Miscellaneous Blogs
Spearfishing: For and Against

Part 1: Against
Spearfishing – a sustainable form of hunting, or a cruel sport?
I have been asked to write a short article on spear fishing. I started research for this by web searching facts and figures and reading other peoples opinions. In the end I decide just to write this from my own life experiences and from the heart. I found the web searching to be confusing and incomplete. Statistics can be interpreted in many different ways to suit any argument and so become superfluous to many issues. We are so adept and skilled at justifying and rationalising our cruelty to other species as well as each other.
I used to fish when I was younger and was always thrilled by the moment of feeling something unknown on the end of my line. Then as the years flew by I became witness to appalling destruction and desecration of the marine environment by overfishing, pollution, industry and tourism. Fish numbers plummeted to the edge of extinction and glorious unique habitats became rubble wastelands. Then one day I said to my self ‘that’s enough for me’ and have never been able to support any sort of fishing industry since. Even the so-called fish farms can and do take a huge toll on the environment.
One may feel that spearfishing should stand apart from any form of commercial or recreational fishing as it is ultimately selective in the individual animals it targets. There is no by-catch, there is no habitat destruction and there is no waste. Partially true but not 100% correct. As an example in many parts of the world, as the oversized commercial fisheries took their toll so came the spearfishermen to take what was left. Totally uncontrolled, these hunters targeted the biggest and fittest of any species. The overall effect has been quite devastating. Breeding animals were disappearing leaving only the genetically weaker individuals to reproduce. This can lead to a great imbalance in any ecosystem and we, as humans, cannot even begin to predict where it will end. Species become weak and easy prey to others. Their role in maintaining a healthy habitat is diminished, perhaps even providing room for more destructive and unwanted species to move in and dominate.
I tried spearfishing once when I was a teenager. I cornered a small Pollack against a reef. I could see it was wary of me but it had nowhere to go. I eased closer until the tip of my spear was only a few feet away and the pulled the trigger. I remember that fish even after all these years, how it convulsed in shock and absolute pain.
It has been widely and conveniently thought that fish and other marine animals feel no pain, have no self awareness, have no emotions of any sort. We now know this is not true. Scientific research has found evidence of a limbic system in the fish brain. The limbic system in the human brain is believed to be responsible for emotions. Scientists have shown that the brain is active when fish experience pain. It is also now thought that fish have self-consciousness. In this context, self-consciousness means the ability to think about their own actions, to consider different possible scenarios and to modify their decisions on how to act as necessary. When we spear a fish it feels pain, fear and panic just as we would if we were speared somewhere in a field while on a walk. As with humans, fish do not often die immediately. They suffer loss of blood and go into shock. Then if they survive the long journey to the shore or a boat, they slowly suffocate in the air. It can be a long and painful death.
(For more about this, click here.)
People who spearfish are no doubt fit, agile and adventurous. The skills, training and endurance to be able to breath-hold for long periods are to be admired. But having acquired all that, where is the skill in then spearing a fish that has little concept of what is about to happen to it? Most likely the fish will not dart away as the hunter approaches but remain in its territory watching with caution as to what will take place next. Then in an instant the spear penetrates its body – a bit like the sportsman’s equivalent of shooting fish in a barrel. I am often told by people who spear that they only take what is needed for the pot. Perhaps so, but they take the biggest of the species, the ones best suited for mating. Still they cause great suffering and pain to an individual.
This does of course beg the question of commercial fisheries. If we are at all concerned with animal welfare as we say we are, we really need to address the issues of inhumanely killing untold millions of sea creatures every year.
If freedivers need to test their skills and endurance, I would recommend trying to film or photograph the fish instead of killing it. A person spear fishing doesn’t even really need to get that close to their prey to fire a spear, but taking a good picture requires infinitely more skill as you need to get closer and for longer.
As a species we have a blinkered attitude to other species that show no familiar outward human-like behaviour, especially if we are unable to hear their cries. We blindly ignore their lives. It intrigues me, when with a group of divers returning to the boat or shore, that they will be excited and animated about the fish or octopus or lobster they have just seen. Only moments later they seem to switch off their brains in the café and order fish, calamari or lobster without even a second thought. On the next dive they will complain that the fish have gone or the huge lobster on the wreck is no longer there.
If you are tempted to go into your local dive shop to buy a spear gun can I ask you to reconsider and ask about an underwater camera instead? The adventure will last longer as the fish will still be there the following day and in the end give a great deal more excitement and pleasure.
What are your thoughts on Spearfishing? Let us know in the comments section below.
Blogs
Sharks, Shipwrecks, and Sea Turtles: My Boston Sea Rovers Adventure

