30,000 years ago, if you lived in Alaska, you ate salmon.
If you lived in Bali, you ate Spanish Mackerel.
And if you lived in Kansas, but really liked the taste of halibut, you were out of luck.
Today, 40% of all commercially caught fish is bycatch.
“Bycatch” is the term used to describe fish that are caught, and killed, by accident.
When spearfishing, there is no bycatch - but more on that in a moment.
In the USA, another 40% of all food is thrown away.
So, statistically, out of every 10 fish that are caught:
4 are bycatch.
2 ½ are thrown away.
And only 3 ½ are eaten.
It’s estimated that over 2 trillion fish are caught around the world every year.
1,300,000,000,000 of those fish are killed for no reason at all.
(& that’s to say nothing of the turtles, dolphins & whales that get caught in those fishing nets as well)
Let’s compare this to a spearfisherman (or line fisherman) who just landed the biggest tuna of their life.
They’ve spent years searching the ocean for this one fish.
And finally, it’s on the boat.
This is probably the proudest moment of their entire life.
There’s not a chance they’ll waste any of that fish.
It’s too special.
They will, however, happily share it…..as long as you promise to smile & nod while they retell the story in vivid, exaggerated detail.
This is how humans are meant to catch fish.
It’s how we’ve been doing it for hundreds of thousands of years.
One man (or woman), catching one fish.
But today, fish populations are no match for modern technology.
Bluefin Tuna, for instance, are on the brink of becoming an endangered species - all because people like to eat at fancy sushi restaurants.
It’s worth clarifying that not all commercial fishing is bad.
But it’s up to us to do it responsibly.
Some people get offended by spearfishing.
They think it’s cruel.
But those people just aren’t used to seeing where their food comes from.
Those people think that fish comes from a grocery store in dinosaur-shaped fish sticks.
They think that tuna comes from a can.
Spearos, on the other hand, know exactly where their fish comes from.
Because we choose them, specifically, out of all the fish in the school.
We know how beautiful the fish is.
We know how powerful it is.
And how special it is.
No one cares more about preserving the ocean than spearos (& line fishermen).
Though it is for selfish reasons.
It’s why we notoriously keep our fishing spots secret - from our best friends, our brothers, and maybe even our dads.
Because we want the fish population nice & healthy for when we return next.
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Yellowfin Tuna Classic Hat
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Yellowtail Kingfish Classic Hat
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Bluefin Tuna Classic Hat
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Lobster Classic Hat
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