Today was unbelievable. The boat trip was really unbelievable. I didn't expect Karratha to have so much beauty surrounding it.
Once my friend heard that I had my spear with me and that I was keen to catch a few he was more then enthused to go for a spear as well. It turns out he's actually a pro. He picked up a 15 year old from the same place we had dinner last night and took him along with us.
It was a really great day. I managed to spear a fish first shot with my amateur Hawaiian sling spear. My friend, being a pro, has many professional spear guns. He has also competed in top level spear fishing events. He seemed to be impressed with my effort on my spear, referring to it as a "weapon of non-mass destruction". The younger fella is also a great lad. He is of Aboriginal descent and told me a bit about his family background and how they love to fish as well. Although not going into great detail, I found it interesting to hear about some traditional culture from the eyes of a young fellow.
During the day I also used a rod, in which I caught the biggest fish of my life. It was a real challenge to get it, and I can now see why many people take up the pleasure of fishing solely as a hobby, rather then just for food. I must admit I personally wouldn't do this as a hobby if I couldn't eat them, but I now have a better understanding as to why. I was keen to keep this fish to eat, but my friend informed me that this wasn't the best tasting and that he already has many fish in the freezer at home. It was a shame to chuck it back, but at least it can continue in the marine system. I knew this guy is a pro fisherman and to me the fish would be heaven to eat.
When I was out spear fishing I saw many different types of fish. I saw plenty of black tipped sharks and also a few other types. I must admit this was very intimidating, yet after learning a bit more about them and listening to my friend I was more comfortable to be in the water with them.
I thought during today, why on earth would you get so involved in snorkelling if it weren't possible to spear any! It is certainly great fun and also a real pleasure to know you can live sustainably and be very healthy by catching your own supply of fish.
I spoke to my friend about over fishing and what his thoughts were on it. He was very passionate about this issue and made a very good point- "In one day a deep sea trawler would catch a million more fish than an expert spear fishermen would in his whole life". I genuinely believe a million would not be an over estimation either. It made me realise directly that over regulation for the recreational fishermen is actually detrimental to Sustainabilty - contrary to what the joe blo would normally think. I perhaps have also been guilty of this in the past. The issue thats even more concerning is that deep sea trawlers catch excessive surpluses that are not necessary for human consumption, and end up getting fed in processed forms to animal farms, such as cattle and chooks. Obviously these animals don't naturally consume fish in their diet, creating a range of health issues and also environmental impacts. In saying this I wouldn't advocate for decreased regulation of recreational fishing, however I would encourage local fishing and deregulate requirements to sell fish on local levels. - Something to think about in future.
Tomorrow I plan to go to the bike shop, try find a free second hand tyre and do a few repairs to the bike. All I need is to get to Port Hedland so I can pick up the new tyre. Planning to shoot off Sunday now.
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