ethics
Ethics, conservation and public relations
For a number of reasons, spearfishing has gotten a bad rap. In the early 70’ s, the sport was rocked by the anti-spearfishing proclamations of two famous scuba divers. In 1972, biologist Dr. Hans Hass, underwater photographer and author, wrote his Manifesto # 1, calling for a legislative ban on the manufacture and use of spearguns. The editor of the influential Skin Diver Magazine and other noted divers quickly joined his ranks.
Two years later, filmmaker Jacques Cousteau resigned his presidency of the world underwater federation, Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques( CMAS), stating,“ I cannot chair an organization that is mainly supporting spearfishing contests.” In 1975, during a daylong visit to the governor and legislature of California, he recommended that the state ban spearfishing. For a while, it seemed that the whole diving community, frustrated by the effects of pollution, overfishing and overpopulation, focused on the one issue they felt they could control: spearfishing.
Adding fuel to the flame were tales of rotting fish, speared and forgotten, and legions of European spearfishermen catching huge numbers of reef fish. But the fact is, bluewater hunters are the least productive hunters of the oceans, garnering an extremely limited catch compared to sportfishermen and commercial fishing fleets. And they are acutely aware of the vulnerability of near-shore ecosystems.
This beautiful sailfish swims in the“ Spearfishing Tonga reserve” created by Rob Torelli and the Diving for a Cause team.
Photo by Terry Maas
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