Im a fisherman. Always have been, since the 1970s. I have struggled with the issue you point out below since the late 1990s. I grew up on, as in directly on, Lake Ontario. I fished it daily because it was my backyard, along with its many tributaries.
I also keep fish as pets (9 tanks) and I struggle and go to great lengths to keep them healthy and when they get sick, i treat them or euthanize as required....it is not enjoyable to see them injured or suffering from disease (usually because of me). I have learned more about fish by keeping them as pets than I could any other way....and it has really cooled me off the sport of fishing
I have found myself at a cross roads about whether or not to keep on fishing. I only catch and release. I do what I can to raise the chances of their survival by removing barbs, not touching slime coat, not using live bait, not fighting longer than necessary, doing my best to avoid fragile fish like Northern Pike etc...I still find it a struggle to justify what I do....
It is quite frankly, the most selfish indulgence i have ever been involved in. I love it but, yea...your right
Sorry to derail the thread
Quote:
Originally Posted by Purrybonker
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?
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