BC Spearfishing Regulations & Etiquette
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- Опубліковано 7 жов 2020
- BC Spearfishing Regulations & Etiquette
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Happy Diving!
- Chris
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I appreciate this info as new diver. Its so important to harvest mindfully and responsibly. thanks for posting
No problem at all. Cheers! Happy it helps.
Many good points in here. I think not spearing at popular scuba diving sites is one to add to the list. Fish at these sites are highly habituated to humans and should be left alone for the scuba divers to enjoy. Kind of like hunting in a local park is different from hunting out in the bush.
Most popular diving spots are already located in Rockfish protection areas or Marine sanctuaries in which fishing is not permitted. They also have spots like Ogden point in which angling is permitted but harvesting while diving is not. Ironically when you dive Ogden you see fishing line everywhere and people catch rockfish and throw them back and they die due to the swim bladder expanding (barotrauma injury). One solid advantage to spearfishing is there is no bi catch and we don't kill a bunch of rockfish while trying to harvest a Lingcod. Honestly, fish around the PNW, whether they have seen a human or not, are not very shy haha. I hear what your saying though but there are only so many places to go around between anglers/spearfishers/divers. Luckily, we are much lighter on our feet than SCUBA divers so we have the advantage of branching out to many different areas.
Good to know! I agree with most the points you make especially conservation (I love the ocean kids should get the chance to enjoy it in the future) and when it comes to licensing fer example to get my hunting license I had to take a course, it should be a requirement fer fishing as well. Knowledge is power and expecting people to know is silly, some of us self-manage well but most do not.
Yeah man! Definitely needs to be a course. I've had debates with friends over regulations. They interpret things one way and I the other. It should be black and white and available in multiple languages. No excuses haha.
I use the FishingBC app and it is super easy to use. You can simply click on where you will be on the map, choose what species you are targeting, and the regulations will be much easier to view too.
That's good to know, I've heard about it but have yet to download it. Thanks! I still think the DFO should improve their site though. Many people complain that it's to confusing.
PNW Samson the dfo site is ridiculous. That’s why I only use the app now it’s much easier.
@@garychiang2568 Yeah that's an excellent suggestion. Cheers bro!
Thanks for the app suggestion 🥰
Great info, just researching spear fishing in the nanaimo region and your video was super helpful. Agree with you on conflicting or confusing wording as most of the government fishing sites have ( lawyer lingo but not consistant wording definition reference), a training crash course would be helpful. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Yeah it's extremely hard to navigate. Heya frustrating! I appreciate the comment. Cheers.
The nice thing about ling cod is they can be so aggressive. Makes it easy to measure them before harvesting if they start chewing on your hand.
They can be pretty territorial, especially while guarding an egg mass. I've never had one attempt to bite me though. I agree though, sizing them up can be easier compared to other species of fish.
Than you thank you thank you.
I appreciate every point you addressed in this video, and can see the honourable harvest alive and strong in you.
Thanks Sky! I appreciate that. I'll have to do an updated version of this video. Cheers.
Hey, your videos are wicked. I have been power watching them!
I used to snorkle when i was a kid and am trying to get back to it.
I am a hunter and sport fisher trying to live with the land like you do in the sea. Your ethics, as you know are top knotch.
You spoke alot toward your ideas on law. Like scuba and spear, pole spear vs gun etc. With fishing and hunting many people infight. Fly fishing vs gear .. bow hunting vs rifle. But what many forget.. we need opritunity. Opritunity brings participation, participation brings education and education brings proper regulation... or so we all hope!
Anyway. I love your videos, i really do. You live a solid life Bro, id love to bump into you one day!
Cheers man and you're right! I care way more about the ocean after learning to dive so you'd hope others would have that same sort of appreciation. At the end of the day, scuba spearfishing or rifle hunting is still more sustainable than the grocery store. Happy you like the videos and it's good to know that people have a similar perspective towards harvesting than I do. Cheers!
Preach it! Solid information on harvesting and location giveaways. Lots of helpful reminders for us all. Nice job. Keep em coming ✌🏼
Cheers dude, thanks for the comment!
Yup, I hear you there. Sustainability is key, and taking care of the environment is a critical role. Trash blows into every waterway and then feeds to the ocean, get's nasty fast.
It's sickening man. To little is being done and what is is not happening fast enough. Oceans are doomed.
Lots of great suggestions, totally agree on purple Sea urchins.
Cheers. And yeah, they are a real problem. Sucks.
What a awesome video! Thank you
Yeah no worries, hope it helped!
Great vid man, yet again. I love the channel.
