In a time when commercial overfishing, habitat loss, and plastic pollution are pushing marine ecosystems to their limits, spearfishing and shoreline foraging can seem like small activities with a small impact… and that’s exactly the point!
When it’s approached with intention, respect, and knowledge, selective spearfishing and hand-gathering can be one of the most ethical ways to source wild food.
Unlike trawling, long-lining, or net fishing, spearfishing offers something no other method can: 100% selectivity. The diver chooses the exact species, size, and individual fish before taking the shot. There are no by-catch victims, no ghost gear, and no wasted lives. Foragers, too, make deliberate decisions — taking only what they recognise, understand, and can use.
But ethical harvesting goes beyond good equipment and sharp aim. It starts with knowing your ecosystem: local laws, minimum sizes, seasonal closures, breeding behaviour, and protected species. It continues with personal responsibility — asking not “Can I?” but “Should I?”
Responsible spearos and foragers follow three core principles:
- Take only what you can use, not what you can brag about
Instagram feeds are never good reasons to kill or collect more. - Harvest the most abundant, not the rare or curious
Leave breeders, unusual specimens, and anything you’re unsure about. - Leave the environment better than you found it
Pick up litter, avoid damaging seabeds, and respect wildlife watching areas.
Beyond the immediate act of taking food, sustainable spearfishing and foraging also recognise the wider ecological context: predator-prey balance, habitat regeneration, and the long-term impacts of climate change on species distribution. Cold water kelp forests, seagrass beds, and rocky reef ecosystems are already under pressure from warming seas, invasive species, intensive fishing practices and coastal development, meaning even a small amount of unnecessary disturbance can have ripple effects over many years. Ethical harvesters become students of the sea – observing patterns, noticing absences, celebrating recoveries, and adapting techniques based on what nature, rather than convenience, permits.
Learn more about the licensing and permits in the UK: by checking out our article on: ‘Spearfishing & Foraging Licensing in the UK – Rules, Permissions & Legal Awareness’
Final Thought
When we choose to hunt and gather in this way, we don’t just feed ourselves, we connect with the sea, develop ecological literacy, and become ambassadors for a healthier coastline.Selective, sustainable spearfishing and foraging isn’t about trophies, it’s about relationship. Real hunters aren’t extractors. We are caretakers.