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Spearfishing and Foraging in Cornwall

Spearfishing in the UK has re-emerged as a popular and exciting activity. Cornwall famous for its sea produce, has an abundance of fish, shellfish and seaweed for the hunter gatherer.  Apnea based spearfishing is now a mainstream activity and spearfishermen are one of the keenest groups of marine conservationists around. Jacques-Yves Cousteau is one of the best examples of such a marine conservationist and philanthropist. North Diving wants to champion safe and responsible practice for this type of activity.

Marine Conservation and the Law related to Spearfishing.

There is often some confusion here; In the UK spearfishing, purchase, ownership and use of Spearguns is not illegal for both scuba and apnea divers. However there are restrictions mainly from local by-law on areas to spearfish and what you can catch. Spearfishing can be critiqued under the guise of Marine Conservation. Commercially caught fish suffer a slow death of asphyxia then typically a third of which is then wasted as by-catch, whereas speared fish are targeted then killed instantly creating a dichotomy in the subject of Marine Conservation. So often critics of spearfishing have really an anti-hunting rather than marine conservationist modest operandi. At North Diving Spearfishing instructors have experience of safe weapon use from Military or Police backgrounds for weapons training, use and considerations for purchase.  Spearfishermen in the UK as a group are generally very keen on marine conversation and North Diving promote active marine conservation with this type of activity.