I love the chase, and I can't agree enough. You have to know the regs and game before you go under. I have a RFCA litterally in my back yard, and man, the fools dropping lines in there is agrivating, but the best thing is to be a better sportsman and educate others. Keep up the great work my guy.
Awesome episode my respect for you grows with every episode
Cheers Phil! I like to share some knowledge and also my views/perspectives. Not everyone has to like or agree with em but at minimum some good for thought. Thanks for the comment!
Mandatory training is a great idea.
Yeah man, way to much ignorance. People don't follow the rules half the time because they don't understand them. Even out DFO has a hard time figuring there owns stuff out, it's sad
Thanks bud for sharing useful info!
No sweat!
Awesome video for the community Chris! Glad to see you finally uploaded it 🤙🏽
Thanks man, some food for thought anyway!
Great contribution Chris!
Thanks mark!
You’re doing God’s work man. 👊
Haha thanks man! Happy to help. I going to make this into a more formal video but that's a work in progress!
really enjoy your videos, i hope you can keep them coming
Thanks! Me too. Another baby in March might make it hard but I'm sure I'll manage haha
Spearo from Manitoba. Couldn't agree more with scuba spearing being unfair. I spent a long time learning to control my mind and body underwater, and it has paid off. With both angling and what we do, theres a ton of skill and knowledge required to be successful. When you add 1hr worth of air to the mix, it turns fishing into killing. Theres no hunt and no sport involved whatsoever. Subbed
Agreed man, should be illegal as it is in many countries. Literally like taking candy from a baby. Still better than buying commercially caught seafood I suppose but not by much. Thanks for the sub man, what's the diving like in Manitoba?
@@PNWSamson Probably better on a larger scale, but locally it has the potential to be devastating. The Diving in MB is alright but seasonal! I've fished the lakes here my entire life so I know the spots, and now I get to see what they're really like, and how the lakes populations are doing. Vis is between 5-15 feet. Shooting mostly walleye. But most days I just go do some static apnea and hang out with the fish, leaving the gun in the boat :)
Great video! Very comprejensive. If I actually get good at freediving and learn how to spearfish I look forward to making a copycat video for WA State. (Our regs in general are more restrictive).
That's good man. Hopefully people can learn something. I through that one together super quickly but eventually I'm going to make a better more thorough/interesting one. Cheers dude!
Thank you!
Happy to help!
Amazing channel. Subscribed from Victoria.
Cheers buddy!
Limits on the North Island for crab are also 4.
Always check before you go.
Well done!
Thanks!
SUB'd. Respect. Very Helpful. Thanks!
No worries man happy to help. Thanks for the sub!
thx for info, me n wife spearfish here in hawaii but wife and her family r in vancouver always wanted to try. even if is jus for crab w jus hand
Awesome man. I'm sure much different than what your used to but still beautiful in other ways. If your around let me know!
Thanks.
No worries!
Thanks you for making this video. its really awesome and clear, i been trying to study past few days and this help . i am getting 7mm wet suit i think hypothermia is not worth it how much weights would you consider for a belt in general. and i promise when i start ill take the limitations serious as possibly i use to be a hunter and i love animals.. but there is a circle of life thats are job to keep it going and not deplete it all. respect a lot of your opinions and ill be sure not to get scuba gear but to free dive only. (sea uchin and rice sounds like a future dinner for me and me wife). ill be sure to hit you up once i get certified and study the rules/regulation!
Awesome man sounds like you have a good plan in motion. And keep in contact for sure. Cheers!
Speaking of fishing pressure, one of the most disgusting things I've seen is the live rock fish commercial harvest.
Back in the 90's, using a half dozen live herring on a line and a couple lines, boats could empty out a reef in a couple minutes.
Not quite as bad as a fishing weir left in place after the harvesters were done, blocking all salmon migration into a river, but close.
Yeah that's sickening. And the recreational community has to pay the price. Yellow eye off limits for recreational but commercial fishermen can pull them up all day. Maximum halibut size for recreational fishermen but nope, not for commercial. Ass backwards. I'm not saying I want to bring home massive halibut or threatened yellow eye but conservation seems to go out the door when money is involved.
ha nice, you and dan mann are the two youtubers i base most my research of off. both very informative. you much more geographically so.
Haha cheers man. Yeah Dan Mann is great. He's got his filming/editing down. Thanks man, yeah I love it when people locally post content. Check out Jeremy Surin on UA-cam if you haven't already.
@@PNWSamson ouuhh i will thanks. and don't sell yourself short man. take this vid for example. almost every point you make is valid, and not only that but you back it up with logical reasoning. you're informative without "rubbing it in my face" if you will. I swear to god, common sense/knowledge is far and few nowadays and it's nice to see someone who's actually down to earth.
