Quote:
Originally Posted by craigster59
California Golden trout, Monache Meadows, Golden Trout Wilderness.
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Parr marked juvenile trout. Are you aware? That is a rare and seriously endangered species of trout.
In my younger days I often hiked into high mountain Canadian lakes to catch and release goldens. These had been introduced (via helicopter seeding) into highly inaccessible mountain lakes from their very limited evolutionary range in California.
The idea was to preserve the species in a natural environment after their inevitable demise in the US of A.
But a few of us - ultimate sport seekers, saw this as simply a challenge.
These fish are very intolerant of environmental pollutants and are quite "delicate" members of the trout family.
But really, I've come to realize - the catch and release fishery is really just humans being cruel to animals.
I was recently surprised to read that "catch and release" fishing is banned in several parts of the world for exactly that reason.
If you think about it - it makes sense - we view fish as "unfeeling" because they do not, cannot, express pain and suffering in any way that we can appreciate.
But, with a simple amount of reflection - it's pretty easy to imagine the torture that a fish would experience in being caught and "released".
My motivations were base - bragging rights about hiking up into the stratosphere to catch a trout inaccessible to most but the most hearty.
Besides, these little guys - Goldens - offer little in the way of catching or fighting challenge.
Really, can't we start to shake off the evolutionary drive to seek such trophies?