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Old 07-27-2020, 01:18 AM   #3
Mowgli
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Dubai, UAE
Posts: 38
Re: Change Spearfishing Rules in Ontario, Canada

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stephane View Post
Good luck with that. It is legal here in Quebec, but only for a very limited number of species. Basically, as soon as there is a size limit, it's not allowed. The authorities seem to think that you cannot precisely measure a fish before shooting it, therefore you can't shoot it with 100% certainty. They seem to forget that the survival rate of released fish is far from 100% AND anglers have to catch way more fish than us in order to keep just a few. I'm pretty sure that an average angler leaves way more released dead fish than me in a day.
I completely agree. What I've discovered speaking to various authoritorians who ban spearfishing, is that they are totally oblivious to the sport.

During our debates, an officer in Dubai once said: We don't allow spearfishing because once you shoot a fish in a certain spot, all the fish migrate out of it forever. Another one said: Your spearguns (shafts) destroy the corals and kill the marine eco system. A third one on a boat once said: There is no way you guys can hit the bottom (it was 100 feet), spear a fish and come up on a single breath of air. You would explode (as opposed to implode) under the pressure and you woild never make it back up. My friend took offense to his accusation, held hus breath, dived and came up with a handful of sand from the bottom, the officer apologised for his ignorance.

It's just out of the lack of awareness and miscommunication in my opinion. That's where we come in.

Last edited by Mowgli; 08-24-2020 at 12:15 AM.
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