@@RR-id4rh haha yeah man, common sense is not so common they say... Sad but true. Cool man, yeah I don't want to come across as some sort of an authority figure or anything like that. I don't want to be condescending but I did want to share some of my view points. If people agree that's great but if not that's cool too. Happy you liked that one!
Your videos are great man well done you seem very knowledgeable. You mentioned your a amateur boxer? Very cool man, I'm a professional Thai boxing competitor. Gotta be fit for the sport of spearfishing so they seem like they go hand in hand. I'm new to spearfishing, based in the San Juan islands. I have a few questions for you. Do you prefer a john/jacket or a full suit? What mm thickness combinations do you use? 7/5 full suit? Do you layer like a vest or jacket over a fullsuit? Also since I'm new should I continue to use the cheap cressi polespear or go ahead and buy a gun? Maby a JBL? Thanks brother!
Sick man, I love combat sports. Yeah man, 3 fights. Won them all too. I was working up north, flying back and forth, so it made taking fights a challenge. I got to do some round with Amir Khan which was pretty cool. My shoulder is all screwed up though or I would still be at it. I watched a few of your videos, great stuff dude! Typically with spearfishing you wear a two piece suit. pro's and con's to high waisted pants VS farmer john. With a farmer john you will have more warmth but it's harder to take a full breath as you have more neoprene around the chest. With waist cut you have more expansion around the chest but less warmth. I think 5mm waist cut pants with a 7mm top is the way to go in the summer but if your looking for one all year round suit I'd go 7mm farmer john. Plus most farmer john suits have a cut line and you can turn them into high waisted if you wanted too. Beuchat wetsuits are nice, check out the Red Rock. And if you are new to the sport i'd get efficient at diving first and then get a gun. Or use the pole for a bit at the beginning at least. Leaning how to dive with a loaded gun just makes it that much harder. I just ordered the Beuchat 75cm Carbon. It's a little pricey but it's super sexy and the perfect gun for the PNW. Hope that helps ya!
@@PNWSamson that's badass brother, Undefeated! I bet training with Amin Kahn was amazing! Idk if you follow muaythai at all but I trained with Sanchai for a week after I fought in Thailand last year, those highest level guys are incredible you learn so much just being near them.
YA that helps alot man thanks for the tips. I actually bought a 7mm farmer John at first but it felt too restrictive so I exchanged it for a one piece suit. I'm thinking its too cold for winter though so I was gonna buy like a 3mm or 5mm jacket or vest to wear over it, is that a bad idea? Have you ever layer like a 3-5 mm vest over a full suit? Ya my goal is to focus on diving for now, totally new to freediving and spearfishing. Since you said that I will probably wait to get an actual gun. Thanks again Brother! keep up the great content I love watching your videos!
Great info, keep up the videos, very inspiring.
Do you dive/hunt year-round?
Thanks man! And yeah, I dive all year. I primarily spearfish from May to November and then focus on filming and hand harvesting the other months. I enjoy diving in the winter more to be honest, the visibility on average is much better!
@@PNWSamson Good to know. I'm getting into the sport and looking to buy my first gear setup. As far as a wetsuit goes, is a 7mm upper and 5mm lower (high waist), enough for keeping warm year round? I'm in Victoria. Thanks for any advice you can offer
Hey Chris, have you considered creating something more formal such as your own association or institute of some kind? Or joining some existing ones? It could help with getting your voice heard with the DFO and communicating with the community in general, and possibly getting funding to support your ideas and the environment. Just an idea, appreciate your content
Thanks man! Yeah that's a great idea. I'm not sure if I'd have the time to create my own but I have no problem promoting conservation organizations. Maybe I'll look into that a little more. Thanks for the comment/support and ideas!
DFO doesn't listen to anyone!
