Mountains in the ocean
The dogtooth tuna we’re chasing, swim up from the depths of the Marianas Trench.
We’re on the edge. The deepest part. We’ve learned to hunt dogtooth on the edge of the Marianas Trench. Our hunting grounds are a series of underwater volcanoes, the slopes of which continue down to the deepest water in the world. These are mountains in the ocean that almost reach the surface. Hunting these “banks” require a specific set of conditions in order to successfully pursue these animals.
The rules we abide by are simple in theory but has taken countless trips to establish in practice: 1) understand the oceanography. 2) learn the animals behaviour and 3) have the best equipment available. We’re not trophy seekers, but any weak point in this chain and we won’t be bringing home fish to our families and friends.
The cold water from the deep pushes up the slopes of these mountains in the ocean via upwelling. Our quarry sits at atop of these volcano rims waiting for prey to be carried up with the nutrient rich water. Our spear slip-tips, cable shooting line and double crimps keep the fish on the shaft and the sharks from chomping through the lines, most of the time.
The hunting system we’ve developed works because it’s not random. 40 nautical miles to the banks. One of the team gets in the water to watch the bottom drift by and to see which way the current is moving. We are nowhere near land so the visibility of the water is as good as it gets in tropical water, often between 40 and 50 m. If the current is moving up slope and across the banks, we’ve timed it right. The team are dropped in at the 150m depth line to wait for the current to push them up slope. Just before you can see bottom – the dogtooth rise.
We love and respect the ocean and the animals in it.
Conservation of marine life is a paramount challenge we currently face. Evidence suggests that individual harvest of fish is the most sustainable, lowest by-catch method of fishing. We enjoy spending quality time catching fresh fish with our friends and family. The species we target are all listed “least concern” by the UCIN. That is, they are not endangered or threatened but considered plentiful and sustainable to harvest.
We interact with many amazing species of sharks. None of which are harmed or targeted. Ever.
CAUTION – this is a GRAPHIC spearfishing/fishing video. Please don’t watch/troll if this bothers you.
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