TalkSport Now re. Banning Fishing

[Guest sslatter]

Is this the thread for cynics? Count me in..

 

James Whale of TalkSport fame has been anti-angling for 30 years... it didn't stop them employing Keith Arthur, did it?

 

The chinese whisper rumour mill is grinding away: yesterday I spoke to an old-timer friend who was full of it.

 

"We won't be able to go fishing for much longer.." he said.

 

"Why's that?" I asked, a wry smile on my face.

 

"They're gonna ban it!" he replied.

 

"Really?" I replied, deadpan. "Why's that?"

 

"'Cos now they've banned foxhunting, they're gonna turn on angling, next!"

 

"Really?" I replied. "Where did you hear that?"

 

"It's in all the papers!" he replied. "They wanna ban fishing!"

 

"Ummm.." I said, "Which papers were they, then?"

 

"All of them.." he replied. "And the RSPCA have said that they're going after angling now.."

 

"No they haven't.." I retorted. "They haven't said anything of the sort.. in fact, they gave a Press Conference the other day, where they said they had no intention whatsoever of trying to get angling banned."

 

"No no.." he replied, "Not the RSPCA, that bird lot. It was them that said it."

 

"You mean the RSPB?" I replied. "I haven't heard of them saying anything to that effect at all. Where did you actually read this?"

 

"Oh I didn't see it.." he replied. "It was ****** who told me. He read it, he did."

 

"Oh right.." I said. "So all this b.s. has come from the mouth of ******, has it? And he's read all about it in the papers, has he?"

 

"Yes he has!" he replied. "He's told me all about it.."

 

"Well.." I said.. "If you want to believe ******, you're welcome to, but it's just a load of scaremongering nonsense. The RSPB have made no such statement whatsoever, but.."

 

[Now's the time for a wind-up] I thought.

 

".. but I do know what their next target will be, and it ain't gonna be angling.."

 

"Oh.." he replied. "What's that then?"

 

"Well.." I replied, smooth-as-you-like. "They gave a Press Conference yesterday where they outlined their next target, and they're gonna go after the domestic cat. They want them all to be licensed and the numbers controlled, so that urban wildlife environments can be regenerated."

 

Now he's REALLY worried. I'll let him stew for a couple of days.

 

demon

 

NB Knowing the nature of these things, I'll probably get a call from another friend in a couple of days, saying:

 

"Here! Have you heard? The RAC have started killing cats!"

 

[ 28. February 2005, 04:52 PM: Message edited by: Graham. X ]

[rabster]

Just going back to the TalkSport programme earlier, here’s a quick summary of what I heard. (I was in & out of the car for most of it so didn’t catch it all)

 

The two presenters were Mike Parry & Ian Collins, both said they have never been fishing themselves, but were still firmly against the PETA campaign to ban the sport.

 

They had a PETA spokeswoman on, I didn’t catch her name, who’s views were very much along the lines of the article Kleinboet has posted on his Anti-fishing Blow thread, claiming the fish feel pain and any sport that causes unnecessary suffering to animals is barbaric & should be banned. Parry & Collins politely listened to what she had to say, waited for her to go, then basically dismissed it as a load of rubbish, which was quite amusing if not very professional.

 

The callers were mainly against any proposed ban, one guy, from Bolton I think, made some good points about the money raised from Rod Licences being put to good use by The Environment Agencies in maintaining the cleanliness of our lakes & Rivers, prosecuting those that pollute them etc.

 

I missed most of what Keith Arthur had to say, mainly because I was typing on here & I can’t do two things at once. All I heard him discussing was some DVD that’s available that shows fish feeding underwater being cautious of what baits they take by nudging them away from the hookbait before they suck them up, which seemed to be a slightly counter productive thing to mention, highlighting that fish are maybe more intelligent than previously credited as being?

 

Overall it was a fairly innocuous discussion that, if nothing else, seemed to suggest public support to be much more Pro-Fishing than Anti.

[Waveney One]

There is more than one way to skin a cat, or get angling stopped in this instance. The RSPB has stopped angling in a number of instances. Two sections of the River Yare that I used to fish have been acquired by the RSPB. Angling is now no longer allowed on either. Whilst they haven't stopped angling off the beach at Minsmere, they can't under current law, they have restriceted access and kicked up a stink in the local papers about 'angler's litter'. Some of which possibly is but a lot isn't.

 

As I say ignore the threat and see if it goes away!! Mind you as a bird watcher and lover myself your ideas on cats are brilliant.

[Guest Bish]

lol @ Graham X!

 

I had a couple of texts from a fishing mate today who was fuming over the very same thing. I said that Thatcher would be PM again before fishing was ever banned in the UK. He never did reply

 

And wtf have the RSPB got to do with this i have no idea. Cormarants do more damge to fish stocks in this country than anything else ever does, apart from pollution. And for the RSPCA, don't get me started!

 

The hyprocrisy stinks, it really does!

[Peter Waller]

Its been said before, Waveney, if angling gets banned it will because of anglers' behaviour. You have mentioned litter. I would add anti-social behaviour.

[Waveney One]

I agree to some extent, but you are talking more about local issues rather than the grander picture. Let's face it fishing in the UK would die overnight if the German laws concerning the killing of all fish caught were to be introduced here. Who is to say that the EU wouldn't bring in such a law?? Would our Government enforce it or turn a blind eye. I think I know the answer to that one.

[Peter Waller]

The German Government is the Green Party. My daughter is a 'Green' in this country and she goes fishing! She is certain that the UK Green Party has NO anti angling agenda, although in time it might. But what chance a Green government in the UK?

[Guest Bish]

Waveney One:

Let's face it fishing in the UK would die overnight if the German laws concerning the killing of all fish caught were to be introduced here.  

Maybe this really should be in the "sea fishing" forum

 

[ 28. February 2005, 06:49 PM: Message edited by: Bish ]

[Guest Bish]

Bish:

 

Bish:

Let's face it fishing in the UK would die overnight if the German laws concerning the killing of all fish caught were to be introduced here.  

Maybe this really should be in the "sea fishing" forum

[Guest sslatter]

Rumour has it that those naughty law-breaking german anglers are still practicing catch-and-release. It's quite difficult to police: one angler on his own is very wary- several anglers together are practically untouchable. They all look out for one another, apparently. They have to be caught red-handed for a successful prosecution, or be subject to video evidence. Without video evidence the statements of witnesses are counterbalanced by the counter-statements of the anglers: "accidentally dropping fish" is a common get-out. Practically impossible to prove otherwise.

 

As regards the EU scaremongering, just think of all the countries in the EU: the UK, Denmark, France, Sweden, Norway, Holland, Eire.. all countries with a long-established angling tradition..

 

It ain't gonna happen.