I spearfish in BC since 2013. I honestly do not see increase in popularity of the sport. If there is, it is probably localized and most newcomers to the sport will not stick to it. Ferry tickets are expensive, water access is not everywhere, and I just don’t see how anybody in his right mind will justify driving for hours for a very painful swim and a couple fish. Which is a good thing. In my 10 years I never have been asked to share my spot, simply never hooked up with another spearo. Allowing to spear one salmon sounds good, but I honestly will not feel the difference. In my 10 years here I only saw salmon on two-three occasions, and I wouldn’t get a shot even if I tried. So, if DFO opened up salmon for spearos, salmon will be safe. Sculpin should be spearable, I agree.I don’t know how or where would any spearo get 8 of them in a single outing, considering we only get an hour of comfort, maybe two hours on a sunny day in a summer. Perch and especially pacific shiner should also be legalized for spearing. Some areas literally swarmed with them. They are fun to shoot and okay to eat. There is another benefit of opening more species for spearfishing - it will reduce pressure on lingcod and rockfish. I wholeheartedly agree about prohibiting scuba divers from spearfishing. I am PADI certified scuba diver, but I spearfish while freediving. Messing with tanks, apart from being unfair advantage, takes away from a beauty of our sport. Debatable, but it is my opinion. For the record, I travel for work along the BC coast, anywhere from Port Hardy to Saltspring, and all gulf Island in-between. Again, speaking of sharing my spots, even if I did, for normal people it would take an expedition getting to. Take care and thank you for great video.
Cheers man and I appreciate the write up. Yeah, I've had a total of 3 chances to shoot a salmon in the ocean had it been legal. It would have been nice to bring one home that's for sure. And it's weird, Washington has tighter rules on Cabezon than they do Lingcod. Minimum size of 18", and I believe the limit is 1 or 2.
Hey man, love your videos! I'm from North van and thinking of getting into spear fishing with my partner do you have any recommendations for a good way to introduce the sport to someone who may be hesitant early on?
Hmm. I'd head to divingsports and rent some equipment and start out snorkeling for crab first. That's probably your best option. Unfortunately there is not much to spearfish around Vancouver. Most fish are off limits and protected. When I lived on the mainland, we'd get a group in a vehicle and do day trips to the island.
@@PNWSamson good to know, i was going to start diving some of the lakes i fish for some better fishing Intel. Ad wanted to check out some of the slower deep pools on the lynn
@@PNWSamson totally agree, if you are in Vancouver, forget about it. You are pretty much depend on ferry, and this being mostly weekends and summertime, spearfishing will quickly turn into a painful and expensive hobby.
Thanks for the informative vid! I really want to get into the sport, would be stoked on the opportunity for your mentorship
No problem! And for sure, get some gear and stay in touch!
**update**
For the record, I DO spear Cabezon. I would be happy if the DFO returned my email and explained to my why we cannot but until then I do not feel guilty about selectively shooting one to feel my family and I. I treat it as an oversight.
is there a size limit on cabezon?
@@simongillgannon253 no minimum size. They just throw all species of sculpin into one and put a daily limit of 8.
@@PNWSamson good too know, thank you for the information. they should definitely separate and put a smaller limit on cabezon, and make size limit like 14'' or something, like what you said cabezon are not like bull head. In my opinion there honestly more like ling cod interns of behaviour and habitat, DFO has to work out some better regulations imo.
@@simongillgannon253 100% man! If anything, fish should open up for us more than anglers. We are very selective.
@@PNWSamson Ya 100% divers can pick exactly what they want and there's no by catch no matter what. also for salmon I think it would be easier to Identify if the fish is hatchery then it is to judge if say a ling your about to shoot is legal sized, the adipose fin is pretty visible and its easy to see if it has one or not, so I think they should open at least some species of salmon up for spearing.
cool video how long can u hold your breath ? ?
Thanks! When spearfishing not much more than a minute. It depends on what I'm doing in the water. The more effort, the fast I consume my oxygen. If I'm just attempting a long breath hold (static apnea) just over 3mins. I don't have a monster breath hold like some people but I don't put much effort into improving it.
cool thanks and congrats on your new son!!!
@@zackattack4758 np and cheers buddy!!
Got a question mate, am I allowed to spearfish in a lake {Region 2 LowerMainland} For example Sasamat Lake…
Region 2 Regulations barely mentioned anything about Spearfishing.
It was hard to find but this is the rule: it is legal to fish with a spear or an arrow that is propelled by a spring, an elastic band, compressed air, a bow or by hand. Only non-game fish (such as carp) may be speared, except burbot which may also be speared in Regions 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8. No spear fishing of any other game fish (as defined on page 80), pacific salmon or protected species (page 9) is permitted anywhere in B.C. No spear fishing of any kind is permitted in Region 1, 2 and 4.
Looks like area 2 is off limits. Maybe they don't want loaded guns at the beach, but the invasive species should be fair game imo. I got this info from the fishing sinopsis.
Page 8. www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/sports-recreation-arts-and-culture/outdoor-recreation/fishing-and-hunting/freshwater-fishing/fishing_synopsis.pdf
@@PNWSamson This means I can’t even catch & cook rainbow trout?
@@PNWSamson My whole plan was to get my certification for scuba then purchase a spear gun to hunt in lakes then cook…
@@TheAlmightyNameless yeah, your out of luck. I'd imagine that would get boring pretty quickly anyway to be honest with you.
