Ethical question for the board

[fishb0y]

So Diver_dave posted a photo of a HUGE nudibranch that he harvested in Alaska. It looked as if the discussion was initially heading in the negative direction, but quickly turned into a jovial discussion of southern fried foods and the diets of indigenous Russians.

Now we all remember the uproar with the Alki Octopus of 2012. What makes the harvesting of the octopus different than taking that nudibranch?

I'm not asking this question to stir the pot, fling accusations or to make people upset with anyone; especially me . I guess I'm just curious why one made national news while the other might end up in a cookbook (I have a great recipe for moon-snail if anyone is brave enough).

[Dmitchell]

Because Dave didn't tell anyone to $#$#@ Off and act like an ass? nor did he take it from one of the most popular dive sites in a city of several million.

While I wouldn't eat it, Dave did not break any law taking the Nudi. No different from posting a picture of himself sitting next to a dead deer with rifle in hand.

[Tom Nic]

This.

Because Dave didn't tell anyone to $#$#@ Off and act like an ass? nor did he take it from one of the most popular dive sites in a city of several million.

I didn't quote the last part of Mr. Mitchell's fine post because I don't think the deer illustration works because this is not a game animal with hunting seasons.

[Norris]

Going to have to agree. Neither what Dave did or Dylan did was illegal however Dylan went to a popular site where people look forward to seeing Octos, harvested one, and chose to be abrasive when approached.
Is Dave going to eat that tonight? Well I wouldnt be surprised as I have had lots of seafood at his place. However I think we are talking apples and oranges.
Sitkas harvesting rules are much different than here, and when it comes to abundance of sea life, the area around Sitka takes the cake. Thats what I love about diving there!

[CaptnJack]

Dave Mitchell mentions, the "where" is more than kinda important.

Diver dave is in the middle of nowhere and there aren't hundreds of divers per week trying to catch a glimpse of his nudibranch in its natural habitat. And he didn't threaten to take more out of shear spitefulness to intentionally sour someone else's joy in diving.

Its all about attitude and keeping in the spirits of the local dive community.

[CaptnJack]

Going to have to agree.

Is the arm twisting working?

[Joshua Smith]

Because Dave didn't tell anyone to $#$#@ Off and act like an ass? nor did he take it from one of the most popular dive sites in a city of several million.

While I wouldn't eat it, Dave did not break any law taking the Nudi. No different from posting a picture of himself sitting next to a dead deer with rifle in hand.

LIKE.

[Nwcid]

I have to agree with all the above.

Like most things in life common sense and attitude go a LONG way.

[H20doctor]

just because we dont eat it here in the PNW doesnt mean others dont... alaska Is the great wide open spaces.. im sure there are lots of folks out there eating sea cukes, Urchins, and star fish that we normal dont think about... The was made for food , and i think most people forget that ... just like land hunting , we all need to eat ..

[Mortuus]

Yes, it wasn't so much the action of hunting the octo that was the problem, but rather the fact that the kid did so at a massively popular dive site, unceremoniously flaunted his kill, and showed no respect for either the prey or his fellow divers. Not to mention initial confusion about octo gender, and threats to take more just to piss people off. While a nudi doesn't sound appealing to me, we really are talking, as Norris said, about apples and oranges

[Jeremy]

So....what's the moon snail recipe...?

[Tom Nic]

Yes, it wasn't so much the action of hunting the octo that was the problem, but rather the fact that the kid did so at a massively popular dive site, unceremoniously flaunted his kill, and showed no respect for either the prey or his fellow divers. Not to mention initial confusion about octo gender, and threats to take more just to piss people off. While a nudi doesn't sound appealing to me, we really are talking, as Norris said, about apples and oranges

Actually, that's apples and Orange Peel. Nudi that is.

[elmer fudd]

So....what's the moon snail recipe...?

I've tried on more than one occasion, but I've never come up with a way to make those things palatable.

[renoun]

So....what's the moon snail recipe...?

Don't you know what the primary ingredient in [urlhttp://www.moonpie.com/]moon pies[/url] is?

[kdupreez]

Totally agree, the big difference was that Diver_Dave didnt brag about his kill and he didnt kill the Nudi's at probably the most popular dive site in Washington.

I have respect for people who hunt, harvest and gather.. in specific those who dont do it because "they can".. but do it for consumption and do it respectfully and not from nature-tourist or watchable wildlife areas.

If someone harvests an octo from the middle of puget sound in 500ft of water where nobody dives, will anyone care.. probably not.

Same thing here.

[LCF]

There was actually a rather interesting article in Quest magazine last year (I think) about the ethics of our responses to various animals, and how we work to preserve and protect the ones that are appealing to us, and not the ones that aren't. I think it's easy to be captivated by GPOs -- they are intelligent, active and interactive -- and a lot harder to feel empathy for nudibranchs, which are not very mobile and difficult to anthropomorphize.

[Grateful Diver]

Agree with all the others ... the octo story was never about hunting, it was about protecting our dive sites. That's still the issue.

As for why the story went viral ... I think it had as much to do with all the other things on Dylan's Facebook page as it did about the octo ... that and how he and his sister went on the offensive on the internet. Once that stopped, things calmed down pretty quick.

It was never about hunting ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[John Rawlings]

So....what's the moon snail recipe...?

Just in case you are serious: there used to be (along time ago!) a paperback book available called, Edible? Incredible!, by Marjorie Furlong and Virginia Pill. It was described as "a reference guide for saltwater sealife and the dinner table". To my surprise, it is still available on Amazon -

I actually tried eating Moon Snails a couple of times. They do, in fact, taste like clams. Not surprising since they eat clams themselves. All I can say is....meh....a lot of work for very little reward.

I dug out my copy to find the the preparation hints and recipes for Moon Snails....Here's the info from the book:

"immerse live Moon Snails in boiling water for about 5 minutes. Drain and place in cold water. Insert a sharp, thin knife under the umbilidus or hollow at the base of the shell far enough inside to cut the strong muscle. Remove the trap door (operculum). Insert a meat fork, twist and pull, and the animal should then come out quite easily. Slice along the foot area, discarding the digestive organs. Some people prefer to remove the dark lower area of the foot, but others feel that it has the most flavor. The meat may be ground for chowder or put between muslin and pounded with a meat hammer before rolling in flour to fry. Sprinkle with commercial meat tenderizer to insure tenderness. Moon Snail slices may be dipped in batter and deep fat fried like clams. The flavor is mild, resembling that of Razor Clams. Some of our readers tell us that they now prefer and look for Moon Snails instead of clams."

Have fun!

John

[Desert Diver]

Because Dave didn't tell anyone to $#$#@ Off and act like an ass? nor did he take it from one of the most popular dive sites in a city of several million.

While I wouldn't eat it, Dave did not break any law taking the Nudi. No different from posting a picture of himself sitting next to a dead deer with rifle in hand.

Yeah, this is the difference!

[fishb0y]

So....what's the moon snail recipe...?

That's pretty much how we cooked it, but never used the meat tenderizer. I thought it tasted a little like lobster.