by Mia DaPonte
A couple of weeks ago, I went to a conference called the Boston Sea Rovers Symposium, where I met many different people. I was astonished by the presentations and how we can help. Today, I’m going to explain more about the Boston Sea Rovers conference.
As I mentioned, I met many different people. I met Dan Dolan, who I’ll talk more about in my next blog. He told me he could take me to the New England Aquarium rehab center—which isn’t open to the public—to see the behind-the-scenes work. I also met Jenn Sellitti, who gave an amazing presentation at the film festival about discovering an old ship named Le Lyonnais. She wrote a cool book about the ship, The Adriatic Affair, which my mom is reading. She even offered to take me on a dive in New Jersey to recover an anchor! Jenn and her team love finding underwater boat parts and anchors.

Mia with Jenn Sellitti
I also got a picture with Cristian Dimitrius, who’s known for his photography and cinematography for National Geographic. And I met Greg Skomal, who is a marine biologist—just like I want to be! He’s a white shark expert, and I loved his presentation on Jaws: Fact vs. Fiction.

Mia with Cristian Dimitrius
We attended many different presentations at the conference, but I was especially inspired by the underwater terrariums. These H2O terrariums are designed for underwater farms, where plants grow and thrive under a bubble-like protection system. I was also fascinated by the coral restoration project. The presenter explained that millions of corals are getting sick and dying, but we can help by cleaning up the ocean and avoiding toxic waste. She shared that they’ve developed a medicine that sticks to corals, kind of like toothpaste, to help heal them. They’re also trying to save coral by removing young ones, growing them in labs, and reintroducing them to prevent disease. This technique is working, but there’s still a long way to go. We all can pitch in to help save coral reefs and our beautiful ocean.
My absolute favorite part of the conference was the film festival. Chris from Dive On It Scuba let my mom and me sit in the front row with all the Sea Rovers and interns. My favorite presentation was Jenn’s—she talked about the deep ocean and discovering all kinds of things. Cristian also presented at the festival, showing a National Geographic video he filmed about baby turtles hatching on the beach. The video followed their journey to the ocean, where they had to dodge not just birds but even crocodiles waiting in the water!
The Boston Sea Rovers was an amazing experience. I can’t wait to go back next year and share my new blog. Thanks for reading—until next time!
Blogs
Making a Splash: My Path to Becoming a Master Scuba Diver at 12

Meet Mia Daponte, New England’s youngest female Master Scuba Diver and Scubaverse.com’s latest blogger!
Hi, I’m Mia DaPonte, and this is my first blog! I am New England’s youngest female master scuba diver. I did my training in Jamestown Rhode Island and I’m 12 years old.
I’m also black belt in karate, and I also play soccer, basketball, and love to race my sailboat named “Beluga”. My journey to become a master diver was amazing, not all of it was easy but with the help of my friends and family they supported me so much.
When I turned ten years old, I wanted to scuba dive for my Birthday. After learning diving in the cold murky waters near my home, I wanted to start my training for this Master Diver certification. I met my instructor Seamus on my first day of diving. He was a very good influence on me and always supported me. He taught me everything I know about diving.
I also got to go to new tropical places and dive for fun. We went places like Puerto Rico, Punta Cana, Bermuda, and Bahamas. For the first time I could see far. I saw stingrays, lion fish, coral reefs, tropical fish, and lots of other animals. My favorite animal that I saw was an octopus.
Finally, it was time for my certification trip. The trip came so fast, and I eventually succeeded. In February, I went down to Cozumel Mexico and went diving at Blue Angel Resort. To get my certification, I had to do a deep dive of a max depth of 60ft, and I had to do rescue training. I also had to do an online e-learning test to qualify for this certification.
On the first day I only worked in the pool to practice and perfect rescue techniques for the next day. It was fun putting the online learning to reality. The first part felt harder than the second because I didn’t have as much room in the pool as the open ocean. On the second day, we did it in the ocean. It was hard for me to do the rescue breaths, and bring the adult diver from the bottom of the ocean to the surface. But I was able to do it after hard work.
Cozumel was a lot of fun. We made so many friends down there and hope to see them again. Diving down there was truly magical. I can’t wait to go back someday.
After hard work and dedication, I was able to achieve this accomplishment. It took me 2 years of studying and practicing, but in the end it all paid off. I can’t wait to share my next adventure with you.
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