One thing to add to "Can I go out spearfishing with you". If someone is generous enough to take you out to one of their spots, don't take all your friends out there and kill it. The person does not own the ocean and can't stop you but it's like dating your best friends sister, you don't do it without talking it over with them first.
100% man! A lot of time and effort goes into finding good locations. It's a bummer when you bring people out and they start telling the world about it. Especially when they bring people who choose not to follow the regs. I don't even want to find out about "good spots" anymore. It's much more rewarding to discover them yourself.
@@PNWSamson My cousin took me to one of his honeyholes one day, my own brothers still don't know where it is. The only time I go there is with him, it's his spot. "Respect the code"
@@dinos8557 You are a rare breed. Good work man.
@@PNWSamson there is something else. Any buddy spearo, 99% of them, will be novice, holding you back and ruining your day.
What species are legal to spear in BC?
It's been a while, but I'm pretty sure I go over that in the video. Greenling, rockfish and Lingcod. You'll have to check the regulations for the area your in for retention limits.
I’ve been looking into it myself, and I think all you can spear in fresh water is carp and burbot but I’m not sure about Vancouver island
im too confused with dfo site that I go to WA to spearfish..lol
Hah yeah, it's pretty frustrating.
Thanks for the info. I might look at doing some free diving and was interested in the regulation. But as a 'Hook and Line' fisherman, I have issue with your description of how we treat fish that we release. Just like any activity, there are a number of people who do not act respectfully towards the fish. and they often are the ones looking for clips to post on social media. The generalization suggesting we all behave like that is insulting. I'm sure i can find some clips of spearfisherman behaving badly. I'm sure you would not want me to accuse you of the same behavior...
I get it all the time man. People yelling "fucking spearfishers" while at gas docks and crabbing piers. Some lady was claiming that all the lingcod are gone in Ucluelet because people are spearfishing. So ignorant it's disgusting. The angling alliance has a very obvious hatred towards spearfishing. The DFO doesn't take us seriously and since we are such a small niche we don't have a chance in hell is changing any of the one sided regs. Say what you will but I'd bet my life savings that you lose fishing gear and unintentionally catch off limit fish each season you head out. I just cleaned up a reef last week in Nanoose Bay and collected 8 or so lures and a few hundred feet of fishing line. I grew up hook and line fishing. I'd consider myself a responsible angler but I've lost tons of gear, pulled up rockfish unintentionally, foul hooked salmon, and thrown back deceased fish. Often small salmon while trolling that didn't pop the clip but we're towed around and died from exhaustion.
I'm sure most people can identify a salmon if it's the water is clear like in your Campbell river video .
True that. Shooting fish in the river while spawning is probably where the expression "shooting fish in a barrel" came from though haha. To easy in my opinion. I guess anglers so it though so... Regardless, it's illegal. Would be nice to take the odd salmon home though.
why there's no Canadian spearfishing team ....there's world championship in Italy coming soon and Canada is already a member...but we don't have spearfishing team just underwater hockey....thanks
Not sure. It's a growing sport but still super niche in Canada. Not sure how we would preform on the world stage haha
@@PNWSamson I contacted them already its all about papers work and budgets...Canada already a member so it's easy to do it
Hmm interesting. Could be a fun time! I know in Italy they dive hella deep to find fish. I'd personally have to go months before to adapt if I wanted a chance of landing anything. At least they have good visibility!
@@PNWSamson you will be fine. Depth perceived differently when visibility is good and water is warm. I also heard, that good spearo can score pretty high shooting from surface in shallow water. Would be fun just to visit and swim with the gun, who cares about winning anyway.
Recreational hook and line fisherman kill fifteen salmon for every one they keep?
If you have to lie to support your argument, then you're just wrong.
That may have been an over exaggeration but some reports suggest salmon have a 90% mortality rate if released after being fought to exhaustion. Sounds like the best case scenario is 20% mortality if every best practice is followed. When you consider how many anglers are out there that number is not small.
@@PNWSamson I worked with DFO and hatcheries for over a decade, and caught hundreds and hundreds of Coho for hatchery brood stock with hook and line. I had one, in ten years, one coho did not survive capture by hook and line, transport to a hatchery, and a month in captivity to spawning. It works out to less than 1% mortality when caught and released with hook and line. That is the best case scenario.
include beach seine and gillnet, thousands of live capture with still just that one mortality.
@@zandemen I'm just going by a report that was published by the government organization you worked for. Read that if you will. psf.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Download-PDF436-1.pdf