In 1970 I collected this specimen of a Hawaiian Hinge Gun in the town of Kapaa.on the Island of Kauai. In those days the economic situation required that I spearfished for food on a subsistence level. It was not sport or glory, only for food. In today's fast-paced glamorous society, we sometimes forget spearfishing is a valid method by which individuals can feed themselves. Not to reduce the importance of environmental concerns, people have to eat. During conditions of financial hardship the coastal ocean is a reservoir of nutritious food for the individual. Sometimes in their legislative euphoria, politically inclined environmentalists forget that mankind has been surviving from subsistence 'hunting and gathering' on the coast for thousands of years. This is not mere conjecture. It is a basic human right of survival.

This is an image of my Hawaiian Hinge Gun. Basic guns like this were available for the Native People in Hawaii to fish with. They came in a number of sizes. The arrow was actually projected out of the handle at the fish. The weight of the shaft helped secure the fish to the bottom. The diver had to chase the arrow after the fish was impaled to keep the prey from being lost. After a long stalk underwater holding one's breath, the diver had to sprint to secure the fish. On occasion it was rigorous spearfishing.