HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0862.073 2008-2010 Hunters and Huggers, Unite:
When Fish Killing is Warranted
By Marty Snyderman
Shortly after I graduated from college in the early 1970s two of my best friends and I
spent a few months exploring Mexico's Yucatan coast and the waters of Belize and
Guatemala. We drove a pickup truck from Tennessee to Guatemala, and for the most part
we camped or slept in the truck. Heaven was having the front seat all to myself at night,
and I could earn that honor by spearfishing for our meals.
When I became a dive instructor in 1975 my attention turned toward trying to make a
career out of my interest in underwater photography, but I certainly wasn't opposed to
making a dive to catch a lobster or spear my dinner. Spearing fish and catching other
game including lobster and abalone was very popular in the diving world, and almost
every dive center proudly displayed images of their staff with fish they had speared and
other game they had bagged.
But not long after that the tide began to change. Over the next decade or so many
members of the general diving community began to express some serious differences
with spearfishing and with spearfishers. Many "fish- hugging" divers openly condemned
the hunters. Those who spewed the venom claimed that too many spearfishers were not
selective in terms of the fish they shot. According to the critics, all too often spearfishers
shot fish that weren't fit for a meal just so they wouldn't end their day empty- handed.
The word in the critics' circle was that a lot of underwater hunters lacked respect for the
marine environment and conservation.
Hatfields vs. McCoys
During that era, being on a charter boat that had mixed clientele — some divers
sightseeing or taking pictures and others who were hoping to shoot some fish for their
dinner table — was a bit like spending a day with the Hatfields and McCoys. The
atmosphere was often contentious. Ultimately, there was a period when the hunters
became the black sheep in the diving family, and fewer divers took up spearfishing.
In those days, underwater photographers routinely spoke of themselves as the champions
of the marine environment. According to a vocal contingency of photographers, taking
pictures was good, spearing fish was bad, and there was not much middle ground.
Clearly, in a short period the pendulum had swung a long way in the opposite direction
from where it was when I first took up diving.
It Just Keeps On Swinging
In more recent years underwater photographers have come under fire for showing a lack
of respect for the marine environment and having a "get the shot at any cost" mentality.
Most dive operators and resorts still welcome photographers with open arms, but also
true is that many dive charter operators and resort owners wish underwater photographers
would be a lot more conscientious about their reefs and the way we treat marine wildlife.
These days, many dive operators claim that far too many underwater photographers and
videographers lack buoyancy control skills and, even more importantly, show a lack
respect for the creatures we profess to love. The bottom line: All too often the people
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who kick and break corals, and who grab, manipulate or otherwise harass wildlife are
divers who get caught up in the moment while diving with a camera in their hands.
Over the years I have spent a lot of time watching underwater photographers, and my
professional opinion is that as a community, underwater image - makers deserve much of
the criticism that is being directed our way. Personally, I think we can and should do a
much better job when it comes to capturing images without busting up reefs and
harassing reef creatures. But personal opinions aside, in the bigger picture it is obvious
that once again the pendulum of diver opinion has swung a long way, as many now
consider underwater still photographers and videographers to present a greater threat to
the reefs than spearfishers ever did.
We're Not the Only Ones Causing Trouble
Spearfishers and photographers aren't the only problem. In some cases, the fishes
themselves are to blame.
There are many instances in which non - native species of fishes that have been introduced
into new environments wreak havoc in reef communities around the world. In some
cases, the introduction was intentional. For instance, the peacock grouper was brought
from French Polynesia to Hawaii in the 1950s in the hopes of developing a fishery. In the
cases of two species of Indo - Pacific lionfishes now commonly found in the waters of the
Western Atlantic and Caribbean, research suggests several possible introduction
scenarios. One highly publicized theory suggests it was accidental; a home aquarium on
Florida's Biscayne Bay that contained six lionfish was destroyed in Hurricane Andrew,
which led to the unintentional introduction. Still other theories exist.
But no matter how these non - native species were introduced, the results have been
devastating. Their populations have exploded, and they are voracious feeders that lack
natural predators in the areas where they have been introduced. The result is that both the
peacock grouper and the lionfishes have been decimating populations of native fishes. In
fact, studies have shown that the peacock grouper consumes roughly 146 native reef fish
annually, making it the primary consumer of Hawaii's native reef fishes. Similar results
occur in the areas where expanding populations of lionfishes are being established. A
study conducted on lionfish in North Carolina found that 3 percent of their diet consisted
of a variety of invertebrates, with the remaining 97 percent being other fishes.
When Hunting and Killing Helps
Most authorities agree that eliminating the peacock grouper from Hawaiian waters and
lionfishes from the Western Atlantic simply isn't going to happen. Their populations are
too spread out and too well established. It might be possible to prevent the populations of
these invaders from expanding more broadly, but even that is highly problematic.
Some experts hope to discover ways of making populations of these non - native species
unable to reproduce. That is a possibility, but the effort will take time and
experimentation, and many agree that this issue needs to be addressed as soon as
possible. One way of addressing the invasive species issue is via local eradication efforts.
In simple terms, kill the invaders.
And who better to come to the rescue than spearfishers? On the Hawaiian Island of Maui
a group of fund- raising spearfishers got together with the county's environmental
coordinator for a series of spearfishing tournaments in which the targeted species was the
peacock grouper. Between the tournaments and monthly "kill peacock grouper" days,
spearfishers removed about 2,000 of these invasive predators in just one year. The effort
saved or helped protect roughly 292,000 other reef fish. That's huge, but was just a start.
Similarly, in many parts of Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean, divers are being
encouraged to help keep lionfish populations in check by participating in organized
spearfishing events that target lionfishes.
These days I hear underwater still photographers and videographers singing the praises of
spearfishers and their efforts to help keep invasive species in check. And spearfishers are
asking image makers and other divers where they see invasive species so the spearfishers
can better direct their efforts. Never in a million years would I have ever expected such
camaraderie and cooperation. In the big picture, it appears the pendulum is rarely still.
Given enough time it tends to swing both ways.
Do Your Part
Whether you take aim and shoot with a camera or with a spear gun, we all can be more
careful not to make contact with the reef. Do your part on every dive. Practice spot -on
buoyancy control and be aware of your surroundings.
Invasive Resource
To learn more about invasive species, go to the National Invasive Species Information
Center Web site at www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov.
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