SpearBlogs

Things I want to tell you about...

The Caribbean Spiny Lobster season will close in:

Sun7Mar2010

What Next ?!?!?!?

Information
Bob Diaz | SpearBlog 2010 | March 07, 2010 | Print

I got an email from my brother in law and at first reading, I wasn't really sure why he sent it to me or why I should pay extra attention to it. The email had a link to an article on the FWC site about a Pompano and African Pompano video workshop that the FWC was scheduling. We don't get a lot of Permit family fish because they are protected in state waters and we don't do a lot of federal water spearfishing, so at first glance I thought, "Who cares..."

But after following the link and reading the article, I started to get upset. This so-called "video workshop" is to review the status of Pompano, African Pompano and Permit (possibly) and see if the bag and size limits for these fish should be modified in federal waters to match that of state waters. Basically, this would make these fish off limits to spearfishing everywhere.

I mean honestly, how many permit and pompano get taken by spearfishing in federal waters for them to have to even consider this? The fact is that by limiting it to federal waters, you have already diminished the people that participate in the taking of those fish by spearfishing because of the remote nature (and depth) of the locations you are likely to find these fish in federal waters.

I am so completely fed up with the accusations that recreational fishermen (and in this case specifically spearfishermen) are the cause for any type of fluctuaion in the population of any of these species. Spearfishing is the most selective of the fishing sports and with the existing size and bag limits, is already limited to basically carrying a tape measure underwater to make sure you're in the slot for these fish (with the exception of one that is allowed over the slot size).

So follow this link and read the article for yourself and see if you don't need to start taking action. Attend the video workshop, contact the FRA and the FWC and do everything in your power to keep us from getting railroaded (again)!

Spearviews

Spearblogs