
So uncovering hiding fish, chasing and strobing them is not harassment? Seems like every thing I photograph has one goal in mind...getting away from me. Bottom line is that every human interaction with wildlife has an impact whether we want to admit it or not. Whether you agree with sport fishing or not, it isn't going away. Furthermore, labeling them whackos isn't going to fix the above problem. By working with them to educate them on the value of minimizing their impact on the environment, we can minimize events like the above from occurring. Your kind of passion is desperately needed to affect any kind of constructive change; but it needs to be directed toward reasonable goals.


"I just don´t understand sport fishing... "
I understand it because I grew up a fisherman. I still fly fish on occasion.

[wagsy]

I hear ya there but you cannot compare taking a pic and or chasing a wild animal away to hooking it and dragging it around just for fun while it fights to get away.

But you are right education is the key and I happen to live in a town where it's their god given right to fish and catch as much as they want as that's what they have been doing for 20 years when they come here on holidays.

Well thankfully most of those types of people are a dying breed and the kids now days have a much better understanding of how it all works down there. People are also realizing that there is heaps more money to be made in showing people the marine wildlife than killing or dragging it around just for fun.

We are also embarking on some cool projects directed towards education and change in the next few months so watch this space...

[DeanB]

I was talking to a friend of mine the other day and he said I must be mad filming Pike as they are a very ferocious fish. Apparently when he caught one it tried to bite his hand off while he was landing it

I said "well I'm a nice enough, easy going bloke but if you try to stick a hook in my mouth, I'll spark you out"... Enough said...

Let em live...

Dive safe

DeanB