12-02-2009, 03:13 PM
Arrgh. I agree with Steeny, better a quick death with an arrow than a slow rotting in their own filth in puddles of water.
Besides he is using everything he takes and is trying to keep the balance of nature, I think that is what our role should be. We cull kangaroos for dog food here when they get too numerous rather than see them starve, so we do the same thing already.
After all is said and done, the damage he can do with a bow and arrow, or any of us with a spear or rod I might add, is a drop in the ocean (pardon the pun) to what a commercial beam trawler can do in 1 hour. These things work 24 hour shifts for days at sea and haul up tonnes of everything from the seafloor every copuple of hours. And there are hundreds of them operating all over the world!
They just go along raking and scooping up the seafloor, raping the life out of everything for about two hours then haul it all up on deck for sorting, by which time most things in there are dead already because they have been crushed from the sheer biomass in the net or the force of moving through the water.
The net holes which are meant to allow smaller fish to escape get blocked by larger fish being pressed against them and become water tight or close because of the massive force of that much weight being dragged through the water (think of a massive weight inside a keeper net). So even when something is thrown back, it is most likely dead or dying and is returned to a bare desert of sea floor. The amount of sheer incidental waste and destruction of in-edible species and habitat which is vital for the ecosystem is shocking.
I personally think it is awesome that there are such numerous fish large enough to hit with an arrow. I like the fact that the fish has a fighting chance to escape combined with the skill of the shooter, light, visibility etc. The built in miss factor makes things fair I think.
Why not I say, I think the more ways to get fish the better, as long as there is minimal damage done to the environment, go for it and enjoy!
Besides he is using everything he takes and is trying to keep the balance of nature, I think that is what our role should be. We cull kangaroos for dog food here when they get too numerous rather than see them starve, so we do the same thing already.
After all is said and done, the damage he can do with a bow and arrow, or any of us with a spear or rod I might add, is a drop in the ocean (pardon the pun) to what a commercial beam trawler can do in 1 hour. These things work 24 hour shifts for days at sea and haul up tonnes of everything from the seafloor every copuple of hours. And there are hundreds of them operating all over the world!
They just go along raking and scooping up the seafloor, raping the life out of everything for about two hours then haul it all up on deck for sorting, by which time most things in there are dead already because they have been crushed from the sheer biomass in the net or the force of moving through the water.
The net holes which are meant to allow smaller fish to escape get blocked by larger fish being pressed against them and become water tight or close because of the massive force of that much weight being dragged through the water (think of a massive weight inside a keeper net). So even when something is thrown back, it is most likely dead or dying and is returned to a bare desert of sea floor. The amount of sheer incidental waste and destruction of in-edible species and habitat which is vital for the ecosystem is shocking.
I personally think it is awesome that there are such numerous fish large enough to hit with an arrow. I like the fact that the fish has a fighting chance to escape combined with the skill of the shooter, light, visibility etc. The built in miss factor makes things fair I think.
Why not I say, I think the more ways to get fish the better, as long as there is minimal damage done to the environment, go for it and enjoy!
Fresh air, tight lines, scales, slime and fins, 'tis the salty sea dog life for me. Arrrgh!