Fishing for sport only is cruel

I usually only eat fish in a restaurant, I rarely cook fish at home, I sometimes might take home a decent sized pollock and Id make a real effort to make a nice dinner. The only other fish I bring home is mackerel because fresh mack is my favorite food! When I do go mackerel fishing, I never continue after Ive got about ten unless Ive people waiting beside a bbq, Id eat 6 over the next 2 days and keep four in the freezer. Its a bit "what can I do as an individual". There's very little I can do by boycotting my fish and chips, trawlers will continue to go over quotas and bycatch. I have a lot of respect for fish and the environment and I don't know any other group of people than my fellow anglers that have more. It might be burying my head in the sand but Im not going to start worrying too much about these things and it let it ruin my favorite past time. All I can do is respect the laws and practice c&r and try and pass on the same respect to other anglers. People who dont fish say to me again and again, why do you throw the fish back, And my answer 9/10 is why would I NOT put them back! Peoeple can debate weather its cruel to pull a fish out of the water, and of course it is. I hate when a fish even the smallest whiting doesn't swim off in front of me but joy of fishing has made me more aware of pollution and litter on our coastline, thought me more about other sea creature, plant and animal. I clean up others litter wherever I go, take part in river clean ups with my local club, I wouldnt be doing any of this if I wasn't out fishing, I wouldnt be trying to get on Joe Duffy every other week. I think respectful anglers regardless of their cod and chips to more to preserve fish stocks and protect the environment. I would say thousands of cases of illegal fishing,dumping,polluting have been reported by vigilant anglers over the years

Thats my rant over

i am pretty new to sea fishing and i have a lot to learn about sea fishing but this Argument puts me off fishing with other anglers who may criticize the way i fish

I have felt a bit like this in the past due to some of the comments made on this very site, which is a pity. Clearly, for the most part anglers have different opinions on the whole C & R policy and that's fine, it's the preaching that pisses me off.

what a way to get a reaction....

It's certainly an eye catching topic, no?

its when they take everything home and end up throwing the rest away after only consuming one or two thats wrong in my eyes...

You see this is sort of my point. Of course that's wrong, but how do you know it happens? Have you followed someone home who took more fish than you thought they'd manage to eat and seen them eat one or two and throw the rest away? Or when you see someone take a lot of fish home or 'everything they catch' are you just assuming that most will be thrown away. Of course that's wrong, but I'd be giving people the benefit of the doubt. I wouldn't take a small fish home, but if another angler does and eats everything he brings home or gives some away to be eaten, fair play, each to his own. Again, if by taking half a bucket of undersized whiting home (oh no not the poor undersized whiting!!) it means he doesn't buy a half dozen fish in the fish mongers then he's better off doing that. Much better off.

As i said in an earlier post to this topic, live and let live.
I dont think anyone who has the interest to come onto this site and take the time to read posts such as these and reply is out to cause damage or harm.

abide by the law and respect your enviroment

reality is that the anglers here all share a common passion and we are only causing division among true sports men or women who weather catch and release or bring home and cook have a common thread in the love of the sport.

The real enemy lies in the trawlers overfishing and killing millions without need and the law flaunters destroying young bass. Lets remember that and not divide ourselves. Just my stance, not trying to push it on anyone and would not dare preach either side of this to anyone either,

each to there own.

ah the timeless debate....! theres some very good points in both sides of the arguement but a lot of people get very militant about people not releasing the odd fish if they catch it and want to eat it fine if there gonna release it try limit its suffering and get it back quickly..!! thats what i reckon.
if people are gonna try change the worlds ways they would be better off channelling there energy into buildings houses for the poor, opposing corrupt bankers, working for the simon community...etc.
Dont be ranting on at a guy who will keep a fish or two regardless of what you say just try and educate them if there willing to listen on proper handling and best ways to return.
on the other hand if some one is mass executing fish by taking wrasse, pinwhiting, roach or whatever nothing you will say will change that kind of person.
if seeing people taking the odd fish bothers you , you should steer clear of the coast and take up golf or something.

if some one is mass executing fish by taking wrasse, pinwhiting, roach or whatever nothing you will say will change that kind of person.

I've never tasted Wrasse but from what I'm told they're not particularly good to eat so I'd never take one home. But once again if someone does take a wrasse home with 10 pin whiting and eats them all, so what? Ok the 10 pin whiting he takes home could have grown up to be big whiting, but if it prevents him from buying fish in the shop instead he's still better taking the pin whiting. No??

or learn how to play golf.

I can do both

So can I

or learn how to play golf.

I can do both

So can I

ah chasing a little ball around the countryside

for once there have been some good points in this debate, keep it up

where do competition and specimen anglers fit in to this debate. i rarely take fish for the table only if its clear they wont survive but i fill a freezer every year with mackeral. who can say has a mackeral less right to live than a wrasse caught on a boat and claimed as specimen ?

if some one is mass executing fish by taking wrasse, pinwhiting, roach or whatever nothing you will say will change that kind of person.

