Students and community members say spearfishing not only provides them food, but also gives them experiences of connecting with marine life.
Ben Papeo, a psychology alumnus from Italy, said he loves the whole process of spear fishing from the hunting to the cooking. “From a seemingly endless ocean at night I can take out an exquisite lobster straight to your table.”
Yusuke Hirata, a sophomore business marketing major from Japan, said the most exciting part is when he finds a fish. “It kind of feels like treasure hunting. That’s why I can’t stop going.”
Kei Nakatsuka, a junior exercise and sport science major from Japan, added, “Whenever you find sleeping fish under rocks it is very exciting. It's like finding investigators on your mission.”
“You want to be responsible,” said Landon Gold, a junior from California studying marine biology major, and avid spear fisherman of 13 years. “You can’t just say I’m going to pick up spearfishing and not do your homework.” He said if a person just wants to fish to show everyone how cool they are then it is for the wrong reason.
Gold said it’s important to feel a respect and stewardship toward the ocean. He said when he goes out his purpose is to feed his family and to connect with the environment.
All divers interviewed stressed the importance of never going spearfishing alone. “The ocean is crazy. Everything is unpredictable. Don’t go alone! We always pray before we go out,” said Hirata.
The divers also stated the importance of being familiar with the law in regards to the legality of catching certain species. According to Hawaii state law, it is illegal to spear turtles, but octopus, squid and eel are legal.
Because the state fish, Humahumamukamukaapua’a, only became the state fish about 10 years ago it is legal to catch, but only on a line, said Gold.
Hirata said, “I don’t even know if it is edible so I don’t catch it anyways. The color is weird and the shape is weird. I’m not really interested in that fish anyways.”
The spearfishers all agreed there is a moral code to be followed while fishing: If you kill it, you eat it.
Gold went as far as saying he sometimes will even use the guts of the fish as bait or to fertilize garden soil. “We have to look at the fish as a resource that is managed by the state and owned by all the people. They set up regulations to set up a sustainable level of health on our reef,” he said.
There are many different ways to stow a fish once it’s been caught. A catch bag is a mesh bag that closes up and ties to the spearfisher’s waste. “You do take a risk by keeping fish on you,” said Gold, who sometimes uses the catch bag. “I’ve had interactions with sharks with fish on me. You just have to be smart and aware.” He said he has a quick release belt in case he needs to ditch his catch in an emergency.
To avoid the risk of sharks, Hirata said his local friends have homemade floats to hold their fish. He described the floats as a big white plastic barrel with the top taped or glued shut. A hole is partially cut into the side so it can be opened and closed like a lid. The barrel is stabilized lid-side-up by attaching boogie boards to the flat sides.
The float is then tied to a weight belt so it doesn’t drift away. Hirata continued, “If you catch the fish, you just pull the float to you, put the fish inside and keep fishing. In that way you keep the fish away from the shark.”
When asked whether or not they fear sharks, all of the spearfishers said there is nothing to fear as long as they respect the sharks. “The media demonizes these creatures far more than what they are capable of. Bottom line is this, humans are not in their menu,” said Papeo.
Gold said there are times he will go out and not take any fish because he is just enjoying the experience. “You run into many unique experiences. I’ve seen humpback whales, and been 10 feet away from a mom and a calf. I’ve been diving at night and you can just hear the whales sing.”
He described one experience he had swimming in Bioliumenesin dinoflagellate algae, microorganisms that emit light when they are agitated. “There was no moon. You would look up and you would see your bubbles float to the surface. They would agitate the algae and light up.
“You could wave your hand through the water and see these little green bioluminescent specks glow. It’s moments like that, that I remember more than any trophy fish,” said Gold.
For more information on regulations or how to respond to sharks while spearfishing, visit www.dnlr.hawaii.gov/sharks.
Writer: Kelsy Simmons