Catch and Release (split from Spearfishing)

Jesus lads everyone supports C&R its becoming a crime on this site to even mention eating fish!!!

Jesus lads everyone supports C&R its becoming a crime on this site to even mention eating fish!!!

C&R is promoted though the site, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with keeping a few for the pot, i could even go as far to say that the next bass i catch (above the size limit) will be coming home with me, as well as any good sized flounder that i fancy a good nibble on.. i support catch and release but i still have to put food on the table at the end of the day.

Anyone here want to join the "Fillet and release" club?

It's about time an Irish branch was started.

[petekd]

Far rather have a bite of something I'd caught than something out of a Donegal Catch bag. C and R as a general ethos is fine but nothing against anyone taking fish within reason if they are going to eat them.

Last edited by petekd on Mon Oct 08, 2007 11:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

There were no objections in any of the threads about catching and killing fish.

Most times it seems to me when I put an opinion down on contentious subjects it differs from the moderators. I still think I have the right to express my views even if you don't agree with them and even if I'm not with the majority.

In reponse to steve my last post was there to put into context what I said in the previous post which occured before the topic had been moved and before muck had said he didn't target bass.

Donagh

I don't think that whole "fillet and release" thing is necessarily the way to go either in fairness now Eoin.... Thats 2 fingers to the people who believe in C & R. There is (or at least should be) a happy medium whereby people who intend taking a fish for the table can do so in responsible fashion without being criticised for doing it and people who believe in 100% C & R can do their thing without being criticised or critical of others too. No-one on here I believe, is interested in wholesale fish slaughter so can't we just get on?????

I dont even eat fish but if someone who fishes all year round decides to take the odd fish home there's nothing wrong with it. and if someone snorkles and spears a fish and brings it home for the table whats the difference? the fish still dies so its the same thing really!! once done with in reason as in the odd fish an not bin bags full of fish as Pete described!!
The bass is a touchy subject but ya cant give out to people for taken 2 a day when its the law, us "more educated anglers" know better than that but its the achual law that needs to be changed as there are more and more anglers catching bass who wouldnt dream of letting it go!

Ok Pete, you got me, I was trying to stir it up.

I still think that Fillet & Release is more valid, but I don't get into it much on this site, as the mainstream agenda seems to be C&R.

I'm quite prepared to get on with C&R folks, I often practice it when the fish is too small or not an edible species, or I already have one in the freezer, but I always fish with an eye on the table, and I daresay if I couldn't eat the fish I wouldn't waste my time fishing. I worked in the Northsea as a fish waiter many moons ago for a masterchef, that opened my eyes to beautiful eating fish.

I'm annoyed that the agenda these days however is ruled by the C&R crowd who take the moral highground on a lot of occasions reckoning that that's the spot they inhabit, whilst ignoring the fact that they inflict unnecessary stress on animals for sport, and yet criticise others for maintaining the spirit of fishing as it was meant to be.

It's a strong reaction if you like to very opinionated people who think they're right whilst ignoring their own sins if you will.

We all know match fishing has only just swung around from being a wholesale slaughter fest with binliners of fish being dumped overboard in DL harbour after matches, and now these said same "seen the light" converts would seek to guilt trip people eating what they catch....not me buddy.

How many of you have seen matchmen ripping hooks out of fish to speed up their catch rates, I've heard it's very common, but not having match fished I don't know for sure?

This guy wants to catch a few fish selectively for the table and has had shag all good advice and all he's had is an ethics debate which he started out by saying he didn't want.

Anyway that's my rant over.

I think Steve and Pete have summed up the C&R debate nicely (or as nicely as is possible).

I'd just add one thing. A lot of people on the forum get labeled as C&R "fanatics". (I may be one of them.) This is often a misconception, or at least a simplification of a shades-of-gray issue into a black-and-white one.

Let's not beat each other over the head with emotive labels and get back to what a lot of people obviously thought was an interesting topic.

any chance of someone splitting the topic so that the C&R vs one for the table debate doesnt spoil the spearfishing issue here. there may be some people interested in the issue that are affraid to speak out for fear of retribution

Yeah, good call. I've split this discussion on C&R from the original spearfishing topic, which can be found here:

http://www.sea-angling-ireland.org/bull ... hp?t=13313

Opinions from all sides are welcome. "Retribution" isn't allowed and should be reported.

ok here's my two cents i support c+r the proper way, not by chucking the fish back and hope it survives, i use a wet towel and try not to handle the fish too much, then gently release the fish, help it recover if need be



But i will take fish that are large enough to eat(over legal size) only if i am to eat it, i will not kill to fill a freezer(mackerel are an exception as they are used as bait too), that said i do kill the odd bass(have to catch them first) because i think they are one of the nicest fish in the sea


right that's my two cent, and if you disagree by all means go ahead, every one has an opinion

i like to put back all my fish but i have no problem with people killing fish for eating, i only get annoyed when people keep undersized fish :evil: :x

but gazo some people would aruge, what is the minimum size? i would really like to see a system like the uk where each fish has a minimum size.....surely it wouldnt be difficult to impose?(enforcing is another matter i understand that)

your right alex, what is the minimum size, id say at least 32cm for all species excluding certain species, bass,shark species,conger etc. its something the government would have to look into.

suppose i should expand, what i mean is 32cm for killing and eating, not comps, i still believe during comps there should be no size limit as the point of a comp is to catch the most fish, no matter how big or small. i remember a day a few years back while walking in bray harbour that i saw a pair fishing, when i asked them what they had caught the opened up a bag only to reveal about thirty fish which where no bigger than about 15cm.
thats a good point as well alex on how they'd enforce size limits, cant see a feasible way to do it without publicity, and who is gonna do that?
by the way its getting very heated in here,surely we can all be friends 8)

well, i think 32 is good, but a bit big for fish like dabs(which are tasty :D ). it would have to be thought through, but it could be done. its hardly gonna cost the government votes.

as to the subject of enforcement, there would be no way to properly do it, but at least if you see people catching undersize fish you an say that it is illegal and not something you should be doing. with the current system we cant say anything to these people.

on the subject of comps, i think the way out club does it is good. 5 points for an undersize fish then standard points for oversize fish i.e. 32 points for a 32cm flounder, but 5 points for a 19cm dab( i think our club min size is 20). you get the idea. this way it makes it worth your while to target bigger fish. i.e. i was beaten in a comp as i had 15 undersize fish and eoin had something like 2 undersize and 3 nice size which equaled out to give him more points.

Alex

Feckin'C&Rdebates

The mimium sizes to take home fish to eat are
Bass 40cm
Cod 38cm
coalies and whiting 30cm
flats 25cm
catch and Release thre is no size limits under IFSA rules but i think each club should impose a limit themselves we use 20cm in c+r and all anglers should have a bucket to put the fish in until aftr your next cast most of the fish will survive. :D

I think there is a healthy middle ground where sensible anglers stand. I am pro informed choice. As long as there is a healthy stock I see no wrong in keeping fish to eat. For me the cooking and eating of fish is a valuable part of the whole angling experience. I would ask the people who are so hostile when they see a pic of a guy with a dead bass posted on this site. Are you conservation minded, sentimental or jealous?