I've never tasted Wrasse but from what I'm told they're not particularly good to eat so I'd never take one home. But once again if someone does take a wrasse home with 10 pin whiting and eats them all, so what? Ok the 10 pin whiting he takes home could have grown up to be big whiting, but if it prevents him from buying fish in the shop instead he's still better taking the pin whiting. No??

As far as I know Wrasse stay around the same area most of they're lives so keeping wrasse I would say is destructive although perfectly legal

As far as I know Wrasse stay around the same area most of they're lives so keeping wrasse I would say is destructive although perfectly legal

Wrasse move offshore for the winter so you cant get em all year round...! summer species...! i didnt eat em but have seen people keep em. in some english isles there the main ingredient in chowder believe it or not...!
some people keep anything thats the point do i have to spell it out...!!! most people on this site are anglers and not fishing for the table. some others just fish for the table....!!!

just read over that and it looks like a rant lol its not just putting my point across.
point is no one is gonna change it....!!!

the way i see it if you fish for food, specimens, competitions or fun its still fishing and still a blood sport. what we have to do is stay united and not rip the s*** out of each other,the anti,s would love that.i do think its up to everyone to fish what every way they see fit and enjoy themselves and try to conserve or enviroment

Is it cruel? Yes definitely of course it is! Your talking about hooking an animal in it's mouth and hauling it from its natural environment. That's gotta p!$$ you off if your a fish. We are however a hunter species and there are many sports world wide that enable man to quench his primal natural instinctive thrust for the kill. We evolved over millions of years and for the most part we hunted to survive. That has left a lasting impression on our instincts that going to the supermarket wont really give you the same thrill. When I fish I'm only surrendering to deep desire handed down from my ancestors.

While there are many outlets for this desire for the modern man to feel like the hunter, fishing is no where near as cruel as most of them. Most other blood sports you need to make the kill for the catch. While in fishing you can make the catch and the choice. I would imagine that such a high percentage of fish are returned that sea angling would really have little impact on the eco-system around our coast. And that the chances of the same fish being caught repeatability are of a very low percentage. Unlike fishing a pond filled with stock fish! Those poor fish must be afraid every time they try to have a munch! Now that's cruel!

I live in a house with my wife and daughters. Pink is everywhere!!!!!!!!!! I want to get away from that and feel like a big hairy man hunter. I want to be out in the air with nature hunting just like my species always did. Fishing for sport lets me fulfil that need without much of the slaughter found in other blood sports. I come back from fishing on a high and I want that buzz again as soon as I wake the next day. If I bring a fish home (never did) it's nobody's business as long as no law is broken. It's my conscience and people have there own. I hate people dictating there beliefs to me and rabbiting on. I have never broken the law of this state and if I did decide to keep a fish or two so what?

Many valid points made already. Not a lot I can add but am I right in saying the following:

1. It's ok to take home a fish to eat as long as the species is not under threat?
2. It's ok not to take home any fish at all?
3. If you really believe that all fish should be returned it's ok to voice your opinion in an attempt to make others see your point and follow your example?
4. If you believe that some fish are for the table then it's ok to voice your opinion in an attempt to make others see you point?
5. No matter which side of the argument you align yourself with you are doing very little damage to the marine environment by comparison to the trawlers?

Well done to Beebub2 for raising this important issue and making at least half an inteligent argument.

very well said
i release most of what i catch ( more than 90%)
last year i kept 2 bass and so far this year 1(bass happen to be my favourite fish to eat)
respect here is the main thing kill what you keep effectivily and humanely last year i caught a specimen smut but couldn apply for the badge because i didnt see the point in killing it
ive had specimens in others ( bass ,flounder, trout) and as i dont carry a certified scales around would have had to kill them too so back they went and ive no badges.I presume a fish of that size wouldn taste great anyway

Good topic and some interesting points. I never catch anything decent to keep so I never take anything home. I also don't eat fish and as a result there is never any cooked in our house.

I dont want to jump on anyone here, but if your going to post a picture of a dozen ray on there back, you gota expect a reaction pal.

There's very little I can do by boycotting my fish and chips

Maybe not by yourself, but if every angler took this very simple action and explaind their actions to their friends and familys there would be a cascade effect. I'm not asking to you boycot you F&C, I'm just saying that I have.... 100%. I'll have a Kebab instead.

Kev

. I'm not asking to you boycot you F&C, I'm just saying that I have.... 100%. I'll have a Kebab instead.

Kev

give me a greasy kebab over a battered cod and chips anyday

give me a greasy kebab over a battered cod and chips anyday

Bet it's Pollock anyway

Keeping or catch and release?

Nothing wrong with keeping a fish in my opinion. I don't catch that many bass but I have not kept one in a couple of years. I intend on keeping one for the pot at some stage because they are only feckin gorgeous.

catch and release is more about preserving stocks than animal cruelty we know that if a fish is carefully handled it will survive after being caught so it can be caught again its something that you do for yourself and fellow anglers so that we can keep on fishing.


Fishing for sport is cruel

Granted the individual fish doesn't come out well from being caught but it does survive and having an interested person on the ground in all weathers and seasons (I've gotten to the stage where I quiet like standing in the dark, in the pouring rain)
is an active deterrent against poaching or illegal dumping.