Is Fishin right?

Lately fishin has become very popular with many people that i know, now its been around forever.

It is a great thrill to throw a perfect cast and then to try and roll in a fish with only a couple of simple tools, and whenever we caught a fish we took extra measures to protect the fish from death so whenever we caught a fish we tryed to remove the hook with ease and then threw the fish back in the water


but does it mean it is natural and is it humanly right to catch animals, Is it right or is it wrong to try and catch animals in the natural enivornment?

 

I heard somewhere that something like 70% of fish thrown back into the water end up dieing from stress, heart attacks, and the like within 24 hours. I'm not sure of the exact percentage, but it was ridiculously high. There are also a lot of problems caused by people leaving fishing lines and stuff, which birds and sea mammals get tangled in, which I guess could be fixed by people just being more responsible...
If something is traumatic enough to KILL something by just scaring it, I'd personally shy away from doing it. I stopped fishing when I heard about all the problems it causes for the fish and the environment. For FUN, I don't think it's a moral thing to do, but I have nothing against it if a person is starving and needs to fish for food.

 

everything a person does hurts the environment in one form or another....have fun(within reason of course).

 

fishing is alright if youre responsible.

 

I always wondered what happened to the fish after having holes punched in their throats/mouths.

 

Well, what I don't understand is when people say things like "I fish, but I don't hunt". WTF? Fishing is just another form of hunting, just because it doesn't have as sophisticated a nervous system as a deer doesn't make it non-living.

I'm not opposed to fishing if, a) there is a lake that did not originally have fish in it, but the government introduced them for sport and the fish really shouldn't be there at all, or, b) a person genuinely needs to fish in order to eat.

As for humans killing animals in general, I think it can actually be beneficial in the right circumstances. Like deer hunting--we have so few predators left, deer hunting can be a good thing, because it keeps the deer population down.

 

Thanks everyone for their ideals on this topic and thanks for sharing them, but BohemianSuperhero could you please tell me more about the environmental problems with fishing? that would be much aperacated.

 

maybe we should dump some paxil in the water.

 

I had to look up the exact information, which is all really just a problem with people being irresponsible and unthoughtful...

"Every year, fishers leave behind a trail of tackle victims that includes millions of birds, turtles, bats, and other animals who suffer debilitating injuries or slowly starve to death after swallowing fishhooks or becoming entangled in fishing line. Officials with the Virginia Marine Science Museum Stranding Team say monofilament fishing line is one of the top three threats to sea animals (the others are propeller and boat strikes and plastic trash). A study of one lake in Wales revealed that the majority of litter left by visitors was found along the small section of shoreline predominantly used by fishers. Discarded bait containers accounted for nearly half the total trash.
But even the most conscientious and careful fishers must share the blame, because every sport fisher eventually loses tackle--fishing line easily snaps when it becomes tangled in tree branches during casting or when hooks get snagged on rocks in the water. And even the smallest amount of lost line can add up to a huge problem for animals: Another U.K. study found that, in just two weeks, fishers discarded or lost 36,000 pieces of line--totaling 6 kilometers--around a 2-kilometer stretch of embankment.

Fishing tackle can injure animals in a number of ways. Birds and bats who fly into fishing line caught in trees become hopelessly entangled; most will slowly starve to death. Animals who get entangled in line that is on the ground can become trapped underwater and drown if it catches on rocks or debris. Baby birds can be strangled if their parents use bits of fishing line when weaving their nests. Unfortunately, the more animals struggle, the tighter monofilament line becomes--animals who don't die can suffer severed wings or feet.
Other types of tackle can be deadly, too. Birds who swallow hooks can suffer lacerated beaks and throats; most will starve. Wildlife rehabilitators treat birds poisoned by lead sinkers and otters who can't digest their food because their intestines are full of plastic fishing lures. Some rehabilitators say tackle victims account for the majority of animals they attend to every year. More than 85 percent of the pelicans treated at Florida's Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, for example, have injuries resulting from fishing lines and hooks. But these animals are the lucky ones: Most tackle victims are never found."

 

Being from an island we are a large fishing area. Hatteras is the Marlin capitol of the world. Anyhow, generations of my family have fished in order to survive. Our families have been fed off the ocean. With time though the area has seen a large surge of sports fishing due to tourism. Not only charter boats but surf fishing and pier fishing as well. As far as the charters the people usually take home their catch. Surf fishing, I have some trouble with. Yes alot do eat what they catch but there are some that don't nor do they follow regulations. They take home fish that are way under legal size and many times I have seen fish laying on the beach because someone didn't like that type fish and just threw it on the sand to rot. They could of least gave it to someone who would of made us of it. As far as piers well right now due to hurricane Isabel I don't think that's going to be much of an issue. Until they build them back anyways. Anyways, fishing is fine to me as long as it's done with respect.

 

If your concerned about throwing fish back then simply don't. Eat them instead. Nature doesn't morn the loss of life of an animal if it is to be used as food in the food web. Thats how the web of life works. However I don't recommend fishing or hunting as sport as that is an abomation of nature. Also don't take more then you need. Bears and other animals stop when they have enough.

 

It seems the key here is responsibility. In native tradition, the belief is (and I believe, so for me, it's 'the way it is') that there is an ancient understanding between the species. If you need meat, ask Salmon to give of himself. And he will. But you must ask, and you must be grateful, and demonstrate that gratitude by not leaving your damn tackle lieing everywhere, or polluting the river, etc. The food offered by nature is sacred nourishment. Food over-processed by machines in factories has lost that sacredness. Through it we can not maintain that connection to Mother Earth. The fish are happy to give of themselves if you respect the ancient covenant and accept that nourishment with a thankful heart. If one feels they do not want to eat meet, it is their choice. However, when vegetarians insult meat-eaters (not that it happened in this post, but some zealous veggies cross the line sometimes) they are insulting ancient tradition and just being plain ignorant of the web of life. And yes, sport fishing and industrial fishing should be highly regulated.

 

I have been an avid hunter and fisherman all my life.
I only take what I need. To eat!
Also have taken some deer for family, and the needy families/ food banks.
The way I see it is for many years folks have survived off the land. I could care less about the sport of it.
We all need to be stewards of the land.

As for fishing, I do eat and release! The only thought that has ran through my head releasing fish is what they think.
I mean, they just swimming along and bam. Next thing a human is holding them and puts them back in water.

 

All of my fishing has always been with the objective of eating what I catch. I don’t have much respect for the catch and release crowd or the trophy fishing fishermen.

I also don’t have much respect for the spectacle of Salmon being tossed down the table at Pike Place Market in Seattle. Ugly. We need to have some humility towards the creatures we eat.

 

I am fine with it catch and release or eat. Should be dispatched immediately

 

i think the big commercial fishing industry is horrible for the environment but your typical local "commercial" fisherman is fine. The line being using rods and reels vs a big net dragging the bottom destroying ecosystems.

 

It is hard for me to go fishing because I dont wanna end up killing them.... I dont know if I could take them off the hook w/o hurting them..

 

I don't fish....I think why not is mostly 'great, now what do I do with it?' when I caught one. I don't want to eat it, it probably won't come off the hook. I think what I would like is the peace and quiet out in the boat or on the shore .. Of course, if you fish, you need to drink beer, that's a requirement on the fishing license.

 

Well thats an unwritten law,ya dont have to drink beer