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Thread: Is It Wrong for Divers To Take Marine Life?

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    Default Is It Wrong for Divers To Take Marine Life?

    Dead shells, live clams, live scallops, fish, lobster, live coral, dead coral, etc?

    Thoughts?
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    Registered Users h2odragon1's Avatar
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    You should check local laws before 'Harvesting' any of the sea-life in any given area.
    Responsible harvesting will allow adequate regeneration of these limited resources.
    The moral dilemma of taking another life is best left to someone who understands Buddhism better than I do.

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    I agree, the careful harvest of any resource is important in maintaining that resource. Most local authorities put limits such as hunting seasons, weight/size limits, numbers per day etc. All those are part of managing those resources and should be seen as such. I don't see that Divers taking lobsters or fish is signifcantly different from a hunter taking a deer or a fisherman taking a salmon. My view, if you're going to kill it, you should be planning on eating it! Killing just for sport or a trophy, whether it be with a bow, rifle or speargun, is not something I would condone.

    One difference from a purely sporting standpoint, when fishing, one can usually practise catch and release. Hunting, spearfishing etc. obviously does not give that option.
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    Registered Users hbh2oguard's Avatar
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    If you're following the rules, not always catching your limt and you will eat it I don't see a problem with it at all, in fact that's exactly what I do! I'd rather catch it then pay some to catch it who may be using a fishing method that isn't as environmentally friendly as me with my spear. Personally I don't have a problem taking lobsters, scallops, and some fish but I'd never go hunting for terrestrial animals.

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    Quote Originally Posted by shinek View Post
    I agree, the careful harvest of any resource is important in maintaining that resource.....

    I'm not going to enter this debate on any level other than to ask : How did these "resources" manage to survive before humanity arrived to "carefully harvest" them ?
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    Quote Originally Posted by rubber chicken View Post
    I'm not going to enter this debate on any level other than to ask : How did these "resources" manage to survive before humanity arrived to "carefully harvest" them ?
    DOG-EAT-DOG
    Quite literally! Big fish eat little fish! Often in a more 'savage' method.
    I don't know if you've seen video's of seals, turtles, or other sea life being ripped apart by bigger fish.

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    Quote Originally Posted by h2odragon1 View Post
    DOG-EAT-DOG
    Quite literally! Big fish eat little fish! Often in a more 'savage' method.
    I don't know if you've seen video's of seals, turtles, or other sea life being ripped apart by bigger fish.

    I'm aware that nature is 'red in tooth and claw'. What I am questioning is the implication that without humanity 'carefully harvesting' these animals their survival is in doubt.

    Most prey/predator relationships exist as a feedback loop. Too much predation and the prey population crashes and the predators starve. Humanity is not part of that loop, except on a global scale.
    To argue that underwater hunting is necessary in order to 'manage' populations of 'resources' is utter nonsense.
    You can claim the right to take marine life on the grounds of necessity or economics or even pleasure but, please, don't try to claim that you are doing the animals a favour!
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    Quote Originally Posted by rubber chicken View Post
    Humanity is not part of that loop, except on a global scale.
    Humans are part of the loop, they're at the top as the apex predator in most cases. I couldn't agree more that harvesting the animal isn't directly helping that animal but it might be helping another animal, altering the marine ecosystem indirectly.

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    AFAIk there is NO marine ecosystem which evolved with Humans as part of it. Our interference is only possible through the use of technology, most of which developed, on an evolutionary timescale, an eyeblink ago.
    If we knew enough about the incredibly complex interactions involved in any marine ecosystem to be able to predict, with any degree of accuracy, the possible results of our actions, then we could say that, on the balance of probability, our activities would be benign or even beneficial. However, we don't and we can't.
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    Quote Originally Posted by rubber chicken View Post
    I'm not going to enter this debate on any level other than to ask : How did these "resources" manage to survive before humanity arrived to "carefully harvest" them ?
    Apologies for not making myself clear, my comment with regards to management of these resources was meant as opposed to indiscriminate pillaging. We will take things from the sea, but if some level of control or management is applied we can have a better chance of ensuring those "resources" are not completely wiped out.

    I wouldn't argue that underwater hunting is necessary to manage the populations, obviously that is not the case, just that without some level of management those populations are at a greater risk.
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